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 Alex studied the short, slender girl sitting in her wheelchair across from
him at the dining table with her blondish, brown hair and brown eyes that
were studying him intensely through rectangular blue glasses.  She wore a
pink golf shirt and khaki skirt with black leggings.  The whole outfit
emphasized just how small she was.  She looked younger than sixteen at that
moment.
   After Amanda's bizarre request the night before, Alex had grabbed his
backpack and did what he enjoyed - backpacking.  By night he was sitting
around a campfire in the middle of nowhere pondering life.  When he finally
reached his van the next afternoon, he had a plan.
   Upon arriving home, he called and asked to talk to Sarah.  He invited
her to Sonic for an ice cream; it was not an unusual request.  After
chemotherapy Amanda often found herself too tired or ill to go out, and
Alex would take Sarah out.  With the revelations from Sarah's diary, those
trips took on new meanings.  When the ice cream was finished, he asked her
over for dinner on Tuesday.
   "Sarah, I need to talk to you about something important."
   "Okay...  What?" She took a bite of the meatball on her plate.  He had
made her favorite - spaghetti and meatballs, salad, and garlic bread.
   There was no good way to start, so he decided on the blunt approach. 
"Friday your mom came over to ask if I would marry you."
   Sarah started choking and spit her food on the table.  After drinking
all of her tea and part of a second glass to calm her coughs, she gasped
"What?"
   "Your mom is worried about what will happen to you when she is gone.  So
she suggested that we could get married."
   "What did you tell her?"
   "I needed to talk to you."
   When Sarah did not say anything Alex went on.  "I'm assuming that since
you did not get upset that you are open to the idea?"
   Her cheeks colored.  "What about you?"
   "I don't want to marry someone just because I feel sorry for them."
   Her face went slack and took on a dejected look.  "I don't blame you."
   "If we were to get married, I would want it to be because we want to be
together.  I've already been in one relationship because I had to."
   Her eyes widened.  "So you want to?"
   "Let's make a rule right now.  We'll be one hundred percent open and
honest with each other.  Even if what we have to say will hurt."
   "Okay.  That sounds like a good rule."
   "Your mom showed me a few pages from your diary.  About me."
   Sarah's face went pale and then bright red.  "I can't believe she did
that!  I hate her!" Tears began to stream down her cheeks.  "I'm so
humiliated!"
   Alex reached over and put his hand on hers.  "You don't hate her.  You
hate what she did.  And you don't have any reason to feel humiliated.  I'm
very honored to know that you feel that way about me."
   "Really?" She fought the sobs that were trying to form.  "You don't
think I'm stupid?"
   "Not at all."
   He took two spiral notebooks and pens from the chair next to him and
handed a set to her.  "I want you to think of questions that you'd like to
know about me and write them on the first page.  I'll do the same.  Then
answer your questions on the next pages.  Then we'll swap notebooks and
answer each others' questions and read the other person's answers.  Then
we'll start over."
   Sarah's expression said she thought it was a dumb idea, but she went
along.  However, once she got started, she was chuckling under her breath.
After a couple of hours they were laughing so hard they were crying.  He
learned a lot - not only from her answers but also the types of questions
she asked.
   Alex walked beside her as they went down the sidewalk to her house next
door.  Standing outside on her porch, Sarah looked up with an expectant
look.
   He squatted next to her wheelchair and took her hands in his.  "You are
a very special woman.  You're intelligent," (She had straight A's)
"talented," (She loved to paint) ", and beautiful."
   Sarah's face looked like it had a sunburn.  Every drop of blood must
have been in her face.  She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned forward with
her lips puckered like a fish.
   Alex almost died.  He met her half way and brushed his lips against
hers. She actually trembled!
   It was hard not laugh while Sarah tried several times to get her keys
from her purse, and then she proceeded to drop them.  Finally Alex helped
her by unlock the door and held it as she went in.
   He sighed, feeling a little giddy himself, and walked back home.
  
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