Authors Note: This will be the last chapter of Mud Creek I post here. I finished the book recently and have been editing, adding, and rewriting some scenes. There are 2 chapters left after this one. Thank you for everyone who read and especially, Dallas, Emma Anne, Joanne, Teri Ann, Patricia, KayD and anyone else who commented. Those comments kept me writing all through the Winter to finish this. I can't thank you ladies enough. As for Mud Creek Sarah, her story is complete for now. As for this Sarah, who knows we're still writing.

Love you!

Chapter 31 March 31st, 2026

Jax’s bouncing blue curls greeted them at the door, “Hey guys, welcome.” Grace, Sarah and Lucy walked into PKs all three of them suffering from anxiety. Grace was a bit more dressed up than usual, a black low cut top, necklace, tight jeans. Lucy was just wearing a Beatles T-shirt and jeans, but Sarah had decided to make this her night. She was wearing her new sweater dress, Lucy had helped her with hair and makeup.

“Oh wow guys, you look great, I’m so glad you could make it. The sign up book is over there at the DJ. Get over there and pick out your songs,” Jax said.

“Oh no… that's for,” Lucy glitched a second, “Her,” she said pointing at Sarah. “I’m not singing.”

Jax smiled, their blue hair bouncing on their head, “No pressure, we’re a really friendly group.”

Evan arrived at Grace's side and took her hand, “Hey babe, I got us all a table.”

They followed Evan through the bar, it was kinda full for a Tuesday night at 7PM. The LGBTQ center held this as one of their “Out, Take Over Events,” but it wasn’t really a take over. Anyone was welcome, with the understanding that this was a queer night and if they had a problem with it they’d get to meet the bouncer.

Interspersed through the small crowd was the occasional older flamboyant gay with a silk shirt or a fully decked out drag queen, but for the most part the crowd could have blended in any night. Sarah was aware that people were looking at her in ways that they never looked at Whit. Her nerves turned up to 11, but she felt a bit more relaxed when she saw her friends from group.

“Hey Sarah, Grace, and you must be Lucy,” Marlene stood up and gave Grace a hug, then Sarah, and finally Lucy. She was looking as well put together as usual, a smart dress that said, “I know I’m older, but I can still have fun.”

Sarah made introductions, “This is Marlene, and that’s Dani, Tyler, Samantha, from the group, and Evan's friends Izzy and Brooke.”

Lucy examined the table, they looked harmless. Brooke was the girl with the mouth issue, so Lucy tried not to look. Her focus quickly changed to what was on the table in front of them. Marlene had a glass of wine, Tyler a bottle of Bud Light, Samantha a bottle of Corona. Evan, Izzy and Brook were all drinking soda.

Why the fuck did he take me to a goddamn bar? Lucy thought, she looked over at Sarah, making small talk with Marlene. Lucy could feel her heart beating faster, what the fuck was she doing here with these people. She didn’t know them, or the woman that brought her here, more than anything she wanted her husband back.

One of them was looking at her in the eyes, talking to her, but she couldn’t make out the words.

“Excuse me,” Lucy said and made for the bathroom.

Everyone looked at Sarah, and she frowned. “I’ll be back,” she said.

Sarah crossed the floor to the bathrooms and stood at the women’s room for a few seconds before finally saying, fuck it and going in. She walked up to the closed stall, “Lucy?” she asked.

“I’m using the bathroom,” she hissed.

“OK sorry, look if you want to leave it’s OK, we can go,” Sarah replied. She waited for a few moments before finally hearing.

“I shouldn’t have come,” she said.

Sarah leaned closer to the door, “Jax said they have amazing mocktails here. When I said I didn’t know what that was they told me it’s like a fancy non-alcoholic drink. Let me buy you one.”

After a few moments of silence Sarah fought back a tear, “Look I’ve been working really hard on something, and I want you to hear it. I need you in there. I’m not stupid, I don’t know where we’re going. For so long you’ve been my wife, but tonight I want you to be my friend.”

A few moments later the toilet flushed and Lucy opened the stall door. Her phone was in her hand. “You can get me a Grape Tarragon Spritzer,” she said.

They watched several acts, a few really good, and a some… Eventually they heard, “Sarah Whitlock, come on up.” She stood up and headed towards the stage surrounded by applause.

Something only a few people knew about Sarah is that she loved to sing. She had been selected for a special choir in fourth grade. She auditioned and everything, but quit when her friends made fun of her for signing. Now her singing was usually saved for long road trips, or nice days out on the mail route.

Lucy knew that her wife loved to sing. She heard it on hundreds of car trips. She knew that she was good at it, but not like, quit your day-job good.

