My Girl-Sam

"Well, that sounds like a good news-bad news situation. The good news is you've got two job offers. The bad news is you can't stay where you are. What's wrong with these new jobs?"

"You know I was planning on taking an office job soon. If I were managing a project my work would be more routine, normal hours, steadier, less risky and more secure," she said. "But this isn't the job I was expecting. I'd be giving up a lot of money for the security. The big money for me is in the high-risk jobs and the location work."

"Right. You told me." It dawned on me what had happened. Then she laid it all out for me. There was an over-seas assignment with a two-year contract for almost enough money to retire. Or she could take the desk job that would keep her close to home and have a regular nine to five gig. With one she'd miss a couple of years with her kids, but she'd be able to buy a place free and clear when she got back. It would give her a nest egg and the freedom to do so much for them. The other meant she'd be a normal single mom with a desk job at a construction company. She could get by, but they wouldn't have all the advantages she wanted them to.

Knowing what an adventurous girl she was, there was no doubt in my mind what she'd do. I held her for hours that night while she talked herself into it. She thought about staying with the kids and with me, but we were just getting started and didn't know where things would lead. This had been her plan all along, and she had to do it.

Three weeks later she left with a two-year contract. She'd get to come home for the kids' birthdays, and one time for a month from Thanksgiving to Christmas, but unless there was an emergency, that was it.

Six months after she left, I passed her daughter looking kind of sad in the hall at school. I said "Hi," and the cute little thing ran to me and plastered against me while she cried her eyes out. Two teachers came over to find out what was going on.

"All I said was 'Hi' and she started..."

My son's teacher came over and peeled her off me. She wiped away tears and passed the little cutie to another teacher. "Can you cover for me for a few minutes?" she asked her friend. "We'll need a bit." She took me aside to talk.

All the kids' teachers had known there was someone Sam was involved with, but we were careful not to let our sex life be gist for the local gossip mills. The teacher's had wondered if they'd ever know who it was. Now that she knew it was me, she wanted to fill me in.

Sam's mom had gotten a letter from the construction company. This job was very demanding and very dangerous. She'd been hurt at the site and spent two days in a coma before she died. The company was flying her body back home and taking care of everything. Between their worries about a lawsuit and Sam's insurance, the kids would have anything they needed. Her kids were worth almost five million dollars now, but they'd trade it all for a hug from Sam. I knew because I would.

I played at the memorial service and let her kids climb up in my lap with my son at their Grandma's house afterward. Sam's mom pulled me aside as I was leaving and gave me a note that Sam had left for me. "You made her laugh. I hadn't seen her smile for a long time before you two got together," she told me. "Thank you. I didn't approve of you two, you know. But I loved it when she smiled and laughed again."

There were still play dates for the kids and soccer games. I got an extra hugs from Sam's kids for a while, but over time we drifted away. Eventually we moved to another town and another gig and lost touch. I've still got that note from Sam and one of these days I'm going to have to read it.