After Midnight

by Lacy Hart

  “No, I’m…” I interrupted myself and stopped being defensive. “Okay, maybe I am a little bit. He seems very nice, he’s polite, a gentleman…”

  Fran stepped on my words right there.

  “And he’s hot as hell,” Fran said to me as she put a coffee roll on a plate for a customer.

  I did get a little flush at the thought.

  “Yes, he’s attractive, there’s nothing wrong with that either.”

  “I never said there was, Sarah,” Fran told me as she turned to walk away. She turned back to me and said: “It sounds like you’re the one trying to convince yourself about him.”

  Fran was right. It had been so long since I had anyone that showed interest in me that I was interested in as well. I was to the point in my life where I was suspicious of anyone that displayed even a hint of interest that I had forgotten what it was like to find someone attractive.

  I also wanted to make sure to temper my expectations with Caleb. After all, it was just a walk home and nothing more. If he is just looking for a friend and wanted someone to talk to and hang out with, I could certainly be that person. Goodness knows I could use more friends in my life as well.

  As the clock got closer to 6 AM, I found myself going to the break room to gather my things and get ready to leave. Fran walked into the back as well to gather her belongings from her locker. I was just putting my bag on my shoulder and getting ready to walk out when she stopped me.

  “You’re going to meet him like that?” she said with surprise.

  “What are you talking about?’ I replied.

  “You don’t want to fix your hair or put on some makeup or something? Dress yourself up a little bit?”

  “Fran, he’s seen me here working the last two nights. I don’t think I need to pretend I look like something I’m not just for a walk home. That seems a bit ridiculous. He can like me or not just the way he sees me. I’ll see you later tonight.” I stood straight, smiled at her, and headed out towards the front door.

  I walked out the front door with my cardigan on, but the temperature outside was feeling higher than it had in recent days. Spring weather was settling in nicely, and it looked to be much warmer today. I looked around as I waited outside the steps, but I didn’t have to wait long. Within moments, Caleb was turning the corner and coming up on the diner, moving at a pretty good clip. He was wearing a gray t-shirt and black running shorts, and as he came up to me, he stopped short, catching his breath for a second and placing his hands on his knees.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly. I could see a hint of sweat on his forehead. I could also see that his arms were strong and muscular, matching the strength that showed in his legs. “I hope you weren’t waiting long,” he said to me, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

  “I just got out here myself,” I told him. “Do you need a minute to catch your breath?”

  “No, I’m okay,” he said, standing up straight again. I could see a hint of sweat marking the collar of his shirt, and the shirt clung closely to his body, giving definition to his abs and pecs that I hadn’t seen before. “When I saw I was starting a little late I ran a little harder to make sure I got here on time. It’s going to take me some time to get back into shape.”

  If this is out of shape, I can’t imagine what he looks like when he’s in his best condition, I thought to myself.

  I shook my head a little to get these thoughts out of my head so I could carry on a conversation with Caleb without getting caught up in what I found myself feeling now.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it, Caleb,” I said to him. “You are far from out of shape.”

  We started walking slowly in the direction of home for me.

  “How was the rest of your night, or morning?” Caleb asked me.

  “Oh, not very exciting,” I said to him. “We had a few customers, but usually that time of the morning I spend the rest of my time cleaning, getting the place ready for the morning crowd and morning shift. It makes things easier for the staff that way when we get crowded.”

  “It sounds like you’re a pretty big piece of the puzzle for that place,” Caleb told me.

  “Nah, not really,” I told him. “I’m just more accustomed to it I guess.”

  “How long have you worked at the diner?” Caleb asked as we walked.

  “Oh, it’s been about four years I guess,” I told him. I hadn’t realized it had been that long since I started there. It was longer than I had ever anticipated.

  I looked over at Caleb and saw him watching my face. I felt a blush come over me.

  “So, you’ll be running the place before long then,” Caleb said, looking forward again as we walked.

  “I don’t think that will ever happen,” I told him. “Doug, the owner, is there during the days and takes care of everything. I just help where I can. Besides, I don’t plan to stay there forever.”

  “Oh?” Caleb questioned. “What do you plan to do?”

  “I’m trying to finish up my degree,” I told him.

  “What are you studying?”

  “Analytics and security, computer stuff,” I said in passing. Most people’s eyes glaze over when I say what I am studying, thinking of it as techie, nerd stuff. Caleb though showed some interest.

  “Good for you,” he told me. “That’s a good field, lots of growth potential. If you’re good, you can go anywhere and have an excellent career.”

  I felt a sense of pride wash over me when Caleb said this.

  “Do you know a lot about computers and technology?” I asked him. We had turned the corner off Oak Street and were heading down Baldwin towards my house, much faster than I thought we would get there, and faster than I wanted to.

