BACK & FORTH || AN ADA & EVERETT STORY
As was typical of a Tuesday night, Everett was reading the paper in his chair in the living room (he had set it precisely so he could see into the kitchen from where he sat, so he could see his wife going about her business there) and Ada was back and forth in the kitchen.
She was upset about something. Nothing specific, he knew. If she had been upset about something, she'd be talking about it, shouting from the kitchen about this or that that had stuck in her side or overwhelmed her during the day. No, this was nothing in particular. He could see her through the aperture between the living room and kitchen (the breakfast bar, folks called it, but they ate all their meals there), going back and forth.
Back and forth. Back and forth. Shaking her head now and then or throwing up her hands. Doing too many things at once, he knew. A half-dozen things half-started, done haphazardly. She was confusing and exasperating herself.
He exhaled slowly and got up out of his armchair, crossing into the kitchen slowly, carefully. He found her hunched over the sink, rattling dishes. She'd left a pot to boil on the stove. He turned it off, just a quick twist of the wrist. She didn't hear it over the sound of the sink running. She was muttering angrily to herself, trying to sort out her to-do list in her head and only succeeding in winding herself up. Yes, only one thing for it, he decided and reached into his pocket. He came up behind her at the sink, put one hand on her shoulder and when she straightened up and he felt her tense up to curse him in a reflexive surge of irritation, he dropped his silver pocket watch in front of her eyes.
**********
She had always loved that watch. She'd bought it for him their first Christmas together after they were married. Even now, the sight of it made her feel all fuzzy inside at the memory. She forgot whatever angry thing had been on her tongue. She giggled, and momentarily reached for the watch, forgetting her hands were gloved and dripping suds.
"Ah, no. No, no, Ada." He murmured against her ear. "Gloves off."
"But...the dishes..." She sighed, even as the dishes became a diminishing concern as she stared at the watch."
"Will keep, missy. Gloves. Off."
She took her yellow gloves off and laid them in their place by the sink.
**********
"There now, Ada, that's a good girl." He murmured, drawing her gently back from the sink. "Just keep those pretty blue eyes of yours on my watch. Good girl." He swung the watch in slow, lazy arcs before her gaze as he led her from the kitchen to the living room, her heels a little unsteady in the plush carpet. She kept her gaze on the watch, smiling sweetly.
"Good girl. You just need a minute, just to...stop. Just to...relax. Don't you, Ada?" He intoned, carefully.
"Y-yes. Yes, that's...that's what I need." She said, and the slope of her shoulders changed, sliding abruptly downward and she let go a fraction. He'd given her permission now, in an unspoken way, to cease in her work. To focus on the watch, on the sound of his voice.
"Sit, Ada, eyes on the watch." He said, backing her towards her armchair, reaching out with two fingers on her hip to prevent her toppling into the coffee table. She sat down slowly and he sat beside her, one hip on the arm of the chair, one hand on the back of her neck, the other hand still swinging the watch. Back and forth. Back and forth...
**********
Back and forth.... back and forth...she tracked the glittering arc of the watch as he swung it in front of her face. Now that she'd sat down she was starting to feel it, the customary heaviness in all her limbs. It wasn't unpleasant, more like laying under a very weighty quilt. Warm, relaxing.
"Can you hear me, Ada?" Everything seemed slightly far away but for the voice in her ear. Right beside her. Inside her, almost.
"Yes, Sir." Even her own voice was starting to sound small and distant. She was so tired... she hadn't realized until just now.
"Good girl." The praise ran down inside her ear and pooled deep in her belly. She felt herself smiling.
Yes
, she thought,
I'm a good girl. It's all going to be alright now.
"Are you listening, sweetheart?"
"Yes, Sir."
"I'm going to give you some peace and quiet, Ada. I'm going to help you relax." He caressed the back of her neck gently, steadying her.
"Ready? You're going to keep your eyes on my watch and you're going to count for me. You are going to count to twenty. And then you are going to sleep for me, nice and deep. Tell me how many?"
"Twenty, Sir."
"Good girl. Begin."
"One. Two. Three. Four..." She tracked the slow progress of the watch back and forth. "...five...six...seven..." She felt her eyelids grow heavy and flutter, but she fought it. Had to keep her eyes on that beautiful watch. "Eight...n-nine..."
*********
"Ten..." She always started to struggle about halfway. Her eyes started to roll, or her eyelids would droop. He liked listening to the way her voice shook. He watched her bite her lip with the effort of concentrating on the watch and laughed low and deep against her ear. "Eleven--!" She whimpered. "Twelve...thirteen...f-fourteen..." A longer pause, in which her head wobbled on her neck. He steadied her with gentle pressure. "Fifteen. S-s-sixteen..." She could barely keep her eyes open and he knew she was sinking.
A longer pause and he had to prompt her gently.
"Seventeen?"
"...s-s-seven...teen..." She breathed. "Eighteen...nine...nineteen..." She took a deep breath. "Twenty."
"Sleep." He commanded against her ear, even though he knew she was already gone.
**********
Sleep...Sleep...Sleep...
The echo of his voice followed her as she sank.
Deeper, deeper, like diving into a cool, black lake, but without any fear of drowning. Everything was quiet and still and soft as she sank down into something resembling the bottom of whatever it was. And there she lay, letting her limbs float and her head bob. She felt the weight of the day melt away into little bubbles that raced upwards, away from wherever she was.
"Can you hear me, sweetheart?" She didn't know how long it was before she heard him. As always, his voice right beside her, though she was not actually aware of his presence. She nodded, sluggishly.
"Good girl. Are you sleeping for me now?"
She nodded.
"Good. I'm going to count down from ten, now. You won't wake up, not all the way. But I want you to come back just a little ways, back to the sound of my voice. And when you come back, you will forget all about today. About the dishes, about all of it. When you come back to me, you will be relaxed, peaceful, and ready to do whatever I ask of you, isn't that right? "
She nodded.
"Good girl. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven..."
She felt his voice gently buoy her back upwards, gradually, little by little.
"Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Eyes open, darling."
**********
She always gasped like she was coming up for air from some great depth. The first couple of times it worried him, but he always watched over her when she fell asleep and she always breathed, slow and gentle as if taking a very pleasant nap. So when she woke this time, eyes and mouth wide as she gasped awake, he merely laughed.
"There you are, darling. Hello..." He gently turned her face upwards to look at him. Her eyes were dreamy, vacant and when she saw him, she giggled and broke into a sleepy smile. "That's my girl. Sweet, sleepy Ada. Let's make you a little more comfortable." He got up and stood before her, hands in his pockets.
"Take your hair down, Ada. One pin at a time."
She kept her eyes on his as she reached up and unwound the pretty scrap of fabric around her hair.
Then came the pins. One. Two. Three. Three curls came tumbling down over her forehead, her cheek, her shoulder. Four. Five. Six. On and on until all of it had come down, tousled ringlets framing her face. She shook them out and sat back, slowly, arms draped languidly over the arms of her chair. He collected the scarf and pins and put them on the sideboard so she would know exactly where to find them in the morning. He had no intention of letting her put herself back together tonight.
He went and sat down in his own armchair across from her and sat back, legs crossed.
"Stand up, sweetheart." She got up, very slowly, eyes at half-mast, hands folded behind her back. A shy and girlish gesture he had always found charming.
"Ada, darling, you're so frazzled today you forgot to put on your apron!" He noted, eyebrows raised. "You could have ruined your pretty dress." He sat back in his chair and smiled at her.