Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: WAIT (05/21/20)
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TITLE: Not Yet(a) | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
05/25/20 -
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The last call to the nursing station had come from his ex-wife. “Hello, this is Natalie Matthews. Any change in Desmond?”
Silence. “No, we’re still waiting.”
Desmond had displayed his nature from birth – he showed up ten days late. The development charts his parents faithfully looked up meant nothing. Oh, he was cuddly enough and his smile kept his parents patient while he delayed crawling, walking and potty training. His parents even tried the marshmallow trick. They showed aunts, uncles and grandparents that if Desmond was left in a room with the promise that, if he didn’t eat the marshmallow in front of him, he could have two later then Desmond would wait. Every single time, Desmond waited – studying the marshmallow.
“He’s going to be a very successful person,” one uncle noted. “All the psychologists say so. The marshmallows prove it.”
Desmond delayed finding his stride in school with academics and relationships but it came in time. He outwaited the patience of his football coach, his soccer coach and his piano teacher until they moved on to others. He outwaited the interest of dozens of girls when his smile, easy-going nature and wit drew them like moths to a flame.
“He’s just biding his time until the perfect girl comes along” his sister confided to one interested friend. “If you just wait around him enough, he’ll notice you eventually.”
Sure enough, a dozen years after education was a distant speck in his rear-view mirror, Desmond noticed and wedding bells chimed. “I think we should go to church together,” Natalie urged.
Desmond nodded. “We’ll see. I’m busy with work right now. You go ahead if you want.”
She did. While Jeffrey, Lynn and Bethany were growing, Natalie tried again. “I think we should go to church as a family.”
“We’ll see,” he said. “I’m still busy with work.”
A colleague at work shared the good news of Jesus. “Desmond, did you know that Jesus loves you, came to earth, died for your sins and rose again to intercede for you.”
Desmond smiled and nodded. “I grew up with it and my family is closely connected with First Baptist and First Presbyterian. I’m getting a few things sorted out and then I’ll figure all that sort of thing out.”
On his seventeenth anniversary he arrived home to an empty house. The card on the table sat untouched as he turned on the news and waited for his family to come home. Chinese take-out satisfied him as he hunkered down with his computer. He’d delayed sending an ecard for this special occasion until now. Other things caught his attention. Soon after mid-night he brushed his teeth and muttered through the froth – “it’s Friday, probably took the kids to her sister’s.”
Sunday night he reached for the card still on the table. It wasn’t an anniversary card. “Thanks for the memories,” it said. “I hope you can make more on your own because we won’t be around for them.” No signature.
The next week crawled by at work. “How’s the family?” someone asked. “The usual,” he said.
The driveway continued to be empty, the house dark, and the fridge empty. “I’ll just wait,” he coached himself. “She’ll come to her senses.”
He called the pastor. “Have you considered your faith?” the clergyman asked.”
“I’m waiting to sort out a few other things,” he said hanging up.
When the virus closed down the world, Desmond waited to socially distance, waited to don a mask and gloves, waited to check his temperature. He wandered the streets aimlessly.
When the neighbour called 9-1-1 about the collapsed man lying on the sidewalk outside, Desmond was already delirious. The ambulance arrived within fifteen minutes and the General Hospital staff processed him quickly into an isolation ward.
In his induced coma, vague flashes of life slipped through his mind. There was something he still needed to do. With his last breath he gurgled “not yet!”
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Excellent piece. I hope you place high.