In The Beginning... (part 3)

The next night went very much as the one before.  Fred was playing the puppy dog role and still having no luck.  There was a free bed that night, but it was pretty small.  When I laid down on it, there was no room for anybody else.  I was hoping she would “just happen” to fall asleep next to me again, but this time without Fred.  When she did move towards the bed, I felt like exploding with joy.  She hesitated a moment and then laid down right in my arms like we had always belonged tangled up together.  It was strange how natural it felt with her in my arms and cuddled next to me.  We kissed but stopped quickly almost like we were shocked at what we were doing.  I wondered if Luke crossed her mind but quickly pushed those thoughts out of my mind.

In the morning, we all laid around in Fred’s bedroom until late into the afternoon.  We stayed within lip’s reach of each other most of the day.  I think we liked the feel of having the other person close, and we clung to each other.  I’m sure everyone else was disgusted by how much we kissed.  Sarah wanted to leave and be alone so, as quickly as we could without being too obvious, we left.

            We stopped to get something to eat and decided to go to my mom’s house.  By then it was almost time for my mother, younger brother and sister to get ready for bed so they could get up for school in the morning.  I had always had bad manners, so without stopping to introduce Sarah to anybody, we went straight to my room and shut the door.

            We sat and really talked for the first time.  We smoked some weed and shared stories about acid and all the things we had done while on it.  We were both interested in finding out more about ourselves and thought psychedelic drugs would help open us up to the spiritual world.  We talked into the night until she had to leave.  She had class in the morning and needed to get some sleep.

            From that day on, we would spend almost everyday together for the next three months.  In that time, a deep relationship developed between us quickly.  I felt free from my past and alive.

Ben and Sarah in Tahlequah

            Over the next few weeks, we spent all our time together.  We talked for hours on end but my favorite times were when we just laid in each other’s arms.  With Sarah now in my life, things seemed to be getting better.  With her there, I had something to look forward to each day when before, there was nothing.  My outlook changed.  I woke up looking forward to the day.  I wanted to get my act together and thought about getting my GED.  I even went to a couple of job interviews.  I would also learn more about Sarah’s ex-boyfriend Patrick—some of it from first-hand encounters with him.