The Whistling Kettle

Joe had always hated the taste of tea. It never matter what brand, or what flavor, there was an inherent bitterness in all tea that he couldn’t stand. Still, tea was important to him. Without tea, he would have never found his way to Hailey. He never would have found his wife.

Joe Jonas walked into the coffee shop lazily. His sunglasses hung low on his face as he casually strode to the front of the store to look at the choices he had, not paying attention to anything else that went on around him. He sighed, tugging at the edges of his scarf, loosening it from the knot around his neck. He didn’t know what he wanted; he’d never been able to make up his mind when it came to choosing only one flavor of coffee. All he knew that on that cold winter day in New York City, he needed something warm, he needed something that would thaw him out all of the way down to his toes.

“Can I help you?” A voice said catching his attention.

The girl behind the counter gave him a questioning smile. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but there was a genuine warmth behind her gaze that was still welcoming. Joe didn’t say anything for a few seconds as he appraised her. She looked tired, but still her fresh face was beautiful. With her hair tied back he could see her hazel eyes clearly, not a freckle on her face to distract him from them. Her small hands rested against the counter, fingers drumming a random pattern but not quickly enough for him to be oblivious to the chipped away black polish. Her figure was covered by the green Starbucks apron wrapped around her frame, but he could still make out the hidden curves of her body. He didn’t even know her, but there was something deep within him that wanted to run his hand along where her waist curved inward.

“Hi.” Joe said.

He had wanted to flash her his trademark grin, the one that was guaranteed to have her wrapped around his finger, but there was a flutter within him that he didn’t understand. Whatever the force was made the smirk nearly impossible, a shy half smile appearing on his face instead.

“Hi.” She repeated laughing at his awkwardness. “Can I get you something?”

Joe approached the counter to face her more clearly, her hazel eyes still piercing him, and still waiting expectantly.

“Honestly.” He began. “I can’t make up my mind.”

“Well what are you in the mood for?”

Joe shrugged. “Something warm.”

“Wow. Because that really narrows it down.”

He thought he had annoyed her. He thought maybe his indecision was not something she really felt like dealing with that day, but when she smiled at him again, it took every once of his will power to not rest his hand on top of hers that lay against the counter between them.

“You know what?” Joe said suddenly. “Make me whatever your favorite is.”

She smiled again, raising her eyebrows at him. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Joe thought he was being smooth, flirting even when he ordered her favorite drink… until three minutes later when the scalding cup of breakfast tea rested in his hands. She watched him expectantly as he sipped the hot liquid, choking it back as quickly as he could, not wanting to taste it for any longer than necessary.

“Well?” She asked.

Joe smiled through it at her, the grin he had once lost finally making its appearance.

“It’s perfect.”

It was the only lie he’d ever told Hailey, the woman he would eventually go on to marry. In the beginning of their relationship, it was because he wanted to impress her, he wanted them to have something in common, so he choked back cup after cup of the vile liquid with a smile on his face. Over time, it was just something they did.

The first time he spent the night at her house was when he knew he could never tell her of his lie. There was something inside of him, even though their relationship was still new, that knew he never wanted to hurt her, no matter how small the cause. It was in the way he touched her; it was in the way she looked t him. There was a trust that ran between them that had built so quickly, but meant more to them than he could ever understand. He had been made love to her in a way he hadn’t known he was capable of before; he never knew he could feel so much emotion from such a simple touch, the way her fingers glided over his skin leaving a trail of fire behind it. Hailey was going to be his forever, he knew it then, as they fit together seamlessly. Laying with her afterwards, feeling how perfectly she melted into his embrace, he knew his heart was already hers.

She slipped out of her bed, wrapping his discarded shirt around her body before heading to the other side of her small studio apartment to the stove.

“What are you doing?” He asked her as he lay on his stomach watching her. He already missed her warmth beside him.

“Making tea.” She answered smiling at him over her shoulder.

