by B. A. Beers
“Bob, do you know what started this episode?” Grace asked him, fixing her gaze on her daughter.
“You mean today?” he answered her question with one of his own.
“No, I mean this general downward swing of hers.”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know,” he whispered, shaking his head slowly back and forth. “I began to notice that small things upset her, probably as early as last week, but I can’t figure out what was the cause,” he continued. He felt Grace’s stare and looked directly at her. “No, I didn’t do anything to upset her, if that is what you are thinking. I’ve been good. I mean real good!”
Grace felt a blush redden her cheeks. “Thank you for telling me,” she acknowledged his confession, and lowered her eyes to her clenched hands. “Your track record hasn’t been the best in that regard.”
“I know,” Bob stressed, “but, I’m trying to right that situation.”
“Good, I’m glad,” Grace confided.
Both of their attentions were suddenly switched to the ringing of the phone. Grace glanced at Bob and wordlessly directed him to go while she stayed with Tish. Getting to his feet, he headed out of the room.
Entering the main room, he realized that Wendy had answered the phone. Stopping, he leaned up against the wall, watching her actions. Her back was to him while he listened to the one-sided conversation. He heard four words, basically intermixed with others, and repeated several times: sorry, need, help, and please. Smiling, he was amazed at Wendy’s ability to grovel and sound pathetic at the same time. He wished that she were facing him so he could see her face, believing that her expression would match her words.
It dawned on him that he was thankful she was there. Surprised by this realization, he closed his eyes and directed his thoughts inward. He and Wendy had rarely seen things the same way. When he thought about it, he realized that he had never liked her before now. He had always tolerated her for Tish’s sake. Analyzing his feelings, he became aware that he never liked her because of her influence on Tish. You’re a selfish man, he screamed to himself. You’re jealous. You’re unable to handle the idea of Tish having a relationship with anyone beside yourself. You have kept Tish on a short rope. In their life together, Tish had never been far from his side. It’s not my fault, he consoled his male ego. She was and is free to do what she wished. Now pleased with himself, he opened his eyes and was startled to see Wendy, standing in front of him.
“Bob?” Wendy asked, reaching out her hand to touch his shoulder, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” he answered, righting himself quickly. “What did the doctor say?”
Wendy removed her hand from Bob’s shoulder, rubbing her thumb across her fingertips as if they were singed from contact with him. “He will be here in about an hour. He is out, having dinner with his family, but will swing by here on his way home,” she reported.
“What exactly did you tell him?” Bob asked.
A look of confusion crossed Wendy’s face. “Didn’t you hear me?”
“Nope,” he responded, “must have been lost in thought.”
That’s par for the course, Wendy thought, as she turned and walked in the direction of the bathroom. “Might as well tell both you and Grace at the same time,” Wendy suggested, not looking at him.
Bob followed her, wondering why her tone had become so stern all of a sudden.
As they entered the bathroom, Grace glanced up at them. “Well?” she asked.
“He will be here in about an hour,” Wendy repeated for Grace, as she seated herself on the counter top.
Bob passed in front of her and resumed his position on the closed commode. He glanced briefly at Tish and saw that she was still writing on the wall. Shaking his head, he turned to Wendy. “Continue,” he directed.
Glancing back and forth between the two faces, Wendy opted to direct her focus on Grace. “I gave him a limited detail of her condition. I asked him for his advice. He was pleased that I contacted him instead of calling for an ambulance, as long as she wasn’t physically hurt. He doesn’t want her moved.”
Grace turned her gaze to her daughter and frowned. “Does he normally make house calls?” she asked, not taking her eyes off Tish.
“I don’t know to tell you the truth. I have never required his assistance outside his office,” Wendy answered. “Yet, I do know that he has helped me greatly. He’s a wonderful doctor. Granted, there have been times when I wanted to choke him,” Wendy laughed lightly, “but I still see him weekly. He does genuinely care for people. He’s definitely not like any other doctor I’ve seen. He’s more like a trusted friend.”
Grace nodded her head absently to Wendy’s remarks. “So—we wait,” she stated. “Bob, you might want to change your shirt.”
***
NOVELS by B. A. Beers:
CONTEMPORARY FICTION:
‘The Trilogy of the Rose’:
The Crying Rose
In Full Bloom, the sequel to The Crying Rose
Bouquet, the sequel to In Full Bloom
Secret Writings
FANTASY:
Isle of the Four Kingdoms:
‘Dragon Lady Trilogy’:
Book One: The Kingdom of the Seven Shields
Book Two: Dragon Lady vs Lady Destiny
Book Three: Whose Land?
About the Author
B. A. Beers is a former educator who embraces friendships. This philosophy holds true not only in the interaction with others in her personal life, but also with her fictional characters and the readers of her work. Her love affair with the written word blossomed when she read a beloved love story at an impressionable young age.
She resides in Phoenix, AZ with her family.