Quiet As It's Kept

by Monique Miller

  “Hi, big brother,” Will’s sister Nicole said before he could start talking. Her smile was radiant as she gazed into the camera.

  “Hey, little sis. How’s it going?”

  “Good, good. And how’s my nephew doing?” Nicole asked.

  Will bounced Isaiah on his lap. The baby giggled as he enjoyed his simulated pony ride. “He is doing just great, now.” Will smiled down into his baby’s face.

  His sister’s eyebrows creased with concern. “What do you mean, ‘now’?”

  “He’s teething, that’s all. And this most recent tooth is giving us a run for our money. Thank God for baby gum numbing medicine.”

  “Oh, that poor baby.” His sister looked into the camera and proceeded to talk to the baby. “Oh, Isaiah, googey, googey, googey, daba, daba, daba, doo, doo, doo.”

  Whenever Will’s sister Nicole said this baby phrase, Isaiah always busted out laughing. Will thought the laugh was priceless and it warmed his heart. He didn’t have any memories of Nicole laughing like that as a child. They never felt free to laugh, often guarded, trying not to ruffle or disturb their father. He remembered his sister crying more than anything else, right up until the time their father left their mother for another woman.

  The baby laughed and laughed, and whenever he would finally calm down, Nicole repeated the phrase and Isaiah commenced in his laughing spell again. Will often laughed too. This Web meeting with his sister had become the highlight of his week.

  After a couple more giggling episodes, Nicole finally switched from baby talk back to English, and turned her attention to Will. “Oh, man, I love doing that.”

  “Isaiah loves it too. I’m just glad Morgan isn’t here to hear you two. She is adamant about us not using baby talk.”

  “Oh, please, whatever. Like the boy can understand English from any other language.”

  “You’d be surprised,” Will said.

  “How is Morgan doing anyway?”

  “She’s good.” Will couldn’t think of anything else to say about his wife right then.

  “Is she that picky?” Nicole asked. “I mean, seriously, babies like baby talk.”

  “She can be a little high strung at times,” Will said.

  “Interesting,” Nicole replied. “So when am I going to finally meet my sister-in-law? I so hate that I missed y’all’s wedding. But you didn’t give a sister much notice to request time off from work. You know it’s not like I am around the corner anymore.”

  “I know and I’m sorry about that. But things just sort of happened pretty quickly. Hopefully we’ll be able to fly out there this summer; if not, maybe you can just fly out here,” Will said.

  “We’ll have to work something out, because I want to see my nephew before he goes to college.”

  “Oh, don’t exaggerate.”

  “It would be great if y’all could come this summer.”

  Will knew his sister had no desire to return to the East Coast. When she was old enough to leave home a couple of years after high school, Nicole had bought a one-way ticket to the West Coast. She wanted to get as far away as possible from home, the painful memories, and the skeletons of her past not meant to be cherished.

  Sometimes Will’s sister’s Southern accent slipped out. Even though she was now a West Coast California girl, and had been one for the past nine and a half years, she couldn’t permanently rid herself of that accent.

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to see,” Will said.

  “Have you found a job yet?”

  “Nope, but I’ve been surfing the Web like crazy.”

  “I hope you get something soon. I know it’s got to be hard,” Nicole said.

  “Yep, but I still try to look at the bright side of it.” Will looked down at his lap. “And he is sitting right here on my lap.”

  “Man, you are just too positive for me.” Nicole shook her head.

  Will looked back up at the computer monitor. “How’s it going on the West Coast?”

  “Pretty good. After being here for almost a decade, I am finally starting to get used to this place.”

  “Have you learned how to surf yet?” Will asked.

  “Will, now come on, that is so stereotypical. No, I have not learned how to surf. I’m not anywhere near the beach.”

  “Just joking. I know you wouldn’t want to get your hair wet anyway.” Will laughed.

