If you read Teeny Black Bikini β thanks! This is the enhanced version. I needed to add a better ending. Hope you enjoy! Comments, votes, and suggestions always welcome!
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Teeny Black Bikini
I've known Sarah for a number of years now. She'd gone a bit of a challenging start when she got pregnant at 17 but she and Robert decided to get married and make a go of it. Despite working two or three jobs at a time and raising a child, they both managed to make it into college. Robert pursued Business and now worked in the world of investing. Sarah followed her passion and became a teacher. Another child had followed, but they had planned that event and they had a little girl.
They moved into our neighborhood about 10 years ago and Sarah taught at the same school as my wife, Christine. Despite the fact that Sarah was many years younger, she and Christine became great friends and that extended to us spending social time with her and Robert. The girls enjoyed working on school projects together, outings to the spa, shopping, and a couple of vacation trips to Vegas. Robert and I were friendly but weren't what I would consider friends.
Over the years, we watched Sarah transform from being a slightly unsure girl to a woman of focus and direction. She took night and summer classes to get her Master's degree and was a real leader in the school. Now, at the age of 38, she was bright, a great mom, devoted teacher, and a beautiful person both inside and out. She stood about 5' 6" with long brunette hair and dark eyes.
This past spring, I relented to my wife's pestering and contracted the installation of a pool and hot tub in the back yard. Christine wanted one for years but I just never felt like we could afford it or I just never got around to it. After it was installed, I couldn't believe I waited all those years. It quickly became a real focal point for us and for hosting social events - something Christine loved to do. Sarah would often come over, and would bring her children, but Robert always seemed to have something else planned and only visited once or twice.
With the start of a new school year, Christine and Sarah immersed themselves in teaching. Sarah's kids headed off to college. Our printing business ramped back up and as usual, life outside of work became a little quieter. It was a familiar pattern and one we found satisfying.
Labor Day was upon us in the blink of an eye. Our son, CJ, came from out of town to visit for the weekend and enjoy his mom's cooking. He was dating a new girl these days, but she was not able to join us. There was a big project on the go at her accounting firm and she was putting in long hours as well as time on weekends. Christine loved having CJ visit. It was great to sit around the dinner table and enjoy family time. We talked about plans for Christmas and the holidays and a potential family ski trip to Colorado.
We planned on dinner at our house then desert with good friends of ours, Steve and Tina Miller. They were a couple we had known for many years and they wanted a chance to visit with CJ before he left. They were fond of CJ and treated him as one of their family. So, after the table was cleared, we jumped in the car for the short drive to Casa Miller.
I barely remember the crash. A drunk driver ran a red light and smashed into the passenger side of our car. CJ was been killed instantly but Christine lingered for a few days before she too, succumbed to her injuries. Thankfully, I suppose, she never regained consciousness. To lose them both was absolutely devastating.
I had suffered severe injuries as well. Family and friends helped out with final arrangements, settling the estate, and a variety of other tasks that needed to be dealt with. I started a physical rehab program hoping it would occupy my time and my mind, but I'm not sure it did either very well. I filed a wrongful death suit against the other driver hoping, I suppose, to claim a degree of revenge and ease my pain. In retrospect, I got the revenge I was looking for but the pain, the loss, was still with me.
As I'm sure many do, I tumbled into depression and self-pity. I stopped going to rehab. I did not go out. I did not encourage visitors. I watched a lot of TV, read a few books, and closed myself in. The financial settlement had left me in a comfortable position so I sold my printing business. I could not keep up with the physical or mental demands nor did I care to do so. Boredom eventually drove me out of the house. I did not venture very far, mind you. I would sit in the porch swing at the front of the house, watch the world go by, and think of better times.
I hadn't seen Sarah for several months. She called the house a few times to check up on me but I always let it go to voice-mail. One evening, as had become part of my daily routine, I was sitting in the porch swing at the front of the house when Sarah strolled past the house, walking a Spaniel of some kind. She smiled, waved, and came over to talk. She told me it was the neighbor's dog and she was the designated walker. I laughed for the first time since... I could not recall.
We caught up on life for a few minutes and she told me she was glad to see me up and around. The dog got restless and she told me he was anxious to continue his walk but before she left she said she hoped she see me out doing more things.
After that, Sarah would pop by semi-regularly just to say hi and see if there was anything I needed in the way of help. It was very kind of her and it was the first positive interactions with anyone in months. A couple of times she invited me to walk with her around the neighborhood but I always declined.
Then she started running.
Evidently, a couple of the younger teachers at her school decided to enter two or three upcoming 10K runs and one of them made a comment about Sarah not being able to keep up. Sarah was competitive. Getting herself through college. Completing her Masters. Buying the house in the nice area of Bellaire. All of those fit into her drive to help provide a good life for her and her little family. All it had taken was for someone to say they didn't think Sarah could do something and she set out to prove them wrong. So, Sarah was now a runner and she was determined to do it well.
For whatever reason, she decided that I would make a good running partner. When she first asked me to go with her, I basically laughed. I was at least 30 pounds overweight, poorly motivated, and enjoying my reclusive life. She begged, pleaded, and cajoled me into agreeing to at least try it for a couple of weeks. I figured "what the hell," it wouldn't kill me.
We started slowly - more for my sake than hers. Sarah would swing by after work, kick my butt to get going, and we would head out. We would walk a bit and run a bit. Sarah pushed and encouraged, goaded and teased. As the days passed, I started to gain more energy until I could keep up with her, for at least most of the way. For Sarah, she had gained a running partner. For me, I gained a trainer and a therapist. I started losing some weight, gained some energy, and started to take a renewed interest in life.