July 25, 2018 AD
The Study and the Storm
Unable to put a phone call from Claire Smith out of her mind, Greta Smith went to Noah Smith in his study and told him Paul had not come home. Noah had not heard from Paul either, and tried to reassure her that their son only needed space. Greta could not accept it. Noah proposed waiting a day or two before contacting church members in Broken Hill, and Greta made him promise that they would act if nothing came.
Greta Smith could not put a phone call from Claire Smith out of her mind. Noah Smith had been home for a while, working in his study, and she went to find him there. He was at his desk under the lamp, working through scripture passages with a pen and a row of coloured highlighters, and knew nothing of the call. Greta stood in the doorway for a while before knocking on the open door and asking whether he had a moment.
She sat in the chair beside his desk and told him that Claire had rung looking for Paul, who had gone out the night before and not come home. Claire believed Paul was hiding with them to avoid his responsibilities. Noah put his pen down. He said it was not like Paul, and that he had not heard from him in a few days.
That unsettled Greta further. She asked what they would do if something had happened to Paul, if he was in trouble or hurt, and could not bring herself to finish the thought. Noah reached across the desk and took her hand. He told her not to jump to conclusions. Paul could be difficult, especially with Claire, and had probably needed some space to clear his head. He was a grown man and had always been able to look after himself.
Greta did not accept it. She pressed him on whether something else might be going on that they knew nothing about, and said she felt they were missing something and ought to be doing something. Noah's reassurance rested more on hope than on knowledge, and was meant to steady himself as much as her. He did not argue with her or hurry her, and let her say what she needed to.
He then proposed a plan. They would give it a day or two and see whether they heard from Paul or Claire. If they did not, they would contact church members in Broken Hill and ask whether anyone had seen him. Greta agreed, but made him promise that they would act if nothing came, rather than simply wait. Noah promised, and said they would do whatever it took to make sure Paul was safe.
The conversation reassured Greta without settling her. She relied on Noah's calm, but the same calm could feel like distance, his reserve keeping her from what he actually felt. She left the study holding on to his promise. Back in the sewing room she found the muslin she had been working on, and did not take it up again. The sense that something worse was coming stayed with her.