  “I know a little,” he told me. “Just some basic stuff I learned in the Army, but nothing to the level that someone like you will be able to do.”

  “I’ll bet you learned a lot of different things in the Army,” I said to him, seeing if I could get him to talk freely a little bit.

  “Oh yeah,” he told me. “But that’s boring stuff. Most of it is not very practical for what you do in the civilian world.”

  “I’d love to hear more about it,” I encouraged.

  Caleb didn’t really answer me about that question, and we walked a bit more without saying anything. I could see my house looming ahead, just down the street, and I was sure Caleb saw it as well. I tried to walk a little slower and extend our time.

  “So, what do you do with the rest of your day now?” Caleb asked me.

  “Generally, I sleep until about two, get up, do my schoolwork, make dinner, and then get ready for work.”

  “That doesn’t leave you much free time to enjoy life. Do you ever get a break?”

  “I have Mondays and Tuesdays off at the diner, so those are free days, but it’s hard to live a normal life when you are used to being up all-night long. I try to stick to my routine and end up staying up late on those days too.”

  We reached the top of the driveway all too soon. I positioned myself on the driveway so that we were shaded from the windows of the house, over by a couple of trees up near the fence.

  “That means you’ll be working tonight then,” Caleb said to me. He was shuffling his feet a little bit as he talked.

  “Oh yes, Friday is always a busy day for us,” I told him. “We get all the kids from the college and the high school coming in at all hours. Will you… you are coming in tonight?”

  Caleb looked at me as he considered the question. It then looked as if an idea hit him and he smiled.

  “I can actually come in a little earlier tonight,” he said to me. “My son, Adam, plays on the high school basketball team. I’m going to watch his game tonight, so I can come by after the game ends, probably between ten and eleven.”

  “We’ll be pretty busy,” I told him, but I didn’t want to discourage him from coming. “It would be nice to see you though. I can use seeing a friendly face when things get hectic.”

  Cale
b smiled a little wider when I said this.

  “Okay, then,” he said to me. “I’ll make sure to come by after the game. It will be fun to see you in action,” he said and laughed.

  “Thank you again for your help tonight,” I told him, “and thank you for walking me home. It was very nice.”

  “You’re welcome, it was my pleasure, in both instances.”

  Caleb started to jog lightly in place to get himself moving again.

  “Are you heading right home now?” I asked him before we parted.

  “No, I’ll run a bit longer,” he said to me. “I need to stretch myself out and get back up to my usual length.”

  “I wish I had your energy,” I told him.

  “You know,” he said, coming closer to me again, “if you want, tomorrow morning, we could both go for a run… together, I mean. I could meet you at the diner when you finish work, and we can go for a run then if you feel up to it.”

  Part of me worried about going for a run since I hadn’t done it so long, but another part of me loved the thought of getting to spend more time with Caleb.

  “That would be great,” I heard myself saying before I could think about it any further. “I’ll bring some clothes to change into after my shift, and we can go.”

  Caleb seemed energized again.

  “Fantastic,” he said enthusiastically. “Okay, I’ll let you go and get some rest. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “See you later,” I said to him as I watched him turn and start his run again. I watched him move down the block and found it difficult not to notice how he looked as he moved away, his arms and legs pumping, and his shorts moving tightly against his backside. I felt a warmth come over me that I don’t feel too often.

  After I saw Caleb disappear down the block, I moved away from the shaded area and started down the driveway. I got to the middle of the driveway just in time to see Lizzie and Denise coming out of the house to leave for the day.

  “Running a little late today?” Denise said to me curtly.

  “Just extra prep work to get things in place for a busy Friday,” I told her, trying to keep things as impersonal as possible.

  Denise climbed into the driver’s seat while Lizzie moved around to the passenger side.

  “I’ll see you at the diner tonight!” Lizzie said with excitement.

  I had almost forgotten that Lizzie was coming with her friends tonight and I promised to keep an eye on them. I had been so caught up with everything else that it had slipped my mind.

  “I’ll be there,” I said with a smile.

  Once Lizzie was in the car, Denise quickly backed out of the driveway. I watched them drive away and went inside the house. I had planned to go right upstairs, but I heard James in the kitchen, and he apparently heard the front door close as I came in.

  “That you, Sarah?” James called out.

  “Yes,” I said to him, feeling tense now and worrying about what he might want to talk about. I made my way slowly down the hall to the kitchen and saw him sitting at the table, dressed for work, and drinking a cup of coffee.

  “How was work?” he said as he sipped his coffee.

  “Fine,” I told him. “Business as usual.”

  “Sit down, relax,” he said to me, pointing to one of the chairs at the table.

