Read Quiet As It's Kept Online
Authors: Monique Miller
Quiet As It's Kept (12 page)
“You went over to Phillip's house for dinner?”
“Yeah. When I got ready to call you and tell you about the invite, I found the message you'd left about continuing to work.”
Morgan pushed the containers farther back on the counter. “Humph, wasn't that nice. And Shelby packed up leftovers for us.” Morgan's smile looked more like a sneer. She handed the baby over to Will. “I am not as hungry as I thought I was. I think I'll go ahead upstairs and take my bath. I'll eat something later.”
Morgan turned to leave the kitchen. He guessed her appetite could turn from hot to cold just like her attitude.
“Hey, before you leave, I've got a question for you.”
She turned and looked at him as if annoyed to be stopped.
“Why have you been looking at insurance companies on the Internet?”
“Oh, that? I felt sorry for you and your tooth. I mean, what will happen if you chip another tooth? We don't exactly have another four or five hundred dollars to blow again. I wanted to check out some companies to see if they had any reasonable rates.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you find any?”
“No, I sure didn't. You'll just have to be careful with those teeth until the next open enrollment. I am going to have to put you on a soft-food diet like Isaiah.”
“Ha-ha, real funny.”
“Just joking, Will. Man, can't you take a little joke?”
“Yeah, I can take a little joke, but it seems as though your jokes are all steered toward me,” Will said.
“Oh, honey, don't be so sensitive.” She turned and continued out of the room and up the stairs.
Will wondered why his wife had just lied about looking up rates for dental insurance and hadn't mentioned anything about the life insurance sites she'd been to. He wasn't being sensitive, just suspicious, and with good reason.
Chapter 14
After Will put the baby down to sleep for the night, he decided to clean out both his and Morgan's cars. He had not detailed them in a while, and Morgan had been standoffish with him ever since she'd gotten out of her bath. She had also come back into the kitchen and made a sandwich to eat for dinner, ignoring the home-cooked meal that had been provided for them.
Will was tired of trying to understand why Morgan didn't like his friends, but tonight he didn't want to address it with her and possibly cause an argument. Instead, he'd do something that would give him time and solitude to think.
He first cleaned out the insides of the cars. Then he drove each vehicle in turn to a nearby car wash and vacuumed them out thoroughly: under the seats, in the crevices, and even inside the ashtrays. Neither he nor Morgan smoked, but oftentimes they threw candy or gum wrappers in the ashtrays. Instead of using the facility to wash the cars, he used his cleaning supplies and hose at home to wash them both.
Once he was finished, he sprayed each car's interior with the same car freshener he'd seen his previous car detailer use. Then he looked at his handiwork and had to pat himself on the back. If he hadn't known it himself, he would have sworn that both cars had been professionally detailed with the way they shined and smelled.
He continued to admire his work until he couldn't put off going back inside his home any longer. When he made it upstairs to his bedroom, he saw that Morgan was already fast asleep in the bed. Will looked up and mouthed a silent thank you to the Lord for allowing his break of solitude to last a little longer.
Will took a long, hot shower and prepared for bed himself. He knelt down at the foot of his bed and said a silent prayer to God.
Dear God, I thank you for allowing me to see another day. I thank you for my family and my friends. And I thank you for blessing and keeping my family safe, fed, and sheltered in the midst of this storm. Lord, I am holding on to your hand. I trust you, Lord, through these trials and tribulations, just as Job trusted you in his storm.
Lord, I pray that you will intervene in our situation. And I believe that you can do this for me. I've asked it and I believe, and now I am thanking you for stepping in to help Morgan and me as we raise the blessing you have given us. Lord, I trust you to guide me in the right direction as I toss and turn in this storm. I know you won't allow me to sink.
I thank you so very much, Lord, for all you have done and all that you will do. You are awesome, Lord; you are magnificent, Lord Almighty, and I praise you, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray.
Will whispered, “Amen.”
Will whispered, “Amen.”
As he had felt after the sermon in church, Will knew that God had his situation in the palm of His hand and there was no need for him to fret or worry about a thing. He climbed into bed and slept like a newborn baby that night, more peacefully than he had in days.
