Life's Twists and Turns

"I don't get a kiss goodbye again?" she asked politely.

"Again? You make it sound like that's a regular occurrence," her husband said before kissing her on the cheek.

"Lately, it's more often than not," she said without being accusatory.

"I think someone is exaggerating—again," he told her before kissing their three children.

Kenny Adkins would be five and starting Kindergarten in just two months, Gabriel was three, and their daughter Riley was a year old. Their father, Levi Adkins, was 38 and headed to the Ford dealership where we worked as the service manager. After 15 years of slogging it out as a mechanic, he'd moved into management three years ago and recently been promoted to his new position two weeks earlier.

His wife of ten years, Finlay McAdams-Adkins, was a college graduate who'd given up her career in real estate to be a stay-at-home mom at her husband's request. It had more a demand than a request, and after Gabriel was born, she'd relented and been home ever since.

She hadn't wanted a third child, either, but as with most things, Levi wore her down until he got his way. She loved Riley with all her heart and loved having a little girl, but her daughter meant even more years at home unable to do the other thing she loved—selling houses. She never complained and wouldn't trade her daughter for the world. It was just another reminder that rather than being her own person she was Levi Adkins's wife.

Even with her husband's new promotion, they still couldn't afford full-time childcare for three children, and although she hated to admit it, Finlay often wondered if that was a major reason her husband had wanted another child. She loved her family dearly, but between his never-ending demands and his recent loss of interest in her, things were at an all-time low in their marriage.

Well, for her at least. For his part, Levi had never seemed happier, and while Finlay was happy that her husband loved going to work now, he seemed positively thrilled to leave the house each weekday, and was now working nearly every Saturday and going in most Sundays to do paperwork.

Deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling something else had changed beyond his promotion to service manager. For all his faults, she'd always trusted him, and yet he'd never gone more than 3-4 days without wanting to make love to her. But for the last several year, she'd been lucky to have sex twice a month and then only after she either begged him or started a fight. But the last three months there'd been zero intimacy and Finlay, who enjoyed sex as much as her husband, this was becoming intolerable. Making matters worse, he no longer even wanted to kiss her when he left the house early in the morning or came home late at night.

Finlay never wanted to fight. It was just the only way she could get what she wanted and now, even fighting wasn't working. She knew that most women with a child, let alone with three, had diminished libidos. But for her, it was just the opposite. Sex was not only as pleasurable as it had always been, it was also a wonderful diversion and an escape from the grind of caring for three small children seven days a week. What she wouldn't do for an hour to herself every now and then!

"Okay, well, have a good day," she told her husband as cheerfully as she could before turning to the next task in an all-day affair of tasks.

She debated about mentioning the garage door again, but held off. The last time she brought it up, Levi snapped at her and made her feel guilty. The sink also had a growing leak she was dealing with, and the screen door on the front porch got stuck nearly every time it was opened. Finlay not only didn't say anything, she knew she dare not call anyone to come out and fix any of those problems without Levi's blessing. It was times like this she was beginning to feel more a prisoner in her own home than the loving, supportive partner she'd always tried to be.

Each day was an endless, thankless grind, and no matter how much Finlay loved her children or being able to be with them, this wasn't the life she'd imagined for herself. Every day was essentially the same. There were three meals a day plus snacks to prepare, naps, diaper changes, two loads of laundry to wash, dry and fold, a house to clean, and a hundred other little things. Once each week there was also grocery shopping with three children in tow to take care of along with doctor visits and anything else that came up. And things always came up.

According to Levi, all of it was 'women's work' and her husband rarely lifted a finger to help her. Those times when he did, he made a huge deal out of it as though she should shower him with gratitude. She always thanked him, but, just like his help, her thank-yous were few and far between.

And yet, Finlay was the first to admit she'd gladly and willingly married Levi when he'd come along and swept her off her feet, and in spite of her protestations against a third child, she'd agreed to each of the three children they'd had together.

Rather than complain, she was willing to accept this was probably just what life was like for any stay-at-home mom with three kids who couldn't afford to hire help. That wasn't exactly true anymore. With Levi's promotion, they definitely could afford to have someone help out part-time. The issue was Levi's unwillingness to even discuss something he considered a waste of money.

