The Chapter

The next morning, Lilly woke before the sun. She sat in bed next to her mother willing her to wake up. Eager to swim, she eventually removed the blankets from Tara’s face and poked her cheek with a chubby finger. Each poke became a little harder until Tara lifted her head. “What’s going on?”
“Are you ready to swim?”
Tara looked at the alarm clock, but the red digital numbers were a blur. “It’s still nighttime. Go back to bed, baby.”
“It’s not dark.” Lilly stomped around the bed and flung the curtains open.
Sunlight filled the room, blinding Tara. She covered her eyes with the back of her hand. “You’re right. Please close the curtains.”
Tara sat on the side of the bed, rubbed her eyes and checked the time. She’d give anything for another hour or two of sleep, but promised she’d meet Charlotte at the hospital by nine o’clock. If she got moving now, she’d have time to enjoy an hour-long swim and breakfast.
“I already have my bathing suit on,” Lilly told her mother. “Hurry up.”
“Let’s use inside voices so we don’t wake Grandma or Aunt Jenn.”
She walked over to the luggage rack and dug through her suitcase. “I have bad news, baby,” she told Lilly. “I don’t have a bathing suit. It’s in the suitcase I left on the cruise ship.”
“Use Aunt Jenn’s bathing suit. It’s hanging in the bathroom.”
Tara chuckled. I couldn’t fit in Jenn’s bathing suit on my best day. Her sister taught aerobic and weight training classes several times a day and her hard work paid off. Jenn’s trim physique fit into a bathing suit four sizes smaller than Tara’s size twelve. “Aunt Jenn and I don’t wear the same size. I’ll have to sit on the side of the pool and watch you.”
“I don’t want to wear my swimming float.”
“You have to, Lilly....

... middle of paper ...

.... A client of mine told me the year he spent in Iraq was the worst of his life. He’s been home for three years and still suffers from nightmares.”
“The only thing he ever told me about Iraq was how much he hated his time there.” Tears filled Tara’s eyes. “He refused to elaborate when I questioned him. I should have forced him to discuss it.”
“We both know you couldn’t force Tom to do anything he didn’t want to do.”
“He must not have trusted me enough to confide in me.”
“Did he confide in that guy you met with last night. What’s his name again?”
“Brad Langston,” Tara told her. “No, he didn’t confide in him either. I cannot believe after five years of marriage that Tom and I are total strangers. What does that say about our marriage?”
“This is a wake-up call. When Tom recovers, make changes in your marriage. Until then, focus on his health and forget the rest.”