While the kettle heated the water, she lazily glided back over to him, straddling him so that she was almost seated on top of him, her hands sliding up his sides and over his back. He heard Hailey giggle softly as she felt him tremble beneath her. His eyes fluttered closed, wanting to savor the moment, wanting to remember how every inch of him felt in their afterglow. He sighed contently as she leaned down, pressing fluttering kisses along his neck before nibbling ever so softly on his ear.

Distantly he heard the kettle whistle from across the room, before Hailey slipped herself off of him once again, her bare feet padding against the hardwood floor. He almost groaned in disappointment. He wanted her skin against his forever.

“Do you want a cup?” She asked softly.

Joe snapped his eyes back to her once again before answering yes. He always said yes.

He slipped out of the bed, pulling on his boxers to join her at the other side of the apartment, wrapping his arms around her middle tightly as she poured their cups. The mugs were old, cracked and beat up, something he noticed in her old apartment was a theme. Joe knew then that he wanted to build a better life for her; he wanted to be better for her.

As he sipped down the liquid, trying to get passed the taste of it all, he watched Hailey stare out of the window. There was a content smile that played across her face, one that if he hadn’t been looking for her wouldn’t have noticed.

“I love you.” Joe whispered.

Hailey met his eyes, the smile growing even wider. “I know. I love you too. Forever.”

They stayed there sipping their tea in silence until they were done, thighs touching as they sat beside each other at the window watching the world moving beneath them. No, he would never reveal his lie to her, because he wanted to be the one she always shared her tea with.

It wasn’t until he had put the ring on her finger and they were cleaning out her apartment that he learned why she only drank tea and never coffee. He had always thought maybe she didn’t like the taste or something equally uninteresting, but there was a story behind it. With Hailey there was always a story.

Joe picked up the small frame from her table, prepared to wrap it in tissue paper and put it in another box. For such a small apartment, Hailey had managed to acquire quite the collection of stuff. What caught his eye about this frame though was that there wasn’t a photo enclosed within it. Instead, there were words, handwritten in cursive on a plain piece of paper, yellowed from time. Joe had to wonder how he had never noticed it before.

“May you always be blessed with walls for the wind, a roof for the rain, a warm cup of tea by the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all that your heart might desire.” He read aloud.

Hailey’s head poked out from within her closet as he spoke, catching notice of the frame within his hand.

“Found that did you?” She asked.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, my Gran gave that to me, it’s her handwriting. It’s an old blessing she used to tell me every night before bed when I would stay with her.”

Joe caught the wistful smile on her face before her dark hair fell into her eyes as she took the frame from his hands, her eyes scanning over the words again, brushing off the bit of dust that had gathered on the glass.

“You don’t talk about her much.” He said.

“My Gran?” She asked. “She passed when I was only fourteen. It sucks to think about.”

Instinctively, Joe reached out to rub his hand along her shoulder, kicking himself mentally for bringing it up. He hadn’t meant to cause her eyes to cloud over like they did.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly.

Hailey’s eyes left the frame and met his, immediately brightening.

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t know.” She laughed quietly before speaking again. “You know it was my Gran that got me so obsessed with tea.”

“Ah.” He said lightly. “There’s a reason for your madness.”

“Oh shut up.” She said laughing him off. “My Gran believed in the power of home remedies. In particular, that of tea. She thought no day was so bad that it couldn’t be cured with a cup of tea. Every time something bad happened, or she was stressed, whatever, she put the kettle on, without fail.”

“Oh so that’s where that comes from.” He teased. “I always wondered why the first thing you always did in a crisis was make tea.”

Hailey smacked his arm playfully, the glint of her ring catching his eye, making him smile even wider than he had been. He’d made a promise, and she had a lifetime of teasing ahead of her.

“Are you saying I’m predictable, Joseph?”

“I’m saying you’re Hailey.”

This theory had been proven true to him over the years of their marriage. Any time Hailey’s nerves were frayed, he knew that the noise of the whistling kettle would soon follow.

Joe had been standing in the kitchen, hunched over the island as he cut up the vegetables for their stirfry. It wasn’t something he did often, the cooking, but something had seemed off about Hailey since she had gotten home. There was a look in her eyes that he hadn’t been used to seeing, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t place it.

