27. Sara

Chapter twenty-seven

Sara

"Wait, so you haven't heard anything else ?" Katie queries.

I shake my head.

"No, I haven't, other than May telling me that she managed to get an extended period for us to pay the bills."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah, so I'm really happy, but I don't really know what happened."

Katie sips on her cappuccino, a little bit of white froth staining her upper lip. She licks it away and then rests her hand on the table.

"I can't imagine how May managed to get the time extended."

"True. Maybe a good Samaritan helped out," Katie suggests.

"I doubt it. She doesn't have that type of clientele," I admit. That's how she got into that mess in the first place. "Besides, I just find it a bit weird that now things are happening."

"I wouldn't sweat it," Katie replies. She rests her chin on her hand and gazes dreamily toward the counter. "Besides, you seem to be doing better here, aren't you?" She nods around to the coffee shop where they're having breakfast.

I nod. "As good as it can be. Sure, the sanctuary is fine, but I got an offer to be the manager here."

"So, are you gonna take it?"

I shrug. "Maybe. But it's not what I really want to do, though."

Deep down, I want to take care of animals. However, that requires money.

Katie pouts, nodding. "I see. Well, if you want, I wouldn't mind getting a job here," she says.

I take in Katie's words. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, the retail world sucks. I'm about to lose it every time I go in there."

"Like this is any better?"

"Uh, yes," Katie gushes, looking around. "At least you get free coffee to keep your butt awake! I can barely take the early morning shifts. We get the worst customers during that time."

I laugh. She doesn't know how nice she has it. "You say that, but you've never met a businessman who needs his caffeine fix. Now, how is he going to fire his entire company without it?"

Katie chuckles "I feel like I have, but in retail it's the businesswoman who needs a specific scent at a specific time, or else she'll lose every chance at a promotion. Then again, I don't want to think about the types of women who do that."

"This has been good. Thank you. You always help my mood. You're a good, good friend! And I'll expect to see your application by closing."

"No problem. I think I'll really do that. Will you be going to the sanctuary tonight?"

I nod. "Yeah. I haven't been since May told me everything's fine. I kind of want to ask her who the mysterious donor is. And I want to be sure she is getting better."

"Bet it's some mysterious masked man who has always had a plan to save that place," Katie replies mischievously.

I roll my eyes. "You've been watching way too many rom-coms, girl."

"More like not enough!" Katie gets up, putting her cup on the counter. After I dispose of my drink, she looks at me. "Anyway, if you don't come home tonight, I get it. That place means the world to you." She says, wrapping me in a warm hug.

"Thanks, Katie. I will, but it'll be late."

We hug again, and then Katie runs off. I head back to the counter, seeing Bianca looking at her phone.

"Guy troubles again?" I ask Bianca.

"No, been good. We're going on a date this weekend."

"Ahh. Fancy."

"What about you? Whatever happened with that weird businessman? He seemed nice, albeit a little unapproachable."

I hesitate. I haven't brought up Robert in who knows how long. "Not sure. But we'll see what happens."

"All right. Good luck there, Sara. I know you're not really the type to date and all, but I'm rooting for you."

I smile. I know Bianca's in my corner, even if she is more of a coworker than a close friend. After finishing my shift, I head to the animal sanctuary. When I get there, I see a couple of trucks with supplies in them. In the distance, workers are building something next to the horse stalls.

What's going on? I get out of the car and head inside. When I get there, I see May on the phone.

"Yes, of course. I'd love to start this project as soon as possible. Thank you." She hangs up and turns to me, beaming. "There you are."

"Hey," I wave. "So, uh, what's with all of the guys?"

I look, seeing a couple of them finishing the touches on one of the roofs in the back. May grins and rests her hand on my shoulder.

"Well, we're in luck. We have some big changes going on here."

"Wait, you don't mean—"

"Yep. I managed to secure some money to get this place put back together."

I sit there, listening to her words. I'm so confused.

"But doesn't this cost a lot, May?"

"It does," she explains. "But there's something you need to know. We had a lucky streak, and since then, I've made some big changes to this place."

I look around. The changes are already apparent, with the movers taking anything and everything inside.

"But how can we afford this? What happened to the debt collectors?"

May turns to me, sighing.

"Well, there's someone who came by about a week ago. He gave me the money and told me to invest it in this place and pay the bills. A good Samaritan."

