Emily finally gave in, pushing her unease deep down, convincing herself that Jason was only trying to spare her the trouble. With a heavy heart, she went to their bedroom and opened the closet. Her hands deafly selected several shirts, t-shirts, and pants for Jason. She even tucked Jason’s vitamins and personal medications into the bag, making sure her husband wouldn’t lack for anything during his stay. Every piece of clothing she folded felt like a prayer, a sincere hope that her mother-in-law would recover quickly and her husband could return to her side.
An hour later, Jason was ready to leave. He hugged Emily at the door, a hug that felt empty and rushed.
“I’m leaving, Emily. Take care. I’ll call you when I get there. Actually, now our visit.”
Emily nodded, trying to smile through the turmoil in her heart. She kissed the back of her husband’s hand and watched his car pull away until it disappeared around the street corner. The cool morning air now felt sharp, and the usually warm apartment seemed immensely empty and silent. After locking the door, Emily returned to the dining room to clear the dishes. Her mind was still filled with worry. As she went to pick up the denim jacket Jason had left on the back of a chair, a small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. The paper was crumpled, as if it had been in the jacket pocket for a long time. Emily picked it up without suspicion, thinking it was just a receipt or a random note. However, as she unfolded it, her eyes locked on the words written there. It was a piece of letterhead paper with the logo of a well-known luxurious catering company from her husband’s hometown. Below the logo was a detailed order for hundreds of buffet servings and food stations. Emily’s heart began to beat faster. Then she saw handwriting she recognized as Jason’s at the bottom of the paper. A small note written in black pen. Final 50% payment due on the eve of Jessica’s event.
Emily read the sentence over and over as if trying to decipher a foreign language. Jessica’s event eve. Didn’t that mean tomorrow? Why was there a luxury catering order for her sister-in-law’s event just when Carol was supposedly bedridden, gravely ill? Her logic fought against her feelings. Maybe it’s an old note, she thought. Maybe it’s just a simple family celebration. She tried to find justifications, any reason that could calm her heart, which was beginning to burn. But she couldn’t ignore the fact that the date printed in the corner of the paper was for the following day. What lie were they actually hiding from her?
The first day without Jason felt endless. The apartment suddenly felt like a lonely cage. Emily tried to keep busy with work and cleaning, hoping physical activity would distract her mind from the catering note she had found. She now kept that note in her dresser drawer. It felt like a ticking time bomb about to explode. Every time she glanced at the drawer, her heart would race again. She tried to convince herself not to think negatively, to trust her husband.
In the afternoon, Jason finally called just as he had promised. Emily answered the phone full of hope.
“Hi, Jay. How’s your mom?”
Jason replied from the other end. His voice sounded tired, but there was something else in it, something that sounded forced.
“Hey, honey. I just got here.”
The background of his call was strangely quiet. There were no sounds of prayers or conversations typical in the house of a sick person, just silence. Emily pressed.
“How is she? What did the doctor say?”
Jason answered, stuttering slightly.
“Mom. Mom is resting. The town doctor saw her. He says she needs a lot of rest. No stress. I just finished giving her a massage.”
Emily sensed something was wrong.
“Why don’t you take her to the hospital, Jay? If her blood pressure is that high, it’s dangerous.”
Jason said.
“She doesn’t want to, Emily. Mom doesn’t want to. You know how she is about hospitals. Come on, don’t worry so much. Just pray for her. Okay?”
He seemed eager to end the conversation quickly. Emily said.
“I want to talk to her, Jay, just for a moment. I want to hear her voice.”
Jason said.
“You can’t, Emily. She’s sleeping deeply after taking her medication. It’s not good to wake her. I have to go. Okay, I’m going to take a shower. I’ll call you later.”
