Worlds Apart (Completed)

Chapter 40: Confession

I give Samuel a small smile "My father taught me that encouraging a person at their worst is far more worth than praising them at their best."

Samuel smiles back at me, reassuringly. "Your father sounds to be a nice person."

"He is," I say, nodding at his words while looking down at my folded hands on my lap.

"What I was taught was that success was everything... If you are successful you are praiseworthy."

"Everyone is praised at their success but if a failure isn't encouraged, he may forever lose the courage to try again."

"I'm sorry. Anna told me about him... and I know part of you wants to do this for your father." He takes a sharp breath. "Sarah, you're a proud daughter. A very strong and admirable person, I am sure that your father feels the same way." I giggle, his words releasing me from tension and I look up from my plate to him. "That sound was new to me." The corner of his mouth lifts up into a grin.

"What sound?"

"Your laugh."

"Hey, why'd you stop eating?" I say, looking at his plate suddenly.

"I swear there's the perfect amount of salt to it..." I giggle at him again and his grin widens. "It was just your eyes that had too much salt in it." He said, pointing towards my eyes and I wipe my already dried tears from the back of my sleeve.

"Thanks, Samuel," I reply, looking at him and dig back into my stew while he does the same.

"For what?" He asks before biting.

"For looking out for me from the start even though you were a stranger." He murmurs something under his breath which I couldn't make and then looks back at me.

"I did nothing... It was just a favor to Anna." He mumbles out.

"Still, it's a big thing to me. You went out of your way for me and that cannot be in your list of favors."

"Sarah-"

"Enough talking, finish your stew," I say, pointing at his plate which was half filled.

"Yes, mom." He breaths out and I bite back a smile.

I poured both of us some juice and we peacefully finished our dinner but the silence didn't stay for long.

"Can I ask you something?" He says before sipping his juice.

"If I say no?"

"That doesn't matter." I roll my eyes at him and give him a why-ask look.

"Have you ever thought of liking someone else after you know... your lost guy?" I clench the glass tight in my hands, my hands turning pale.

He was a hard topic... After we tried so much to find him and when everything became impossible, every door got shut on our faces, my family never discussed him and never did I bring him up. It was nice in a way but... After so long it was still hard to talk.

The mere possibility that we may never find to where he was still didn't pass me. I was still hopeful, after all, I was doing this for him.

"No," I replied and looked him in the eye, not faltering, not giving him any clue that may give away that I have given up on him.

I'm still strong and I'll find him.

He clears his throat. "I don't get it, Sarah. It's been so long and-"

"I know you'd be thinking it's stupid of me to go to such lengths for a person who may even not remember me now. I am a person who's just hung up on some childhood memories..." I look into my glass and run my finger on the rim before taking a deep breath."It's easy to fall in love but staying in love is difficult."