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She was staring at me again - I could tell. I finagled with Aleah’s shoes, trying to get them properly on her feet, as she pushed herself up with both her hands on my shoulders.
“Let’s hurry up, girls. We don’t want to be late,” that was my darling wife, Claire, letting our children know and perhaps myself that we were dawdling too much. I nodded towards her and focused on the task at hand. I applied some light pressure to the tip of my daughter’s shoe and felt her toes.
“Aleah, do your shoes feel tight?” I asked her.
She nodded at me.
“Have they felt that way for a while?”
She glanced away bashfully and nodded.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” At this point, I noticed my wife bend down and squeeze the end of May’s shoes to check if hers were tight as well.
“I think May’s are okay,” my wife turned to me and shrugged slightly.
I stood up, placing my hand on my hip and stared at both of them. “Uh,” I murmured as my eyes darted back and forth towards both our daughters, “Aleah, did you not want to tell us because you didn’t want May to notice you’ve gotten slightly taller?”
“Perhaps,” was her succinct reply.
“Okay, we’ll have to stop,” my talk of shopping was cut short as I noticed my wife staring at me again. Her eyes focused distinctly on mine. I could feel my face getting warm. I swear she was staring at my eyes so much more than usual! What was she thinking? Did she want to eat me? Oh god! Please, Miss Claire! Eat me!
“Aleah, mothers are flirting again,” May sighed, covering her head in her hands.
“Girls! I haven’t even said anything,” Claire huffed, putting a hand to her chest, but her eyes were still boring into mine!
Tell Mother Claire to stop staring into my eyes! I wanted to tell them, but I kept that point silent and coughed lightly into a closed fist. “We have to get going!” I turned my attention away from them and opened the front door, motioning for them to follow. “We’ll stop to look at shoes after we pick you girls up from school later. Now let’s hurry, or we’ll all be late!”
The stares kept on all the way to work….
- -
I cannot believe that this job has paperwork also. Why did I agree to do a job that also has paperwork? I had enough of it in my previous life!
I sat there grading papers on my right side, on my left was my egg salad that I had just taken out a few minutes ago. Idly I would dip my fork into it, but my focus was on the term papers that needed to get graded.
Something was wrong. I lifted up my head to look around and immediately noticed my wife across from me, with an eyebrow up as she dipped her fork into the egg salad that I made for her as well.
“Sorry,” I muttered, wanting to give her more of my attention, but my right hand had to keep writing. I cannot believe how many mistakes have been written on these papers. What am I teaching these kids?
“Rae….”
“Rae….”
“RAE!”
I dropped my pen and immediately looked up to see Claire give me a disapproving look. I bit my bottom lip and looked around in the habit of seeing if the girls were causing trouble but obviously that wasn’t the case here.
I gulp, “Yes, Claire?”
She pointed her fork at my salad, “You need to eat. You’ve been just grading papers for the past five minutes.”
“But, I have to…” I paused my explanation as I saw her giving me a villainous stare. I decided to nod and ignore the papers for a minute to focus on my lunch.
“Why didn’t you grade those yesterday?”
“I forgot,” I said between bites.
I watched as she reached forward and put her hand on my forehead. I raised my brow at her.
“You don’t have a fever.”
“I’m not sick,” I retorted.
“Hmm,” she mutters. “It’s not like you to forget something like grading papers.”
I shrug my shoulders and look back at the stack of papers leaning to my right and start going through them again. “My mind must’ve been elsewhere,” I state and look up and see her staring into my eyes again. That’s what I was thinking about! All she has been doing for the past several days has been gazing into my eyes, and while I’m flattered, it’s not something that I’m used to! However, I don’t state these thoughts out loud as I look away, feeling myself feeling somewhat flushed from her staring, and try to gaze my eyes back at my papers.
I hear a slight cough and I glance up to see Claire pointing her fork back at my lunch. I give a slight sigh and make sure to take another bite before lifting my pen again.
- -
By dinner I have had it! Through conversations with our daughters and with each other her eyes have barely left mine, outside of glancing down at her meal every other minute. I can feel my legs shaking under the table with anxiety. I don’t know what I have done, but it must’ve been something!? I want to ask her why she keeps her gaze solely on mine, but I’m quiet with our daughters there - in case it escalates into an argument.
“Mother Rae are you okay?” Aleah asks me as I’m still debating on what to say in my head.
I look towards my young daughter and nod, “I’m fine.”
“You’re shaking and sweating Momma Rae,” May points out. I frown and wipe my forehead - I am sweating! I’m cognizant that I’m also still shaking my legs and tell my brain to stop.
“Oh dear,” I hear Claire state from across the table, eyes again solely focused on me. “Girls, help clear the table and I’ll make sure your mother is okay. Sound good?” She watches as the girls start grabbing the plates and then makes her way back over to me.
For the second time today, she is feeling my forehead, this time giving me a quizzical look as she feels the moisture sitting on my brow. “Why don’t we sit on the couch?” she says, concerned as she reaches towards my elbow and helps me out of the dining room chair, but her eyes stay on me.
YOU’RE DOING THIS TO ME! I want to shout, but instead, just nod and look down so not to see her penetrating gaze as she sits me down on the couch, and I feel her lower my head upon her lap. I’m at her mercy, and I stare up and see her returning my stare, a content smile on her face.
I can’t hold this in any longer! “Claire, you have been staring into my eyes non-stop for the past several days! It’s driving me insane. Why?”
She quickly backs her head away as if this is news to her, but doesn’t stop the constant stare. “Why would I not stare into the eyes of my beautiful wife?”
I feel myself flush, but this has to stop! “Claire, if anyone is to stare into someone’s eyes, it should be me staring into your stunning blue eyes. Mine are a common brown; there is nothing unique or fascinating about my eyes to stare at. I beg of you to stop.”
Her hand caresses my cheek as she shakes her head. “Those eyes have loved me for at least two lifetimes. How could they not possess me so?”
I close my eyes as I am about to die from the abundance of love and praise that she is giving me.
“However, if it more than you can bear… then I will calm it a smidge,” she acquiesces.
Before I can overcome my fear and open my eyes to see her be true to her word, I feel a gentle kiss upon each eyelid.
“Ugh! Aleah, they’re flirting again!” May yells, and I can hear her tiny footsteps make her way back into the kitchen.
As I lift each lid, I see that she was not true to her words, but it doesn’t matter.
For I love her eyes as well.