Keep Quiet
"Were you followed?" asked Timothy, his bag still held at his side, ready.
“Jamie has his ear things. He doesn’t hear a thing,” replied Jane with a hand wave and eye-roll.
“What about the baby?” Timothy raised his eyebrows into a smirk that was still cute even compared to Rosy.
“Respectfully, I don’t think Rosy learned to walk in secret just to spy on you.”
“I am pretty interesting,” he admitted, dropping his bag to hug Jane.
“Oh I’ve heard, but she’s still pretty into me. You’ll get your chance.”
“I’m sure she’ll like to see me tomorrow,” he countered, pulling her into an embrace.
She pulled in closer, crinkling a mass of paper in his pockets as they leaned closer. Jane jumped, worried for a second that the paper would give them away.
“It’s paper darling. My boarding pass and… I don’t know, other stuff,” he said, pulling some crinkled documents out of his jacket pockets.
“How much paper do they have in the military? Are you flying a paper airplane or something?”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny. No I’m um. They’re just papers alright,” he explained, tucking a few into his back pocket in what seemed to be an attempt at discreteness.
“I didn’t mean to bother you, I was just making fun. I’m just glad you’re back, my Timothy,” Jane said, leaning back into the hug and discreetly trying to pull the papers out of his back pocket. “So what gave you this idea anyway, coming home on Christmas Eve to surprise the kids in the morning?”
“Oh, well y’know. It’s hardly original.”
“Are you mad or something?”
“No no, sorry hon.”
“Did your flight get delayed, you seem almost cranky.”
“I’m not one of your kids. Don’t call me cranky” he kept his voice down as best he could.
“So is that a yes?”
“No, the flight came in right at six, early if anything.”
“Six?” she asked. His face dropped. He looked as if he would vomit if not for the thread of him still trying to act natural. “I thought you flew in at ten?” Jane asked, her voice a little shaky not from what he had said but from how he looked.
Timothy didn’t respond. She pulled her hand out from his back pocket to check his boarding pass and found in her now white knuckled hand a letter. A letter from someone named Rose. Jane read a few lines before she couldn’t read any more.
“Why?” she asked to the face in front of her.
“You never call me Tim,” he didn't look ashamed, he looked gone.
“What’s that supposed to fucking mean,” she almost raised her voice but stopped herself, looking over towards the stairwell.
“I needed to get out from under everybody’s thumb.”
“Mine?”
“Yours.”
“Go back!”
“No.”
“Go away!”
"No."
“If you want out, go ou–” he put his hand over her mouth, the other cupped behind her head to keep the seal.
“Keep quiet. For the children.”