Sarah's Prayer: A Sunset Single (Sunset Series 1.1) (2 page)

Sarah returned to the place she called home, a quaint, small cottage that was once the servant's quarters behind a large Victorian mansion owned by a prominent Sunset family. She loved the comfort and security of the surroundings. It was old, but well maintained.

She was a master at planning and preparing nutritious meals for one even though there were few organic options at the S Mart in town. Tonight's menu included brown rice and a veggie stir fry with a ginger garlic sauce. Sarah changed in to her most comfortable jeans and a t-shirt and sat on the east side porch in the shade to eat her dinner and read a novel on her Kindle to get her mind off the earlier trauma.

The food and the book weren't as interesting or as distracting as she had hoped.

Finishing what she could of her meal, Sarah watched the birds dancing and singing in the magnolia trees around the yard. She absent-mindedly ran her fingers over the faded scars on her forearm, bringing back a stream of memories she would rather forget, memories of the only serious relationship she ever had...

Chapter 2

Sarah had been in love before. At least it seemed like love at first. Brian Travers was a kind young man, a polite and intelligent soul from a wealthy family, owners of a San Antonio tech firm. They met during Sarah's first year in graduate school at Baylor. Like Jake, he seemed like a bright and shining light that attracted Sarah like a moth to a flame.

They needed each other, completed each other. They spent a lot of time together to the point that it almost interfered with Sarah's intensive studies. Sarah didn't mind at all. Brian gave her a sense of belonging that felt so wonderful and right... until it was all wrong.

As a grad student with a double major in social work and psychology, Sarah should have seen the warning signs herself. It was her friends and her parents that kept telling her that something wasn't right with Brian and their relationship. "Too demanding," they said. "He should treat you better," she heard way too often. Sarah didn't see any of it. She just loved the adoration of her beloved Brian who lavished her with praise and gifts.

It wasn't until a trip home to Lufkin that she came to the realization that something was wrong, really wrong not only with their relationship but with her. Sarah's parents, younger sister Ruth and older brother Gabriel, on leave from Ft. Hood in Killeen, held an old fashioned Texas "come to Jesus meeting," what most people would call an intervention.

"Sarah, as your parents we feel responsible for your safety. We know that you are twenty-four and an adult, but we see some things in your relationship with Brian that frighten us, darling. I'm your mother. There are things that don't have to be said for me to know are true. Sarah, Brian is abusing you." Loretta Newsome was worried for some time about her oldest daughter's relationship with the young man she never trusted.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mom. Brian is a wonderful guy. Yeah, he gets pretty passionate and insistent at times, but abusive? No. I'm a social worker. I would know if that were happening."

"Sis, it's obvious that something isn't right. I've heard you crying when you talk to him on the phone when you're home. He's controlling you and not letting you be yourself. I haven't seen you smile or laugh since you met the creep."

"Don't call him names. That's not fair."

"Girls, let's not get into an argument. Listen, Sarah. You don't have a lot of experience with men. I know his type. I'm a guy and your father. He doesn't treat you the way I expect him to. You deserve better."

"Dad, it's okay really."

Jim Newsome couldn't bear to use the "soft approach" as his wife encouraged him to do. He had to just come out with his concerns. "Sarah, if it's that good, why are you wearing long sleeves when it's ninety plus and humid outside?"

"Well ... I ..." Sarah looked at her father then her mother and searched for a good answer. None came to mind. In those few seconds something began to change in Sarah's brain. It was as if the neural pathways that forced her to defend Brian suddenly started to break down. She just couldn't do it any longer. She sat frozen on her bed as her well-structured life began to crumble. Tears formed in her eyes and she had
a hard time breathing. After a few moments she finally found the ability to speak. "Dad, Gabe, could you leave the room for a minute?"

"Guys, give us a few minutes. Please?"

"Okay, Mom."

"Alright, Dear.
We'll be in the den."

The men in the Newsome family stood up
slowly, looked at Sarah with a compassionate gaze and left her bedroom.

After the door closed, Sarah, without saying a word, slowly took off her long sleeved knit blouse. With some embarrassment and more shame than she thought she could bear, she held out her arms for her mother and sister to see. What they saw shocked them both.

The bruises on Sarah's arms were painful enough for her mother to witness, but the deep abrasions on her forearm, ones that would almost certainly leave a scar, sent her to her knees. "Sarah... what has that monster done to you? How could you let this happen?"

Sarah couldn't respond. She suddenly felt very alone in her own bedroom with her mother and sister.

Sensing her discomfort, Ruth retrieved a soft t-shirt from Sarah's drawer and helped her slip it on gently. She sat behind Sarah on the bed and put her arms around the older sister she loved and respected so much to give her strength.

Everything that happened to
her, all that transpired between her and Brian, seemed like part of their "loving relationship" up until that moment. Now, it seemed horrific, like it happened to someone else. "I... I don't know, Mom. I don't know how I could have let this happen. I can't explain it."