The next morning he and Morgan barely said two words to each other before she left for work. After waking the baby, and feeding and dressing him, Will got a phone call from a company who wanted him to come in for an interview. The Lord was already turning things around. The door that had been closed on him Thursday with the retail position was now being opened, which would lead to an even better job offer in his field. He was glad to get the call for the interview until he found out that the company wanted him to come in that very same afternoon at two o'clock. He told them that there might be a problem with the time and short notice, but he asked them to give him a few minutes to see if he could make some arrangements in order to make the interview.
Will whispered a thank you to God for finally getting a call, and then he wondered what he was going to do about the fact that he didn't have a sitter for the baby. He knew that both Phillip and Shelby were back at work, and neither of them had any other family or friends in the area to help with the baby. Morgan had some friends, but, just as with his friends, she didn't want any of them watching the baby.
Their home phone rang as he pondered his situation. He answered it on the first ring. “Hello.”
“Hey, Will,” Morgan said.
“Yeah. Ah, what's up?” His words were rushed.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, why?”
“You sound as if you were busy or something.”
“Nah, I've just got something on my mind, that's all. What's up?”
“Did I leave my lunch on the counter?”
Will looked around, but didn't see the lunch bag she normally carried. He peeked into the laundry room and saw it sitting on top of the dryer. “It's here on the dryer.”
“Ah, man. I was in such a rush to get out of there this morning that I forgot it.”
“Do you want me to bring it to you?”
“Sure.”
“What time is your lunch?”
“At noon.”
“Or maybe Isaiah and I could just meet you for lunch?” he offered, knowing that Morgan would probably say that she'd be too busy.
“Yeah, that would work.”
“Huh?”
“I said yes. And what is on your mind? Because you sound preoccupied.”
“Yeah, I got a phone call for an interview.”
“You did? Great.”
He heard the apprehension in her voice. He knew she was probably wondering if it was an offer for a minimum wage job.
“What kind of job is it?” Morgan asked.
“It is in my field. It's pretty much the same thing I was doing before, only with a better salary,” Will said.
“That sounds really good.” This time Morgan's voice sounded relieved and excited.
“Yeah, but the only problem is that they want me to come in today at two. I would take Isaiah over to Phillip and Shelby's butâ”
Morgan cut him off, speaking fast. “You don't have to take him over there. Meet me for lunch and I'll take him so you can go to the interview.”
“Don't you need to go back to work after lunch?”
“I'll make some arrangements. I'll call my boss when I get off the phone with you. I'll just let them know an emergency came up.”
“Oh, okay.” Will was taken aback. Morgan had never offered to get time off from work to help him. She always acted as if the place would fall apart if she weren't there. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it's not like the place will fall apart if I'm not here. Other people take off for emergencies all the time.”
Will kept his thoughts and comments to himself. “All right, then, where do you want me to meet you for lunch?”
“I can meet you at the food court in the mall. That way we can grab something quick to eat,” Morgan said. “And then you can go ahead and finish preparing for the interview.”
“You're right, I need to go back online and print out the specs on the company. I've applied for so many jobs, I don't want to get my information from another company mixed up with this company.”
“I know that's right. Let me call my boss and let him know I'll be gone for the day after lunch.”
“All right, then, we'll see you in a few hours.” Will hung up the phone and audibly thanked the Lord. “Thank you, Lord.” He was optimistic, and hopeful that the events of the last couple of minutes on the phone with his wife were a good sign that the rest of his day would just continue to get better and better.
He pulled up all the information he had on the company and studied it for an hour, then he put Isaiah in his playpen as he took a shower, shaved, and put on one of his suits. Afterward, he got the baby ready by changing his diaper, putting his clothes on, and packing his baby bag.
Unsure if Morgan was going to go straight home after they met, Will packed three outfits, five bottles, and enough diapers for the baby to last him until the next morning if need be. He also packed a couple of the baby's favorite toys and a new toy that the baby had never played with to give the infant some variety.
Before he knew it, it was time to meet Morgan. The drive over to the mall's food court was a breeze. All the traffic lights they came to were green, which made it a pleasant drive, not having to continually stop and go.
