The Able Sisters

Chapter 33

The day Sable had been dreading for two weeks was finally upon her. Tom would be leaving in the morning to follow his dreams in the city, and she'd be alone again. Of course, Mabel would be with her, but she was getting tired of people leaving her.

Tom assured her he'd be back at some point, and he promised he'd write often, which calmed Sable a bit. Whereas she had not heard a word from Label since her departure, she knew Tom would follow through with his promise.

It was early in the morning that the bus would take off. While it was spring, it was still chilly in the morning. Mabel still slept as Sable threw on a coat and headed outside.

A nice fog had set over the town with just the faintest glimpse of sunlight arising. She marched to the bus stop and found Tom already waiting there, a suitcase in hand. Already, she could feel tears forming.

She lurched forward, and he held her in an embrace as she quietly wept.

"Hey, it's okay," Tom said.

Sable pulled away and nodded, trying to pull herself together. "I'm going to miss you," she said.

"I'll miss you, too."

"Thanks for being such a good friend to me. I-I care a lot about you, and I hope you do well in the city. It was so hard after my parents died and my sister...Well, nevermind her. Good luck."

"Thanks, Sable. You mean a lot to me too. I promise I'll write, okay? And you have to come visit sometime."

"I don't know about that," Sable said, blushing a bit.

"Well, you better respond to my letters then."

"When-when do you think you'll be back?" she asked, already awaiting his return even if he hadn't left yet.

Tom shrugged. "I can't say, but I'll let you know in the letters."

Sable nodded, her heart pounding as she heard the sound of tires rolling on the ground. Headlights began to shine through the fog, and she sadly realized that the bus had arrived.

"Looks like my ride is here," Tom said, smiling weakly at her.

She nodded, hearing the brakes squeak as the bus came to a halt. The doors opened, waiting for Tom to enter.

"Please write," she said.

"I will. You'll get a letter in a day, I bet," he said. He took her hand and squeezed it before heading onto the bus.

"Good luck! Have a good trip!" Sable called out.

Tom smiled and waved. She watched as he took a seat, and he waved to her from the window until the bus had completely vanished from her sight. The sun was beginning to break away the fog now, and the birds were beginning to chirp, but Sable felt like it was a cold and rainy day.

The first month was difficult. Tom kept his promise and wrote her no less than three letters a week, but even she still felt broken without him in town. Anytime Pete was standing outside the door, she would let out a squeal of joy and fetch her letter.

It was hard adjusting to everything again. The shop and taking care of Mabel became her main priority, which didn't leave room for much fun. She did her best to take Mabel out as best as she could, but she didn't have Tom to help out anymore or fun activities.

Even Mabel seemed to pick up on Sable's apparent depression.

"Why are you sad, sissy?" she'd ask, tugging on her sister's hem.

"I'm okay," she assured Mabel before making a silly facing that made her younger sister giggle.

She knew she at least had to try for Mabel, but she knew it would also take some time to accept that Tom would not be coming back for a while. He made no mention of returning in his letters, only that he had secured a small job for now and was hoping to start a business soon.

Sometimes she'd read little bits of the letter to Mabel since her younger sister missed his presence too. It was a nice ritual to sit at the couch at night and read through the letters.

"Will sissy send a letter too?" Mabel asked one night after they finished another letter from Tom.

"I'll send one tomorrow," Sable assured her.

"Not you," Mabel replied.

Sable stiffened. She meant Label...Label was spoken of rarely in the house anymore, and sometimes, Sable wondered if Mabel had just forgotten about her.

She knew she couldn't though. There were still family portraits hung on the walls that Sable refused to take down, as well as the fact that Mabel's little nursery in their parents' room still stood while she had taken over Label's bed.

Sable didn't like talking about her other sister, and she certainly didn't want to discuss Label any more with Mabel. if Label hadn't made an effort to reach out to them in years, then there was no point in having hope that she would.

"Label," Mabel said, since Sable was still sitting in silence.

"I know who you're talking about," Sable told her. "I-I don't know, Mabel. Maybe..." Her voice drifted off. She didn't want her sister to face the harsh realities of Label's abandonment, but she didn't want to give Mabel any false hope either.

She put Mabel to bed that night, but Sable's mental state worsened. She was sad about Tom, but thinking about Label put her in a bad mood as well. Sable would be lying if she said she never thought about Label coming home, and even now, it would be nice to have some company again, but then again, Label was often a pain, and she could not forgive her for abandoning them all those years ago.

Sable sat on the couch and wept silently. She missed Tom more than anyone else. Though the letters were frequent, they were not enough to make up for the fact that he was gone. She had no other real friends in town, though everyone was friendly enough. She had Mabel, but the two were so different in age.

Sable clutched her letters close to her, letting tiny tears roll onto the paper. The ink became smudged slightly, but she didn't care. She wanted her best friend back and hoped he was doing well in the city.