Quiet As It's Kept

by Monique Miller

  He stepped into the bathroom, still groggy from the mediation lingering in his system. He used the bathroom and noticed a note lying next to the bathroom sink. The note informed him that Morgan had gone to take the baby for a walk. He wondered if one of the side effects of the medication was hallucination, because Morgan wasn’t a morning person or an outside person. He could count on one hand the number of times Morgan had gone on walks with the baby and that was only because Will had gone with her.

  He wondered what time she had written the note and if she was back yet. Will looked around upstairs for Morgan and the baby. Not seeing them, he descended the stairs to look for signs of life. He hadn’t seen or heard any and figured his wife must still be out with the baby.

  Will could tell that the pain medication was quick wearing off. He wanted to eat something before taking another dose so he wouldn’t do so on an empty stomach. As he approached the kitchen, he saw the bottle of pain medication on the counter next to the refrigerator. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he slipped and hit his head on the side of the cabinet.

  For a moment he was dazed, and it took another moment for him to regain his composure. As he tried to stand back up, his legs and hands slipped again. He touched the floor, which looked as if it had been newly polished, and found that the residue on it was slippery. He felt silly for not noticing that Morgan had mopped the floor, and that it wasn’t dry yet. He wondered if the day could get any more eventful. Morgan hadn’t picked up the mop since before she went on bed rest. At first she couldn’t do housework, and then after she found out that Will had lost his job, it was as if she expected him to do most of the housework.

  He slid over to the refrigerator and pulled his body up. After pulling a bottle of water and jar of applesauce out of the refrigerator, he grabbed the bottle of pills and a spoon, then gingerly made his way out of the kitchen to the dining room area. There he ate applesauce out of the jar and took two of the pain pills, as directed on the bottle.

  After drinking the entire bottle of water, he ran his hand over the spot where his head had hit the table. There was a lump forming, and he hoped that the medication would help his head as well.

  Morgan still had not returned with the baby, so Will called her cell phone to check on her. He dialed her number and heard the familiar chirping sound coming from the kitchen. She’d left home without her cell phone. It was weird, because Morgan and her cell phone were always attached. So he figured that she couldn’t have gone too far.

  Surely enough, within ten minutes, Morgan returned. She had beads of sweat on her forehead.

  “Hey, baby. Did you get enough rest?” Her tone was light, full of the cheer that an avid nature seeker normally had after bonding with the universe.

  “I did.” Will was starting to get tired of the Twilight Zone moments he was having. He didn’t know how to take his wife lately. He rubbed the tender lump on his head.

  Morgan’s eyes locked on the sore spot. “What happened to you?”

  “I stepped on the wet floor.”

  “Oh, sorry. I should have let you know I mopped the floor,” Morgan said.

  “It’s not your fault that I wasn’t paying attention to detail. As shiny as that floor is, you’d think I would have noticed before I tried to go ice skating on it.”

  “I tried this new floor cleaner and I guess it must be a little slick,” Morgan said.

  “A little, now that’s an understatement.”

  She looked back at the sore on his head. “Did you put anything on it?”

  “No, I took some pain medicine, and hopefully it will help this knot on my head.”

  “This is the time that you need some steak, raw steak for that bruise,” Morgan said.

  “You’re joking again right?”

  “Huh, no. Why?”

  “I don’t want to see or hear about any steak for a long time,” Will said.

  “Forgive me, baby, I know you must think I am one of the most insensitive people in the world.”

  “Of course not,” Will said as he thought that Morgan was insensitive in more ways than one. “Where’s Isaiah?”

  “Still in the stroller. He fell asleep a few minutes ago. I figured I wouldn’t disturb him. I’ll try to get that new floor cleaner up. I’d hate to fall also.”

  “That’s a negative. I’ll get the floor, just try not to go in there until I clean it,” Will said.

  “No, honey, you’re in pain. Why don’t you go and rest some more? I’ve got this.”

  “Dada, Dada.” They both heard Isaiah as he spoke the only word he knew so far.

  “No, my dear, you go ahead and spend some one-on-one time with the baby. I know you hate not being able to spend more time with him. I’ll get this floor in a few minutes, as soon as the medication gets into my system.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing,” Will said, cutting her off. “Go play fake beach in the bathtub with him, or pretend his favorite stuffed animals are puppets. He likes that.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Will was sure that he didn’t want Morgan to mess the floor up any further than she already had.

  “Okay, if you say so.” With obvious reluctance, Morgan unsnapped the baby from his stroller and took him upstairs.

  Will took a breather and sat on the couch in the den. After about ten minutes, he started to feel better, so he got up and retrieved the mop, bucket, and an all purpose cleaner to mop the floor again.

  He wondered what kind of cleaner Morgan had used, because it took him forever to get off the floor the slick film that never dried. He tried several cleaners, and the only one that worked well was a degreaser.

  Once he was satisfied with his accomplishments, Will looked through the cleaning supplies to find out what Morgan had used. He didn’t see any new, unfamiliar bottles. Then he looked through the trash can to see if the bottle of whatever she’d used was there. He didn’t find anything new, but he did find their bottle of Mop & Glo and an empty bottle of vegetable oil.