Rather than wallow in self pity, she chose to make the best of things by enjoying her children and finding time each day to exercise as a way to reduce stress and keep herself in good condition. She'd lost all the weight she'd gained yet again just six months after Riley was born, and no one would guess she was 36 years old.

Yes, she had the stretch marks to prove she'd borne three children, but her face was still looked young and pretty and her body was hard and firm and attracted attention anytime she was out in public. Of course, with three small children, no one was doing anything more than looking and that was fine as Finlay would never flirt back even if someone were to flirt with her.

Once breakfast was done, the dishwasher loaded and running, and Riley's diaper changed after washing everyone's hands and faces, it was time to go grocery shopping.

"Okay, guys. Let's get ready to go!" Finlay called out around 9am as she loaded a basket of dirty clothes into the washing machine to run while they were out.

"Can I help, Mommy?" Kenny asked as always.

"Thank you, honey, but Mommy's got it. You could grab Riley's diaper bag, though."

"Okay! I will!" he said happily as he skipped around the house until he found it.

As they walked outside, the front door screen stuck again. When it finally gave way, it flew around so fast it slammed into the side of the house then hit Finlay in the arm she was carrying the baby in.

"You okay, sweetie?" she asked knowing Riley's body was shielded.

"I'll fix it, Mommy!" Kenny told her.

"If he can't, I will," Finlay heard a male voice say.

"Wade? Is that you?" she said with a smile when she looked up and saw her neighbor's son.

"Hi, Mrs. Adkins," he said with a smile of his own. "Let me give you a hand."

The young man opened the rear car door so Finlay could strap the baby into her carseat then opened the minivan's other door to let the two boys in.

He lifted Gabriel up, but Kenny told him, "I can do it all by myself!" as he did just that.

"Jeez, these two are so big!" the young man said. "And who is this sweet little girl?"

He did a 'coochie coo' on her neck and got a smile that showed off four partial, tiny front teeth.

"How old is your daughter?" he asked.

"She's 14 months now. Is it possible you haven't been home once since she was born?"

"I knew you were very pregnant when I left, and I did my senior year plus three months at a teaching hospital without a break," he told her.

"I know it's been a long time, but that's crazy," Finlay said.

"May I?" he asked indicating he'd like to hold the baby.

"Oh, sure," she said carefully passing her off.

"What's her name?"

"Riley."

"Pretty name for such a pretty girl," he said as he moved his face close to Riley's then pulled back several times getting another smile.

"What brings you home this time, Wade?" Finlay asked.

"My mom's not doing so well," he told her.

"What? I had no idea. Why didn't she say something?"

"You know my mom. Stubborn as my dad was," he told her as he handed the baby back to be put into her rear-facing carseat.

"I'm so sorry about your dad," she said as she buckled the baby in.

"Thank you. Me, too. That was really hard on all of us," he said.

"I know it was, Wade," she said as she stood up. "Speaking of growing up...you look so...handsome! Is there a lucky girl in your life?"

"No. Not currently. I haven't really had time between school and the hospital, but now that I'm done with all that, I'm kind of hoping to change that," he told her with a smile. "And if I may, you look as beautiful as always."

"Me? Oh, my gosh! Thank you, but I know that's not true," she said smiling happily at the compliment. "These three pretty much run me ragged every day, and I'm sure it shows."

"Um, no. It doesn't show, but then I've always thought you were beautiful," he told her with a smile.

"That's because I used to babysit you back when I might have admitted there was some truth to what you said," she told him as she got out her car keys. "I hate to run, Wade, but I've got to get to the grocery store then back home for the laundry and dishes then get lunch for these three."

She hadn't actually done any babysitting, as he'd been a teenager when she and Levi moved in next door to them right after getting married. But she had made her home available to him after school when both of his parents were working. He'd been such a good kid. He'd stop by, quietly do his homework, then help her with whatever she was doing from making dinner to taking care of little repairs around the house.

Levi had told her to ask his parents for money for keeping an eye on him several days a week, but for once Finlay stood up to him and told him it was only for 2-3 hours and that she didn't have to do anything but let him sit there. Levi reminded her that he often had a snack and that snacks weren't free. Finlay ignored him and continued letting Wade have one after school.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to hold you up. I was just coming back from a run and when I saw you, I had to say 'hey'."

