Chapter 3
I had woken up to my husband speaking in a hushed tone in the bathroom.
I stayed completely still, trying to make out what he said, but I didn’t catch any of it.
Whatever it was, he didn’t want me to hear it.
I didn’t want to think it was another woman, but that was the first thought I had.
I couldn’t imagine any other reason for him to whisper at six in the morning.
My back was to the door, so he didn’t know I was awake when he came out of the bathroom, mumbling about something.
“Is everything okay?”
“Huh? Ye-yeah,” he stammered as he walked toward the closet. “I didn’t know you were up.”
“I’ve been up for a few minutes. Who were you on the phone with?” I sat up and leaned against the headboard.
Roy moved some hangers to the side as he ignored my question. I waited a few minutes and asked again. He tossed a shirt onto the bed and sucked his teeth.
“Don’t start your shit, Sloan.”
I sat up in bed and glared at him.
“Start what shit, Roy? I just asked a simple question.”
I watched him snatch the shirt up and hastily put it on.
Each button was fastened in anger. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I didn’t like the feeling I got from it.
It wasn’t abnormal for us to ask the other one who we were talking to, especially if we thought something was wrong.
I could see if he whispered not to wake me, but that wasn’t the case.
At least that wasn’t what he said, which made me think he was on some bullshit.
“I won’t be able to pick the boys up this afternoon.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. I counted down to five in my head because Roy had pissed me off. Over the last couple of days, he acted like he was so busy he couldn’t pick the boys up, even though he did any other time.
“What do you have to do this time?”
“I have something I need to handle,” he replied as he put his pants on and buttoned them.
My eyes turned into slits as I stared at him. Something was up, and sooner or later, I would find out.
“And what’s that, Roy?” I got out of the bed and stood in front of him.
He looked down at me and sucked his teeth.
“Gone on, Sloan. It’s too early for your bullshit.”
“And what bullshit is that, huh?” I got closer to him, and he stepped back.
He pointed his finger in my face. “I’m telling you to leave shit alone.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. It was too early in the morning for us to argue. The boys were still asleep, and I wasn’t trying to wake them up. I tried my best not to let the boys hear or see their father and I argue. I never wanted them to see the unhealthy parts of our relationship.
“You know what, Roy? I’ll get the boys. Don’t worry about it.” I stomped toward the bathroom and slammed the door once I got inside.
I hated arguing, especially before work, because I would have an attitude all day.
Roy and I seemed to be okay a couple of days prior, so I was confused about this new attitude he had.
Things weren’t perfect between us, but we never argued without a reason.
Whenever we did, it was usually about finances or household chores.
At times, it seemed like I was doing more cooking and cleaning than he was, but we both worked full-time jobs.
I used the bathroom and turned the shower on. I needed to get dressed and have breakfast ready for the boys by the time they woke up. They both were pretty good at getting themselves up, but I still liked to check on them.
There was a knock at the door just as I stepped into the shower. I didn’t bother answering because I knew it was Roy.
“You didn’t hear me knocking?”
“No.”
He sucked his teeth for the second time. “I’ll be home later than usual, so y’all can have dinner without me.”
“Whatever. Have a good day.” My voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Yeah, you too.” Roy closed the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts, and I didn’t like where they were headed.
I took a couple of deep breaths while the hot water ran over my body. I wasn’t going to stress myself, but I knew my mood would be shot for the rest of the day. Hopefully, I could stay in my office all day because I didn’t want to inadvertently take my attitude out on anyone.
I sat in my office all day going over paperwork.
I had a few patients that I had to set up for rehab or in-home healthcare, so I took care of that.
Luckily, I didn’t have to meet with anyone.
I even ate lunch in my office. I didn’t hear from Roy the whole day, and that wasn’t like him.
Even if we didn’t talk, he would send me stuff he saw on social media or at least check on me.
Maybe he was just as mad as I was from our argument.
I grabbed my cell phone when it rang, thinking it was Roy, but it was my best friend, Kendyll, instead.
“Hello.” I sat back in my chair and stared at my computer screen. It was almost time for me to go.
“Eww. Why do you sound like that?”
“Nothing. I thought my husband was calling.”
“Oh, sorry. Not him. Is everything okay?”
I sighed and told her about the argument Roy and I had. Kendyll and I had been friends since the day we met when Roy and I were looking for the house we currently lived in. She and I hit it off instantly and have been riding together since.
“Maybe it’s nothing. Has he been busy at work or something? Maybe he’s just under stress.”
Kendyll was always the voice of reason when I was ready to jump off the deep end.
She and her husband, Infinite, had been married for four years, and they had a five-year-old daughter.
I loved how they loved each other. She told me about how she misjudged him when they first met because he had just gotten out of jail, but that man had made something for himself and did everything for her and their daughter.
“I don’t know, Ken. Anyway, what’s going on with you?”
She told me all about her life. She started a cooking channel on YouTube a few years back, so she updated me on that. She didn’t even have to work her regular job anymore because her channel got her paid. She still sold houses whenever she wanted to because she loved it so much.
“We have to get together sometime soon. Plus, I miss my baby.” I was the godmother to Kendyll’s daughter, and I hadn’t seen her in weeks.
“Oh, I can easily fix that.” Kendyll laughed.
My office rang, so I told Kendyll I would call her later so we could make plans before I answered the phone.
“This is Sloan.”
“Hey, Sloan. I have a patient’s family that wants to talk to you about getting a home health aide or some type of assistance. They didn’t specifically say what they needed. They just wanted to find out what options they had.”
I glanced at the time on my computer. I didn’t have a lot of time, but it wouldn’t take me long to at least see what they wanted. Maybe I could get some basic information and talk to them in the morning.
“Okay. What’s the patient’s name and room number?”
I wrote down the information and hung up the phone. I checked my appearance in the small mirror I kept in the drawer of my desk before I grabbed what I needed and stood from my chair.
Since I’d been sitting for so long, I took a minute to stretch and straighten out my clothes.
I prayed it didn’t take me long, but I texted Kendyll on my way to the elevator to let her know that I may need her to pick the boys up.
As soon as I got on the elevator, a text from Blake came through, letting me know that they weren’t going to be ready on time. That was a relief, but I still told him that Kendyll might pick them up instead of me. I rolled my eyes as he sent the thumbs-up emoji and put my phone back into my pocket.
The elevator doors opened, and I walked down the hall. I fixed my clothes again then knocked on the door.
“Come in!” I heard from the other side of the door.
“Mr. Cooper.” I pushed the door fully open but froze in my spot.
It wasn’t the patient that had me stumped. Instead, it was his visitor. A face I hadn’t seen in person since high school, but I knew exactly who it was.