Sarah - Leave the lights on

From last time ...

Sarah took the suitcase from Ma and started down the hall.

"Good night, Sarah."

"G'Nite, Ma."

And she muttered under her breath, "You old tank."

She stopped outside Jake's door, took a deep breath, and softly knocked.

And now ...


Nothing. She knocked again, louder this time.

Still no answer.

"C'mon Jake. I'm standin' out here with your suitcase in my hand - I look like I'm sellin' something."

The key turned in the lock and the door opened halfway. Jake stood there, half behind the door, reaching his hand out for his suitcase.

"Uh-uh, Jake. You and I gotta talk."

Jake stepped back into his room and tried to fling the door shut, but Sarah pushed her way in before the door could close and set the suitcase down on the floor, closing the door behind her.

"What's the matter with me, Jake?"

"With you? Not a thing."

"Then I don't understand ... I know you say you got physical problems ... that I understand ... but I have never spent this much time this close to a man where he hasn't tried to cop a feel or brushed up against me or done something - ANYTHING - to get something started. Don't you FEEL anything for me, Jake? Don't you feel anything?"

"FEEL? Yah, I feel. I feel plenty! But when push comes to shove it's not gonna end well - so why even start?"

"Why don't you try it and see. Maybe it ends better than you think."

"Look ... no woman's gonna want to be with me. My body is chewed up and scarred - ugly - UGLY - I can't stand looking at it, how is anyone else ever going to look at me and not call me UGLY???"

She had been slowly walking toward him. Now she reached out and gently pushed at his shoulders with her fingertips, sending him back a step.

"Ugly? I don't think you're ugly, Jake."

"Yeah, but you haven't seen 'em. You haven't seen the scars from the shrapnel - and from the operations. I look like a fuckin' Frankenstein."

"I don't care, Jake."

She pushed him again, sending him back a step.

"Stuff doesn't work anymore - not right, anyway - it just doesn't work."

She reached out and gently shoved him again, and he backed into the side of the bed. His arms flailed in the air as he tried to keep his balance and she reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt and held hm up. And pulled herself in close.

"I don't care if 'stuff doesn't work', Jake, but you are going to put your arms around me and kiss me and then you and I are going to spend the night together."

She kissed him, gently at first, but as he began to respond and kiss her back, the kiss went deeper and the embrace tighter and they lost their balance and fell into the bed. Items of clothing began falling to the floor; her blouse, his shirt, her bra, shoes, socks, belts ...

"Wait a minute, Sarah ... turn out the lights."

"No, no, Jake. You don't have to hide anything from me. Leave the lights on."

"But .."

"No, 'buts'. Just leave the lights on. Now shut up and ... Jake? I thought you said that doesn't work."

And then ... softly ... "Oh, Jake."