The Life of Jacob Track (Book Two of the 33X Series)

Chapter Seven

           

CHAPTER SEVEN

February 18, 2015

Elizabeth Track was busy folding laundry while her seven-month-old son, Marcus, was napping.  She was also flipping through the channels between the local news and The Price Is Right.  She loved Drew Carey as the host; he made it so much fun.  She was also trying to distract herself from her own mind, but failing at it.  The past few weeks had been very hard on her emotionally.   She had every right in the world to be happy and grateful.  Yet, no matter what she did, her heart still held so much sadness over the death of her son, Jacob in 2013. 

            No one ever gets over the death of a child, really, she knew that.  But she hoped that the pain of it all would eventually fade away.  Some days she would be fine, full of genuine smiles and peace.  Other days, it was so much harder to hold onto the fleeting moments of joy.

            She was beyond grateful for Marcus.  He had helped her mend pieces of her she thought would never heal.  His big, slobbery smile brightened her day.  He was truly a gift from God.

            Plus, she also had the love of her life, Edward.  Edward was always supportive and nurturing to her. He knew what she was going through in the grieving process too.  After 20 years of marriage, they still barely fought, which was fine for her. She didn't like a lot of conflict.  He was smart, funny, and loving.  She knew she wouldn't make it a day without him. 

            So why did her heart choose to dwell on the horrible past that she couldn't change?  She'd give anything in the world to bring Jacob back, and she knew Edward felt the same.

            She tried to force herself not to dwell on the pain, but it wasn't working.  The news was full of pain, sickness, and death.  She was very saddened to learn that Zacchya Packers was missing in an apparent kidnapping.  The cop, Zac Reynolds, had been her boyfriend and was taken in for questioning.  Elizabeth had never met Zac, but she knew Zacchya very well.  She had dated Jacob for over a year, and they were even planning on getting married.  She was a lovely girl who was always cheerful and happy ... until Jacob died.  Then the happiness faded and sadness overtook the once cheerful girl.  Zacchya's depression was much worse than her own.

            Zacchya was committed to the mental hospital after she tried to commit suicide at Jacob's funeral.  Elizabeth would never forget that day as long as she lived. It was the worst day of her life.  She had to bury her son, without a body or a proper goodbye, and then Zacchya came screaming and waving a gun.  It had been awful for everyone.  But unfortunately, it showed what a truly loved boy Jacob was.  Everyone was upset by his suicide. 

            Suicide was harder to grieve, she thought.  With other deaths, you find something to be angry at: disease, drunk drivers, seatbelts, planes, cars, weapons, other people, etc.  However, with suicide there's no one to be mad at except the victim.  She loved Jacob too much to be angry at him, but she was so angry at the situation.

            She flipped back to The Price is Right hoping Drew Carey would get some laughs out of her. She folded the laundry to stay distracted, not letting her dwell on her sadness.

            Around noon, Edward showed up for lunch.  Elizabeth and Marcus were in the kitchen.  She was feeding him canned peas, his favorite.

            "Hey lovelies!" Edward smiled as he stepped into the kitchen.

            "Hey, sweetie. How was the bank?"