  “You got that right. I hate all that sand anyway. I mean, the beach is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but afterward, all that sand is everywhere.”

  “I know what you mean. Morgan and I are planning on taking Isaiah to the beach this summer. I think he’ll love it. He loves water, especially in the bathtub. You should see him playing with his toys and splashing around.”

  Will raised his right hand and held up three fingers. Then he moved them toward his mouth and chin, touching them with his index finger. The baby started bouncing and smiling.

  Nicole’s eyebrows rose as she moved in closer to the Web camera. “What is that all about?”

  “Sign language, and that was the sign for water. When it’s time for Isaiah to take a bath, I do the water sign and the bathtub sign to let him know what we are about to do.”

  “Well I’ll be darned. When did you start doing that?”

  “A few weeks ago. I didn’t tell you about it?” Will asked.

  “Yeah, you said something about sign language, but you know you are always busy doing something. I figured it was just another hobby or something.” Nicole shook her head. “And he understands what you are saying?”

  “He sure does. He can’t do that many signs yet, but he does know how to tell me when he is sleepy or that he wants something to eat.”

  “Wow, that is unbelievable. Who would have thought a baby so young would know how to do sign language.”

  “I wouldn’t have believed it either, but at Isaiah’s last doctor’s appointment, we saw a mother and her baby signing while we were waiting in the lobby. And you know me, I had to ask questions.”

  “Did you talk the woman to death?”

  “No, I tried not to, but I wanted to get as much information as possible. And I probably could have talked more, but Morgan acted as if I was embarrassing her.”

  “Embarrassing her? Where is that chick from anyway? And who is she to act like she’s embarrassed? I can’t wait to meet this new sister-in-law of mine.” Nicole’s voice dripped with a syrupy fake sweetness that Will recognized.

  “Don’t be so hard on her, even you’ve said that I’ve embarrassed you before.”

  “Yeah, but I’m your sister, I can say that.” Nicole rolled her eyes.

  Isaiah took his fingers and touched them to his mouth.

  “What’s he doing?” Nicole asked.

  “What?” Will asked and looked down at the baby.

  He watched as Isaiah brought his finger tips up to his mouth. “Oh, that. He’s hungry.” Will looked at the clock on the computer. “Yep, it’s time for this little man to eat. Well, Nikki, I think I’d better go ahead and feed this little guy. He hasn’t been eating very well with this new tooth coming in, so he’s probably pretty hungry,” Will said.

  Nicole pouted with a pleading frown. “But we just started.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry we’ve got to cut this short. But if I don’t feed him, you’ll get a chance to see how adorable your nephew can really be—wailing screams and all.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  “Same time next week, right?” Will asked.

  “No, I’ve picked up a part-time job and it starts this Friday. So we’ll have to figure out a new time to talk.”

  This time it was Will who frowned. “Girl, you are one of the hardest working women I know.”

  “I’m a Tracy, and in this family all we know is hard work,” Nicole said, then she paused. “Sorry. I know you are out of work, but I also know that you know how to work hard.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Prayerfully something will come through soon.” Will didn’t
want to talk any further about his job situation, and he figured his sister sensed it because she didn’t push the issue by asking more questions.

  “Well, I’ll let you go so you can feed Isaiah.”

  “Okay, little sis. E-mail me or text me with a time that will be good so we can do this again.”

  “I will,” Nicole said. “Bye-bye, little Isaiah, Auntie Nicole loves you.”

  Isaiah whimpered and started squirming on Will’s lap.

  “Oh, okay. We’ll talk to you later. Love you, sis.”

  “Love you too, big brother.”

  Will stood and bounced the baby in his arms as he headed to the kitchen. He warmed some baby food and a bottle of baby formula, then fed him. Once the baby was done eating he fell asleep again and Will laid him back down in his playpen.

