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The day was breath-taking in its beauty. The sun was bright it made everything a little painful to look at but Sandra didn’t want to put on the sunglasses she slipped into her coat pocket. It would obscure all the color she drank in around her. The only thing marring the day was the little boy at home sick with the chicken pox. This would be the perfect day to take Connor to the park to play with his sail boat or to the Center City Rail Station to visit their train museum; Connor loved trains.
Earlier this morning, she’d taken Connor to see his pediatrician after the little boy had crawled into bed with her and her husband, Milo, covered in itchy scabs accompanied with a fever. Worried it could be some allergic reaction, she’d rushed him to Dr. Marsh and was grateful to find out it was only chicken pox, easily treated with children’s Tylenol and Calamine lotion. She’d returned him home to Milo who was making breakfast and then stepped out again quickly to pick up Calamine and some gloves Dr. Marsh had suggested to keep Connor from doing any damage if he couldn’t resist a scratch here and there.
Tucking the bag from the drugstore deeper into her purse, Sandra decided to stop at the local coffee shop to pick up a small treat for her son. He’d been a trooper at the pediatrician’s office and had obediently stopped scratching when Sandra had asked. He loved Hot Chocolate and she spotted the ‘CC Jitters’ sign a few blocks away. She pointed her feet in that direction.
As she walked, relishing the sun’s warmth that soaked into her black ensemble, her attention was caught by the couple that walked only a few feet ahead of her. They were a sweet looking couple that complimented each other nicely. The man was tall and broad shouldered, with close cut brownish hair. Every few steps he would turn and look at the pretty blonde to his right and would laugh quietly. Sandra smiled as she realized the woman talked almost incessantly and with excitement. She could tell even on a cloudy day, this man would need no sunshine; it was clear the woman at his side was the light he used to brighten his life.
They knocked shoulders occasionally and the woman reached over and absently rubbed the man’s shoulders. He put his hand on the small of her back at times when the crowd surged around them and guided her swiftly through. The two were in perfect sync as only two people who are intimately acquainted can be. She walked along behind them for a few blocks; they were headed to coffee shop, too.
From somewhere around her waist, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony began playing. Pausing, Sandra stopped and reached into her bag, pulling out her phone. She hit the green accept button with her thumb.
“Hi, Dad,” she greeted.
She veered off from her destination, taking a seat outside the coffee shop on a stone bench that was situated on the border of a pretty park filled with trees. The couple she’d been following continued on. The pretty blonde paused as the man grabbed the door and held it open. The woman’s ponytail bobbed as she said something to him which pulled a smile from the man; something about him told Sandra he didn’t smile much. As she and her father caught up quickly, she watched the woman reach out and poke the man in his chest before reaching up and smoothing down a corner of his collar. Sandra smiled softly. She couldn’t take her eyes off them; the love they had for each other radiated off and warmed everything within a 2 mile radius. The man nodded before placing his hand on the woman’s waist and pushed her inside. Sandra chuckled when the woman chuckled. She wondered just who the endearing couple was. They looked like people she and her husband would enjoy spending time with.
The conversation between her and her father wasn’t long; it never really was. He was a busy general getting ready to retire. She was surprised he’d even attempted to touch base with her within in this month, let alone this week. As they were saying goodbye, she stood and crossed the street to Jitters. Grabbing the door handle, she swung it open and stepped inside. The first thing she saw was the enchanting blonde woman talking animatedly with one of the waitresses. She wore glasses and looked friendly. Sandra wondered if she lived close by. It would be nice to have a close girlfriend. It had been so long since she’d had friend all to herself. The woman and the waitress parted and she walked over holding two coffees, handing one off to her husband as he stood.
“You ready?” The woman asked as she put the coffee to go cup in his open hand.
Sandra disconnected the call after she and her father exchanged partings and opened her purse, dropping the phone back in. When she looked up again, she was startled to find the man on his feet and in her path. Even more disconcerting was the realization of his identity.
“Oliver.”
Her eyes were wide and her heart beat frantically. She’d mourned when Connor’s father had gone down on his family’s yacht only to be shocked when she’d seen a news report that he had miraculously returned to Starling City after being lost at sea for five years. For weeks, Sandra had been irrationally paranoid that upon his return, Oliver would somehow learn of Connor and come searching for them. She couldn’t guarantee Moira Queen would keep quiet about their arrangement. The woman had lost her husband and her son, only to recover her son years later. Sandra had no idea if the woman would come and steal her grandson to complete the family unit she was so keen on protecting. Moira was gone now and with her death, Sandra wasn’t sure what secrets went to the grave or escaped out into the light.
Now, here he was. Sandra’s eyes skirted quickly to the blonde woman watching them casually. He was here in Central City and he was married. Shock hit her hard once again at that second and more profound realization.
She could tell he recognized her immediately. His face softened and he said softly, “Hi.”
“Hi,” Sandra replied hesitantly, stepping forward, clasping her hands in front of her.
“How are you?” Oliver asked, a little uneasiness creeping into his voice.
“Good.” Sandra smiled and nodded, feeling a little more confident. “Good. It’s been a long time.” She took a stuttered breath, wondering what he was doing here, of all places; wondering if he knew.
Oliver blinked before furrowing his brows. “We never spoke… After… I am so sorry.”
“It’s-“ Sandra began. She stopped, gathering her emotions. He didn’t know. There was no way he could. And the genuine apology in his voice and eyes were causing her to feel off-centered. She’d never prepared for this kind of confrontation. Or for this kind of Oliver. He was genuine and concerned; she’d always known it was there but never expected it to be shown toward her. She didn’t know what to say. All she knew was she wanted to move the topic of conversation away from Connor. She wasn’t sure she could lie to this obviously changed man standing in front of her.
“No, I’m sorry,” she began again. She glanced over at the blonde woman who still stood discreetly to the side, giving them their space. She spoke in hushed tones with the young man seated at the table Oliver had stood up from. “I heard about your mother. She loved you very much.” Having Connor, she knew the deep love a mother had for her son. She understood why Moira did what she did and it scared her to think she, herself, could be that calculated if it ever came to her son’s well-being.
He looked off somewhere above her head, the signature Queen smirk that made many knees weak swimming on his face. “She did.”
Sandra took a deep breath as she felt her phone vibrating in her purse. “I should be going.” She needed to see who was calling her and didn’t want to be close to Oliver in case it was Milo or Connor.
“Right.” Oliver looked down at his shoes as Sandra stepped around him quickly, making a beeline for the counter.
“Hot chocolate, please,” she said smartly to the barista, still shaken by her encounter with Oliver Queen. She could see out of the corner of her eye as the blonde woman, his wife, stepped beside him. They each looked at her and spoke softly. No doubt Oliver was making some excuse for their acquaintance. Or was he? Possibly what shook Sandra the most was the feeling that Oliver Queen was a changed man. The man she’d just met wouldn’t lie to his wife. The affection he had for her was clear from what she’d seen of them on the walk to the café. Who was this new Oliver Queen? Genuine, concerned, apologetic, married, and in love? Everything his mother made clear to Sandra that day so long ago her son would never be with her.
She had missed a call from her home line. Quickly dialing it back, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited.
“Hello?” A little voice answered.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“Are you coming back soon, mommy?”
“Yes, I’m just getting you a hot chocolate.” She turned and watched Oliver Queen and his blonde wife stroll out of the café, coffee in hand. He didn’t look back, only forward, at her. Sandra wondered fleetingly if they had any children of their own. “Mommy will be home soon.”