She assured him everything was fine, that she was just tired, but he knew that wasn’t the end of it. He offered to get dinner ready that night, wanting to give Hailey the chance to rest her mind from whatever was troubling her, and she accepted, quickly moving into their bedroom after kissing him gratefully.

Joe was so focused on not cutting off one of his fingers, he didn’t hear Hailey come into the kitchen, nor did he see her frame out of his peripheral vision. It wasn’t until she cleared her throat beside him, that he turned his head to look at her. She had wrapped herself in one of his sweaters, her hair messy around her face. Joe’s heart leapt to his throat as he noticed she looked like she had been crying.

“What’s wrong? What is it?”

“Joe.” She whispered, her voice thick and heavy. “I went to the doctor’s today.”

He thought he was going to be sick. He could literally feel his stomach churning as his heart stopped beating, the feeling of panic overwhelming him. Her hazel eyes were shining with fresh tears and all he wanted was to wrap her in his arms but he couldn’t force his body to move.

“God baby.” He finally said. “Whatever it is we’ll get through it.”

“It’s not that simple, Joe.”

“Hailey baby, please don’t cry.” He said, his body finally coming to life to place his hands on her shoulders. “We’ll fight this together, I promise.”

Immediately her eyes narrowed in confusion. Joe had to wonder if he’d said the wrong thing, if that wasn’t the reassurance she had been looking for.

“Fight?” Hailey asked. “What do you mean, fight?”

“I don’t know, whatever this is. Whatever the doctor said. Whatever’s wrong with you.”

Hailey laughed a watery giggle, sniffing slightly as she pressed herself against his chest.

“God Joe, nothing’s wrong with me.” She explained. “The doctor said I was pregnant.”

Joe felt his heart swell almost instantly, pushing Hailey away from him gently so he could look into her eyes.

“Pregnant?” He asked incredulously. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yeah.” She answered softly.

The grin he felt spread across his face was almost so wide it caused him physical pain. His Hailey was pregnant. The woman he’d known years ago that he wanted to spend his whole life with was giving him everything he’d ever dreamed of; a family.

“Baby, don’t cry.” He soothed, running his thumbs under her eyes. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know!” She cried. “I was on the pill and I was so worried you would be mad, or that you wouldn’t want this…”

Joe pulled her in closer to him again, making sure his arms were wrapped as tightly as possible around her. He suppressed the urge to laugh at her, at her worry, but instead he kissed the top of her head, leaning further down to whisper in her ear.

“Hailey, I’ve never been happier.”

She was silent for a few seconds, before he heard it, her voice muffled against his shirt.

“Oh thank God.”

He finally allowed himself to laugh, before cupping her face between his hands and pressing his lips hard against hers. It was hard to do when they were both grinning.

“We’re having a baby!” His voice rang out excitedly.

“We are!” She squealed. “Oh my gosh, I need tea.”

She quickly shrugged herself out of his embrace, moving to the stove where the kettle already rested, in the same place it was every day.

“Wait.” She said suddenly, turning towards him. “Can pregnant women drink tea?”

“I hope so.” He answered. “Otherwise you won’t get to use this for a long time.”

He sidestepped over to the cupboards about the kitchen sink, opening them to reveal a china tea set, saucers and cups all neatly aligned on the shelves.

Joe watched as Hailey’s face lit up, the gasp escaping her lips before her hands reached her mouth to stifle them. Her eyes glazed over with tears again as she stared at them, just like she had done when she had first seen them in the store a few months earlier. Hailey had insisted to Joe she hadn’t needed them, that they were too rich and delicate for what she would use them for, but he had seen the way she looked at them longingly. He remembered the promise that he had made himself, that he wanted to give her everything, that he wanted to give her better than she’d ever had before. Now she was his everything, and the mother of his child. She deserved it more than she knew.

