Love Always (NG4)

44 - Turner

Sam sat in the airport waiting for his rental car to drive to his Nonna's house. He had a few days off until he had to film a defensive end at Ohio State. His dad had gone to Ohio until he ran out of money and moved back home. Sam was born in Ohio, in the small town of Turner. The only city Sam remembered was Cleveland, where his mother went for the renowned medical treatment they couldn't afford. Raschand grew up in a large family and like many other players he met, he was counting on football to change his life. There were other guys like Will who grew up with plenty, but more like Raschand. Sam had deduced that the less a guy had, the harder he worked for what he wanted. Will worked hard, but he had something special, Ryan. If Ryan hadn't come to Maine, would Will have trained as intensively summer after summer? Sam couldn't answer that anymore than he could answer about his future. He lost the future he wanted and his memories had turned sepia.

He took out his phone and saw he had texts from Rory. She went home for the long weekend. Cole had tried to convince him he made a mistake. Rory had been right the year before, they needed a break. She needed to give the guy what he wanted, and Sam needed to let her. Her classes had started, as had a lot of the universities he would visit. He scrolled through pictures he had taken of her. Seeing her smiling face hurt, but he needed to torture himself.

"Keller. It's ready."

He felt confidence as he took the keys. Over the summer, he had become a seasoned traveler. A year ago, he wouldn't leave his room. He could easily hide away, but he had a job to do. Just like filming Will had saved him, his work would keep him going. The difference was their break up was his decision.

As he drove, his stomach rumbled. Nonna would kill him if he stopped for lunch. First she would tell him he was too skinny. She would want to feed him even if he wasn't trim. Anytime he returned to his grandmother's house, he felt his mother's presence. She lived in him and in his relationship with his father, but it was as if she lingered in the air of the house she grew up in. Perhaps it was because of the three who loved her most, her own mother held on to her tighter. Nonna was a proud woman. She lost her own husband when she was young and never remarried. Sam doubted she ever dated. She was the child of Italian immigrants and a strong woman. He loved her, although she never forgave his father for moving him away from her.

He parked the car in the driveway and looked up at the old house. It hadn't changed since his mother used to take him to visit. As he drove into his town, the roads barely felt familiar. It felt wrong to rely on his phone to navigate him to his grandmother's house. As he passed through downtown, he saw the fire station, Mike's old house, and the diner. He couldn't wait for a piece of Tina's pie. Whenever he and Anna mentioned it, Cole would roll his eyes.

As he stood to stretch his legs, the front door burst open.

"Sammy!"

He smiled as she approached him. He took her in as if he were his camera lens. She looked older and thinner. Her gait was quick, as she reached him.

He enveloped her in his arms. He was not a large man, unlike Cole, he never reached six foot. Still, she felt petite in his arms. Was it distorted childhood memories or had she shrunk?

She reached up and put her hands on his face. "What's this? Where's your face?"

He hadn't shaved in two days so it was just a little scruff. Rory didn't like when it scratched her sensitive skin, so he always shaved for her, but he didn't need to anymore.

"So beautiful, with my Linda's eyes." He smiled, feeling his mother close by. "Come, eat. You're too skinny."

"Nonna, you're the skinny one."

"Pfft. The television keeps telling me don't eat this, don't eat that. I don't know what to eat."

Inside the house smelled delicious. On the stove was a huge pan of lasagne.