Listen

Tess

“Tansy, I’ve got to get some sleep. Doctor Inglewood has requested I be the one to demonstrate to the newbies the fine art of using staples when sewing up the skull. I love you, but I must get sleep.” Samuel pulled the covers over his head, and I knew the conversation was over.

“Fine, but you owe me you know. Next week is our thirteenth anniversary, and you are going to leave your pager behind. Tess is going to your parents’ house for fall break, and we’re going to spend a week alone in that bed.” We’d missed going the year before because Samuel had been called in on an emergency case. We’d spent our honeymoon there, and hadn’t missed a year since then, going to Lava Hot Springs.

Except for last year.

Sam mumbled under the blanket, “I can’t wait either. Now go to sleep, woman.”

I moved closer to him and put my arms across his lean waist. At thirty-nine years old, Samuel was in better shape than most men were in their twenties and thirties. We had a home gym and used it often together; we also liked to run whenever we had the chance.

“I love you, Sammy.”

“Love you too, Tansy.” He rolled over onto his side, and I pressed my head against his back and listened for the steady beating of his heart to put me to sleep.

Sometime during the early morning, Samuel had left to drive to the Medical Center. He always left me a note telling me he loved me next to the coffee pod he would place on the counter with my artificial sugar packets. He didn’t drink coffee, but he supported my habit.

I used the bathroom and then made my way into the kitchen and picked up his note. ‘Good morning, beautiful. I love you, and I’ll see you at lunch.’

Yay, that meant I had a few hours to go shopping for the perfect anniversary gift. Year number thirteen meant lace, and faux furs, along with moonstones. The flower was hollyhock, but there were also textiles. Funky fabrics, sheets, towels, and clothing were all considered textiles. I had something else in mind for Samuel, a rug for his office downstairs. I’d been everywhere in the city where they made rugs. I had one more place to check out, and if I didn’t find what I was looking for, then I would look online. I snagged my coffee cup before sitting down at the table to plan out my morning.

“Can I go to Summer’s house today? I’m tired of looking at those stupid rugs.” Tess spoke somewhere behind my back.

I looked up at my daughter; she was the spitting image of her father with her thick blonde hair and stunning features, but she had a preteen attitude that was only getting worse. Her blue eyes were flashing at me now. “Good morning, Tess. Good morning, Mom, and how was your night? Mine was good until I had to face my belligerent daughter. Can I at least get a morning hug and a kiss from you before you start giving me your demands for the day, my little princess?”

She huffed then took her time making her way over to the kitchen table. I put my coffee down and grabbed her around her midriff. “If you don’t smile right now, I’m going to tickle you until you pee.”

“Stop it, Mom. I’m smiling, see?” I started tickling her, and soon we were both chasing each other around the large kitchen trying to jab and poke at the other one.

I caught her and pulled her on my lap. “I love you, Tess.”

“I love you too, Mommy. Now, can I go to Summer’s house today? Please? Her parents are taking her to Lagoon for the Haunted Halloween festival. It starts today, and I know Daddy will never get the time off to take me.” She stepped in front of me and began wringing her hands together.

“What’s wrong with me taking you, Tess? We can go there without your dad, you know.”

“Summer’s dad can stay with us both while we walk through the spook alley. I’d be too afraid to go through it with just you.”

“Those things aren’t real, Tess. I’ll tell you what, clean up, and I’ll call Summer’s parents and make sure it’s all right with them. I can drop you off on my way to my first appointment. By the way, you will be staying at your grandparents’ house next week for fall break; that’s the only reason I’m letting you go with Summer today. Get cleaned up, and I’ll see you down here in thirty minutes.”

Tess turned around to head up the stairs to her room, then spun around and ran back down the stairs toward me. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “Good morning, Mom. Thank you for letting me go today.”

“You’re welcome, sweet girl. Now hurry and get changed.”

My birthday was coming soon; I was turning thirty-five. I stood in front of the mirror and examined the fine lines around my hazel eyes; my lashes were still lush and thick, and my eyebrows were perfectly plucked. For now, my chestnut colored hair was still thick and curly, and I hadn’t found any gray strands yet. The skin over my high cheeks was still firm and taut, but there were more lines around the corner of my lips.

“The better to kiss you with, my handsome prince.” I recollected the first time I’d met Samuel nearly fifteen years ago as I lined my lips.

