Page 36 of Not Another Beach Read
On my way into the house, my phone buzzed with a text.
Sarah: What are you up to?
Nothing much. Just gonna have a quick lunch and head to the bookstore.
Sarah: I am out and about. If you have a few moments, I'd love to chat.
Sure. Come on over.
Ten minutes later, Sarah was standing on my front porch.
"How did you get the day free?" I asked.
"We had professional development this morning, and I decided to just take the rest of the day off to try to catch up on some errands while the kids are at my mom's."
"Good plan," I said. "What brings you here?" Although I never turn my nose up at a visit from Sarah, it's not often that she just pops in.
She looked around. "Is Holly here?"
"She might still be asleep," I said. "You know how teenagers are."
Sarah laughed. "Boy, do I ever." She had more than her fair share of budding teenagers as a social worker at the local middle school.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Maybe we should sit outside," she said.
"I need to bring Eden out anyways."
At the mention of her name, Eden appeared at my side, ready and willing to head outside. I poured us each a glass of water and we headed to the patio.
We settled into our chairs, each of us taking a sip and setting our water on the table between us.
"I really just have been thinking so much about Holly and what you shared with me."
Sarah had been the first person I'd called after my parents the previous Friday. Normally Cat would be my first call, but Sarah had been so engaged and supportive of Holly's well-being, I wanted to let her in on what was going on.
"I know that she probably is in a bit of turmoil," she continued. "How does she seem around the house?"
"She's quieter than usual," I admitted. Even though my sister had been gone more than she'd been in her life in the last few years, I knew the conversation we'd had was a shock to her system.
"Have you considered getting her into therapy?"
I sighed. "I have. I called around, but the wait lists are just so long, especially for teens and adolescents."
"I know what you mean," said Sarah. "I may have some good resources for you in the meantime. Also, do you mind if I reach out to a few of my local friends to see if maybe they can squeeze her into their schedule? I'd love to see her have some professional support right now."
"I'd love that. I try to talk to her, but I don't think I have the right words to say. I'm trying to do the best I can without having a lot of experience with young people her age, but I would like to have a little backup and even some advice on how to approach some of the tougher conversations with her."
Sarah adjusted her ever-present headband. "It would be my pleasure," she said. "Give me a couple days and I'll have some numbers for you."
"Thank you so much, Sarah. What else do you have going on?"
"Not a whole lot. We're looking forward to the new school year. It's always a busy time, but once we get through the testing and IEP season, it'll be smooth sailing until spring."
She started digging around in her huge brown tote bag. "You know what else I was thinking?" she asked as her arm disappeared into the depths. She eventually pulled a pamphlet from the bottom and handed it to me.
"Al-Anon?" I asked.
