Whispers that Scream

Chapter Twelve

Adam

Adam sat in his rocking recliner, gnawing on his shirt like normal, and reflecting on the painful past Jane had shared with him last night. He probably shouldn't have said that last part, but he didn't want to censor his true thoughts in front of her, and honestly, he was glad that the fucker had died. He wanted to text her to check in on how she was doing, but he was paralyzed by the thought of typing the wrong thing and upsetting her. She was in a very delicate state, and he could end up doing more harm than good. Delicate was one adjective that he had never heard himself described as.

He wasn't very good at comforting people. Instead, he often chose to bring a sense of normalcy to the situation. His goal was to treat the person the same as he always had with the hope that they might even have their minds taken off of their pain. Possibly, he could even get them to laugh and bring a little light to their lives for that brief moment. That's what he decided to do for Jane. He would treat her like he normally did to prove to her that her past didn't make him see her in a different light. He would just be more aware of avoiding things that could trigger her trauma.

Going out in public was always nerve-wracking for Adam and even when it went well, it took a lot out of him. He wasn't ready to go out in public with Jane again, but he also wanted to spend more time with her. He wanted to get her out of her house more and do something that she might even enjoy.

He thought of some activities he could do with her away from the public eye. Remembering how long she and her family had been coming to Magnolia to enjoy the water, he thought maybe fishing on his boat might be a good idea. But what if he got seasick? What if she got seasick? What if they were trapped in a storm? What if he steered directly into a rig or sand barge, they didn't catch any fish, or she didn't like to fish?

No. Even if those things happened, they happened to people all the time, and it wasn't a big deal. Besides, he could trust Jane to tell him the truth if she didn't want to go. He stared at the phone in his hand for a couple of more minutes before he gathered the courage to just take the risk.

Hi Jane, it's Adam. I was wondering if you'd like to go fishing this weekend with me? 

He then sat back and waited and waited and waited. A realization hit him hard. She knows it's you. Why do you always say "It's Adam" like it's the first time you are texting her? 

He started to go through all the negative scenarios in his head about why she wasn't answering. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he saw the three bubbles, indicating she was responding. He let out a sigh of relief as the text came through.

Sure, just let me know what day and time I need to be ready. Can I bring anything?

He waited a few minutes to respond to not seem too eager and texted back.

6:00 am Sunday. You can bring some drinks if you want.

A thumbs up was all he got in reply.

Adam spent the rest of the week trying to focus on his work, but every time he tried, his thoughts would jump back to the fishing trip. He needed to double and triple-check everything before they left Sunday morning. He knew the boat he and Max shared was ready to go for the most part because he and Max had gone fishing last month. It still had around 3/4ths of a tank of gas, so they would be fine on fuel, but he still had a million things to check off.

Finally, Sunday came around. Adam got up at 4:00 am to make sure that he didn't oversleep and had time to do his morning routine. He would feel off-kilter if he deviated, and he didn't need any help feeling anxious today. He made sure to have two cups of the specific brand of coffee he liked, drank one Dr. Pepper, ate the same breakfast bar he ate every morning, and did his bathroom routine the same as he always did.