Page 74 of Love Legacy

We checkout, paying for our items after some brief arguing over who will pick up the bill. Once the snacks are loaded into the car, Sage and I make our way back to her apartment. A few minutes in, Sage turns her attention to me, keeping her eyes focused on the road. “But seriously, what had you upset earlier?”

I shrug. “I guess I’m a little bummed that my momma hasn’t reached out yet. I knew my father wasn’t going to, but I stillhad hope that my mother would, especially since I knew Grannie Mae called her to let her have it for letting my father throw me out like that. But it’s been three weeks, I think that if she really had any intention of reaching out to me to see how I’m doing, she would’ve done so by now.”

Sage reaches across the center console of the vehicle, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Just give her time. She’s probably at war with herself, trying to decide between reaching out to her only baby and preserving her marriage by not going against your father. I think, eventually, she will come around and do the right thing by you.”

I give her a small smile, returning Sage’s hand squeeze with one of my own. “I hope you’re right.”

Once back at the apartment, Sage and I make ourselves comfortable on the couch. I snuggle up against her, my head resting on her stomach as she leans back against the couch. She pulls a thick fleece blanket over our laps, cocooning us in warmth as she turns on the TV. We settle on a comedy movie, starting the flick before digging into our desserts. While I got the bread pudding for myself and the tiramisu for Sage, we split them half and half so that we could share.

I pick at my dessert, lost in my own thoughts. The text I received from my grandmother earlier had me stuck in an anxiety spiral. We needed to talk about Sage’s graduation and what it means for our relationship, but I have no idea how to broach that subject. Do I just come right out and ask her where does she see us heading? Do I ask her what her plans for the summer are? Do I—?

“Hello? Earth to Naomi! You’re not even paying attention to the movie?”

I blink, snapping out of my trance-like state to see Sage looking down at me, concern etched on her face. She had stopped the movie, and I hadn’t even noticed.

“Sorry, Sage, I just spaced out for a second.”

“A second? More like the entire first fifteen minutes of the movie. I thought you had fallen asleep when I didn’t hear you laughing at the jokes, but then I looked down to see you just lost in thought. Still thinking about your mom?” she asks, tucking my curly hair behind my ears.

I let out a soft sigh.I guess it’s now or never.“No, actually. I was thinking about us.”

Sage blinks a few times, her concern morphing into confusion. “About us? What about us?”

I chew on my lip, trying to figure out how to bring this up. “It’s the end of January, Sage. In four months, you’re graduating. We haven’t talked about what you plan to do after. Or what that means for us,” I trail off, my voice low.

Sage’s face softens, smiling at me. “That’s it? Naomi, you could’ve just asked me instead of getting yourself all twisted up.”

“I was nervous, okay? With all the stress of coming out to my parents, I was worried that this might end. Like you’re my person, Sage, but I was afraid that if I brought up the future, that maybe you didn’t see the same long-term picture I did.”

Sage’s smile grows as she takes my hands in hers. “You once said to me that I was stuck with you, well right back at you Naomi. I choose you, Naomi Williams. You’re stuck with me for forever times a million, because I love you.

I love this bond we share, and this relationship we’ve created, and I’m not willing to give it up just because I’m graduating. Is it going to be tricky? Yeah, but we can survive. If this year has shown me anything, our relationship is a strong one, and if anyone could make medium-distance work, it’s us.”

I return Sage’s smile, her words soothing my anxiety and fears about the trajectory of our relationship. “Well, in that case, what are your post-grad plans, Ms. Carpenter?”

Sage lets out a laugh, the sound infectious. “Ms. Carpenter sounds so formal. I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to go straight into grad school or if I’m going to go straight into the workforce. I applied for a few different public health programs and then a couple related jobs as well. I did get into a Masters of Public Health program, though not my dream program. I was wait-listed for Columbia, which is really where I want to go.

The only job offer I managed to secure was for a Health Education and Outreach Program Coordinator position at a Planned Parenthood on Long Island. I would be overseeing their peer Sex & Identity educational program they run in collaboration with the local LGBTQIA Center. I love the idea of doing that because that’s ultimately what I want to do, design and execute a program like that. I just know that eventually, I should get my MPH, especially if I want to focus on programming and policy. I’m just not sure if it would be easier to do it now or go back later.”

I mull over what Sage just shared with me. I was already amazed by her, but her dedication and drive? Her desire and passion to do advocacy work? She’s truly remarkable. “Could you do your MPH online and still work? Or switch to part-time and then go back to get your MPH?”

Sage shakes her head. “Columbia has an accelerated Online MPH program, but I don’t think I qualify. It’s really geared toward PhDs and other post-graduate degree holders. And then if I choose to go back, they discourage working or any other extra-curricular activities during the first semester of the program because of how intense it is. So I might have to step down altogether from my position, at least for a few months, if I choose to do that.”

“Well, did you mention your intentions to go back to school to the people you interviewed with at the Planned Parenthood?”

Sage shakes her head.

“Well, you should! If they knew that’s what you wanted to do, especially if you wanted to keep working for that Planned Parenthood, they’d probably try to accommodate you best they can.”

She chews on her lip for a little while she thinks over her options. “You know, you’re probably right. Columbia’s Public Health program is my dream, and if I reapply in the future once I’ve been working for a bit, I’ll probably have a better chance of being accepted. And this is a role that I do truly want. I think I’m going to call them this week to accept the position.”

“That’s great, Sage! So would you commute from New Jersey? Or would you move closer to the clinic?”

“Long Island is so expensive! But the commute to Valley Stream is really long, even if I moved to Jersey City or Hoboken rather than staying in Paterson. My best bet would honestly be to move to Queens, and then I’d be able to take the LIRR from there. Then I’m not too far away from home, not too far away from work, not too far away from Manhattan, and not too far from you next year. Plus, you’d be able to take the train to come visit on your free weekends.”

“That really does sound like the best-case scenario,” I say, thinking about the fun and adventures we could have exploring the city. “Would I be able to stay with you during the summer?”

Sage gives me a look as if I had asked if the sky was blue. “Of course. We’re moving in together. Obviously, you will still have a place on campus, but my apartment is yours. When you graduate, you’re going to move to the city with me.”

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