  Even though his heart pulled him toward the computer, longing to look for more jobs on the Internet, Will’s eyes were heavy. He sat on the couch and stared down at his wonderful blessing from God sleeping peacefully. He shook his head, wondering how, in less than twenty-four months, he’d become not only jobless, but also married and a father.

  Except for the being jobless part, he enjoyed the fact that he was married to a beautiful woman and that he had a beautiful son—even though things had happened so rapidly. It was as if one day he was a single bachelor looking for his dream woman and the next day, there she was—perfect in almost every way. God had blessed him with Morgan, and now, for whatever reason, their marriage was already being tested early on, causing his wife to have mood swings.

  Will placed two throw pillows on the arm of a chair, pulled his legs up onto the couch, and laid his head down. As he closed his eyes, he thought about the first time he’d laid eyes on his wife. He remembered their first meeting as vividly as if it had just happened yesterday.

  It had been on April First, a Sunday morning after the 8:00 A.M. service. The service had just ended and Will was taking a second to sit and meditate on the Word the pastor had just preached. The message had been about mustard seed faith, and how faith the size of a mustard seed could be enough to answer prayers.

  Will had been praying about some issues at work. The company had been laying people off left and right, and he hoped he wouldn’t end up being one of the ones getting a pink slip. And with his mustard seed faith, he added a prayer of faith that the Lord would send him a good, God-fearing, saved woman, who also wouldn’t be bad on the eyes.

  When he finished praying and looked up, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, standing in front of him. She had almond-shaped brown eyes and a smooth milk chocolate skin tone, and her hair fell just below her shoulders. It was charcoal black and had a shiny radiant glow, just as her face did.

  He realized that she was trying to walk past him to get out of the row of seats. He wondered how long she’d been patiently waiting for him to come out of meditation.

  “Oh, excuse me. Were you trying to get by?” Will asked.

  “Yes,” the woman said. “I know I could have gone around the other way, but you looked so peaceful as you sat there praying that I just had to watch.”

  Will stood. “Well, sorry for delaying you.” He moved back so the woman could pass, and she did.

  She smelled of a sweet perfume that Will had never smelled before. “Don’t worry, the delay was a pleasurable one.”

  Will smiled, wondering if the beautiful woman was flirting with him. And, as if reading his thoughts, she winked, and continued on her way down the aisle of seats.

  Will sat back down in his seat and looked up toward heaven, wondering if his mustard seed faith had been that strong—strong enough for the woman he had been praying for to be standing right in front of him. In all of his awe, he hadn’t noticed if the woman had been wearing a ring. Then he figured that she wouldn’t have spoken so coyly and winked if she were married or attached.

  He hoped he might get a chance to see her again. And his hopes had become realized as he had gotten his chance the very next Sunday, and a month of Sundays to follow. Each morning at the eight o’clock service he saw his dream woman in attendance. He wondered if she was new to the congregation, because he’d never seen her in the services before. She was way too beautiful to have been missed.

  He’d hoped to talk to her again, but they never got close enough in proximity for him to casually say anything to her. Plus, he didn’t know what he would say to her anyway. In all of his years of waiting for the right woman, Will had never had a serious relationship and didn’t date much. His focus had been on school and trying to make sure that when he did eventually find a wife, he would be able to take care of her as a husband should.

  Unlike Phillip, in college, Will didn’t try to sleep with any and every girl he could. And this wasn’t a particularly easy feat, because he had just as many women hitting on him as Phillip did. Will knew that women liked his six-foot-three-inch stature as well as his even dark mocha complexion. He had always worn his hair cut close, but the women loved to run their fingers over his head whenever they got close enough to do so—normally during study groups.

  Now here he was with the opportunity to finally talk to the woman of his prayers and he didn’t know how to approach her without appearing to be nervous. So he tried to think about the times he’d talked to women he wasn’t interested in, and how easily he had been able to do that. Then one day after church, when he saw her in the church bookstore, he stepped over and casually asked about the books she was looking at on the bookshelf.