  “James, I’m pretty tired from work,” I told him. “I just need to get some sleep. It’s going to be a busy night tonight.”

  “Just sit for a minute, please,” he asked me, pushing one of the chairs out with his foot.

  I came over and slumped down into the chair.

  “I just want to apologize for yesterday,” James said to me. “Denise was out of line with all that stuff, including the going out to dinner thing.”

  “You don’t have anything to apologize for, James,” I told him. “You didn’t do anything. Besides, you three are entitled to have time to yourselves. I don’t have to be included in everything. That’s your family. I get it.”

  I went to get up from the table, and James reached across and grabbed my hand.

  “Hey,” he said to me, holding me there, “You’re my family too, and you’re a part of this family. Don’t forget that.”

  “I won’t,” I said to James.

  James let go of my hand and sipped his coffee again.

  “So, who’s the guy you were with this morning?” he asked me. “Is it the same guy from yesterday?”

  I stared at James with my mouth slightly open.

  “It’s okay, Sarah,” James said to me. “I had walked out through the garage to grab something from my car, and I saw you two standing over by the trees. Is it the same guy?”

  The only sound you could hear in the kitchen was the refrigerator motor running.

  “Yes, it is,” I said honestly. “Did… did anyone else see us?”

  “I doubt it,” James said to me. “Denise and Lizzie were already in the kitchen getting everything together to go. So, who is he? Someone you’re dating?”

  “No… I mean not really… I guess I’m not sure yet,” I answered him. “His name is Caleb. He just moved back to Swanson. He was in the Army and just retired.”

  “Retired?” James said with surprise. “He doesn’t look like he’s an old man.”

  I laughed and smiled. “He’s not. I think he’s about your age. He has a son who’s a senior in the high school.”

  James put down his coffee mug. “He’s not married, is he Sarah? If he is, I don’t want to see you getting…”

  I cut James off there.

  “Give me some credit, James. I wouldn’t start hanging around a married man like that. His wife… she passed away a few years ago. He said it was a car accident.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “Why would he lie about it? That would be a pretty horrible thing to do.”

  I had never considered that Caleb might be lying about his wife’s death until just this moment. I’m usually so protective of myself that I was surprised I didn’t think of that possibility, but Caleb didn’t seem like a person who would lie about that.

  “I’m not saying he is, Sarah,” James answered. “I just think that you should be careful before you think about getting involved with someone. I don’t… I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I appreciate your concern James, I really do,” I told him as I stood up from the table. “I’m not involved with him. We’re just friends. I… I need to get some sleep.”

  James got up from the table as well.

  “Sarah, don’t be mad,” he pleaded. “I’m just looking out for you is all.”

  “I know you are,” I told him. “But I’m a big girl now, James. I can look out for myself. Have a good day at work.”

  I walked down the hall and went upstairs to my room, shutting the door. I kicked off my sneakers and plopped down on the bed. I stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, considering what James had said about Caleb. I didn’t want to feel suspicious about Caleb, his motives, or his friendship, but the seed had been planted in my head. With my past experiences, that’s all it took for me to start to worry.

  I got up from the bed and went over to my desk. I sat and flipped my laptop open, letting the screen spring to life. I went on the Internet and to my search engine and typed in ‘Caleb Wilson Army Swanson NC.’ I hesitated for a second, worrying about what I might discover, but then I hit Enter.

  I had results in seconds, with the top few being about an Ella Wilson. Her obituary and a story in the newspaper from two years ago were there. The article explained that she was killed in a suspected DWI accident in April of two years ago when she was only thirty-six. There was a picture of a mangled car on the side of the road, and based on the picture, she was hit head-on.

  I scanned the article and found information about Caleb. The article noted that he was a Weapons Sergeant with the 3rd Special Forces Group, 2nd Battalion, Alpha Company, that was based out of Fort Bragg. At the time of the accident he was stationed overseas, and the arti
cle did not get specific as to where he was or what he was doing. The article also mentioned her son, Adam, who was at Swanson High School.

  There weren’t a lot of details about the accident, other than to say the other driver was Brandon Sterling, the son of Wesley Sterling, owner of Sterling Industries, a large textile company near Swanson. Apparently, Brandon was taken into custody, but the article mentioned nothing else.

  I knew the Sterling name. Everyone in Swanson did because the family was from the area, donated a lot of money to the college, and had business all over the place. I also knew the name because Brandon was around Swanson College the same time I was going there. While he didn’t attend, he was at some of the same parties I went to because his cousin, Jared, who I did know of, went to the school. I never particularly liked either one of them, and the interactions I had with either of them were few and usually not pleasant, ending with me getting hit on, rejecting them, and being called a name.