Sarah climbed the steps to the stage and walked up to the DJ table where two cheezy looking rainbow light balls were spinning around at either side. The DJ handed her the mic. She stood there with her back to the crowd and suddenly realized how she was dressed and how her voice sounded. She froze.

This wasn’t the DJs first rodeo, he sensed her shutting down. He drew in close, “Remember, you’re not here, this isn’t happening,” he said quietly. Then put his arms on Sarah’s shoulders and gently turned her around.

“Hi,” she said and the crowd erupted in laughter. This isn’t happening. Just remember I’m not here. This isn’t happening.

“I’m Sarah, thank you for your support tonight.” She took a deep breath and quietly said, “I’m not here, this isn’t happening.”

A guy in the crowd shouted, “Radiohead!”

“Sorry, no. Umm, Rod Stewart,” Sarah glanced behind her. “Start it,”

Heavy Piano Chords filled the room, then Sarah sang out, “If I listened long enough to you, I’d find a way to believe that it’s all true.” The room erupted in clapping, laughter, and cheers.

The words were etched into Sarah’s heart, she didn’t need the small screen in front of her and stepped in front of it. She sang, “Knowing that you lied, straight faced while I cried. Still I look to find a reason to believe.”

Her words soared across the room, she had the cadence, she had the voice, and just a bit of Rod’s breathy, sexy, hoarseness.

Her eyes met Lucy’s and she continued, “Someone like you, makes it hard to live without, somebody else. Someone like you makes it easy to give, everything about myself.”

Lucy’s mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide. The next line caught in Sarah’s mouth and she quickly caught up, but she felt it shift. This song wasn’t about her, It was about the woman she had locked eyes with. How they both had tried so hard to find a reason to believe.

“If I gave you time to change my mind, I’d find a way to leave the past behind,” Sarah sang. And there and then on the stage she realized, it was time to leave the past behind. She took the hem of her dress in her hand and swished it around, drew herself in and then recoiled with her voice.

“Knowing, that you lied, straight faced, while I cried. Still I look to find a reason to believe,” Sarah sang and a smile grew across her face. The crowd was going wild. She began a bit of a jig with the music and then tossed her hair around during the violin solo.

As the next verse wrapped up the piano and organ notes soared then fell silent. Those in the crowd not already on their feet stood. Sarah counted the bar of silence in her head, 1,2,3,4.

She poured every ounce of pain into the line. “Someone like you, makes it hard to live without, somebody else,” Sarah’s words echoed around the room. Mimicking something she’d seen performers do she pointed the mic at the crowd. The piano came back in, and the crowd sang along with her, “Someone like you, makes it easy to give, everything about myself.”

Sarah had done what all great entertainers do. Everyone in the bar thought she was singing about them..

Sarah came back to her seat out of breath, surrounded by applause. She sat down next to Lucy with flushed cheeks. The adrenaline rush was amazing, addictive maybe.

“Oh my God Sarah, you were amazing,” Grace said.

Lucy smiled, she congratulated Sarah too, but her smile was hiding something. Their focus quickly went to the next performers,

A little during a short break a tall woman came up to their table, “Hey that was amazing. Are you in a band or anything?” She asked.

“Thanks, No… I just like to sing,” Sarah said.

The woman handed her a phone number with the name, Macie written on a napkin. “I’m Macie, and a few of us are putting together a queers-only cover band. We’re looking for a singer, so give me a call if you want to audition.”

Macie left and Sarah could see everyone at the table was gawking at her. “Ladies and gentleman, a star is born,” Jax said and they all started clapping.

It wasn’t long before everyone said their goodbyes.

Lucy got into the passenger side of Sarah’s Jeep, still happy to let her drive.

“They pulled out of the back parking lot onto Southern Illinois avenue. It was 10PM on a Tuesday night and the strip was dead.

“You were good up there,” Lucy said.

“Thanks,”

They sat in silence, both their ears still ringing from loud music.

“Marlene thought you were a ringer,” Sarah said. “Like this was a setup. She couldn’t believe that you have never sang before, like in a band or something.”

Sarah laughed, but didn’t respond.

Lucy shifted a bit uncomfortably and asked, “Are you going to call that number?”

Sarah turned and grinned, “Between work and class, I’m not sure when I’ll have time for it. But it would be cool.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking, but you were really good.”

Another block of silence, she reached across the center console like she always did when driving. The space where she always found Whit’s hand and held it. She stopped, Whit didn’t exist anymore. She folded her fingers into her lap.

They stayed silent the rest of the way home, each wondering if the other was coming to the same conclusion they had: They were running out of reasons to believe.