A View From The Dark - Finale

Dickerson approached Mr. Black as he was repairing one of the hinges on his gate. “Do you mind if I bring along one of the girls from the office with me to the party on Friday?” Dickerson asked. “No, the more the merrier” Mr. Black replied. “Excellent, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled” Dickerson replied. He started his car and drove off. After arriving at the office, Dickerson asked his secretary to fetch the new intern. “Sarah, I am attending a function this Friday and I would like you to join me”. She looked up at Dickerson, “I would be thrilled, sir, but, why me?” she asked quizzically. He rose from his chair, “Well, I noticed that you haven’t gone out at all since, well, you know, and its been three months now, and I thought you might want to get out of the house” Dickerson said, in a caring, fatherly manner. “Well, thank you for thinking of me, sir” she said. “And you can call me Mark, Sarah, please, no need to be so formal” Dickerson said. “Is this a, um, date, Mark?” she inquired. “oh heavens no, my wife would not approve, I am bringing you as a guest” he replied. “Alright, just clarifying sir” she replied as she left his office.

Sarah and Mark arrived late to the party. Sarah was in awe of the estate, amazed by the detail. Mark began to introduce Sarah to the group sitting around the table, first to his wife who was already in attendance, and then to the rest of the group, doctors, lawyers, politicians. “The host must be busy somewhere, he’s sometimes a little, well, different” Mark said, as a small laugh came from around the table. The discussions began with Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, but quickly turned to gossip about the goings on of the neighborhood, as well as the lives of the well to do. Sarah quickly lost interest. She was quite taken by the crimson paint scheme, with the candelabra emitting its dim orange glow, leaving patches of shadows across the room.

“So, Robin, what brings you here” she asked when he returned from the lavatory. “Fate” he replied, placing a small kiss on her forehead. “How do you know that the owner isn’t here, and why weren’t you down at the table with the rest?” she asked somewhat suspiciously. “The group really does not interest me, so I chose to take my own path” he replied. She tackled him on the bed and kissed him passionately, “You are dodging my question, Robin, how do you know the owner is away?” she whispered in his ear. He used his strength to roll her over, leaned into her ear and said “the owner is here”. Startled, she sat up and looked at him nervously. “Do you think he heard us?” she asked with a worried tone. “Of course he did” he replied. She had a look of shock, then of confusion. He held her tight and told her “this is my home”. “Sarah, I’ve always loved you, even while I was away in Peru, you were on my mind, when I heard that Todd had proposed to you, I thought I had lost you forever. I am sorry that it did not work out between you too, but I always knew that Todd was too good to be true.” Robin said, placing his arm around her and holding her. “I never liked him, Sarah; he never had to work for anything. His life was given to him on a silver platter. He did not appreciate what he had, his money, or you” he said quietly. “I wondered where you were and what you were doing, I really did miss you, and I guess I always loved you” she said, fighting back tears. “Can you ever forgive me, Robin?” she asked. “Of course, Sarah, can you forgive me for leaving?” he whispered. “Of course, my love, of course” she said.