"Wait, it's not—"

"I'm not going to say. He asked for a vow of silence, but he wanted to do this for this place and for you."

I take in her words. There's no way that May means Robert, right? Who else could it be, right?

"Is it Robert?"

"I won't say. But what I will say is this place is about to have a whole new breath of fresh air. And I'm excited to see what'll happen next."

I nod, looking out. The fencing has been improved with industrial-strength fenced-in areas.

"How can we afford all of this?"

"The person who gave this to me also paid for renovations. He wants to make sure that this place is ready for whatever animals need us."

"This is just . . . amazing!"

Tears well up in my eyes. I know that this is a home for me but knowing that it won't be leaving anytime soon brings me a relief that can't compare.

May turns to me, her expression changing to a serious look.

"There is something else I want to talk to you about, Sara. Something I've wanted to mention to you before. I needed the right time when the bills were gone, of course."

"What is it?" I ask tepidly.

She encourages me to follow her to the back office, closing the door. When we get there, I sit down, the ticking clock the only sound in the room. May is much better now, but she still gives a little cough and then looks at me.

"I want you to take over this place."

"Wait, you can't be serious?" I spit out. I love this place, but this is not what I was expecting to hear.

"Yes, I'm serious. You've proven to me, time and time again, that you're reliable, Sara. I want you to take over this place. You are like a granddaughter to me. I have no family but you."

My hands clench my thighs as I listen to her. I shake my head, completely shocked. I really didn't think she'd actually turn the sanctuary over to me.

"But May, I'm still so young and—"

"So? I'm not getting any younger, Sara."

"I'm not trained to be a veterinarian. I sure don't have the money to go back to school—"

"That's why I'm sending you back to school. If I'm going to keep this place alive for future generations, I want nobody else but you to be running it."

I listen to her words, completely shocked. There's no way this is actually happening, right? May smiles, and as I see the wrinkles still prominent, the realization hits me.

She is getting too old to run this on her own.

May coughs, grabbing a tissue to spit out the phlegm.

"Sara, I know this is a lot, but this cough, it's not going to get better. My immune system is nothing like how it was before. I'm not as sick as I was a few weeks ago, but I still feel like I'm one bad move away from croaking."

"Don't say that," I stammer with tears running down my face.

"I am, Sara. I'm telling you the truth because it's better than trying to lie. I don't want you to keep the fantasy that I'm going to live forever. As much as I would love to, that's impossible."

"Don't speak like this, May."

Her face falls. Her eyes look downcast, sad at her words. "I know this isn't the best thing to hear, Sara, but I'm not going to lie to you. I hate it as much as you do."

I tear up again, wiping them away as I try to compose my thoughts. Death and dying are not something that I like to hear about, but it's apparent. It's a fact of life. Still, I don't like to think about it.

"May, please."

"I don't want you to pity me. I want you to understand that I'm leaving this to you because I trust you. So much more than I could ever trust anyone else."

I nod, taking in each word. "That's the best compliment I've ever gotten."

May chuckles and nods. "I'm sure it is. But I guess there's the matter of when you'll do this," she replies, looking out at the other workers down there. "I would like for you to when the renovations are done. I'll give you the key and everything."

I nod, agreeing to this.

"I promise I will, May. I'll do this."

"Good."

We stand up and embrace. The tears fall, not out of sadness, but out of hope for the future. There's still so much that I can't forget about any of this. But when I think about the future, I don't feel disappointed or sad. Instead, I feel confident and ready for the future.

After I make my rounds of the animals and give some extra attention to Clover, May and I say our goodbyes. As I drive back, I think about our conversation. It warms my heart but also makes me realize the inevitability of death.

It's a sad ordeal, but May's genuinely kind words are not something I can ever forget.

I drive to my place, noticing a car that I recognize sitting in the guest parking space. I look at it, curious. When I approach, voices echo from my apartment door.

"I told you! She's not home."

"I just need to see her."

"Well, I don't know if she wants to see you."

Wait, that's—

I approach, seeing the familiar dark-haired man turn and look at me. A smile beams across his face. Katie folds her arms across her chest.

"Sara, this guy is trying to come back and beg for forgiveness and—"

"Wait a second, Katie," I say, raising my hand. "I want to hear him out, to find out exactly what he wants."