As Told By Nerdy

Chapter 14 - Promises

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Chapter 14 – Promises

Dear Winfred,

I think I’m at this time undoubtedly, illogically and unfathomably in love with Leon Walden… Which is bad. Very bad, indeed.

I know. I’m too young to say these things. You’d probably say that it’s probably just a crush or infatuation but it’s way deeper than that. I found it horrifying to arrive to the realization that I couldn’t imagine a future without him anymore. This is when things start to turn out for the worst, doesn’t it? Tomorrow I’d probably say I couldn’t live without him.

And in the end, he would still have to leave; that would be the end of me…

Love,

Sarah

 

“Are you sick?” Mom eyed me the next morning.

I craned my neck to look at the window to Leon’s house. A huge delivery truck was hindering my view so I just gave up. I lost sleep over the nagging thought that Leon would suddenly disappear again. Call me paranoid but that was exactly how I felt. I was just being realistic. Sarah Johannes Littman, also known as Nerdy wasn’t exactly a face that launched a thousand ships.

“No Mom. I think I’m having the insomnia again.” My fork played mindlessly with the scrambled eggs on my plate.

“Then I have to make an appointment with Dr. Jensen right away.” She sipped anxiously from the glass of orange juice in her hand.

Dr. Jensen, a psychiatrist, was the one who helped me recover from severe depression. I was only five when Winfred left us and I was so devastated back then that I had to undergo therapy. She was the one who urged me to keep a diary for my Dad.

“Don’t panic Mom. I’m fine,” I grumbled with unmasked annoyance. “Maybe I just needed more Vitamin D or something.”

She was about to say more only to be interrupted when the phone rang. Mom got up to answer it mumbling incomprehensibly.

“Hello?” she nodded then turned to me and handed me the receiver. “It’s Rebecca.”

I turned away before speaking as Mom pretended to resume eating her breakfast. “Hello Becky, what’s up?” I said as soon as I was out of eavesdrop.

Becky’s girlish voice was unreasonably shrill. That could mean two things. Either she was really upset or extremely excited.

“Sarah! Do you have any plans for today? Matt and I are going downtown… and he promised me we’ll go to the beach after that. I was thinking maybe you want to come with us.” Becky sounded really optimistic.

I groaned. “Becky, you’re finally having a date with your dream guy and you want me as a chaperone? Tell me this isn’t your idea.”

“I sort of mentioned to Matt how you loved the beach and he immediately agreed that you should come.” She said wryly. “I mean, you should come. You know how scatterbrained I get when I’m with him. I need you there… so I won’t make a total fool of myself.”

I paused pretending to consider the odds. “Very persuasive… I do love the beach.”

“Yay!” she exclaimed.

“No.” I sighed. “Enjoy your date Becky.”

“B-but Sarah…” She whined managing to make my name sound like a three-syllable word. Becky’s tiny pleading voice was difficult to resist and I could imagine her already pulling off that puppy dog eyes, but I had to turn her down. “I’ll make Matt pick you up at three, okay?”