Free As Tears Go By by Lydia Michaels

done.”
    She
guided his hand to his hair and rubbed shampoo over his head until a lather
formed. “Head back,” she said as she proceeded to rinse out his hair.
    Once he
was out of the tub and somewhat dry, she followed him to his room to help him
dress. “You did great, bud.”
    He
immediately went to his dresser where she’d placed his iPod. Without saying a
word, he plugged in his earbuds and lay down on his bed.
    Wiped,
Becca grabbed the comb and quietly brushed his hair. The only reason he
tolerated the gentle touch was because he’d likely exhausted himself bathing.
She savored the moments she could get close to him, as they didn’t come often.
By the end of the song he’d calmed.
    By the
time he was asleep she was dead on her feet. She’d made her rounds, returning
all the task charts to their morning positions, cleaning up the pillows on the
floor of the living room, and shutting off the lights. As she checked the locks
at the front door she paused, a strange thought occurring.
    She’d
always done this. Since Kevin left she’d assumed a heap of additional
responsibilities would be thrust on her shoulders, but the truth was, she’d
been doing this on her own since Hunter was young.
    It was
hard, recalling how utterly inept Kevin was, and not letting her frustration
get the better of her. Their marriage was over, and as tired as she was, part
of her was glad it ended. It was better to depend on herself than to constantly
wind up disappointed in the person intended to help her, not to mention the
waste of energy, waiting and hoping for that aid. If only he’d shown more
interest in helping her, being present in their day-to-day family life, their
marriage might have survived and her family could have been whole.

 
    * * * *

 
    Over
the following two weeks Braydon seemed to take the hint that she wasn’t
interested and left her alone. It wasn’t until one Friday morning that he leapt
right back into the forefront of her memory. There was an envelope on her desk
with Nikki’s scribble on the front.

 
    Didn’t know what you wanted to do with this…

 
    Becca
peeled the envelope open and found Braydon’s ID. Jeez, even his driver’s
license picture was pretty. So not fair!
    She
stashed the envelope in her purse to deal with later, which was where it stayed
for another week. Sure, she thought of him, but with every manifestation in her
mind, she banished his memory to the back of her head—over and over again.
    The
following Wednesday while doing bills, she found the envelope. Frustrated that
this man’s presence was still haunting her, she copied his address onto a fresh
envelope, sealed it, and shoved it in with the rest of her bills.
    Feeling
vindicated and free of the temptation he caused once and for all, she submerged
herself in typical routines hoping to reinstate some much-needed balance to her
life. She spent the following days organizing the house, purging things she no
longer used, and boxing up the items Kevin left behind, which was quite
irritating. How difficult was it to move out ?
    Becca
was running the vacuum while Hunter pounded away on the upright to the tune of She’s
a Rainbow. She hadn’t heard the knock at the door and was completely
unprepared when she heard a deep, muffled voice call her name.
    “Becca?”
    Frowning,
she shut off the vacuum and rushed to the hall, coming up short when she saw
Braydon’s face pressed against the glass, yellow roses at his hip.
    What
the heck was he doing there? She undid the locks and yanked the door open.
    He
smiled. “Hey.”
    Her
brain wasn’t working nor were her eyes blinking. So taken off guard, when she
finally spoke her voice rushed out in a waspish tone she never used before.
“What the heck are you doing here?”
    He
grinned, his invariable pleasantness grating on her. “I brought you flowers.”
    “How do
you know where I live?”
    “Your
address was on the envelope you used to mail my ID.”
    She
shook her head. Who