Chapter 4

It was still raining in the morning and John felt terrible.

"Sarah, why couldn't you have been sent here with someone useful? I am not an expert at anything. After seeing these plans and things, you could use half a dozen experts, but you're stuck with me. I have never amounted to anything in my last life and I am sure I will fail you in this one. You deserve someone that can be strong and take care of you, not a mediocre nothing like me. You, on the other hand were someone. You helped animals, which in turn, helped people. You're smart and pretty. You deserve someone so much better."

"John, are you trying to pick a fight? Most experts, as you call them, would have fallen apart by now. Don't you start! What we need is someone with a broad background in lots of things, and an open mind. From what you have told me, that is exactly what you have. Therefore, you are exactly what is needed here.

"Another thing you neglected to mention is that most of those 'experts' you mentioned are also self centered jerks. You want me to be around one of them? No, thank you. Someone like you is much better. You think of other peoples needs, how things could be best for others and what to do about it. You're just under a lot of stress right now. Don't let it get you down. Let's eat breakfast and then decide what we need to do next."

John mutely hung his head, and then nodded.

After breakfast, the storm didn't appear to be letting up. The weather program on their computers said it wouldn't clear up until evening.

"John, let's use this time to talk. We have been doing nothing but work since we got here."

"Okay," John replied hesitantly. He had always dreaded 'we need to talk' conversations with his wife. They always seemed to mean he had done something wrong or he was in trouble.

"John, tell me about your wife."

John's eyes got a glazed expression and he started sharing about his family life. Sarah could tell it was an expression of love. John's wife had been dead for two years, and he still grieved her loss. Sarah wished that someone had looked at her, even once, with that kind of love in his eyes.

John said, "Sarah, here I go monopolizing the conversation. Why don't you tell me about your life and family?"

"John, I will since you ask. But it is a very sad story. I grew up on a ranch in Texas. It was near a small community. We only had fifty-two students in my graduating class. Any way, I married my high school boy friend. We went away together to college at Texas A&M. He really wasn't serious and wanted to party, as he had never been away from home before.

"I, on the other hand, did not like to party. I tried to study as hard as I could. He started going to parties without me and usually came home drunk. One day on his way home he had an accident and didn't make it. I felt so sorry for the family in the car he hit. I was so glad none of them were killed." At this point she sighed deeply.

"Anyway, from then on, I decided to stay away from men. Years later, at a convention, I was raped. That's where my daughter came from. I brought her up with all the love I could. I guess I was trying to make up for the lack of love I felt.

"When she went to college, she went all the way to Minnesota. Partly, I guess, it was to get away from my smothering. She met a wonderful young man at college, and they got married. Her first child was a beautiful boy. When she was pregnant with her second, we had made peace and she invited me up to stay near them when I had to close my clinic. That was where I was headed."

"Sarah, you have certainly had a hard life. Listening to your story make me see how easy I had it."

"John, each person's life is different. I would never have wanted to endure the pain you used to have to live with constantly."

"I hope someday I can earn your trust and respect, Sarah. I can tell you need a friend."

"You already have. Even in this short time, I can tell you actually care about me. Not just as the other person you were stuck here with, but you actually care about my feelings. That's precious, John. Thank You."

After lunch, in a lull in the rain, John ran and got the maps out of his pickup.

They came to some conclusions, based on hoping they were still in the Midwest United States. Water was easy to find. If you go north or south you would run into a stream or river that led to the Mississippi river.