Off The Record
My Spouse Insisted That We Sleep In Different Rooms, So One Night I Investigated After Hearing Strange Noises Coming From His Room
Pam is upset and bewildered when her husband insists they sleep in different rooms. Strange noises coming from his chamber start to worry her as the evenings go by. What is he trying to hide? Curiosity takes the better of her one evening, and she approaches his door ready to learn the truth about the disturbance.
With a sinking heart, I saw James as he threw everything from his bedside table into the little wicker basket.
My vehicle accident five years ago left me paraplegic from the waist down. Ever since then, James has been my rock. I felt like my life was falling apart again as he was packing up his belongings.
His voice was forceful yet gentle as he replied, “I’ll still be here if you need me, Pam.” “This doesn’t change that.”
“You just won’t be in the same room anymore,” I said.
James gave a nod. “Like I said, I just need a bit more freedom while I sleep.”
I nodded, not believing I could talk. How could I tell him that everything changed because of this? That the idea of spending the night by myself in this large bed scared me?
A crushing sensation of insecurity swept over me as he left the room, basket in hand. My chest tightened with worry at the possibility that James might no longer be able to sleep close to me.
The ensuing weeks were a haze of unending uncertainties. I would lie in bed, gazing up at the ceiling, wondering if James would regret coming to live with me following the accident. Was I causing too much trouble? Had this been the last straw for him?
Then the nighttime sounds arrived.
Dim scratching and muffled thumps emanating from James’s new room down the hall were the beginning of it. I initially dismissed it as him getting used to his new surroundings. But my mind started racing as the noises increased in volume and frequency.
How could he have been in there? Did he happen to be packing? preparing to flee? Was there someone else, or worse?
Night after night, the noises bothered me.
I would ax to listen, attempting to decipher the odd clank of metal and the shuffle. My mind raced, picturing scenes that were more horrific than the last.
I gave in to temptation one day as I walked past the door to his room. I extended my arm to seize the doorknob. I was going to check out his activities there myself.
However, the door was secured.
Startled, I gazed at it. It was one thing for them to sleep in different rooms, but now he was also keeping me out of his bedroom. Perhaps he was all along and I had just never noticed.
A heavy fear descended upon my heart. I could not shake the feeling that I had lost James for good at this point. Probably feeling bad for abandoning me completely, he was tormenting me instead.
When he got home from work that evening, I confronted him.
“You think I want to leave you?” James stared across our dining table at me. “Why would you think that?”
“The separate rooms.” I threw some rice around on my plate and looked down. “I don’t want to be a burden on you.”
He angrily said, “I told you, I just want to sleep by myself.” “You are aware that I have trouble falling asleep. I wish not to cause you harm.”
I agreed, even though none of it had ever caused me any trouble in the past. How did things go so bad between us that he was no longer even able to be completely honest with me?
The sounds were more intense that evening. It was more than I could handle. I forced myself into my wheelchair, ignoring the excruciating pain that was coursing through me.
Despite the excruciating walk down the corridor, I persisted because I was determined to find out the truth.
The air seemed to get colder as I drew closer to James’s door. Around me, the house moaned and creaked, like it was trying to tell me to go back. However, I was unable to. Not right now.
I shook my hand and grabbed for the doorknob. My heart felt like it was about to explode from my chest. I turned the handle slowly. This time the door was unlocked.
“James?” I yelled as I pushed open the door.
I was speechless, and my eyes welled up with tears at seeing what met my eyes.
James took center stage in the room, surrounded by a variety of tools, paint cans, and partially completed furniture. His expression was one of astonishment when he gazed up at me, but it soon melted into a shy smile.
Putting his fingers through his hair, he remarked, “You weren’t supposed to see this yet.”
I blinked, attempting to interpret what I was seeing. “What… what is all this?”
James moved aside to show a tiny wooden building behind him. “It’s called a lift system,” he clarified. “To make getting in and out of bed easier for you. I am aware that we have been having trouble with that for some time.”
I quickly scanned the room, picking up on features I had missed the first time around. The bedside table was exquisitely decorated and had drawers at the perfect height for me to access from my chair. Every accessible surface was covered in blueprints and sketches.
“I’ve been working on this for our anniversary,” James warmly and softly said. “I understand that you’ve been annoyed by how difficult it has been to move around the house. I intended to simplify things for you.”
My eyes filled with tears as the full impact of his words struck me. Even though it seemed like he was drifting apart, he had been putting in a lot of effort to improve my accessibility in our house.
James then moved to a corner of the space and withdrew a pretty little box that had been tastefully wrapped.
He put it gently in my lap and added, “This is part of it too.”
My hands trembling, I opened the present. I had been wanting a heating pad for my legs for some time, but I had never gotten around to purchasing one until it was delivered.
With a timid smile, James said, “I wanted to make sure you’re comfortable, even on the worst pain days.”
“Tears clouded my vision as I glanced up at him. However, why are there different rooms? Why the secrecy at all?”
James took my hands in his and kneeled next to my wheelchair.
“I wanted room to work so as not to reveal the surprise. To be honest, Pam, if we spent every night together, I was afraid I might forget something. I’m horrible at keeping things hidden from you, you know that.”
I surprised both of us by laughing out loud. James had never been able to hide anything from me for very long, and it was true. It was funny and heartwarming to consider how hard he was trying to hold onto this one.
“I apologize deeply for causing you concern,” he said, drawing circles with his thumb on the back of my hand.
“That was never my intention,” he said. “I just wanted to do something special for you, to show you how much I love you and that I’m here for the long haul.”
I bent over and laid my forehead on top of his. “Oh, James,” I said in a whisper. “I also adore you. Very much.”
For a few periods, we remained in that position, enjoying the warmth of our renewed bond. Upon eventually stepping back, I couldn’t help but grinne at the chaos surrounding us.
“So, do you need any help finishing up these projects?” I enquired.
James smiled, joy glimmering in his eyes. “I would adore that. Together, we can address them and really claim this land as our own.”
I felt a load come off my shoulders as we started talking plans and ideas. The chamber, which had stood for skepticism and distance before, was now a symbol of James’ commitment and love.
A few weeks later, on our anniversary, we revealed our bedroom’s makeover. James had made some unique furniture, and both the lift mechanism and the furniture were installed.
I was overcome with emotion as I saw him bring his belongings back to our room and arrange them on his bedside table.
I whispered gently, “Welcome back,” as he got into bed next to me.
James drew me in and planted a kiss on the top of my head. “Pam, I never left. And I never will.”
Our love had changed, much like the environment around us, as we got comfortable for the night. What appeared to be an increasing distance was, in reality, a love so profound that it was discovering new avenues for expression.
Being in the same room or even sharing a bed wasn’t the main concern in the end. It was about the sacrifices we would make, the lengths we would go to for one another, and the love that held us together through it all.
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