Deer Park
Chapter 4
Mike barely moved all night and only roused a little when Christine got up. He was sitting up in kind of a daze when she came back in from the bathroom. He looked like he could go back to sleep easily.
"Mike; go back to sleep if you want. You still look sleepy." Christine prompted gently.
"I should get up and do something. I noticed the screen door was catching." Mike remarked.
"You're here for three weeks at least. You need to rest up." Christine said. She sat down next to Mike to put her shoes on, hoping to encourage him to go back to bed.
"I am kind of glad there is no cellphone reception." Mike commented.
"You are happy about the exact thing that is the bane of Hannah's existence. Funny how attitudes change with age." Christine replied as she stood up and smoothed her shirt.
"With age and experience." Mike said.
"So, Katie is already off to work and Hannah has the algebra test with Mom. You have the run of the house for a few hours at least. I'll see if Dad will bring a fishing rod over for you." Christine explained.
"Yeah, I would like to do that." Mike said.
"Sleep, Mike. Nothing wrong with it. How much do you normally sleep per night?" Christine asked.
"Just an hour or two every night. I work a lot of hours." Mike admitted.
"Well, you never moved all night. That tells me you are physically and probably mentally exhausted. You need rest and there is nothing wrong with getting it. No one will judge you here." Christine said.
"Thanks. I don't know what's came over me." Mike remarked.
"You've not had a break in years." Christine replied.
"True. I just feel useless right now. And I don't particularly understand why you are being so kind now with what I told you yesterday." Mike said.
"What you told me yesterday was that you were lonely and you looked for companionship in all the wrong places. You were human. Something was missing with those women for you. I'm sure you had fun but it didn't help with the loneliness. I'm just not entirely sure with that last argument how you can trust me." Christine said.
"Because you offer the one thing none of those women could. You love me. Even with what you said that night, I knew…somehow." Mike explained.
"I do. As painful as the past several years has been, it made me realize what I had. Now, I have to get to work. You rest. Maybe go fishing later. I'll have Dad leave a fishing pole on the porch." Christine said before kissing his forehead. She was headed out of the bedroom door, before Mike replied.
"Hey; I love you too." Mike said.
"Go to sleep, Mike!" Christine answered in true fashion for herself. He thought about not obeying but he was tired so he laid back down.
He must have been more tired than he initially thought because he didn't wake up again until almost one pm and that was only because he had to go to the bathroom. He considered going back to bed but he did actually want to sleep that night and the lake was alluring. He dressed and found a fishing rod, tackle box, net and a bucket of worms on the porch, left by Christine's dad, Bill.
Mike made himself a sandwich before going out to the backyard and to begin finshing. He stayed next to the lake the entire afternoon, and didn't even realize how late it had gotten until Christine and Hannah walked up.
"How many have you caught?" Christine asked.
"Four but I threw them back in. I suppose I should have saved them for supper but they were gars." Mike said.
"Grandpa kills those." Hannah said with a scrunched up nose.
"Everything has its place in our ecosystem. Even gars. Mike; its okay. I brought some extra bacon home and Mom gave me some home-made bread, and some tomatoes and lettuce she had from the garden." Christine explained.
"That sounds delicious." Mike said.
"Good. Katie will be home soon. I'll get dinner started." Christine replied.
"Dad, you smell like fish. You might want to take a shower before supper." Hannah said after giving him a hug.
"Hannah!" Christine scolded.
"You knew I had been fishing and I'm sure you knew what I would smell like, so why did you hug me?" Mike teased. Hannah only shrugged in response.
"C'mon, young lady." Christine said, jerking their daughter with her by the strap on her bib overalls, explaining to Mike why the nearly fourteen-year-old still wore them. It made him chuckle in response. Something he hadn't done in years. He cast out his fishing line again, knowing the mother was giving the daughter a firm lecture. Something he wasn't ready to be a part of yet. That day would come, sooner rather than later.