  Will could have sworn that that same bottle of vegetable oil had been half full the week before when he’d made home fried potatoes. And he also could have sworn that he hadn’t used the bottle of oil since that day. He racked his brain trying to figure out what Morgan could have or would have cooked needing cooking oil. But he came up with nothing, because Morgan hadn’t cooked in weeks.

  The kitchen floor had been oily, not just slick. Not the kind of slickness that comes from a kitchen floor being merely wet. And, now that he thought about it, the floor probably should have been dry by the time he first got downstairs, but definitely by the time his pain medication had taken effect.

  Will didn’t know what to think about the conclusions he was coming to. But he knew there was no way his wife would have put oil on the floor mistaking it for floor cleaner. He wondered if she had just used something else in their cabinet along with the Mop & Glo. And he also figured that there had to be an explanation for the empty bottle of cooking oil in the trash can.

  He wasn’t going to worry about it. He’d been able to get the film off the floor and he was glad Morgan hadn’t fallen, and even more thankful that neither of them had fallen with Isaiah in their arms. Will knew that God must have been looking out for them.

  Chapter 12

  Will clapped his hands as the choir sang a joyful noise to praise the Lord. He had always liked going to church, but now since it was his only real outlet during the week, he loved going to church service. It was the one time during the week that he could focus without interruption on his walk with Christ—mainly because Morgan had not been with him to church in over a month and a half and because he normally took the baby to the nursery.

  He had been disappointed the first couple of weeks that Morgan hadn’t accompanied him to church, but now, as sad as it was, he looked forward to the time by himself. Morgan had been coming up with lame excuses as to why she couldn’t go to church. First she’d said that she was too tir
ed to go to church, then she said there were some things she needed to do for work and she’d been going into her job the last couple of Sundays to complete them.

  Will knew that God worked in mysterious ways, but it seemed lately like each Sunday the pastor had been speaking directly to him during his sermons. The pastor spoke of having mustard seed faith and believing that God would supply all of his needs and that the Lord would never leave or forsake him. And he knew what the pastor was saying was true, because during all the months he had not been working, they had never gone hungry, their lights had never been turned off, and they had continuous shelter over their heads.

  This Sunday morning turned out to be no different, in that the pastor was speaking about Job in the Bible and how Job’s faith was tested many times over. Will was glad that the test he was going through was nowhere near the severity of Job’s tests. Job had lost his family, his home, and many valuable possessions. He had even been tested with health problems.

  Will had only lost his job, not his family, although there were often times when he felt as if he might be losing his wife, because she wasn’t the Morgan he knew when he first met her. Back when they first met she was carefree and spontaneous. Now her mind was often preoccupied, so much so that it was as if she calculated every one of her actions.

  He wished she could be more like him. He wasn’t carefree, but he did trust in the Lord. Oftentimes Morgan had said she felt like Will wasn’t concerned enough for her about their current situation. But he knew that there was no need to worry if he was going to pray and trust in God. And it was on Sundays when he was able to get rejuvenated.

  If Morgan could trust like him, and take the time to be fed the Word, Will figured she wouldn’t be as stressed as she was. As the pastor preached, Will bowed his head and said a prayer for his wife. He prayed that she would come back to the realization that God was their source and not their resource. He prayed that she would realize that they were only going through a test, and instead of getting frustrated and depressed, she should still praise the Lord in spite of the current circumstances.

  By the time he finished praying, he heard the pastor calling for people to come to the altar for prayer. Will rose from his seat and walked to the altar. He prayed for his wife’s faith and her well-being. And by the time the pastor gave the benediction to the congregation and closed out the service, Will knew without a doubt in his mind that he would make it through the next week high on the Holy Spirit of the Lord.

  “Will.”

  Will thought he heard his name. He turned his head and saw Tyler, the guy from church he’d seen at the park. He was holding his daughter, Jade.

  “Hey, Tyler. Good to see you, man.” Will extended his hand.

  With firmness the men shook hands.

  “I thought that was you. How are you doing?” Tyler said.

  “Good, good, I can’t complain,” Will replied. “How have you been doing? And how is your new job going?”

  “Pretty good. It is nice to be back in the rat race again. I just hate not being able to spend as much quality time with my daughter as I did before. But we make do.” Tyler looked down at the little girl with her head resting on his shoulder.

  Will smiled at the little girl, who hugged herself closer to her father.

  “She’s sleepy. She gets a little cranky around nap time,” Tyler said.

  “I can relate to that.” Will chuckled.

  “So how have you been?” Tyler asked.

  Even though Will had already answered that question, he knew Tyler wanted to know how he had been doing—not the superficial version.

  “Things are still the same on the job front. I’d found a job at the mall, but once I realized the amount it would cost to put my son in daycare, it wasn’t going to be worth the time and money. In essence, I would have been spinning my wheels.”

