Chapter 24

Then Sam was startled by Valerie’s voice, uncharacteristically quiet and subdued, saying, “Hey, Sam.Please call me as soon as you can. Sally died yesterday. I need to talk.”

And that was all. Sam’s first impulse was to call right then, but some spark of reason stopped her. She needed to think this through first. A weird tangle of emotions overwhelmed her. She closed her office door so she could think in private. No one at work (except for Barry) knew anything about Sam’s personal struggles with sexual identity.

She called Barry’s office in the Computer Services Department; thankfully, he was at his desk. She told him about the message from Valerie and waited for his reaction.

“Damn. A shocker, huh? You need to talk about it?”

Sam jumped on the offer. “Yeah, I do. I’m not sure what to say to her…I’m not even sure about my own feelings. It’s weird.”

“So come over here for a minute. I’ll meet you on the side steps outside of my office.”

“Thanks. I’m leaving right now.”