Will found a parking spot right outside of the food court next to Morgan's car. He still had to admire his handiwork in detailing both cars. Each looked as if it had just been driven off of a car dealership's showroom floor. He was beginning to think that he had a talent for what he'd done, and maybe it was something he should look into as a business.
He looked at his watch and pulled Isaiah out of his car seat. He locked the car doors and walked into the food court to look for Morgan. She was sitting on the far side of the food court at a table with containers of food and drinks.
“Hey, babe,” Morgan said. She stood and greeted Will and the baby with kisses on their cheeks.
“Hey,” Will said. He was still taken aback by how cordial and loving his wife was being. He would be so glad when their storm was over so that he could have his loving wife back completely. “Today must be my lucky day.”
“Why is that?” Morgan asked.
“So many great things have happened. First I get the phone call for the interview, then on the drive over here we didn't hit any red lights, and next I found a parking space right outside next to your car.”
“I think you are right, this is your lucky day. I can feel it. So lucky that I went ahead and ordered some of your favorite foods. It will save time so you'll have more time to focus on the interview.”
Morgan had gotten food from a restaurant that was known for its good country cooking. Both of their takeout containers held mashed potatoes, collard greens, meatloaf, and corn bread. She had also ordered sweet tea for them to drink.
Will pulled a high chair over for the baby to sit in and they bowed their heads while he said the grace. Will put a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth and savored the taste.
Isaiah looked at him expectantly and then signed the word “eat.” Will took the direct hint and spooned a little into Isaiah's mouth.
Morgan shrieked. “Don't give him that food. He needs his baby food.”
Will inwardly rolled his eyes, forgetting that he'd been a little lax on the rules Morgan had when it came to feeding the baby. “Oh, Morgan, it is just creamed potatoes. They are smooth enough not to hurt him. All the baby food companies do is take the potatoes and add water to them to make them runny, then they put them in jars and sell them to people for five times the cost it would be for us to do the same thing.”
“I know that,” Morgan said, “but you don't know exactly what that restaurant puts in their food. There is gravy on those potatoes, and they probably used fat to make the gravy. You know the doctor said to try foods by themselves before giving him mixtures of foods and foods with extra additives. If he breaks out we won't know what he is reacting to.”
Will wasn't going to let his wife's idiosyncrasies spoil his good day. He pushed his chair back and stood. “Let me go grab his baby bag out of the car. I packed some baby food in it.”
“Sit down, honey, enjoy your meal. I'll run and get it.”
Again Will was hit with the feeling that wonders never ceased, because Morgan wasn't the type to show courtesy when it might cause her any inconvenience, like being disturbed from eating her food. He sat back down, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Sit and enjoy your food. I'll go get the bag. You said you parked next to me, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I'll be right back.”
Will was glad things were going well between him and Morgan. That would be one less major thing he would have to worry about as he tried to impress the person or team of people who would be interviewing him today. He pulled the information he had printed out earlier and set it next to his container of food so that he could peruse it as he ate.
Isaiah touched his arm and signed the word “eat” again. Will looked around to see if Morgan was anywhere in sight. Not seeing her, he slipped another spoonful of mashed potatoes to the baby. Isaiah kicked his legs and smacked his lips as he gobbled the food down.
“Oh, isn't that a cute baby.”
Will heard someone talking and looked up to see a woman passing by with shopping bags in her hands. He realized she was talking to him.
“Thank you.” Will smiled.
“And he looks just like you,” the woman said.
“Why, thank you again. But a lot of people think he looks more like my wife.”
Morgan walked up and set the baby's bag on the table. “Here you are, Isaiah. Mommy got you your baby food.”
The woman looked at Morgan and squinted. “Ci Ci? Is that you?”
Morgan looked at the woman and then at Will.
Other books
The Vagrants by Yiyun Li
One Perfect Night: A Sports Romance by Amber, Bec
The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden
The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson
The Night the Rich Men Burned by Malcolm Mackay
Shifting Fates by Aubrey Rose, Nadia Simonenko
True Stories by Helen Garner
Afraid to Fly (Fearless #2) by S. L. Jennings
Greetings from the Vodka Sea by Chris Gudgeon
BumpnGrind by Sam Cheever
