Marriage Seasons 03 - Falling for You Again by Gary Chapman, Catherine Palmer Page B

“At least, he tells me he wants to wait awhile—till we’re more settled, you know.”
    “How much more settled can a couple be?” Esther asked. “You’ve both got good jobs, and you own a lovely home. Most of all, you have empty arms and a heart hungry for the sweet babble of a baby.”
    Sweet babble? Charlie thought, recalling the two babies he’d helped raise to adulthood. Howl was more like it. Wail . Scream . Screech until the roof raised a good foot or two.
    He chuckled at the memory of himself and Esther—practically kids themselves—frantically racing around trying to figure out how to stop the babies from squalling. Charlie sighed and began to match and roll the white cotton socks Esther had taken to wearing in bed a few years back. Time sure went by fast. Their two children were adults now, one of them with offspring of his own.
    Over the years, he and Esther had matured into adults, and then—slowly and insidiously—they had begun to fall apart. Joints began to ache. Backs went out. Hair thinned, and so did bones. Even though Pastor Andrew had offered up a rosy picture of the afterlife, Charlie didn’t like to think about it. He enjoyed his wife and the marriage they’d built. It was impossible to imagine an end to their summertime of gentle breezes, sweet fragrances, and love beyond measure.
    “Our jobs are the problem.” Ashley’s voice was plaintive as Charlie carried a wicker basket of clothing toward the bedroom. “If I could work days like Brad, then we’d be together in the evenings. But with me waitressing at the country club almost every night, he’s left at home alone. Days and weekends, I’m working on my beads all the time. Brad says he doesn’t like to sit around and watch TV by himself. I can’t blame him, but I wish he wouldn’t go over to Larry’s.”
    Charlie grunted. Larry’s Lake Lounge was a popular local tavern. Brad Hanes’s pickup was usually parked outside it every afternoon by four. Charlie couldn’t be sure how long the young man stayed there playing pool and drinking beer with his buddies, but two DWIs on his record didn’t bode well.
    That kind of thing had never been a problem between him and Esther, Charlie reflected as he arranged his clean clothes in the chest of drawers near his side of their double bed. After a day on his feet delivering mail, he had wanted nothing more than to head for his home, his family, and one of Esther’s delicious meals. Usually he and Charles Jr. had played catch in the backyard until Esther called them inside. After dinner, he often pulled both kids onto his lap and read them stories until bedtime. Those had been golden years.
    Opening the top drawer in Esther’s dresser, Charlie discovered that the space was neatly divided into little boxes filled with Esther’s jewelry. Bemused, he realized he had no idea where his wife kept her lingerie. Another thing he’d failed to notice. The second drawer down held scarves and the girdles Esther had stopped wearing years ago. Charlie pulled out a girdle and held it up to the light. Studying the web of elastic and the dangling stocking clips, he shook his head. Amazing contraption.
    He pushed the drawer shut. Didn’t Esther use her dresser for clothing? Pulling open the bottom drawer, he noted stacks of old Christmas cards tied with faded ribbons. Into each collection Esther had slipped a piece of paper noting the year the cards had arrived. Here were birthday cards and letters from the kids too. A small white leather Bible lay on a pair of white silk gloves. Where had that come from?
    Charlie lifted the Bible, opened it, and read the inscription. To my beloved Esther on our wedding day. Charles Edgar Moore.
    Well, how about that? He didn’t even remember giving the Bible to Esther, and here she had kept it all these years. Maybe she had worn the gloves that special day too. Charlie drew them out and fingered them gently. Such fine, pale fabric. He thought back on the afternoon of