"I'm glad you did. This was a pleasant surprise. Any idea how long you'll be home?"

"Not really. It all depends on how my mom's doing. I'm hoping less than a month, but I won't leave until I know she's okay," he told her.

"You've always been so caring," Finlay said as she looked back at the way he'd been as long as she'd known him.

"I saw the way that screen door was flopping around. I'll take a look at it while you're out," he said as he opened her door and helped her in.

"You don't have to do that, Wade," she told him knowing he'd do it anyway.

"It looks like an easy fix," he assured her. "Anything else I can check while I'm at it?"

"Um, no. Everything's fine," she lied not wanting to take advantage of his generosity.

"Okay. Just let me know if you need me to look at anything. I'll have nothing but time on my hands until I get my first real job," he told her before closing her door.

Finlay thanked him through her rolled-up window and smiled when he knocked on it and waved to the kids behind her. He smiled back and she heard him say, "See ya!" as she drove off.

When she came home just over an hour later, the screen door was in perfect working order.

"Bless you, Wade Brown," she said to herself as she carried the baby inside before heading back for groceries.

"Need a hand?" she heard that now-familiar voice say.

"Wade! You startled me—again," she said not having seen him either time.

"I've got mad Ninja skills," he joked as he grabbed a couple of bags without being asked.

"The screen door is perfect, by the way. Thank you so much," she said as she toted an armload of groceries inside.

"Where do you want this one, Mommy?" Kenny asked as he held a paper bag that covered his face.

"I got it, big man!" Wade said grabbing it from him. "Do you remember me?"

"Not really," Kenny said suddenly feeling shy.

"Yeah, you were maybe Gabriel's age last time I saw you," Wade told him. "So...do you have a girlfriend yet?"

"I hate girls!" Kenny announced loudly.

"Oh. Right. How well I remember. Okay, are you driving a car yet?"

"I'm too little to drive," Kenny said. "But sometimes my dad lets me sit on his lap and steer the car."

"Not when he's driving, right?" Finlay asked.

"No. When we're driving for real," Kenny told her truthfully.

"You sit on your dad's lap while the car is moving, huh?" she said not really wanting to know.

"Not very often," he told quietly as he sensed his mother wasn't very happy.

"Why am I not surprised," she said quietly.

Once the groceries were put away, Finlay thanked Wade again and in a rare moment of quiet he said, "Is that noise coming from under your sink?"

Before she could tell him 'no' he'd opened the doors and saw the large plastic pan she had under the pipe to catch the leak. She dumped it three times a day, and it was already half full after having emptied it at 6am.

"That doesn't look good," Wade said. "Your p-trap is in bad shape, Mrs. Adkins."

Finlay wanted to laugh and say something about her 'pee-trap' working just fine but didn't. Instead she bent down to look.

"See right here? The seal between the U-bend and the trap arm is bad. And I can't believe this is made of metal. This all needs to be replaced with PVC."

"Oh. I'll um...let Levi know when he gets home," she told him.

"I can fix this for you. It's not that big of a deal. I just need to run to Home Depot and pick up the new parts. We'll have to turn the water off for an hour or so while I'm working and you'll be all set," he told her as he looked over his shoulder and saw her face right next to his.

"Oh, hello," he said as their heads nearly collided.

"Sorry," she said moving back.

He'd always been cute, but Wade was downright handsome now, and she was surprised at how disconcerted she felt during that brief moment when they were just inches away from each other.

She stepped back and Wade slid out and stood up.

"I can have it done before your husband gets home," he told her.

"Oh, no. We can have a plumber come out and take care of it," she said knowing that wouldn't happen.

"No. Sorry. Can't let you do that. You'll spend at least $200 and most of that will be labor. I can buy the parts for a few bucks and the labor is free."

Finlay started to object, but the washing machine buzzer went off just as she started to speak.

"So...you go take care of the laundry, and I'll run to the big-box store, and I'll have this repaired in a jiffy."

