The Samantha Project by Stephanie Karpinske

hair dye in that color.  
    “Nice to meet you, son.” She shook Colin’s hand and smiled wide with lips that matched her hair. “Now I’ve got to get back to the food, darlin’.”
    “Well, you don’t see that very often,” Colin said, looking wide-eyed at the crazy red hair.  
    Josh, my manager from the coffee shop, came up beside me. “Sam, I was so sorry to hear what happened.” He gave me a hug. “Don’t worry about work. Jess and Will have been helping out.”
    “Thanks, Josh. I don’t know when I’ll be back or if—” I stopped, not sure if I was ready to make a decision about work.
    “Well, I hope you’ll eventually come back, but if not, I understand.”
    Jessica and Will saw us talking and came over. Jessica hugged me. “I’m sorry, Sam. I don’t know what to say. This has never happened to—”
    “It’s okay,” I interrupted. “I’m just glad that you came.”
    “Hey, Sam.” Will seemed even more lost for words than Jessica. “Um, we’ve missed you at work.”
    We talked a little and then they left. A few other people from school showed up and also seemed nervous to talk to me. Nobody knew what to say.
    Allie was there, too, along with her parents. I rarely saw her parents and couldn’t remember ever seeing them together. When they came up to talk to me, Dave came over as well. He knew Allie’s dad from his work with the university.
    “Are you okay?” Allie whispered to me while her parents talked to Dave. “I could sneak you out of here if you want. Get you away from all this for a few minutes.”
    “No. It’ll be over soon.”
    “Want me to stay? My parents could pick me up later.”
    “No. I’m just gonna go to bed after it’s over. I’m exhausted.”
    We talked some more and then Colin came back over, along with his parents. His dad came up to me first. “It’s a real shame, kid, about your parents.” Colin’s dad was clearly uncomfortable in the situation, making it awkward for all of us.  
    His mom gave me a hug. “If you need anything, please call us. Joe can fix stuff around the house and I can make meals for you and Dave.”
    “Thank you, Mrs. Denison. And thank you both for coming.”
    “Well, of course. I’m sorry we have to leave so soon, but . . .”
    “Mom, it’s all right. Go ahead.” Colin walked them to the door.  
    As they left, people I’d only met a few times began surrounding me, all waiting to say how sorry they were and to tell me how much they loved my parents. I listened to their stories and endured their hugs and handshakes. But after an hour of it, I just wanted to be alone. I went into my dad’s office and closed the door.  
    Shortly after I sat down, there was a light knock at the door. Now what? Can’t I get a moment alone? “Come in.”
    It was a middle-aged man that I had seen earlier at the service. “Hi. Are you looking for the bathroom?” I got up and headed to the door. “I can show you where it is.”
    “No, Sam. I just wanted to say a few words.”  
    “I should really be getting back,” I said, feeling anxious around the guy.
    “I just need a minute. Is that okay?” He could sense my discomfort.  
    “Um, okay, go ahead,” I said, motioning him to sit down.
    “I knew your dad well. Years ago, I actually used to work at Dave’s research firm. I was hired for a special project. Moved my whole family here from New York. Then GlobalLife bought the company and I got laid off. Soon after that, my wife and our three kids were hit by a car. And I had nothing left. No job. No family.”  
    “I’m really sorry to hear that,” I said, not sure why he was telling me his life story.  
    “Yes, well, I got depressed, the bills started piling up, and I lost my house. I had a Ph.D. but was living out of my car, begging for money on the streets. One day, your dad started talking to me. Long story short, he helped me get a job in the genetics department at the university. It changed my life. It’s hard to believe