The Fire Station

Chapter 7

A week had gone by since I opened up to Sidney. I was thankful he was so understanding of my fears and my insecurities. He seemed to truly take them seriously and try to find ways to prove not only his love for me, but his willingness to give up anything for me.

Sidney took off a whole week from work, which caused me a lot of guilt. I felt horrible for making him feel like he couldn't do what he loves. I realized a lot of my insecurities were my own issues, not necessarily because of anything Sidney was doing. He was changing his entire life around to accommodate me. I had to keep reminding myself of this fact to ease my concern.

Most of the week he had off, I had to work, which really sucked, and I truly considered quitting nearly every day. But I didn't. He spent most of that time working on how to rid himself from Eliza for good. He did talk to a lawyer about what to do with the house. He wanted to go the kind route and give Eliza the opportunity to put the house in her name. She refused. Thankfully, there was a way out. Sidney listed the house for sale and sent her a certified letter letting her know the house was for sale and she would need to vacate. Of course, she blew up at Sidney again calling him repeatedly and telling him what a horrible person he was. With every phone call, I could see the way her words affected him. At my insistence, he stopped answering the phone when she called.

I found out a little more about her fiancé as well. Sidney didn't know a lot about him, but what he did know is that the guy wasn't poor. He had his share of money and was more than capable of taking care of Eliza himself. The problem was he didn't like spending money. He never gave Eliza anything and was more than happy to allow Sidney to support her, so he didn't have to. It was an entirely messed up situation. Eliza went from one extreme to the next. One guy gave her everything while the other gave her nothing. I found it strange that she chose the latter to marry. But I guess I should be thankful for who she chose.

At the end of the week, the calendars returned from the printers and I was able to bring them in to show everyone the finished product. Working at a bookstore came in handy. My boss allowed me to sell them at the store and we also tried promoting them all over town. In just a day, we had already sold plenty. I was super proud of what I had created and for what it was for.

The morning Sidney had to go back to work, I could feel the excitement coming off of him. I felt even more guilty for being the cause of him taking time off. I had to start dealing with my own insecurities and not put them in him. As he drove me home early that morning, he took a wrong turn as if he was continuing his way towards the station.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

He grinned and turned in my direction. "You said you worry about my safety when I'm at work. Well, today you get to go to work with me. You'll ride along to every call we get and see what it is I actually do every day. You obviously won't be allowed anywhere near the action, but you'll get to see firsthand what I do."

"Is this sort of thing allowed?" I asked.

"If it wasn't allowed would I let you go?" he countered, reaching over and taking my hand in his. "I want you to see what I do."

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. A part of me was terrified, but another part of me was excited. I glanced in the back seat thankful I had grabbed my camera from his house. I had begun to leave things at his house for when I was there. I was afraid to at first. I didn't want him to think I was trying to move in, but it got difficult to pack stuff every few days. At first it was just a toothbrush, then a hairbrush, then a pair of shoes and a sweater. I was a little surprised when a new dresser showed up in his bedroom and he told me it was for me to put my stuff in. I didn't think he had noticed I was leaving things, but he did, and he was fine with it. He also had a key made for me so I could come and go as I pleased. I didn't think I'd ever go there without him, but it was sweet that he wanted me to fully be a part of his life.