Page 36 of Words Unspoken

“Isn’t that the guy who owns the chain of dentist clinics? He is always on television with the bad haircut?” asked Noah.

“He and Ann hit it off at the golf tournament,” Elle didn’t sound very happy for her friend. “I guess she is moving on.”

Michael didn’t want her to move on, whatever that meant. He wanted her back. He swallowed thickly and wondered what he could do about it. Could Ann be happy with this guy? She said she was not happy here with him. Michael wondered what he could do to make her happy. The only thing he could think of was ask her. Ask her? He almost gave a bitter laugh but stopped himself. He didn’t want Noah or Elle to know that he had been able to hear them. Michael would need to try to make the effort. He had go to Ann and ask her what he could do to make her happy. Michael would make her understand that he wanted to try. He could not imagine life without her. The last few days without her had been horrible. Lonely.

He pushed away from the house and decided to take a walk and look at the sailboat. He would check the lines and make sure it was secure. It felt like it was going to storm. While Michael was looking the boat over, maybe his mind would come up with a solution of how he was going to get to Ann’s apartment and communicate effectively enough to bring her back. He didn’t want Elle and Noah’s help with this. If it went sour, Michael would like to lick his wounds in private rather than see them pity him even more. An hour later he had cleaned the entire boat methodically. He was finishing by polishing up some of the chrome detailing when Noah came aboard.

“You still have the boat?” He ran a hand down the side of rolled up sail before having a seat. “She must be thirty years old.”

Thirty-five next week. He had gotten it three weeks after his fifteenth birthday to replace the smaller one he grew up with.

“Remember when we used to take it out? I had never been so sick,” Noah laughed, remembering.

Noah was a horrible sailor. A rowboat on calm waters was the most he could handle. Michael nodded in agreement.

“Good memories,” Noah reminisced. “I don’t think it helped that Max kept trying to kill us every time we let him try his hand at the wheel.”

Max had been reckless. He was young back then and always pushing everything to the limit. Max lived a charmed life, never being seriously hurt despite and the crazy stunts he had pulled. More than once he caused Michael a fright. Finally, Max had settled and matured. Piaget was the final piece of Max is puzzle. Michael was glad for his youngest brother.

“Remember when he capsized this boat? Dad was so mad he threatened to sell it.”

David threatened but he could not sell what he did not own. Michael had made sure the boat was in his name. Even then he had understood his father. Thankfully Dad and Mom were on that cruise for a couple more months and Michael would not have to deal with them until they came back.

He loved Mom. Michael just didn’t want to be smothered by her right now. His father? David would not understand. He would probably call Michael useless and ignore him.

Noah reached out and gave his shoulder a squeeze. “It will be okay Michael. I know this thing with Ann is hard, but you will get through it.”

He would not have to get through it. Michael had a plan. Admittedly, it was not a great plan, yet it was what he had, and he was going to try. He was not going to just stand by and let her walk away. Not his Ann. Michael nodded to Noah and put away the rag and cleaner. The boat was as good as it got these days. He supposed most people would have replaced it with something newer, however he didn’t want to. It was a piece of his childhood. He and Noah walked back from the marina to the house, both content to watch the water and not speak.

In the house Michael stemmed his impatience and played with the twins. Ethan kept coming over to him with his book, demanding in toddler gibberish that he read it. He pulled the boy into his lap and quietly pretended to read, none of the words making sense coming from his mouth but his nephew didn’t seem to mind.

Finally, the boys got tired, and Noah with Elle departed with the twins. FenLei was due to arrive any minute to make supper. Michael didn’t want any. He didn’t need any. He grabbed the address book that was in his study and brought it to the kitchen. What he needed was some help to do what he needed to do tonight. Michael counted out the tabs, knowing that Ann would be under the S is for Schaeffer, letter nineteen of the alphabet. He remembered writing the address in here. Hopefully he counted right and his brain had not mixed up the letters. Now Michael needed FenLei to find the address for him.

He grabbed a piece of blank paper from the study and a pencil. He stroked out the main lines and began sketching. Soon a face stared back at him. With long lines he put in Ann’s hair. He had to erase her eyes and redo them a couple of times. He set down the pencil when FenLei arrived and helped her to bring in the groceries.

“Why you help? I no old lady,” FenLei still gave him four bags to carry despite her protestation. “How you today?”

He motioned that he had an okay day.

She nodded wisely and pointed to the sketch. “You miss Missy Ann.”

Michael grabbed the sketch and put it beside the address book. He pointed to the pages and the sketch. Please let FenLei understand.

“What this?” She started reading the addresses then looked at him. “What you want?”

He pointed to both of them again.

“Find Ann address?” FenLei wrinkled her brow.

Michael nodded. He grabbed the bundle of flowers that she had purchased to liven up the house. She always bought flowers on Friday for the weekend. He mimed presenting them to FenLei and pointed to the sketch.

“You gonna get her back?” FenLei was excited now. “About time. No other pretty ladies putting up with you.”

Michael laughed and pointed to the address book.

“Okay, okay. You bossy,” she perused the book, reading the names out loud until she found Ann is and he grabbed the highlighter he had taken from the desk in his study. She directed him and he highlighted the appropriate address.

“How you gonna get there?” asked FenLei.