Read Quiet As It's Kept Online
Authors: Monique Miller
Quiet As It's Kept (4 page)
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 soânormally 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 and 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.”
Will wondered if he had heard Tyler correctly. He'd said something about taking the little girl over to her mother's house. As far as Will knew, Tyler was married and had been for at least four or five years. Will hadn't seen Tyler in a while, and he figured the man must have been attending another service. It was hard to keep track of fellowship in a church of their size, which held three services. He wondered if Tyler and his wife weren't together anymore. The puzzled look on Will's face must have clued Tyler in on what he was thinking.
“You heard me correctly. My wife and I aren't together anymore,” Tyler said.
“Oh, man, sorry to hear that. Sometimes things don't always work out the way we want them to, but God knows what's best.”
Will didn't know what else to say, but felt bad for Tyler, and bad for the cute little girl, who was now going to be living her life split between two homes. Again Will's face and thoughts must have revealed what he was thinking, because Tyler spoke as if reading his mind.
“Don't let my situation dampen your mood. All is well.” Tyler's face and words were sincere, and the man acted as if he didn't have a care in the world except for his daughter.
“So what about you? I heard you got married. But I hadn't seen you in a while,” Tyler said.
“Yep, I got married, and very soon after, our little one came. The rest is sort of history.”
“Wow, it seems as if I just heard about your getting married. And how old is this little guy?”
“Nine months.”
“Oh, wow, you guys didn't get a chance to have any time alone, did you?”
“Not much, that's for sure.” Will chuckled at the thought. “He's a blessing. But I do sort of wish I'd had some more time alone with just my wife. We hadn't even had a chance to celebrate our first anniversary before the baby was born.”
“Ah, well, all things happen for a reason. Just embrace the blessing God has given you and your wife.”
“Thanks, and I do.” Will nodded.
Will wondered why Tyler was at the park with his child during the middle of the day. As he looked around at the other children playing, he saw that their mothers hovered closely. He and Tyler were the only two men out there. He was glad to have male company for once. Not that there was anything wrong with talking to the women, but lately Will was finding that he had much too much in common with them. Things like washing loads of laundry, making sure dinner was ready when their spouses got home, and thoughts of planning play dates.
“So how have you been?” Tyler asked.
“Not so great,” Will said. “I mean, health wise I am fine, thank the Lord, but I've been out of work since before my son was born. And the fact that I still can't find a job is starting to get to me.” Will had no idea why he was spilling his guts to someone he only knew as a mere acquaintance, but he was. For some reason, somewhere in his spirit, he felt he could talk to Tyler. Other than Phillip, he didn't have anyone he could confide in who was male. He was tired of dumping information on Phillip. It felt good to finally get his pressing thoughts out.
Tyler listened as Will continued to let his thoughts flow out audibly. Will knew that what he was saying sounded like a jumble of words, especially since he wasn't talking in a succinct way. The more he spoke, the more he felt comfortable telling Tyler his innermost thoughts about his job situation. By the time Will finished, he'd felt as if an incredible weight had been lifted off. By then he figured Tyler probably thought he was crazy.
At first Tyler was silent, as if waiting to see if Will was finished spilling his guts. Then the man slowly shook his head. “Man, the Lord does work in mysterious ways,” he said, then smiled. “And He is always on point.” Then he shook his head again.
Now Will guessed it was his turn to think someone else was talking out of his head and possibly not making any sense. Now he wished he'd just kept his thoughts to himself.
“You know, God never stops amazing me. For the past three months, I've been out of work. And just this morning I was called with a job offer. I'll be starting next week, so this will be the last time I'll be bringing my little girl here during the day to enjoy the park,” Tyler said. “I hated it when I was laid off from my job. I didn't stress over it at first, because I've got my master's and my Ph.D. But after the first month rolled by, and then the second one, I started to get a little antsy.”
Will nodded as he listened to Tyler speak. He and Tyler had much in common, especially as they were both well-educated men who had been laid off from their jobs.
“As each and every week went by, I kept wondering why I couldn't find a job. I prayed to God, but it was like I couldn't get a break anywhere. Then, out of nowhere, I got a callback for a job I wanted, back at the company I originally worked for. And it was as if my whole world was turned back right side up. And when I thanked God for what He had done in giving me that job, I also wondered why I even had to go through what I went through in the first place.
“Now I understand that oftentimes we don't go through trials and tribulations for ourselves. We go through them to be a witness to someone else. It was meant for me to get the call this morning right before Jade and I came to the park. Otherwise, I might have stayed home and taken care of some things I know I won't be able to take care of once I start working again.”
Will listened intently, as he thought he knew where Tyler was going with his line of thinking.
“It was meant for you and me to see each other today, meant for us to talk. And I think I know what God wants you to know. He wants you to hold on and continue to trust Him. In the end, everything will work out with your work situation and any other situation that you might be going through. And I hate that I had to go through what I went through these last couple of months, but now I understand that God wanted to use me as a vessel to talk to you,” Tyler said.
Will nodded. “You don't know how much I needed to hear that right now.”
Jade stood and toddled over to her father. She pulled on his leg as she started to whimper. Tyler picked his little girl up and checked his watch. Will noticed a scar that looked like a burn on his forearm.
“Okay, little bit. I see you are getting tired,” Will said.
“It's her nap time. And while this little lady is an angel, she can turn into a screaming and whining terror if she hasn't had her beauty rest.” Tyler bounced the little girl up and down, trying to head off the additional whimpers. He pulled out a sippy cup filled with juice and gave it to her. She placed it in her mouth and laid her head on his chest.
“Good, that should hold her off until we start riding in the car,” Tyler said. “Hey, it is always great to see and talk to another brother in Christ. What's your phone number? Maybe we can talk again.”
Will exchanged phone numbers with Tyler and then left the park a few minutes later. As he drove home he thought about the conversation between him and Tyler. He was still awed by how God could use divine timing to affect his life and strengthen his beliefs and spiritual walk with Christ. The Lord knew just how hard that walk had been . . . and just how much harder it was about to get.
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