A Familiar Rush of Air
“Wayne! Can you come in here for a second?”
“What is it, baby?”
“Can you wash my back for me? My arms are sore from moving all the furniture around.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Don’t get any ideas- just wash my back.”
“I’ll wash it- if you let me get in with you.”
“No, no, no. The hot water is making me sleepy. Just wash it for me. Please?”
“Of course.”
***
The bathwater was lukewarm already. Goosebumps pricked my skin as I hurried to rinse off. It was well past midnight. I didn’t want to be in the bath when Wayne got home.
I squeezed the water out of my rag and unplugged the drain. The cold tile sent a shock through my body as I stepped out of the tub. As I was drying off, I heard the front door open and close. Keys landed on the counter and the refrigerator opened.
“Valerie! Didn’t you cook tonight? Where’s my food?”
“Just a second! I’m in the bathroom.”
I wrapped my towel tightly around my chest and cursed myself for not bringing my pajamas to the bathroom with me.
I stepped out of the bathroom and felt the familiar rush of cool air. Wayne glanced at my towel before returning to the issue at hand.
“You didn’t cook?”
“I didn’t get a chance to. I just got back from the office a little while ago.”
“You couldn’t grab a pizza or anything?”
“I wanted to take a bath first. I thought I’d have more time. I’ll order one now.” I reached for the phone as Wayne stepped toward the pantry. He took out a box of Oreo O’s.
“Forget it. I’ll just have this.”
“Are you sure? I’m sure a pizza could get here in 20 or 30 minutes.”
“Just go put some clothes on.”
He glanced at my towel again before turning his back to get the milk out of the fridge.
***
The warm summer air poured in through the open window in our bedroom. I slipped on my favorite white dress just as Wayne came in from the bathroom.
“Almost ready?”
“Yes. I just have to put my hair up and I’ll be done.”
“Leave it down. I like it when you wear it down with this dress.”
He stepped behind me and looked at me in the mirror. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my shoulder.
“You look beautiful.”
***
The next morning, I woke up in a cold sweat. I glanced over at my alarm clock: 4:13. I tossed and turned for a few minutes, but I couldn’t get comfortable. My head throbbed and my body ached. When did I get sick?
I untangled my body from the covers and shuffled into the kitchen, dragging a blanket with me. I found the Tylenol in our medicine drawer and filled up an old mug with tap water. The first pill went down easy, but the second one went down the wrong pipe and I erupted into a coughing fit.
“What are you doing up?” Wayne’s voice drifted from somewhere behind me.
“I-I didn’t feel well so I got up to take some medicine.” I barely managed to get the words out through my coughing.
Wayne walked up slowly behind me and reached for the open Tylenol bottle on the counter next to me.
“These are expired.”
The coughing stopped then.
“They are?”
“Have been for a while.”
“Oh God.” I groaned as I grabbed my water and dragged my blanket to the kitchen table with me. I slumped into a chair.
“You should’ve checked the expiration date.” Wayne looked at me from his spot at the kitchen counter.
“Give me a break- no one checks the expiration dates on medicine.”
I thought I saw the corners of his mouth curl up, but it was gone in an instant.
“I’m going back to bed. Don’t wake me up with your noise again.”
***
“No! Wayne- stop that!” I laughed my way through the words as Wayne sprayed me with sink water.
“It slipped.” His smile stretched across his face and warmed my chest.
“Oh yeah, just like it slipped the last three times, right?”
“Exactly.”
We laughed together and the doorbell rang. Wayne got to the door before I did. An older lady stood there holding a box of store-bought chocolates and a Tupperware full of cookies.
“Hi there! I saw you two just moved in. I’m Mrs. Floyd, I live a few doors down. I just wanted to welcome you and bring you some goodies.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Floyd. I’m Wayne and this is my wife, Valerie.” He put his arm around me and pulled me to his side. Mrs. Floyd handed me the cookies and chocolates with a smile.
“Well aren’t you two just the sweetest things.”
***
“You’re not going to work?” Wayne called from the bathroom.
I was still at my spot at the table. My forehead was pressed against the cool surface of the table in a vain attempt to soothe my headache.
“No, I feel worse than I did earlier. I’m going to call in sick in a minute.” I brought my blanket up from my lap to my shoulders, feeling a cold ache settle in my bones.
“You really shouldn’t miss work.”
“I know, but I hardly ever call in sick.”
“What about last week?”
“I had a doctor’s appointment during my lunch break. I still worked.”
Wayne finished in the bathroom and came to stand at the table.
“Did you take any more medicine?”
“No, it’s all expired.”
“All of it? How did that happen?
“I didn’t realize they were going bad, so I never bought any more.”
Wayne went to the fridge and pulled out the orange juice. I wrapped my blanket tighter around my shivering body.
“I have to work later than usual tonight. Call Mrs. Floyd if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
Wayne finished his orange juice and went to grab his coat.
“Wayne?”
“What.”
“Can’t you come home a little earlier tonight? Or come home for lunch at least?”
“No.”
“But why not. I’m sick.”