  Up close and personal she was even more beautiful than he had remembered from the first time he saw her. She’d told him that she was looking for a new women’s Bible, and the selection was small. She was thinking about going to a regular bookstore to look instead.

  Will took a bold step and invited himself to go with her to the bookstore and buy her a cup of coffee. And, to his surprise, she quickly and readily accepted. The next thing he knew they had spent the entire afternoon together. After the bookstore they got lunch and ate it in the park, where they talked even more. By the time they parted that evening it was dark. She had taken his number but wasn’t forthcoming enough to give hers.

  For the next week he welcomed the sound of his cell phone ringing, hoping it was her. And after five long days he finally got the call from his dream girl, Morgan. They met again for dinner that next Saturday night. And the following morning at church they sat together. Only a few weeks after their first meeting, their romance quickly blossomed into courtship, then engagement, and then into marriage.

  Even now, Will had a tendency to shake his head whenever he thought about how quickly his prayers had been answered. So many people told him that he and Morgan were jumping into things too quickly. But as far as Will was concerned, Morgan was the woman he had been waiting for and praying for as his perfect mate. She was single, had a beautiful body, didn’t have any children, and, best of all, she was saved. What more could he have asked for?

  Chapter 4

  Will pushed his son back and forth on the toddler swing. The baby giggled each time he swung backward in the air. Will loved the outdoors, and especially coming to the park with Isaiah. The baby liked seeing all of the other children running around and playing with the sand in the sandbox.

  When Isaiah started getting antsy on the swing, Will pulled him out and walked him over to the sandbox. There he took the baby’s sneakers off and sat him down in the sand. Isaiah immediately giggled and filled his hands with sand. Then he moved his feet back and forth so that the sand ended up covering part of his leg.

  It warmed Will’s heart to see his son so happy. He wished he could see the world through his son’s eyes, without a care in the world. It would be better than being a grown man who spent most of his waking moments trying to figure out how he could find a job and be the breadwinner for his family.

  Will pulled out his digital camera and took shots of the baby playing in the sand. He took a few pictures in color, then changed the setting an
d took pictures of the baby in black and white. He took pictures from various angles and zoomed the lens in and out for multiple effects. Later that night, he would upload them and send copies to his sister in California.

  “Excuse me?”

  Will heard a male voice speaking. He looked up and saw a man standing near the end of the sandbox, next to a little girl who looked to be about two years old.

  “Do you attend New Hope Church?” the man asked.

  Will was a member of New Hope Church and thought the man looked familiar. He had been at the church one Sunday a few years back when the man and his wife announced their engagement to be married. “Yes, I’m a member of New Hope.”

  “I thought so. I’m a member too.” The man stepped over to Will and stuck his hand out. “My name is Tyler King.”

  “Oh, okay. I’m Will Tracy and this is my son, Isaiah.”

  The man pointed over to the little girl. “That is my daughter, Jade.” He smiled down at his daughter, who looked up as soon as she heard her name. She smiled back at her father, beaming with excitement as she shoveled sand into a plastic pail.

  Will spoke to the little girl, saying, “You sure are a little cutie.” And the little girl smiled at him also.

  “She doesn’t know about strangers. We’re going to have to work on stranger danger with her,” Tyler said.

  “My little man is the opposite. He is pretty attached to his mother and me. And after he has been with his grandparents and godparents for a while, he warms up a little.”

  At the moment, Isaiah was oblivious to anyone else’s existence around him. He gleefully played in the sand.

  “So you come out here often?” Tyler asked.

  “Naw, this is my first time out at this park. I usually take my little guy over to the park next to our house. But I wanted to change his scenery today.” Will looked down at Isaiah. “I think he likes it.”

  Tyler shook his head in agreement. “I think so. Jade loves it here. Normally I let her play in all the mud and sand as much as she wants, getting as dirty as she wants. Then I get her home and in a clean, sudsy bath before I take her back to her mother’s house.”