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of the bed to finish drying her
hair in the bathroom, knowing when Benjamin awoke, he would want to make love
again and then go back to his place to get ready for tonight.
    She searched
through her drawers for a t-shirt and a pair of striped sleeping shorts. She never
walked around naked, even in front of Benjamin. She had always been extremely
careful not to let him, or anyone for that matter, see her scar. Her superiors commanded
that the unusual marking stay hidden beneath their clothes and away from
anyone’s inquisitive eyes. Even when in bed together, she would make sure the
lights were off, and if his wandering hands traveled up her back, she would redirect
them somewhere more distracting.
    She also didn’t
wear tank tops or anything strapless out in public. Benjamin thought it was
because she had ‘classy and demure’ taste, which he liked, so it worked. Years
of hiding her scar had made her a pro. It was practically effortless.
    “Where are you off
to?” he moaned as she opened the door to leave.
    “Bathroom,” she whispered.
“Go back to sleep. It’s only nine thirty.”
    He grunted and
wrapped the sheet around him in a tight cocoon. “Don’t forget to put the
flowers in some water.”
    His sincerely
concerned tone caused her to chuckle. “I’m on it.”
    * * *
    The next morning
when Isaac awoke, the exhaustion from a restless night saturated him to the
core. After Micah had gone back to bed, Isaac tossed and turned, replaying the
disturbing scene his son created for him with his description of what had happened.
He also felt partly to blame for Micah’s dreaming habits. As though it were a
gene he had intentionally passed down.
    Rolling over one
last time to try and get some sleep sounded appealing, but it was Sunday, and
this was his and Micah’s day to do something fun together. He needed to get up
and get moving. Usually, they went to eat breakfast at the Waffle House down
the street, and then to Piedmont Park or a movie. One Sunday they took a road
trip to the Georgia Mountains and spent the entire day hiking and sightseeing.
    He sat up in bed
and glanced at his cell phone on the end table. Nine thirty. “Humph,”he grunted, assuming it was much earlier.
    He made his way
to the bathroom for his morning routine, contemplating where to go for
breakfast, when he heard Micah stir upstairs. “Morning, buddy! What do you want
for breakfast?”
    A moaning voice
answered. “Let’s eat here, I’m not feeling too good.”
    Isaac turned and
rushed up the stairs.
    Micah sat on the
edge of his bed, leaning foreword with his hands on each side of his head. By
the way his face twisted into a grimace, Isaac could tell he was in pain. “Is
it your head?” he asked in a low voice.
    “Yes, and I just
don’t feel well.”
    Isaac placed his
hand against his clammy forehead. It’s times like this that I miss Rachel, he thought. What would she have done? Medicine . “Let’s get you some
Tylenol and a bite to eat. Omelet ok?” 
    Micah gagged.
“Definitely not anything with eggs. Maybe some cheese toast.”
    Isaac tousled his
hair. “I can manage that.”
    *
* *
    By
mid-afternoon, Micah’s condition had improved.  As Isaac worked in the studio
on his painting, he cast a glance over his shoulder to check on him. Micah lounged
on the couch with a soda in his hand, watching TV as he had been doing since
after breakfast. Every time he looked at him, the color had slowly returned to
his face, which now grinned at something amusing on the screen. 
    Isaac turned to
refocus on his work and chewed on the end of the paintbrush. Not going out with
his son on a Sunday felt unnatural. “You want to go somewhere tonight?” he
shouted and dipped the bristles in the green paint.
    “I’m not sure,
dad. But maybe I would say yes if we can go see that new action movie we
saw the preview for last night!”
    Isaac rolled his
eyes with a grin. Micah desperately wanted to see it, but the movie was rated
PG-13 and he