Freedom Train

April 2, 1963 Cont.

April 2, 1963 Continued.

"He married her in the same week they started dating?" Annabeth asked, genuinely surprised.

Sandy and Annabeth sat in a back-corner booth at Jim's Diner. It was getting late and old Jim was starting to close. He walked around, wiping down tables, making small talk with Bobby while he sat at the counter eating a slice of peach pie.

"That he did," Sandy sighed. "You remember who Miss. Kelly Jackman is? The old secretary at the high school?"

Annabeth shook her head and twirled her straw in her Bordon's Dutch Chocolate. The milk swirled around her in glass and she was briefly fascinated by the twirling brown tornado before she brought her eyes back to her friend.

"Well, now she's Kelly Merriman, and my dear old step mother," Sandy said, her voice laced with disdain.

"You don't like her?" Annabeth asked, causing Sandy to release a sigh.

"She's just fine, I suppose. The kids adore her."

"She's just not your Mama?"

Sandy shook her head.

"Never will be. And it's hard to watch my Daddy and the children with her. A lot harder than I thought it would be. So, I have been doing everything I can to stay busy."

"By going to activist rallies?" Annabeth asked, referring to her showing up to the Gaston Motel in Birmingham.

"No," Sandy laughed. "I stopped over at Lizzie's. As soon as she pried her mouth from your brothers she told me where you'd be. I missed ya, kid," Sandy said sincerely. "I wanted to see you."

"I missed you, too," Annabeth replied, reaching over and covering her friend's hand with her own.

They regarded each other for a few silent minutes, big smiles on their faces. Then, Annabeth seemed to come up with a brilliant idea.

"You could do this with us, you know. You're a like-minded woman with some extra time on your hands. We can do this together."

"I don't think I follow," Sandy said with a raised eyebrow.

"You can join our troop, Sandy! You could do this protest with us. You could come out on the road with us! It would be so amazing to have you there."

Sandy laughed.

"That all sounds amazing in theory, but what about the kids? What about my Dad? I can't just..."

Annabeth waited a moment, giving her a second to find the flaw in her excuse. When she did, a smile lit up her face.

"I could come with you," Sandy realized. "They don't need me anymore."

"But I do, Sandy. I could really use a friend out there."

"Lizzie told me about what happened," Sandy said. "Tough break. I didn't want to bring it up."

"There's nothing I can do about what happened," Annabeth said. "All I can do is move forward. Hopefully, with you by my side."

"I'll have to think about it," Sandy said, clearly already doing so.

"Please do."

***

Bobby watched Annabeth through the glass mirror. She had just brushed her teeth and was taking off her earrings when she looked back at him and smiled. It made his heart skip a beat, but he would never let her know. He wasn't willing to go through that heart break again. Instead, he learned how to play the role of 'just friends' to a tee.

Annabeth had really needed someone those last few weeks. Bobby was all too willing to be the one to console her. He tried telling himself that he was an idiot for getting involved with her at all, but when she turned those sad, blue eyes his way he was a goner. He would do anything for her. Annabeth Washington would always be Bobby Warren's one true weakness.

"Do you think she'll actually come tomorrow?" Annabeth asked as she picked up the brush from beside the sink and began brushing her hair.

The motel room was a small, double bed room. The walls were wood paneling, the blankets a deep orange and the floor a shag brown. The bathroom held only a standup shower and a toilet, the sink sitting outside of it with a wide mirror. It was the first hotel room of its kind that Bobby had ever seen.

"I think that Sandy Merriman has always been an unpredictable creature," Bobby said as he leaned back against the bed, his hands behind his head and his eyes still on Annabeth as she removed her make-up.

Bobby didn't know why she even bothered to wear that junk. She looked amazing without it.

"It would be so nice to have her with us. We used to talk about it as girls, before her Mama died. After, she just stopped mentioning it and I didn't have the heart to bring it up. I guess we both figured that she would be stuck raising her siblings. But now that her Daddy's remarried, it's something she can actually consider again."

"Well, Sandy has always liked a good fight. It might be right up her alley."

Annabeth laughed and threw her makeup smudged napkin in the trash. She turned Bobby's way, bypassing his bed and walking toward hers. She folded the comforter over and tucked it at the bottom of the bed, crawling beneath the sheets and turning herself on her side, facing Bobby's bed. He copied her movement and they both faced each other.

"I don't think I've thanked you enough for what you're doing for me, Bobby." Annabeth whispered. "You're supporting me not only financially, but emotionally as well. After what I did to you, I know damn well that I don't deserve it."

Bobby sighed deeply, closing his eyes tightly. He wanted to scream out that the reason he did all of these things for her was because he loved her. He wanted to make her happy, in any way that he could. Instead, he reached over and turned off the bedside lamp.

"You've thanked me plenty, Annabeth," Bobby said, opening his eyes to look at her once more. "Now get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

Annabeth snuggled deeper into her pillow, the sight a damn adorable one for Bobby.

"Good night, Bobby," she whispered.

"Good night, Annabeth."