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After lunch, Charlie retired to her room for a nap. Adam had promised to wake her up in two hours, so she wouldn't ruin her sleep for tonight-- the way she figured he had already done by sleeping the morning through. Sleep, however, would not come so easily for Charlie. She fidgeted on the bed, unsuccessfully trying to get a little rest to take the edge off her weariness. When Adam quietly checked in on her an hour later, he discovered that she was wide awake and listless.

"What's the matter?" he asked, entering the bedroom and closing the door behind him. "After last night, you should be sound asleep."

"I think I'll get up," she sighed, looking at the clock. "The floor needs to be mopped, the bathroom needs to be cleaned," her voice trailed off, as if the list were even longer but she was too tired to name it all off. "Adam," reflected Charlie, "I don't think Grandma's been able to do everything that she normally used to. The house is fairly clean, but a lot of the things that require bending over and lifting are unfinished. Have you seen the bathroom? It's terrible!"

"Let me clean the house," offered Adam. "You try to get some rest."

"Thanks," smiled Charlie, "but I need something to do. I'm done counting the tiles on the ceiling."

"I know the feeling," sympathized Adam, looking about her old bedroom. "You know," he mused, "this is the first time that I remember being in here... no, wait-- the time the intruder tried to break in-- I checked your window." Still thinking about the incident, Adam walked to the window in question and made sure that it was locked.

"Kevin already checked," said Charlie.

"Good man," chuckled Adam, taking a closer look at the music box sitting on her nightstand. He opened the lid and "Shades of Love" began to play. Charlie heard the musician sigh heavily and shut the box.

"You miss your music, don't you?" she said knowingly.

"It feels a little like holding your breath," he answered. "I'm aching to get behind a piano-- any piano-- and just play. I don't suppose you have a toy keyboard in your closet?" he joked.

"I'm not that young!" she laughed, throwing her pillow at Adam. He ducked out of the way, and the object sailed past him. Charlie squealed with laughter when Adam pounced on the bed, intent on revenge. "Adam!" she gasped in between laughs. "Stop!"

From the living room, Vera and Kevin could hear Adam and Charlie, laughing, and in general having a good time with each other. Nothing sounded overly intimate, but when another peal of laughter came from behind the closed bedroom door, Vera looked up at Kevin, who was watching TV with Chuck.

"I suppose you find yourself in many awkward situations in your profession," she said, thoughtfully.

"What are you referring to?" asked Kevin. "You mean Mr. and Mrs. Clark? I mind my business, and let them mind theirs." When Vera looked a little disbelievingly at him, he added, "They have a healthy relationship, but keep it to themselves." Kevin returned to his program, and picked up the remote. "Do you mind if we change the channel, Mr. Overholt?" he asked Chuck, flicking it to another station. "I think you'll like this, better."

Back in Charlie's bedroom, the couple had quieted down and Adam lie beside his wife on the bed-- both fully clothed, and both sound asleep. The two hour mark that Charlie had wanted to be awake by, came and went, until the room began to darken as evening approached.

As Charlie stirred, a noise outside her bedroom window caused her to open her eyes. A brown and white roadrunner had perched itself on the window sill, its head cocked as a small lizard dangled from its beak. The roadrunner looked at the glass pane, almost as though it could see inside, then, with a flick of its tail, hopped off the sill and disappeared into the brush. Charlie smiled sleepily and cuddled close to Adam.

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