PUZZLEMENT Shawney failed to realise he was also hungry. Hearing his words, she held out the bowl of soup towards Torren, "Help me finish this soup if you don't mind."
Hearing him laugh, "What's so funny?" when his stomach made a sound. "Oh, my goodness, this is truly negligence on my part; you are also hungry."
Placing the bowl aside, and turned to look at him, but Shawney felt like everything was spinning around her.
Torren notices how pale her face becomes, "Shawney," taking her in his arms, "Shawney, what is wrong? You don't look well. Come lie down for a minute."
Hearing her speak so softly, "Torren, will you check on Gretta? She is crying."
"Sweetheart, will you just relax? You are not looking well."
"Torren, you are not listening to me, I said, "Gretta is crying." Listening to hear if she was crying, but he heard nothing.
When her eyes close, Torren removes the towel from her hair. "Shawney, your towel is wet."
"Just give me a minute, and try and stop Gretta from crying, please, it is giving me a headache."
"Okay, I will check on her while you change." Returning to her room, he saw her change into a beautiful sunflower dress. "Torren, why is she still crying?"
Her face was still pale, wondering if she was getting sick, "Shawney, Gretta is asleep." Thinking, 'She will rest now, but she looks so confused, just like me sometimes.
The blood from her face seems to drain out, but why the puzzlement,' Then she asks.
"Is there another baby in the house, Torren?"
"Shawney, besides Tray and Gretta, I don't think so?" Watching her cover her ears as she stood up and left the room, "Where are you going, Shawney?"
Hearing just a whisper, "I need to get away from the noise." Watching how her footsteps hasten out of the room and out of the house.
It started as a walk, then she began running. As I followed her, it took me at least ten minutes to catch up with her. Seeing her sitting on the pavement with her head resting on her knees.
Hearing how breathless he was as he sat next to her, he looked so concerned. Holding his hand in hers, she gave it a gentle squeeze.
Realising he was so concerned for her, 'Boy, that feeling was overwhelming. No one has ever shown such concern in a long time. '
Leaning her head on his shoulder, "I am much better now, thanks," trying to reassure him that she was okay.
Realising at that moment the chilliness that was there earlier when she started to walk, had vanished, even the hot soup didn't extinguish that chilliness.
Shawney, 'Thank God that the crying in her head had stopped and the inside of her felt warm once again' Hearing Torren ask, "Shawney, what just happened?"
"I was hearing a noise in my head."
"Is it like what I hear sometimes?"
"Maybe, but I was hearing a baby crying, but it is gone now."
"Is that why you thought it was Gretta crying, Shawney?"
Seeing the nod, "I am sorry if I scare you, Torren, but maybe the Lord wanted me out of the house."
"Shawney, what nonsense? Why would Jesus want you to get away from the house?"
"I can't say, I can't even explain it to myself." Smilingly, Shawney, 'Thank the Lord for helping her feel better, that run had eliminated that chilliness.'
"Are you having a happy thought, Shawney?"
Nodding her head, Shawney continued to smile, turning to him, "Sort of."
"Won't you share your happy thoughts with me, Shawney?"
"Nah, one of these days when you encounter Jesus, and things happen in your life, you will have happy thoughts also."
"Well, you confuse me, one minute you wanted to eat ice cream, then you started to feel cold, then you asked Mrs Louise for soup," seeing him shaking his head,
Stroking his face. "I didn't mean for you to become confused, Torren. Sometimes things happen, and we don't know how to explain why or understand everything.
When I started to feel cold, I thought a hot bath would eliminate the chilliness, but it didn't. Thinking when I got the hot bowl of soup, that would help, but it didn't.
Then I started to hear a baby crying, and I thought it was Gretta who was giving me a serious headache. When you told me it was not Gretta, and there was no baby in the house. I was even more confused, but don't worry, the run worked wonders; that chilliness I was feeling is completely gone, and now I am feeling much better."
"Is that why you were smiling, Shawney?"
"You could say so, now we can return? That soup I drank has melted away, and I am feeling hungry now."
Holding his hand, he stood up, "Shawney, we have a problem."
"What is that? Are you no longer hungry, Torren?"
"Oh, I am very hungry, but your beautiful dress is soiled."
"Don't worry, I will dust it off."
"Shawney, it's not dusty, it is soil."
"What?" observing the way she twisted the dress, "Oh dear God, what am I going to do now? This is my last dress. And how will I enter the house with everyone's eyes on me?"
Torren notices she is almost in tears. Removing his jersey, then tied it around her waist, "One problem solved, now there's no need to worry, my wife's things are still in my room."
"Thank you so much. Torren, you have saved the day. Hugging him, thanking God she won't have to be embarrassed."
Entering the house, thinking just as I thought, 'Everyone was relaxing in the living room.
"Torren, where were you two? We have been waiting; the table is already set."
"Sorry about that, Dad. We went jogging, just give us a few minutes to freshen up."
Shawney heard one saying, "Jogging, in this heat," while another laughed.
Realising that Torren heard them and just guided me along, opening my door. Then whisper, "I will be right back."
"Torren, thanks again," removing his jersey ", Here you go" Closing her door, she hurried into the bathroom.
Whispering, "Oh Lord, I hope he doesn't expose everything, and it was nice of him to lend his jersey, they must be thinking both of us are mad the same way.
But who cares, at least I don't have to face any embarrassment."
Knocking at the bathroom door, "Shawney, I put everything on top of your bed when you finish, you can meet me downstairs."
"Thanks, Torren, I will be down in five minutes."
"Never mind that, I know you hate to be embarrassed."
Seeing that she shifts the bathroom curtain, "Torren, I love you, you are the greatest."
Then her head was out of sight, and the water was running once more. Stepping out of the room, thinking about what she said, 'Was she just making a joke or did she mean it?'
"Dad, did I see Torren take one of Dalia's dresses to her room?"
"I believe so, Carl."
"Then that is a good sign, he knows the children are his, and now he is giving away Dalia's belongings; Shawney is right, he is getting better, from yesterday to today; I see so many changes."
"Carl, please, your talking is very sickening.'
"Jeff, I believe Shawney is good for Torren."
"Just because he gives her a dress doesn't mean he meant anything."
"Then why worry, Jeff?" Carl asks.
"I hope she is not staying for long before she confuses him more and things worsen. And I hear Candis and Travis started quarrelling again since we returned from the pool."
"Jeff, why do you blame Shawney? If those two are having a problem, it's not Shawney's fault." Train responds.
"Dad is right, Jeff. Have you looked at Torren? He is happy."
"So, is it alright to destroy one life, so the other could be happy?" Jeff demanded.
"You are misunderstanding us, Jeff. Tell me, are they still fighting about the incident by the pool after Shawney and Torren leave?" Carl enquires.
"Yes, because Travis was glancing at Shawney."
"Good Lord, Jeff, so if every time you look at someone and Lasandra quarrel, whose fault is that, or who would you blame?
The woman you are glancing at, or the person who was glancing, be real, Jeff, Candis must have some mistrust for Travis, that could be the only reason she is behaving in that manner?"
"She is beautiful."
Unable to stifle his chuckling any longer, Carl just burst out laughing and then said, "Jeff, is it a sin to be beautiful?
Earlier in the pool, if you didn't notice, Travis was trying to get closer to Shawney.
She realised that he is a philanderer and womaniser, so she avoided him