His smile was as disarming as his good looks had been disconcerting. Finlay knew he was only 23 or so making him still a boy in her mind, but he was definitely a cutie pie, a term she wasn't about to say out loud.

"Well, if you're sure you don't mind," she said. "Let me give you some money first, okay?"

"Nah. I got it. You can reimburse me later," he said with a smile.

"Mommy? Can I go?" Kenny asked.

"Honey, Wade doesn't need..."

"I don't mind at all, and I'd say any break you can get would be a good one," Wade told her. "I can throw his carseat into my car in a second."

"You're too good to be true, Wade," she said. "Well, if you really don't mind, I guess..."

"Yes!" Kenny said suddenly over his shyness.

Forty-five minutes later, Finlay was folding laundry when Kenny came busting into the house holding a big bag from McDonalds.

"Mommy! Look!" he said as he held up the bag.

Wade was carrying a drink holder with four cups in it along with a bag of parts from Home Depot.

"Kenny told me his little brother is old enough for soda, but Miss Riley is too little. Right, buddy?" he said to Kenny.

"Right! She just drinks milk—all the time," Kenny said as though it was something Wade wouldn't know.

"What is all this?" she asked as he sat the food on the kitchen table.

"It's another small break," he told her with a smile. "You guys sit down and have lunch and I'll get busy with the sink repair. Oh. Where's your water shut-off valve? Sometimes just turning off the valve under the sink isn't enough, and you don't need a flood in the kitchen."

Finlay rarely ate fast food. The main reason was she hated what it did to her figure. The second was her husband didn't like her spending money on 'junk' and the allowance he gave her each payday had to last until she was given more. Twenty dollars spent on fast food was money she couldn't use for other things she needed but rarely bought like makeup or clothes.

It had been so long since she'd had a chicken sandwich that it tasted delicious to her as did the greasy fries. As she slowly savored each bite, her two boys were poking one fry after another into their mouths in between bites from their 'cheen-burngers' as Gabriel called them.

"This is so good, Wade," Finlay said as she pulled a piece of tomato from the sandwich.

"Was the chicken okay?" he asked as he laid on his back already putting in the new plastic pipe.

"You remembered," she said having told him before the only meat she ate was chicken, fish, and shrimp.

"I did. You taught me what a 'pollo-pescetarian' is," he reminded her. "I never forgot that and I'm one myself now, by the way. No meat except for fish, chicken, and shrimp."

The boys were done before Finlay was half way through and asked to be excused.

"Okay, but go wash up. You both have ketchup all over your faces," their mother told them.

"Kenny's a lot of fun," Wade said as he worked.

"He's my big helper. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"He said your husband is some kind of manager now."

"Oh, right. Yes, they made Levi the service manager a while back."

"Nice," Wade said. "He's a hard worker. I remember him coming home covered in grease and oil every night when you watched me after school."

"That's been quite a while, hasn't it?" she said ignoring his comment about her husband.

"Seeing you was always the highlight of my day," he told her as he raised his head up high enough to look at her.

"Oh, wow. You poor boy!" she replied. "I knew you were a quiet kid, I just didn't realize you were so sheltered."

Wade laughed politely then said, "I'm serious. You were so pretty, I couldn't wait to come over so I could see you."

Before Finlay could snort or make some kind of sarcastic comment, he raised his head up, smiled then said, "You still are."

"And you still know how to make me feel good, Wade," she told him with a laugh. "Can I give you a hand with anything?"

"Nope. I'm good," he told her as he applied sealant or what plumbers called 'pipe dope' to the joints. "In fact, you're all set. We'll let that dry for a few minutes then run some water to make sure it's sealed tight."

Wade carefully cleaned up the mess he'd made taking out the old, rusted-out metal pipes and put everything in the trash can behind the house. Then he went back and vacuumed out the small stuff to boot.

"That sliding door is sticking, too," he told her when he came back in.

That was so minor it was way down Finlay's list of repairs, and she'd nearly forgotten about it.

"I'll fix that while this is drying," he said.

"No. Wade. You've done more than enough for one day. By the way, how much to I owe you?" she asked hoping to get his mind off of another repair.

"Tell you what. If you'll make dinner for me sometime, we can call it even," he said with a smile.