Scared by Rob Kaufman

Author:Rob Kaufman [Kaufman, Rob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

11

“In sickness and in health, Gayle,” Barbara yelled from the kitchen, her voice carrying its typical blend of parental worry and wisdom.

Gayle’s eyes rolled with practiced ease as, her high heels clacking on the wooden floor, she walked into the TV room with Daniel’s toy elephant, recently dredged in breakfast oatmeal.

“Want e-phant!” He stood, arms shot forward, in his playpen.

“Just a moment, sweetheart,” Gayle murmured, examining the disaster on the stuffed toy. “Your e-phant got himself into some trouble. Got oatmeal on his trunk and blueberry on his...butt.”

“Butt! Butt!” Daniel giggled at the naughty word, his eyes sparkling with innocent mischief.

A sigh eased from her lips, the mental script for a lesson in appropriate language already dissolving in the warm light of his smile. No, that could wait for a day when his happiness was less of an island in a dark sea of exhaustion and tension. Even the TV had been getting on her nerves since she turned it on, the singing cartoon animals as obnoxious as a dentist’s drill in her molars. Just maybe, she thought, he’d forget the word by the time Barbara took him to the park with her gaggle of friends.

She handed back the slightly cleaner elephant. Daniel squeezed it close, whispering, “E-phant. Butt.”

Oh, shit. Ignoring his new catchphrase with all her strength, she planted a kiss atop his head as he became engrossed in the cloyingly dancing animals.

Back in the kitchen, her mother asked, “Did you hear what I said? In sickness and in health.” The repetition grated on her nerves as much as the noise from the television.

Easing down onto a stool, Gayle adjusted the hem of her new dress. “Loud and clear, Mom. But I can guarantee the people who created those vows never imagined how sick the sickness could get. They’re just words that people say in a moment of delusion, when you’re standing at the altar and the future looks like bliss. I knew Michael had issues and was prepared to help him. But this is more than I signed up for.”

Barbara faced her, eyes intent and voice firm. “Oh please, Gayle. Do you think taking care of your father during his three years of dementia was a picnic? Feeding him…cleaning him…watching him try to speak. I cried every day. Every single day until he died. I didn’t see those three years when I made my vows, but they showed up and I wasn’t going to dismiss my vows… or my love for him.” The last dish, wiped and dry, found its home in the cupboard. “You stood there, looked Michael in the eye, and promised, ‘In sickness and in health. And now —’”

“I know the vow, for crying out loud. First of all, there are more than just nightmare issues between Michael and me. Issues I’m not going to get into with you because they’re too personal. And please don’t compare my marriage to yours. You loved each other unconditionally since the first time you met. Every relationship isn’t the same.

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