Valentine’s Day

by Milt Lum, Staff Writer

Sabrina recognized the Sharks logo on the cap worn by an Asian woman dressed in a tan sleeveless top, beige pants, and sandals, sitting alone at a table in the Jewish deli. Mrs. Luke, a friend of Sabrina’s former boss, was visiting family in San Jose and called Sabrina to invite her to have lunch. Mrs. Luke said she was still a big Sharks fan. Over lunch, Mrs. Luke explained that she was assigned to discuss a vacancy at her software company in Seattle. It was a special request from her director, Mr. Singh. Sabrina gasped.

Mrs. Luke smiled. “It appears you made quite an impression on him.”

“Has it been five years since he left?”  For Sabrina, it seemed more like ten. Her new boss was younger and part of a new group of employees who were bright and brash. He assigned her the most difficult assignments and credited himself with the results. Others, less deserving and part of the ‘bro’ culture, were advanced to higher positions, and she was left behind. She endured because she was too insecure to seek other options.

Mr. Singh was a taskmaster, but fair and kind. His support sustained her during the dark days following her parents’ sudden demise when they were unable to escape the wildfire that engulfed their hillside dream house. She was bereft when he left the company, and she had not heard from him until Mrs. Luke brought up his name.

She was flattered but panicked at the thought of traveling out-of-state alone. Her mother had always been there for her with every major move from high school to the nearby state college and then to grad school. A late bloomer, socially withdrawn and an introvert, she was grounded in her parents’ twentieth-century values of patience, persistence and prudence. Routine and familiarity gave her the security she needed as she grieved her loss.

Mrs. Luke listened patiently as Sabrina gave her all the reasons she could not leave her present position. “You don’t need to decide right this instant. I’ll be here for a few more days.” It took several meetings to allay Sabrina’s concerns. She gave her two-week mandatory notice and left California after the moving company packed up her belongings. Mrs. Luke convinced her that traveling by rail would be less hectic and more scenic. It was early evening when she arrived at the King Street railroad depot and found Mrs. Luke waiting for her.

“It’s a pleasant evening,” said Mrs. Luke. “Let’s walk so you can unwind from that long train ride, and I can show you the sights.”

Having someone familiar at her side, Sabrina relaxed and absorbed the sights and sounds of Seattle. She heard the roar of the home crowd cheering on their team as they passed T-Mobile Park on their way to the waterfront. The sidewalks were packed with tourists as they walked along Alaska Way and up the hill to First Avenue. At the entrance to an apartment building fronting First Avenue, Mrs. Luke used the key fob to access the lobby and handed it to her as they waited for the elevator.

They rode to the twenty-third floor, then walked the length of the hallway to the north end of the building. They stopped at apartment 2315, and Mrs. Luke handed her the key card. Sabrina opened the door and walked into a newly refurbished, one-bedroom unit. Through the sliding glass doors which opened to a small balcony she beheld a panoramic view of Puget Sound, Bainbridge Island, and the Olympic Range. Stunned, she turned to Mrs. Luke. “For me?”

Mr. Singh recognized that Sabrina’s math prowess, persistence and penchant for solving puzzles were exactly the skills his department needed. They were tasked with detecting any weaknesses that hackers could exploit in their new software programs. Within weeks of starting, Sabrina had exceeded his expectations, putting in long hours and meeting crucial deadlines. He finally put some limitations to the hours she spent on the office computer and insisted that she implement an exercise program as part of her work schedule.

Sabrina took advantage of the long hours of daylight to walk to and from work. Her routines made her a familiar figure to the baristas at the coffee kiosk, the owners of the green grocers, and the clerks at the bakery she stopped at on her way to and from work. Those encounters, as well as the supportive atmosphere among her co-workers, were a salve on the open wounds of loneliness which had festered since her parent’ death. As the sunny days gave way to the grey gloom of fall, Sabrina felt her spirits sagging. She was delighted when Mrs. Luke invited her to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her family on Bainbridge Island. Though she had passed the ferry terminal on numerous occasions, it never occurred to her to visit Bainbridge Island. She looked forward to the new adventure, knowing Mrs. Luke would be there to greet her.

Sabrina disembarked the ferry feeling a little anxious about spending time with strangers. The Lukes welcomed her with warmth and distance, allowing her time to adjust to them. The Luke girls, twelve and fifteen, were competitive video game enthusiasts which helped ease the social awkwardness among them. The girls were eager to entertain Sabrina, providing her with the teen experiences she missed because she was an only child. They were making plans to have Sabrina join for them for Christmas before their mother reminded them that they would be spending Christmas with their grandmother in Hawaii.

Sabrina hugged each member of her newly adopted family before heading down the passenger ramp. She held on to Mrs. Luke a tad longer than the others, with a little extra squeeze as they parted.

Entering the passenger deck cabin, Sabrina eyed an unfinished puzzle on a table top. She loved working on puzzles with her father. When he died, she stopped. On this night her interest was rekindled. She was so absorbed in finishing it that she was not aware that the ferry had arrived in Seattle until the steward came by to usher her off. Throughout the week she was tempted to take the evening ferry just to finish the puzzle. The idea of not finishing the puzzle bothered her. And so it began that each weekend Sabrina was the first in line to board the 7:20 a.m. Bainbridge Island ferry and settle in at a puzzle table, determined to have completed it by the end of her round trip.

On board Sabrina isolated herself from the din and automatically worked the puzzle pieces into place. But her mind went back in time to her father. Memories locked away in rooms too painful to enter were gradually unlocked. She savored each weekend trip as an opportunity to enter one more room, each visit less painful and more cherished.

Upon disembarking from the ferry on February 14, she went to her favorite flower seller at Pike Street Market and purchased a single rose bud. She took it home and placed it in a vase in memory of her father. At her Sweet Sixteen birthday party twenty years ago, he presented her with a single rose bud and a card addressed to His Best Puzzle Buddy.