“Listen, can you hear that jackass?” The first time I’d heard his deep voice, it had sent tremors racing up and down my spine. I was standing in line to get Depeche Mode Exciter concert tickets with my friend, Rhonda; she was taking me for my twentieth birthday, and all I could think about were those tickets and getting as close to Dave Gahan as I could. Then I heard someone in line behind me singing, “Personal Jesus,” and couldn’t stop myself from turning around to glare at him. Not because his voice wasn’t good, but because he had the nerve to sing that song in this line full of Depeche Mode fans.

Rhonda grabbed my arm to stop me, but it was too late. “Excuse me, but would you please have the courtesy to keep your singing to yourself. I can’t believe you have the gall to think you can sing in this line with all these Depeche Mode fans. How dare you…” I hadn’t seen his face yet because he was facing his friend, who was behind him, but when he turned to make a response to me, I was a goner. His blue eyes were ringed with a darker circle of gray and they dared me to continue with my demands.

“I’ll tell you what, let’s have a little contest between us. I’ll sing one of Dave’s songs, and we’ll have the fans vote. If they like my singing, then you take me to the concert. If they don’t, then I buy you, and your friend, the best tickets I can find. What do you say?”

I put my thick dark hair up into a messy bun, put on a quick application of makeup, and grabbed my planner before heading back downstairs to wait for Tess. She was downstairs in a matter of minutes, and I knew she had something else on her mind. She was so easy to read; she was just like her father.

“Now what do you want?”

“Summer called and wanted to know if I could spend the night with them; it is Saturday, and I won’t be able to see her at all next week. Please, Mommy?”

“I should wait and check with your father first, but why not. Grab an overnight bag, and I’ll meet you in the car.” I waited until she had disappeared up the stairs before I picked up my keys and made my way downstairs to the garage. Tess was there in just a few minutes, all smiles.

“Grandma and Grandpa Whitfield will be here for you Sunday night. You will have to make sure the Campbells bring you home in the morning, so you have plenty of time to gather your things together. Did you remember to bring your jacket for today? I know it’s getting much cooler in the evening.”

“Yes, I’ve got it, and clean underwear, a sleep shirt, and my toothbrush. Jeez, Mom, I do know how to take care of myself; I am eleven, you know.”

I walked Tess up the front stoop and waited for Janet Campbell to open the door. “Thank you for taking her with you today. Tess has wanted to go to the haunted house, but she’s afraid to go with me.”

“Don’t worry, Tansy. Allen will stay with them in the spook alley; I don’t like them at all. What time did you want her to come home tomorrow?” Janet was a few years older than me; she and Allen had two younger boys and I knew from talking to Tess, they had wanted another girl. They adored having my daughter come over.

I peeked over her shoulder at the two girls who were all over each other the minute Tess had entered the house and smiled, “Sometime before noon would be perfect. Can I give you some money to help toward Tess’ expenses?”

My first appointment of the day was with, Marshall Smith at the Rug Company. I pulled up in front of the spacious store and hurried inside where he was already waiting. He opened the front door for me, and then held out his hand to shake mine. “Tansy Whitfield?”

“Yes, I am, and you must be Mr. Smith?”

“Please call me Marshall. I was reading over the descriptions of the rug that you were searching for, and I have a few things I’d like to show you. Can I get you something to drink while we’re looking?”

“Just a bottle of water would be great. Thank you.” I examined the showroom while he hurried off to find me the water. I could already see how extensive their backstock was and got very excited. I couldn’t wait to find the perfect rug to give to Samuel for our wedding anniversary.

“Here you are, Mrs. Whitfield. Now, if you will follow me, I’ve set aside a number of rug samples for you to look at first.”

He led me into another room that had the words, Best in Stock, written on the door. He opened the door and waved me in front of him. “I think you’ll be very pleased with what I’ve found for you today.”

It had only taken me a few minutes of looking before I narrowed it down to three possibilities. “I love them all, Marshall. I’m not sure which one to choose.” My cell phone started to ring, and I glanced at the number; I didn’t recognize it, so I let it go to voicemail. If it were important, they would leave me one. “Are they all in stock? I’d love to see all three laid out on the floor before I decide, if possible.”

