When Lauren worked for BYU’s records office, she made fifteen thousand per year . . . after her first raise. The man worked two jobs in the summer and one job during the fall and winter semesters. They lived in married-student housing, and they scrimped by, saving about fifteen hundred dollars over a year andContinue reading “The Last Room in Town”
Tag Archives: Marriage
To Monitor a Cat’s Blood Sugar
They are in Texas for Christmas eight months after being married. They are sitting in the front room getting ready to watch a movie with Ruthanne and the man’s parents. Mom comes in dressed in a nightgown and her slippers, and she carries a bag full of needles. “Lauren, before I forget,” she says. “IContinue reading “To Monitor a Cat’s Blood Sugar”
It’s a Test
Lauren’s parents live in the Boston area. On the night the young man and Lauren got engaged, they went to Granny’s house to call their parents. They had known each other for more than two years since they had served as missionaries together; she had come to his house at Thanksgiving, but he had neverContinue reading “It’s a Test”
There Once Was a Man from Boston
They are having family home evening, and the young man is sitting on the couch with Stephen and Ruthanne. They have moved past the lesson, and their parents are telling stories of their early courtship. “So your dad invited me over to dinner to meet his parents for the first time,” says the young man’sContinue reading “There Once Was a Man from Boston”
His Son Is Trying to Kill Him
Their son does not like anything the man does for him. He hates having his diaper changed, cries like he is being killed. When the man goes to give the boy his first bath, the man’s mother in law insists, “Babies love their baths!” But Grant does not: he screams bloody murder through it. OnContinue reading “His Son Is Trying to Kill Him”
That’s What They Expect You to Do in the Church
The young man has been fasting today. He wants to confirm that he should marry Lauren Elliott of Massachusetts, a sister he knew from his mission and has been dating since coming home. The day has not gone as he expected. He and Lauren got in an argument at church. He has had a splittingContinue reading “That’s What They Expect You to Do in the Church”
I Hope He Doesn’t Die
The boy lies in bed with his hands behind his head, while his father sits at the foot of the bed near his feet. The disappointment of pitching and losing the first of two possible clinching games has mostly passed. They will just have to clinch the championship Friday night instead, and while he can’tContinue reading “I Hope He Doesn’t Die”
You’ll Thank Me Later
They are here because of preeclampsia. Lauren is a type 1 diabetic, and at 37 weeks, her blood pressure has gone up, and protein has been found in her urine. She called Gordon away from work that afternoon, Lauren’s mother, Marti, met them at the hospital, and they have been preparing for a C-section allContinue reading “You’ll Thank Me Later”
Christmas Dinner
It is their first Christmas as a married couple. They are spending it in Corpus Christi with the man’s parents. Stephen and Lydia are planning to stop by in another hour or so. The presents are all unwrapped, and everyone is now exhausted from the excitement wearing off. Around 3 pm, Lauren says, “I’m supposedContinue reading “Christmas Dinner”
A Van Down by the River
The man sits at a long table next to Lauren. Across the table are all Grant’s teachers, the speech therapist, the occupational therapist, and the head of special ed for the school. It is his third grade review of his IEP—a critical evaluation to determine if services will continue. They all have copies of theContinue reading “A Van Down by the River”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 