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Chapter 10: The Dawn
Part 3: Sam
July 1st dawned bright and hot, as every good July Saturday should. Sam wasn’t sure this day would be so good, though. He dreaded official public events. Today, the Chief would be handing out commendations in a ceremony at the town square pavilion, and Sam wasn’t sure why he was getting one. He had barely played a role in either the breaking up of the drug dealers’ battle or the rescue of Sophie. And yet, Lt. Lehrer told him he had to be there.
At least Sophie would be a bright spot in this day. He had invited her over for pancakes before heading to the park. She had promised to join him, which was about the only thing positive to be said for the ceremony.
Sam shook his head and wandered into the kitchen, forcing his thoughts away from the dreaded pomp to come. Pancakes. He could do pancakes.
Sophie arrived, right on time, looking so pretty in a floral dress. He greeted her with a hug, then hurried back to the kitchen so the pancakes didn’t burn.
“Oh, it smells so good!” Sophie exclaimed. “Can I help?”
“You can find the syrup in the fridge. There’s regular and blackberry.”
He heard the fridge door open and the moving of bottles in the door for way too long.
“Soph?”
“Yeah, I just…” She straightened and chewed her lip. “I think your ‘regular’ is different from my ‘regular’,” she explained with little air quotes. “Mom always buys the bottle shaped like a lady.”
Sam smiled. “I hate to break it to you, but that isn’t real maple syrup. Look at the ingredients next time. You won’t see ‘maple syrup’.”
Sophie wrinkled her forehead. “Well, that’s silly.”
“Indeed. Mine’s in a clear glass bottle, shaped like a maple leaf. You know those now, yes?” He teased.
“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, sticking her tongue out for a half second. Eventually, she found the two syrups and put them on the table.
“So, you know the ceremony is outside, yes?” Sam prompted when they had dished up.
“Yes, that’s what you said,” Sophie replied warily.
“Sorry if this is weird, but won’t you be too hot in leggings?”
With a blush, Sophie tugged on the hem of her sundress that rose above her knees when sitting. “The dress is too short otherwise,” she explained. “I just feel better covered.”
“Makes sense,” Sam nodded, even though he wasn’t sure it did. His mother never wore leggings underneath anything that he knew of. Then another question occurred to him and snuck out before he could police the thought.
“Why are your work clothes all baggy?”
God bless her, Sophie just laughed out loud. “I was wondering when you’d ask!” She choked out, eyes shimmering with her joyful laughter. “They’re all hand-me-downs. Remember Mrs. Striker?”
“The matchmaker?”
“That one. She’s got a daughter a little older than me who left the workforce to raise her daughter. She was looking to get rid of her professional clothes just when I needed some. I’m slowly replacing pieces as I have the means. It’s just a lot of money to go from wearing only jeans to suddenly needing nice things five days a week.”
“Huh. Never thought about that. I just wear the same thing every day,” Sam winked at her.
With more laughter, they eventually made their way downtown. The beautiful Williamson Main Street wasn’t exactly historical, but had at least been planned with a sense of community. Besides the dual police/fire station, town hall, and the big park with its pavilion, there were a variety of shops and businesses in buildings with different architectural styles. It wasn’t planned or perfect, which made it a beautifully whimsical place to visit.
Already at 9:30, the park was full of visitors. The usual collection of families with young children played on the playground. Dog walkers used the riverfront walkway. A small crowd of officers’ families and friends gathered in the shade of the pavilion. They’d serve snacks after the ceremony, and the tables were already laden with coolers and bags.
Sophie had wanted to contribute, like all the other guests, so she had finally tried out the no-bake cookie recipe she had been making the night Oliver took her. Sam’s mom had been a huge help in understanding the recipe terms, and had advised Sophie to transport the cookies in a cooler with ice. Sophie’s mom had talked to her over the phone while she prepared the cookies and cried, pouring out her pain and building new memories with love.
Sam had been the happy benefactor of her first three attempts, one of which tasted terrible but looked right, one which tasted heavenly but looked unappealing, and the last of which was a perfect blend of flavor and appetizing appearance. He was looking forward to snitching more of them today.
Sam was bummed when he had to leave Sophie sitting with his parents in the sea of folding chairs, but he squared his shoulders and stood next to his colleagues – his friends, too – in front of the crowd. The police chief talked for a very unreasonable number of minutes, as evidenced by a handful of people in the crowd sneaking a look at their phones multiple times. It was worse than the longest, most boring sermon Sam had ever heard. Still, he stayed tuned in. It wouldn’t do to be the one person who missed a cue.
When the chief was done, all four captains spoke, and finally a handful of lieutenants, including Sam’s own boss. It felt like the speeches went on for hours. Then there were pins placed on pockets and handshakes extended.
After surviving that whole mess, Sam was faced with hugs from his parents, brother, and a million church friends. He was sweating buckets in his long-sleeved uniform, unshaded from the 95-degree day. And the one person he really wanted to be next to stood sweetly and patiently behind everyone else, waiting as if she had a right to him.
She did. He wanted to make sure she knew that, too. He had a little plan – and a little diamond – burning a hole in his mind and sock drawer. Three more days…