“I think I can arrange that. Let me introduce you to my boss, Abhishek Dharma, and I think he’ll be more than happy to let you see them.”

All three rugs were costly, and more than I’d expected to spend, but for this kind of quality, whichever one I chose would be worth it. Now I’d have to use my imagination and picture Samuel’s office furniture on each rug.

While I was trying to decide on the two rugs I’d narrowed it down to, my cell phone rang once again. It might have been the same number that had called before, but they’d never left a voice message. I didn’t have time to answer the phone; I was in the middle of deciding which rug I would choose. Besides, Samuel would be home soon, and I wanted to have lunch ready for him.

“Mrs. Whitfield, I think your husband will be very pleased with your choice. When would you like this delivered?”

We were leaving Monday night to spend the week at Lava Hot Springs for our anniversary; that’s where we’d had our honeymoon, and we’d tried to make a trip there every year since. So, did I have it delivered for him early on Monday, or should I wait until we return from Idaho next Saturday to surprise him with it then?

“Can I call you later today and let you know? If you don’t hear from me, have it delivered next Saturday afternoon. Thank you so much for all your help. Now, I’ve got to hurry home.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Whitfield. Happy Anniversary.”

I was very excited about my choice, and Marshall Smith had given me a small sample of the rug I’d purchased to see how it would look in Samuel’s office. I didn’t recognize the car that was parked in front of my house at first because my brain was still mulling over my purchase.

“Gordon?” Gordon Randall was the chief surgeon of the medical center where Samuel worked, and he’d been a good friend as well. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and he was sitting on my front stoop. I drove my car into my driveway and climbed out of the car.

“Gordon, it’s so nice to see you. If you’re here to see, Samuel, I don’t think he’s home yet.”

Gordon started down the front stoop toward me. “Tansy, I need to tell you something.”

Somewhere in the back of my thoughts, I knew something was wrong, and maybe if I kept talking I’d never find out. I continued to ramble. “If you’d like to wait by the front door, I can let you inside that way. Would you like some coffee? Samuel doesn’t like me to drink it, but I still have some made from this morning. Or I could get you a soda or some tea. He should be here soon for lunch.”

“Tansy, let’s go inside.” He leaned into my car and pressed the garage door opener.

I heard the pounding of my heart fill my head. “I don’t want to go inside, Gordon. Not if you’ve got unwelcome news to share with me. We can wait here for, Samuel to get home, and he can tell me the news.”

“Is your daughter home, Tansy?”

“No, she isn’t; should she be?” I wanted to cover my ears and run into my house screaming.

“No, it’s probably a good thing she isn’t here. Please let me take you inside.”

I looked around me and saw some of my neighbors had gathered on my front lawn. Samuel wouldn’t be too happy about that; he loved his perfect grass. Why were they all staring at me?

My closest neighbor, Alice, took a few steps nearer to me with her arms outstretched in front of her. “Tansy, go inside; I’m here if you need me.”

I don’t remember walking into my house, nor do I remember precisely what Gordon started saying to me. But, I did hear, “There was an accident, Tansy. I tried to get a hold of you earlier to let you know, but I couldn’t tell you this in a voice message. Samuel needed brain surgery to save his life. He’ll need another one to relieve the pressure building inside his brain very soon. He was on his way home from the hospital, and the witnesses at the scene say he swerved to avoid hitting a deer. His car rolled into the ravine just below Wasatch Boulevard.”

“Accident? That can’t be true, Samuel’s an excellent driver, Gordon. He doesn’t do accidents.” My voice sounded shrill when I spoke, even to my ears.

Then I felt two arms surround me, and my friend’s voice whispering in my ear, “Tansy, it was all over the news. You need to go to the hospital, now. We’ll watch for Tess to get home.”

“Tess? Oh my God, what am I going to tell Tess?” I was numb; I wanted to scream. I wanted to curl into a ball and think about what they were saying to me, but most of all, I wanted Samuel to walk into the house and tell me it was just a bad dream and to go back to sleep.

“I’ll take you to the hospital. You need to see Samuel before he undergoes surgery again. We can talk about your options while I’m driving, Tansy.” Gordon took my arm and led me back outside to his car, and Alice helped me get inside.

“I’ll lock everything up for you, Tansy. We’re praying for Samuel and for you and Tess. Take care, sweetie.”