Fiction

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"Whispers in the Night"

It had been a long day, a long week, a long year for Peter. He passed his bar exam and got his law license. He secured a position as a junior lawyer in second largest firm in St. Louis. He worked 60-70 hours, six and seven days a week trying to make a name for himself. He was doing well.

After six straight days of 12 and 14 hours a day preparing for his first trial, he just wanted to sleep. Samantha understood that. So she lay next to her boyfriend of two years, reading a romance novel on her Kindle while Peter grumbled in the final stages of falling asleep.

"Peter." He heard his name whispered but didn't really have the will to open his eyes or ask what Sam wanted. Instead he grunted.

"Peter." The voice came again. But it sounded more like his mom than his beautiful girlfriend.

"Yes." He slurred.

"Peter, I need to talk to you."

"Mom, I'm trying to sleep." He mumbled, incoherent to Sam.

"I love you, Peter. You should never forget that."

"I know, Mom. Can I sleep now?"

"You're working too hard."

"I have to if I want to get somewhere in the firm, Mom."

"But you're neglecting your duties."

"Not now, Mom. I'm exhausted."

Sam became concerned for Peter as he kept mumbling incoherently in his sleep and tossed violently over to his stomach. She knew Peter would snore when he was very tired, but had never known him to talk in his sleep. She thought about waking him out of what must be a bad dream, but, ultimately, decided against it. She would just ask him about it in the morning.

"You don't go to church anymore, Peter. Why?"

"Mom," Peter thought he shouted, but that's all it was-a thought. "I'm busy working. Can you just leave me alone? There's plenty of time for that later."

"What about Sam? When are you going to do the right thing?"

"I have the ring. Now, leave me alone so I can sleep!" Peter implored in exhausted anguish.

"I have to go soon, so you need to listen up, young man." His mom stated in her don't-disobey-me-or-else voice.

Peter continued to toss and turn, mumbling into his pillow when Sam turned off her book and light. She lay there next to him for a few minutes, hoping he would settle. When he didn't, she decided she would sleep better on the couch in the front room of their apartment. Meanwhile, Peter was berated by his mother inside his head for not going to church, for never praying anymore, for not serving God the way she had taught him. Through it all he lay there and complained that he just wanted to sleep and be left alone.


In the morning, Peter stood, red-eyed, at the counter sipping his black coffee. He knew he had slept, but didn't feel like he had. Sam was in the other room checking her email before going out shopping with the girls. Peter struggled to wake up fully before leaving to meet his coworkers for a round of golf. The plan was a day of rest for both and then a nice dinner out. Though Sam didn't know it, Peter planned to pop the question that night too. He had planned a long night of celebration; now, he only hoped to stay awake long enough to hear her answer.

Peter's cell phone rattled loudly on the counter next to him. He had forgotten to turn the ringer on last night as he left the trial strategy meeting. Slapping his hand over it, he slid the phone up to look at the caller ID, terrified it might be work calling him in for another prep session. He sighed in relief to see that it was his brother Tom as he pushed talk and moved the phone to his ear.

"Peter, it's Tom." His brother paused and then continued with great sadness.

"Mom's dead. She had a heart attack last night."

At the sound of Peter's coffee cup breaking on the floor, Sam looked up in concern.

Peter fell to the floor weeping as he remembered his mother's final words last night, "Remember, Peter, I love you no matter what. And God loves you more." She had said it to him every night that he could remember when he was growing up. Last night, she had said it to him one last time.

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