  “Ah, I know what you mean. The cost of daycare is pretty high, especially when you want a good one. I like Jade’s daycare. They have a camera system where I can log on anytime during the day and see how she is doing and how she is being treated. No one can care for her as well as I can, but it does give me some peace of mind.” Tyler looked around. “Where is Isaiah? With your wife?”

  “No, he’s in the back in the nursery. I was on my way to pick him up.”

  “Oh, sorry to have stopped you. We can walk and talk,” Tyler said.

  They proceeded through the crowd of people coming back from the nursery area. People were normally quick in getting to their children after the church service, and also pretty quick in trying to leave the area and head to their cars.

  “My wife didn’t make it this Sunday for church,” Will said as they walked. He didn’t know why he was even stating that fact, when there was no need to do so. He figured he just needed to voice his thoughts out loud.

  “Jade’s mom didn’t make it either. Or at least I don’t think she made it. I didn’t see her in this service, but who knows? She could have come to the first service or maybe plans on showing up at the next service. Sometimes I think she avoids us during service, because as soon as Jade sees her mom she wants to go with her, then she can’t understand why she can’t. I don’t take her back to her mother’s home until five o’clock in the evening on Sundays, per the court-ordered agreement.”

  Will thought about the sermon from earlier and about how Job had lost so much in his life. He could see that Tyler too had been put to a few tests of his own. Not only had he lost his job, he’d obviously lost his wife, but thankfully it looked as if he had not lost his little girl in the whole process. Even if it had taken a court order to do so.

  They arrived at the room where the six-to-twelve-month-old babies were being kept. Will showed the nursery attendant his card with the baby’s name on it issued by the church, verifying that Isaiah was his son. The baby was happy to see his father and giggled as soon as he was placed in his dad’s arms.

  He and Tyler walked to the front entrance to exit. Tyler’s daughter squirmed in his arms again. “Hey, maybe we can catch up a little more one weekend. Maybe do a play date for the kids,” Tyler said. “Let me go ahead and get her home so she can take a nap and I can get some lunch ready for her.”

  They both stepped out of the front doors of the church. “Okay,” Will agreed, “I’ll catch up with you later.” Will had taken only a few steps when he heard his name again.

  “Will. Will.”

  He looked over to where he heard the voice shouting and saw Phillip standing next to his car in the parking lot. Will walked toward his friend, who met him about halfway. “Hey, what’s going on my brother?” Will asked.

  “Nothing much, just reflecting on the sermon Pastor gave today,” Phillip said.

  “Wasn’t that a good sermon?” Will shook his head. “Just when I think I know as much as I could possibly know about the people in the Bible, Pastor puts a spin on their stories, making me think in a whole different way—especially when I think about how the people during the Bible days basically had the same problems we have today.”

  This time Phillip shook his head. “You’d think we would all take heed of what the Bible is teaching us and not make some of the same mistakes they did. Or at least take lessons about how we should respond to trials and tribulations in our life.”

  “Amen to that,” Will said. “Preach, my brother.”

  “Oh, don’t get me started.” Phillip laughed.

  Will had to smile, knowing that if someone had told him his freshman year in college that Phillip P.T. Tomlinson would one day be a minister and preaching the Word of God, he wouldn’t have believed them for anything. Phillip had been the big man on campus for years. When it came to sowing his wild oats, Phillip had done his share and Will’s share too, especially since Will vowed to himself and God that he would remain a virgin until he was married.

  On campus during their undergraduate years, the female-to-male ratio averaged between 7:1 and 9:1. Phillip had made sure to have relations with no fewer than at le
ast eighteen different women, most of which occurred during his freshman, sophomore, and junior years in college. During his friend’s senior year, he’d found the love of his life, Shelby, and from then on he stayed faithful to her, as far as Will knew anyway.

  “So what are you doing this evening?” Phillip looked around as if looking for someone. “Shelby wanted me to ask you and Morgan if you wanted to come over for Sunday dinner.”

  Will realized that Phillip had been looking around for Morgan. “Oh, Morgan didn’t make it this morning. She had to go in to work today.”

  “I didn’t know Morgan had to work on Sundays,” Phillip said.

  “She doesn’t. She’s trying to catch up and get ahead on a few things.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, do you and little man want to come over for dinner?”

  Will thought about it. He hadn’t cooked anything yet for dinner as he normally would have. But his heart just hadn’t been into it the past day while being on his pain medication. Then he thought about Morgan and the fact that when she did get home she would be expecting to eat something.

  “Let me give Morgan a call and see if she is done with her work. Then she can meet us over at your house.”

  Will pulled his phone out and saw that he had a missed call and a voice mail message. While in church he always turned his phone to silent, not even letting the phone vibrate to let him know a call was coming in. When in church, he wanted to give the service and its message his undivided attention.

  He checked the message, which was from Morgan. The message said that she wasn’t going to be home until later that evening and that she would grab something to eat while she was working. Will disconnected from the voice mail and said, “Well, it looks like Morgan won’t be able to make it. But Isaiah and I would love to come over and hang with you guys for a few hours.”