“You’ll be fine, Valerie. Just call Mrs. Floyd-”
“If I need anything. Right.” I laid my head back down on the cold table and heard the door click shut.
***
“Hello?” I pressed the phone to my ear and smiled when I heard my favorite voice on the other end.
“Hey Val, I’m coming home for lunch today.”
“Oh, really? Did you forget something?”
“No, I just wanted to eat lunch with you today.”
I felt heat rush to my cheeks. It wasn’t the first time he’d done this, but it was just as sweet as the first time.
“Do you want me to make you anything? I can make PB&Js. Wait no, I can fix you something better.”
“PB&Js sound great. As long as we eat Cheetos with them.” I felt his smile through the phone.
“Of course, we can’t forget the Cheetos.”
***
At some point, after Wayne left, I dragged myself back to bed. I thought about calling Mrs. Floyd for some medicine, but I drifted off before I could decide.
Body chills woke me up at around noon. I still wasn’t feeling the best, but my rumbling stomach was enough to get me out of bed.
I hadn’t been to the store in over a week, so my options were limited. I settled for a PB&J sandwich. I grabbed day-old bread and peanut butter from the pantry and got the jelly out of the fridge. I dumped my ingredients on the kitchen table and sat down to assemble my sandwich.
“This would be nice with some chips.” I mumbled to myself.
I shuffled back to the pantry and assessed my options: Doritos and Goldfish.
“No Cheetos…” I grabbed the Doritos instead.
After two sandwiches and several handfuls of Doritos, I plopped down on the couch and looked for Friends reruns. After a few episodes, I realized that I still hadn’t called Mrs. Floyd.
“I’m feeling better, though. I shouldn’t call her if I don’t need anything.”
***
“Val! It’s starting, hurry up!” Wayne called from the couch.
I hurriedly washed my hands in the bathroom and didn’t bother to dry them before rushing to plop down next to Wayne.
“I’m so excited. Do you think Ross and Rachel are gonna get together this time?”
“I think they will at some point.” Wayne put his arm around me and put the big bowl of popcorn he made in my lap. I shoved a handful in my mouth just as the opening began to play.
***
After dozing my way through several episodes of Friends, I decided to take a bath. I still had body chills on top of being really sweaty from having my blanket draped over me the entire day.
Although I felt weak, I managed to get the water running and at a nice temperature. I stripped my sweaty pajamas off and slowly climbed into the tub. I grabbed the soap and swiped it along my body before getting my rag and lathering it up. I washed lazily and slowly, not having the energy to go fast or do a thorough job.
As I was rinsing off, I started to feel lightheaded. I dropped my rag in the water and leaned my head back against the wall. My eyes fluttered open and shut in an attempt to keep myself alert. The bathroom looked fuzzy and my body felt heavy.
I thought I heard a door open and close before I drifted into fuzzy darkness.
***
“Wake up, sleepyhead. I have something for you.” Wayne’s voice pulled me out of sleep and into the warm summer morning. He was holding a small tray that held all my favorite breakfast foods: waffles, bacon, and strawberry toast.
“Oh wow, thank you. Did you make all of this?” My soft morning voice was still thick with sleep.
“Just for you, baby girl. Happy birthday.” He set the tray down on my nightstand and leaned over to place a kiss on my forehead.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
***
“Valerie! Valerie! Can you hear me?” Wayne’s voice washed over me as my body was jolted back into consciousness. He was leaning over me, the panic evident in his eyes.
“Thank God, you’re awake.” Relief swept over his face.
“Wayne? Why are you home?” My voice sounded far away.
“I-I just thought I would come home earlier today. Like you asked.”
“But you said you needed to work late.” My vision was still a little clouded, but I didn’t feel as lightheaded.
“I know, but my boss cleared me to leave early. I came straight home so you wouldn’t have to be alone for too long.”
“But I have Mrs. Floyd.”
“I know you didn’t call her. She would have called my office if you had.” He was holding my body up in the water with one arm and the other was wrapped around my midsection.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
“I’m sorry, I thought I would be okay. I really didn’t feel that bad, Wayne. I promise.” I covered my face with my hands, wanting to hide my tears from him.
“You don’t- you don’t have to be sorry, Val. It’s my fault. I should have taken better care of you.” He moved his arm from my midsection and gently moved my hands from my face. He looked at me with apologetic eyes.
“I wasn’t here when you needed me. That’s not your fault.”
“It’s not a big deal. I know you can’t miss work and-”
“And nothing. I shouldn’t have left you.”
I nodded, too weak to argue anymore. Wayne lifted me out of the tub. The cold rush of air stung my skin, but Wayne’s arms kept me warm.
Mikayla Gordon is currently a senior at Appalachian State University, where she studies Creative Writing. Mikayla is passionate about writing stories that highlight the experiences of the BIPOC community and many of her works are inspired by her own life. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes, listening to podcasts, and browsing local bookstores. A Familiar Rush of Air is her second published work and she plans to continue publishing works that focus on the lived experiences of people of color, as well as highlighting the beauty and depth of the mundane. Mikayla hopes that people will be able to find a voice within her stories and feel seen through her words.