To Catch a Sunset

Chapter 7

It has been a long week for Kim, but it's Friday and she has the whole weekend to look forward to. No big plans really, just spending as much time with Ricky as possible. She watches out the window as Marcus teaches Ricky the basics of throwing and catching a ball. She is happy that Marcus is helping, even if she finds him a little odd. He's been hanging out with Ally a lot this week. She senses something between them. She thinks it's sweet, even though Ally wouldn't admit it, not yet anyway. She remembers how sparks flew when she first met Alex, such a special time in her life. She watches Marcus make Ricky laugh, she feels a warm comfort come over her. At the same time she felt a sick feeling, a dread. Fear that Ricky would never have a father figure. She couldn't even fathom the idea of dating; let alone marrying someone. There was a Doctor at work, who had shown some interest. He had lost his wife a year before Alex died. He had been a great comfort to Kim. He asked her out a few times but she just wasn't ready. As she watches them she notices the time, Ally should be here soon. She invited Ally for dinner and Ricky insisted Marcus come. It was getting dark, and Ally should Have been home by now. Marcus and Ricky come in unloading the gear at the door.

"Hey has Ally called you?" Kim asks Marcus as she takes some of the gear from him.

"No, I haven't heard from her, I'll call her." He says while reaching for his phone. Never really making eye contact with Kim. He is trying his best not to be awkward, still; he struggles at times. He dials her number, it goes directly to voicemail, so he sends her a text. He walks to the door and looks down the street to see if she's home. No sign of her, he walks back to where Kim is.

"Couldn't get a hold of her, sent her text so maybe she'll text back." He said still not really looking at Kim.

"Well I'm gonna get Ricky cleaned up, make yourself at home." She says with a sincere tone. He washes his hands in the kitchen anxiously waiting for Ally. Kim was nice and very welcoming, but Ally knew how to settle his nerves without even trying. He and Ally had been spending a lot of time together, mostly while she watched Ricky, but still he was really getting use to her. Which wasn't easy for him. Marcus was a very attractive man, getting a woman was never his problem. Getting one that understood him, or one he could tolerate, that was the problem. Just as he was coming out of the kitchen, he saw Ally through the front window. She was coming up the driveway. Marcus noticed almost immediately that she appeared to be upset.

Ally came in the door and spots Marcus immediately, she is very happy to see him. This past week has been such a joy for her, they were becoming good friends. She didn't trust men easily, but he was different. He was intriguing to her, they had so much in common, yet were so different. She finds his presence comforting, right now she needed comfort. She just wants to lose herself in his arms, just let him hold her, and sooth all her troubles away. But that wasn't going to happen, he would probably faint she thought to herself. She looks as if she's about to cry, Marcus walks closer to her, sensing something is wrong.

"Hey, you alright? We were getting a little worried." He says while moving closer. She has tears forming in her eyes as she struggles to speak.

"I lost one of my grandmothers earrings, I know it's just an earring, but today was her birthday and I just wanted to honor her. I've been searching for it for the last couple of hours." She says while choking back the tears. Marcus is instantly devastated, it's as if her pains is his as well. He tries to help her recall her steps, this only seems to annoy her more. She did not notice until lunch time, so not knowing when it fell off, really hindered her search. Kim comes in the room, instantly noticing something is wrong with Ally. Which is strange, Ally is usually a positive upbeat person, so it must be something serious.

"Ms.Ally, what is it?" She asks in a motherly way." Ally explains it to Kim, feeling silly for being so upset over an earring. Kim gets it, she would be upset if she lost anything that meant that much to her. She knows what Ally's Grandmother meant to her. She too, tried to narrow down the search, Ally just wanted to forget about it. She was convinced it was gone forever! She told them both not worry about it as she searched for Ricky.