"Well, we are going to do something about it. We need to talk to your Dad and Gabe. I'm sure they are sweating bullets out there." Loretta couldn't get her body to move. She sat motionless staring at her daughter. Her worst fears were borne out. She finally reached up and wrapped her arms around Sarah's head and held her close.

For a moment there was no sound in the room.

Then, they all cried in each other's arms until they were ready to face the men.

Sarah made the long trek down the hallway surrounded by the support and protection of the other Newsome women. Protecting her from what none of them could have said. Everyone in the family wanted the best for their beloved Sarah.

"Dad, I have something to show you, but promise you won't get mad."

Jim broke out in a nervous sweat. He knew something painful was about to come to light. "I won't get mad, sweetheart. It's alright."

Sarah walked closer to where her father and brother were sitting. It was easier to show her wounds this time. The emotional release from the first exposure to her mother and sister gave her strength to face her father. It was her brother she should have worried about.

Jim gingerly took Sarah's outstretched hand into both of his. What he saw destroyed him, but made him want to lash out at the man, no... beast that hurt his little girl.

"I am going to kill that..." Gabriel Newsome stood up in a rage that frightened Sarah so much she pulled away from her father and wrapped her arms around herself, ducking her head.

"I'm so sorry Sarah. I don't mean to hurt you. It's Brian that's going to get hurt." With that, Gabriel stormed out of the house to calm himself down.

"Sarah, are you alright?" Jim talked in soothing tones to the daughter he thought was hurting but now realized was nearly broken.

"I... I think so, Dad. It's not as bad as it looks." Sarah still tried to downplay the severity of the problem.

"Sarah, how did you get those awful scratches? They're pretty deep."

"I pulled my arm away from Brian and scraped it on his watch."

Jim looked at the gashes on his daughter's arm with a mix of anger and revulsion toward Brian and compassion for his little girl. How could a man who was supposed to cherish his child do something so hideous? As he held Sarah's hand and looked at the wound, he wondered how this could happen if she were just pulling away from
Brian's grasp? It didn't make sense. "Sarah, is there something you're not telling me?"

"What do you mean, Daddy?"

"If you were just pulling you're arm away from him, your forearm wouldn't have been near his watch like that. He would have to have his arms around you for that to happen and you would have to struggle to get away from him. Is that what happened?"

Sarah didn't answer, at least with words. She looked at her father with the fear that he had figured it out. She felt like she had been caught in a lie. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to roll down her face. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"For what, Sarah."

"For not telling you the truth."

"What is the truth? Was he... trying to... force himself on you and you resisted?"

She answered with deep sobs.

Jim responded with compassion and love for his broken-spirited child. He held her in his lap like he had done so many times so long ago and allowed her to release as much pain as she could.

Gabriel walked up and down the street that was so familiar and comforting to him. This evening it brought him no solace. He loved his family more than life itself. During his overseas deployments his family picture was one of his prized possessions. He had to leave things like that behind during Long Range Surveillance missions deep into enemy territory. Of course, what wasn't enemy territory in places like that? Personal photos would jeopardize his family's safety if he were captured.

Gabe always felt protective of Sarah. She was a fragile and soft-hearted soul that needed the protection of someone strong but sensitive. She didn't deserve the likes of Brian Travers. That jerk had to pay for what he did to his little sister. And pay he would. While he walked he formulated a plan and made a few calls to his buddies at Ft. Hood.

The next morning Loretta called for help from the most objective but supportive person outside the family, Dr. Alma Johnston. As the family's gynecologist, she had helped all the women in the Newsome family with her caring disposition and forthright advice. Dr. Johnston was just what Sarah needed right now, a thorough check up and the compassionate counsel that Sarah grew to trust through the years. She made time for Sarah that morning.

"Sarah, you know that anything we discuss is covered by doctor-patient confidentiality and I will not reveal it to your parents or anyone else unless required by law, but you know that given your line of work."

"Yes, ma'am.
And I appreciate that. It was hard enough facing them last night. Heck, it was hard enough facing this myself." Sarah lightly stroked her arm.

"Tell me what has been happening."

"Well, I met Brian at a student mixer the beginning of my first year in grad school. We hit it off just great..." Sarah smiled as she described their early relationship, but caught herself as she remembered the purpose of her visit.

Dr. Johnston listened patiently as Sarah explained some of the issues that made the relationship sound less than wonderful the way it was coming out of her mouth today.

"Sarah, I know your heart, your commitment to God and to a high moral standard. We've talked about the fact that you want to wait until marriage for a sexual relationship. Has Brian pressured you to do anything physically that you don't want to do?"

Sarah's hesitation to answer that question was answer enough. Her inability to answer with anything but tears was all Dr. Johnston needed to know. She waited until Sarah seemed able to continue.