Secret Desires

34: Maple Creek's Downfall

Sarah

Sarah wiped her mouth of any possible crumbs. The pie was delicious. Homemade at that. She couldn't remember the last time she had anything so wonderful as this simple coconut pie. She wondered if she could ask for the recipe. Would Claudia share it with her? She remembered something Blair had said about the Sandovals having secret family recipes. This may be one of them. Asking couldn't hurt though.

"That has to be one of the best pies I've ever had," Sarah sighed. Claudia beamed, taking a bite of a second helping of pie. Sarah was so full, she couldn't eat another bite no matter how much she wanted to. Everything had been delicious. She wasn't used to having so many options to eat for any meal.

She was shamefully embarrassed that all she was used to cooking had been cheap boxed foods or frozen dinners. Her and Blair's diet had been anything but healthy. It was affordable. That's all that mattered at that time. That she and her daughter had something to eat.

Food had never been something to enjoy. It was about not starving. Sometimes even then it was hard to avoid.

There were days when she could only feed Blair and it had never been enough. And on the rare occasion when Blair had to go without eating, Sarah cried. She could recall all the times she tried to sell their belongings for money. There had been a moment when things got so bad, Sarah considered selling her body.

She wasn't ugly, she knew that. She was an attractive woman who looked young for her age. She didn't have a curvy figure or a small waist. Her chest was small and her hips had dips. She especially didn't feel as beautiful in Claudia's presence. Claudia's hips were wide and her thighs were thicker. Her arms were toned and her waist looked smaller than Sarah's.

This woman, with her thick brown unbrushed hair pinned atop her head, with food stains on her torn shirt and calluses on her hands was more radiant than Sarah. That's what she felt at least. She would never describe herself as being radiant. But she was good-looking enough. There were men that always complimented her on her appearance.

The idea of selling her body had seemed promising because no, she wasn't ugly. Plenty of men would want her. But to bring that shame on her daughter. She couldn't. Help had come soon after that dark moment in time. The Newmans had been their saviors. They had become family.

"Thank you," Claudia said. "I made another if you'd like to take some home." Sarah nodded happily. The pie wouldn't last but a few minutes once she walked through her front door.

"I'd love that. And thank you again for dinner. Saved me the trouble of cooking." The last thing on Sarah's mind today had been what to make for dinner. Her mind was stuck in one place. It has been for months now.

It's made her forgetful of simple things like leaving her keys in the car or forgetting to lock the front door or leaving something turned on that should be off.

And now with the concern of Nolan Pierce on the loose, her mind was a mess. It was hard to focus on any one thing at a time. It felt like an impossible task.

Even now as Claudia spoke to Sarah about-

What was Claudia talking about?

Sarah's face turned scarlet as she prayed Claudia didn't realize that she was practically talking to herself. Sarah tried to hang on to every word said, feeling embarrassed that she hadn't even noticed when Claudia's husband made his exit. Had he said anything to her when he left? Had she ignored him?

"But enough about me," Claudia sighed. She rested her elbows on the table, leaning toward Sarah. Sarah hated the involuntary movement of leaning away, pressing her back into the old wooden chair. Claudia didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she had and was too polite to acknowledge it. Sarah chose to go with the former of the two. "Tell me about you. I've been dying to get to know you. I only know what I hear from Blair or David."