After Wednesday: A Short Story

By Nakia R. Laushaul

Inside of every meek wife is a stranger you don't want to meet.

She’d said please and stay in the same sentence. Two words that challenged every strong-willed woman in the most vulnerable way. And as she waited for her husband’s response she stared at her coffee and never raised her eyes to meet his. She was very aware of her emotions and she knew that whatever answer her husband gave she’d accept it and she’d be forced to deal with the consequences of his answer and her actions. Will would only get one please and one stay out of her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nakia R. Laushaul
• Release date: Jun 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311224835

Nakia R. Laushaul

Nakia R. Laushaul is a poet, author, daughter, sister, mother, and friend to all. She is busy as a bee working on her follow-up project, Running From Solace, a novel.

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AFTER WEDNESDAY

a short story...

Nakia R. Laushaul

Serendipity Bound Books

www.NakiaLaushaul.com

AFTER WEDNESDAY

Smashwords eBook Edition.

This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, or incidents are either used fictitiously or are the product of the author’s imagination and their resemblance to any person living or dead, events, or locale is entirely coincidental.

After Wednesday Copyright © 2013 by Nakia Laushaul

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any electronic storage and retrieval system without the express written consent of the author.

Published by Serendipity Bound Books

eBook Layout: www.AReadersPerspective.net

Also Available by Nakia R. Laushaul

Running from Solace

Chasity Rules

Locked in Purgatory

A Husband for Christmas: A Short Story

After Wednesday

Brave

Mara Stanton had always been brave. Brave was the most common term used to describe the fabric of everything Mara was made of. Everyone she had ever encountered called her brave and said that she was afraid of nothing at all, starting with her father. He had often recalled the wee hours of the morning that she had come fighting, twisting and turning—bellowing, red-faced and angry into the world. She screamed before the doctor had a chance to give her the customary smack on the bottom. And from that day forth, Mara Stanton was always fighting for something and she had never allowed anyone to take the fight out of her, until now.

Lately, all of her fight was concentrated on holding her marriage together long enough to start a family with the man she had decided to love forever—Will. He loved children and she knew that if she could have just one perfect little baby, all of their problems would disappear. She could just see it, Will, a doting and devoted father and her, nurturing and gentle. She’d bake cookies and read as many bedtime stories as her children wanted to hear. She’d tickle toes and blow air bubbles on round tummies until laughter and joy consumed her home.

Mara wanted a large family, at least four or more if her aging body would hurry up and cooperate. With the many advances of science, forty-five wasn’t as old as it used to be. She’d heard of women past fifty being able to conceive with the assistance of modern medicine. The problem would lie in getting Will to agree to several more rounds of fertility treatments. She’d worry about that later, for now they had much more important concerns, like painting a thin green border of leaves onto the wall in the nursery.

"Did you hear that? Mara looked toward the direction of the open bedroom door.

Hear what? Will asked yawning, not turning in her direction.

Mara shook her head to rid her ears of the hallucination. She heard tiny scampering feet in her dreams. That was how desperate she was for a baby. Will couldn’t understand her obsession. Or he didn’t want to. She placed her hand longingly on her belly and stroked her flat stomach in a circular motion.

If it’s a girl, what would you like to name her? Mara asked Will as he busied himself tossing clothes into a small travel luggage.

Whatever you want to name it. Will responded. Have you seen my blue shirt? You know the one I wear…

Who in the hell needs swim trunks on a business trip? Mara bit her tongue. I know you’re not taking that old thing on a business trip. What would the partners say? she chided, despite really wanting to address Will having called their unborn child an it and not to mention the swim trunks he had had haphazardly thrown into his luggage. With Mara, hardly anything ever went unnoticed. Perhaps she didn’t comment, but she’d surely notice.

Mara exhaled and emptied her lungs of angry air. She didn’t want to fight with Will again over another sudden business trip. She had asked him several times to