Calming Beach Read online



  Calming Beach

  Copyright 2014 WJ Smith

  Calming Beach

  They planned to meet for lunch in the park, but she called an hour early and asked him to drive her home. She was not feeling well.

  The ride was unusually quiet. Madison was tense. She radiated nervousness. He let her be. She would only clam up if he asked about her darkened mood. In their time together, he learned to give her space. She would eventually let him in.

  But when they got to the house, it only grew worse. Even though she looked visibly ill, she insisted on making him lunch. He stood back and watched her fuss about the kitchen with trembling hands as she made chopped beef sandwiches out of leftovers from the night before. She made two, but left the second one on the counter.

  Madison set the table and handed Skyler a sandwich. She then left the kitchen and went to the back of the house. He assumed she went to lie down.

  He worried for her. She didn't get sick often, but the past few days she was not herself. Something was off. She was withdrawn.

  Leaving his lunch untouched, he decided to draw her out. He headed down the hall expecting to see the back door open and find her sitting on the step with her feet in the sand. Instead, the door was closed, the curtain drawn.

  He peeked into their room. She was curled up on the bed. All the windows were closed and covered. That was a rarity. They always reflected her bright and cheery demeanor.

  Skyler walked to the bedside and ran his hand down her arm. She didn't move. He eased down beside her. Still no reaction. He brushed away the curls that hid her face and tucked them behind her ear. Her green eyes looked up at him. He offered a smile. She closed her eyes.

  "What's wrong, Madison?"

  She drew a deep breath. If she had an answer, she kept it to herself. He trailed a finger across the curve of her paled cheek and tried again.

  "Is everything all right?"

  Her eyes opened slowly. She still avoided meeting his gaze. He lay down next to her, forcing her eyes to see him.

  "Madi."

  He knew she disliked the pet name. The twitch of her brows confirmed she was not ignoring him. He touched her arm again. Irritating her would not help draw her out.

  "I'm fine. Go ahead and go back to work. I'm just gonna to stay here awhile."

  She closed her eyes. She was not going to let him in.

  Skyler got up and left the room. He closed the door behind him. As he went back into the kitchen, he picked up the cordless phone. He peeked around the corner to make sure Madison did not follow after him, and then dialed the office.

  Julie answered with her habitual greeting. "Hey, you," she chirped when he asked for Richard. "Are you still on lunch?"

  "Yes, so far. Is Richard in?"

  "Of course he's in. Sit tight, I'll buzz you over."

  Richard sounded as if he just woke up from a nap. "This is Richard."

  "Sir, I need to ask a favor. I'm sorry for the short notice."

  "Whatcha need?"

  "Madison isn't feeling well and I don't want to leave her by herself. Could I have the afternoon? I'll make up for it."

  "Take the afternoon and don't worry about it. I think tomorrow is another slow day. Call in the morning, I might just let you have two days."

  "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

  "Don't mention it. Take care of the Misses."

  He finished the call hoping he wouldn't need the second day. But it was good to know it was there if needed. Maybe taking Madison on a drive and getting her out of the house for a bit would cheer her up. They could go to one of the inns that just opened.

  A pot of coffee was started. He then put a kettle on the stove in case she would rather tea. Peppermint tea was gradually replacing her daily cup. He set out their regular mugs.

  Skyler then went back to their bedroom. She didn't acknowledge him when he opened the door. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached for her hand. He smiled a hesitant smile as she interlaced their fingers.

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  A tiny sigh escaped her. "Not yet. But thank you."

  "Anything I can get for you?"

  She shook her head once. "I'm fine."

  "I love you."

  Her eyes rose to his. There was a sadness about them that caught him off guard. "I love you too," she returned in a whisper.

  He squeezed her hand. "Always."

  She closed her eyes once again. She rubbed at her brow with the back of her free hand. "Forever."

  "Would you like some tea or coffee?"

  She shook her head. "I'm just going to sit here for a minute."

  Skyler took her answer. He didn't believe it, but figured that was the best he was going to get for the time being. He situated himself behind her and encircled her in his arms. If she wanted to just be, he could live with that.

  He simply held her. The knowledge that she would not let him help her, and she would not talk about what was bothering her, ate at him. He tried to think back to when her gloomy mood started. It was difficult to tell. She was quiet as of late, but not noticeably down. That was new as of today. She was a tad on the moody side that morning, but nothing jumped out at him that would have brought it on.

  Her warmth and steady breathing made him want to relax. Perhaps there was nothing. Perhaps he was reading too much into her moping. He couldn't expect her to be all smiles all the time.

  Time played tricks on him. He didn't know how long he had dozed when he felt her stir. The room was dark. He recalled the curtains being closed. His eyes looked to the window beside the bed. Daylight seeped around the edges of the blinds.

  Madison rolled out from under his arm. He raised his head to check on her. She turned around and kissed his cheek. "You're fine," she whispered. She ran her fingers through his hair. He let his head back to the bedding, tempted to reach for the retreating sleep.

  He listened as she left the room. The bathroom door closed gently, and the sound of running water told him she was filling the bath. She wanted to be alone.

  Skyler got up. Stretching, he gave into a yawn. He could see light from the front room reaching down the darkened hallway. It was still early in the afternoon.

  He started for the kitchen. Slowing for a moment as he passed the bathroom door, he listened for a hint as to what was happening on the other side. He was met by silence. The fragrance of candles and her vanilla bubble bath drifted from beneath the door.

  Leaving Madison to her peace, he realized he had forgotten about the kettle on the stove. Skyler hurried to the kitchen. Taking a mitt, he grabbed the kettle from the burner. He was relieved to see it still had some water. It didn't all boil away. Adding a bit more water, he put it back on the burner on a lower setting.

  The aroma of the coffee summoned him. He poured a cup and sat at the table. Watching out the lace-covered window, he tried to think of a way to cheer up his wife.

  The next thing he knew, she is standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She wore her hair twisted and pinned up on the back of her head. She had donned the old, blue sundress she always wore when she was feeling bummed. The faded dress hung on her and hid all her curves. Its thin straps rarely cooperated with her. They slipped from her shoulders on a regular basis. She would then puff out an irritated sigh and tug them back into place.

  He stood to fill a mug with hot water for her tea. The little, black tin was in his hand when she spoke up. Her voice was a soft as a feather.

  "I think I'm pregnant."

  A multitude of emotions filled him at once. Happiness. Fear. Excitement. Worry. Amazement. Her green eyes flashed with panic. He was careful not to react too quickly.
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  Taking a teabag from the tin, he dipped it in the mug of steaming water. The cool scent of mint tangled with the warmth of the coffee in the air. He turned to Madison as he let the tag dangle over the side of the mug.

  "We're not ready," she went on. Worry lined her forehead. "Are we?" She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I'm not ready."

  Skyler set the mug on the counter. He crossed the floor keeping his puzzled gaze locked on Madison. As he neared her, he gently took her face in his hands. Her soft cheeks were warm against his palms. He thought he felt her tremble.

  Madison gave her head a small shake, and then bit her lip. "Are we ready?"

  He leaned his forehead against hers and breathed in the lingering vanilla. He spoke quietly hoping to bring her some calm. "We can be. If you are pregnant, we'll be just fine. But we don't know if we should even be worrying about it. Let's wait until we know yes or no."

  "I don't know," she said in a broken voice. "Skyler, what do we do?"

  Pulling her close, he wrapped her in his arms, hugging her against his chest. He kissed her