Carol Clark - He Sees You When You're Sleeping

The friend nearest the phone jumped up and pointed to item six on the list.

Heddy-Anna nodded. “…I can’t taste a single bite of what I eat. The weight is dropping off me.”

I guess I have the picture of what’s going on in Wallonia, Sterling thought wryly. Now I’d like to jump ahead to the next season and look in on Marissa.

He left the stone cottage, looked up at the mountains, then stared into the heavens.

May I please go back to Marissa’s house? And let it be April, he requested, and then closed his eyes.

Spring comes first to the willows, Sterling thought as he looked at the slender and graceful clump of willow trees on the lawn outside Marissa’s home in Madison Village. There was a pinkish haze about them, a promise of the blossoms that would soon be visible.

It was early evening, and dusk was just beginning to settle as the lingering rays of the sun disappeared. He went inside and found the family at the dinner table.

He took a chair in the dining room as far away as possible from Roy Junior and Robert, who were vigorously thumping their high chairs with spoons.

Marissa was sitting opposite them, silently picking at a small slice of chicken.

Denise and Roy were at the ends of the table, each one with the chair pushed close enough to the side so that they could easily feed a twin.

“How was school today?” Roy asked Marissa, as he managed to get a spoonful of mashed potatoes into Robert’s mouth.

“It was okay, I guess,” Marissa said listlessly.

“Marissa, you’re just pushing the food around on your plate. You’ve simply got to eat something,” Denise pleaded, then abruptly closed her lips after receiving a warning glance from Roy.

Marissa put down her fork. “I’m really not hungry. May I be excused?”

Denise hesitated, then nodded. “Daddy and NorNor should be phoning in an hour.”

“I know.”

“I’ll call up to you, and you can go into our room and talk to them there.”

Sterling was tempted to follow her but decided he wanted to hear what Denise would say to Billy when he called.

Denise waited until Marissa had disappeared up the stairs before speaking. “ Roy, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to her about the progress reports. She just can’t seem to focus on her classes. The teacher said that she believes Marissa is blaming herself for Billy and Nor leaving, that Marissa thinks that somehow she did something wrong.”

“A lot of kids feel like that when something happens to their parents, whether it’s death, or divorce, or separation,” Roy said. “We just have to be understanding.”

Roy ’s a good soul, Sterling thought. He’s trying very hard.

“Down, down, down.” Roy Junior had had enough of sitting at the table.

“Down, down,” Robert echoed, bouncing in his high chair.

Roy took a final bite of salad and got up. “Coffee later. I’ll get these two upstairs and their baths started.”

Denise began to clear the table. The phone rang a few minutes later. “Oh, Billy, you’re early,” she began. “No, of course, Marissa isn’t out. If she knows you’re going to call, she doesn’t budge from the house for fear of missing you. Any new developments?”

She listened, then said, “Well, when you talk to her, tell her how proud you are that she’s always been such a good student. We both know she’d do anything to please you. All right, I’ll put her on. Give my best to Nor.”

She laid the receiver on the table and walked to the staircase. “Marissa,” she called.

Marissa was already at the head of the stairs. “Is that Daddy on the phone?”

“Yes.”

Sterling hurried up the steps and followed Marissa’s flying feet to the master bedroom. She closed the door tightly behind her.

For the next few minutes, Sterling listened as Marissa pleaded with Billy to come back. She promised she wouldn’t ever pester to go to the movies, or try to make him stay on the phone and talk to her when she knew he was busy, or…

Sterling went over and bent down to listen to what Billy was saying. “Baby, don’t even think like that! This has nothing to do with anything you did. I loved it when you phoned me…”

“Then why won’t you tell me your phone number right now?” Marissa asked tearfully.

“Rissa, it’s just that I can’t. I have to borrow a phone when I talk to you. NorNor and I want nothing more than to get home to you as soon as possible. Once I’m back, I’ll make this all up to you, I promise…”

After she had finally said a tearful good-bye, Marissa went back to her room, sat at her desk, and turned on her CD player.

The sound of Billy’s hit single filled the room. “I know what I want… I know what I need…”

Sterling watched as she put her head down on her arms and began to sob. I’m going to get you what you want and need, Marissa, Sterling vowed. And I’ll do it if I have to move heaven and earth. No, with the help of heaven, he corrected himself.

He closed his eyes and addressed the Heavenly Council. Would you please deliver me to wherever the Badgett brothers are at the moment?

When Sterling opened his eyes, he found himself inside a large, bustling, noisy restaurant on the water.

Unless the brothers are traveling, I guess that’s Long Island Sound, he thought. He looked over at a woman studying the menu. The cover read SAL’S ON THE SOUND.

It was a steak-and-seafood place. People with bibs were happily breaking lobster claws; sirloin steak on sizzling platters was obviously popular. And, he noticed, many diners had chosen his favorite appetizer, crabmeat cocktail.

But where were Junior and Eddie? He was on his second tour of the tables when he noticed a secluded semicircular corner booth with a prime water view. Upon closer inspection he saw the three occupants were none other than Junior, Eddie, and a scantily clad Jewel.

Junior and Eddie had just had one of their telephone visits with Mama Heddy-Anna, and as usual both of them were in a tailspin worrying about her. Jewel had suggested they’d all feel much, much better if they went out for a nice, relaxing dinner.

They were already sipping cocktails, and the waiter was in the process of collecting the menus.

Sterling took a seat on the windowsill at a right angle to them. I wonder what they ordered? he thought.

“I don’t think I can eat a bite,” Eddie lamented. “When I think of how sick Mama is, I’m crying inside.”

“You’ve been crying outside too, Eddie,” Jewel said. “Your nose is all red.” She patted Junior’s hand. “Yours is red too, lambie.”

Junior pushed her hand away. “I have a cold.”

Jewel realized her mistake. “And your allergies, honey. The allergy season is terrible right now. This is the worst it’s been in years.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Junior picked up his glass.

“She fell again,” Eddie mourned. “Our poor mama’s foot gave way again, and on top of that, her gums are swollen. She can hardly chew.”

I guess she didn’t use that one last time, Sterling thought.

“And her friends keep begging her to eat. Nothing tastes good to her anymore.”

“She’s been saying that ever since I met you guys three years ago,” Jewel said earnestly. “She must be eating something. ”

Beef stew, Sterling thought. Lots of beef stew.

“She hasn’t fallen since January,” Eddie continued. “I was hoping her legs were getting better.” He turned to Junior. “We gotta go see our mama. I’m telling you we gotta go see her.”

“We can’t and you know it,” Junior snapped. “We sent her some nice new clothes to cheer her up.”

“She’s gonna love them,” Jewel enthused. “I picked them out special. Two pairs of satin lounging pajamas, a cocktail dress, and a hat with lots of flowers to wear to church on Easter Sunday.”