Free A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks Page A

There were times when Sarah
needed it—a little pity never hurt anyone—but now wasn’t one of them.  Sarah frowned slightly as she set the frame
back down. The proprietor of the booth, an elderly woman who sat in a chair
beneath a large umbrella, raised her eyebrows, clearly enjoying the little
scene. Sarah’s frown deepened. She backed away from the booth as her mom went
on, and after a moment, Maureen trailed after her.
    “What’s wrong?”
    Her tone made
Sarah stop and face her mother. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just not in the mood to
hear how worried you are about me. It gets old after a while.” Maureen’s mouth
opened slightly and stayed that way. At the sight of her mother’s injured
expression, Sarah regretted her words, but she couldn’t help it. Not today,
anyway.
    “Look, I’m
sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
    Maureen reached
out and took her daughter by the hand. “What’s going on, Sarah?  And tell me the truth, this time—I know you
too well. Something happened, didn’t it?”
    She squeezed
Sarah’s hand gently and Sarah looked away. All around them, strangers were going
about their business, lost in their own conversations.  “Michael’s getting married again,” she said
quietly.
    After making
sure she had heard correctly, Maureen slowly enveloped her daughter in a firm
embrace. “Oh, Sarah. . . I’m sorry,” she whispered.  There wasn’t anything else to say.
    • • •
    A few minutes
later, they were seated on a park bench that overlooked the marina, down the
street from where the crowds were still congregated. They’d moved that way unconsciously;
they’d simply walked until they could go no farther, then found a place to sit.
    There, they
talked for a long time, or rather Sarah talked. Maureen mainly listened, unable
to mask the concern she felt. Her eyes widened and occasionally filled with
tears; she squeezed Sarah’s hand a dozen times.  “Oh . . . that’s justterrible, ” she said for what seemed like
the hundredth time. “What aterrible day.”
    “I thought so.”
    “Well . . . would
it help if I told you to try to look on the bright side?”
    “There is no
bright side, Mom.”
    “Sure there is.”
    Sarah raised a
skeptical eyebrow. “Like what?”
    “Well, you can be
certain that they won’t live here after they get married. Your father would
have them tarred and feathered.”
    Despite her
mood, Sarah laughed. “Thanks a lot. If I ever see him again, I’ll be sure to
let him know.”
    Maureen paused.
“You’re not planning on that, are you? Seeing him, I mean.”
    Sarah shook her
head. “No, not unless I can’t help it.”
    “Good. After what
he did to you, you shouldn’t.”
    Sarah simply
nodded before leaning back against the bench. 
“So, have you heard from Brian lately?” she asked, changing the subject.
“He’s never in when I call.”
    Maureen
followed Sarah’s lead without complaint. “I talked to him a couple of days ago,
but you know how it is. Sometimes, the last thing you want to do is talk to
your parents. He doesn’t stay on the phone long.” “Is he making friends?”
    “I’m sure he
is.”
    Sarah stared
out over the water, thinking about her brother for a moment. Then:
    “How’s Daddy?”
    “The same. He
had a checkup earlier this week and he seems to be doing fine. And he’s not as
tired as he used to be.”
    “Is he still
exercising?”
    “Not as much as
he should, but he keeps promising me that he’s going to get serious about it.”
    “Tell him that
I said he has to.”
    “I will. But
he’s stubborn, you know. It would be better if you told him. If I tell him, he
thinks I’m nagging.”
    “Are you?”
    “Of course
not,” she said quickly. “I just worry about him.” Out in the marina, a large
sailboat was heading slowly toward the Neuse River, and they both sat in
silence, watching. In a minute, the bridge would swivel open to allow it
passage and traffic on either side would begin