Their beautiful daughter Raelyn had been born 8 months later, flawless, with all ten fingers, and all ten toes. Their perfect family was complete. Joe loved having a little girl to spoil, and Hailey was ecstatic to have someone to play tea party with. Joe loved peeking in on them during “tea time”, when they would sit together in Raelyn’s room for hours, playing pretend amongst the stuffed animals. He oftentimes found himself sucked into their little world, never wanting to be left out from the fun his girl’s were having. There were so many days he found his long legs stretched out in front of him as he sat on the child-sized chair, a tiara in his short wavy hair and a pink boa wrapped around his neck. He choked back the tea his daughter would pour for him so carefully, proud of herself for not spilling. He smiled even though he still despised the taste because he was in the only place he ever wanted to be.

Hailey had promised not to get their daughter addicted to tea from the womb, pouring apple juice into Raelyn’s play tea cup in the beginning, but soon enough, Raelyn was hooked too. It was the cure to all in their little family. Whatever it was, a bruise, a scrape, or even a broken heart, the kettle was on the stove, almost as though it contained magic healing powers. Hailey believed it, and that’s all that mattered to Joe.

She wouldn’t have been Hailey if she hadn’t.

By the time they had reached 65, and Raelyn was long since grown and out of the house, she wasn’t Hailey anymore. It had started slowly, the Alzheimer’s, with her forgetting only small things such as what day it was or where her keys were, but it seemed that every day it got worse. Soon she was getting lost on the route home from the grocery store, the same path she had taken for forty years. She forgot her own birthday. She had even forgotten the face of her daughter, only for a few minutes, but it was enough to shake Joe to his core. There was something wrong with his wife, and he didn’t know what to do. It was something tea couldn’t fix.

The day they had come home from the doctor’s, diagnosis in hand, he had cried. Joe cried more than he had ever in his life, the tears streaming down his still handsome face as he sat alone in the bedroom they had shared for years. The photos of them hung on the walls, reminding him of the memories they had made together, the ones of their wedding and family vacations… ones his Hailey would soon forget.

“Joe.” She said softly from the door.

Quickly he wiped his face with his hand, trying so hard to hide the tears.

“I’m sorry.” He cried. “I know I’m supposed to be strong for you. I know I’m supposed to tell you everything is going to be okay, I just… I thought we were going to have more time.”

Slowly she crossed the room, sinking into the bed beside him. For a moment she didn’t say anything, she let him quiet his tears, simply placing her hand on his knee. Her thumb rubbed circles on the fabric beneath her hand, but his eyes caught the gleam of her wedding band as the sunlight poured into their bedroom. Joe moved his own hand to cover it, grabbing a hold of her hand tightly, squeezing it as though if he just held on that much harder, everything would be okay.

“I’m not sad, Joe.” She finally said.

“What?” He asked surprised.

“I’m not sad.” Hailey repeated. “God Joe, we’ve loved so well. We’ve had a good life, we have a beautiful daughter, and I got to spend all of those years with you. That’s more than most people can ever hope for. I’m scared of forgetting you. I’m scared of forgetting this wonderful life we’ve built together, but I won’t be sad about it. We’ve made these years count Joe, and I’m going to cherish, not mourn, the memories of us and Raelyn while I still have them.”

Hailey had to choke back another sob as she spoke. He didn’t know if he could bear the day when she wouldn’t recognize his face anymore, when she would look at him with empty eyes instead of the love he’d grown so used to seeing behind them.

“I love you.” He whispered.

Hailey leaned in, moving to rest her forehead against his, a soft breath escaping her lips.

“I love you too. Forever.”

Quickly she pulled away from him, a smile on her face that surprised him. It stretched to the corners of her face, crinkling the lines around her eyes.

“Come on. No more moping.” She said getting up. “I’ll put on a pot of tea.”

They began to fall into a routine, the same thing every day so Hailey would hopefully remember it longer. Joe got Hailey to take her medication at the same time every day, they walked along the same path around their neighborhood, and every day at 4:30 was teatime. Joe took care of her as best as he could in the few early months they still had together, not hovering, but always nearby in case his Hailey ever needed him. He watched her slipping through his fingers, every day a bit worse than the last, every day it taking her a few seconds longer to recognize his face.

It took far less time than Joe would have liked before Hailey began to forget her favorite part of the day. Joe took over the job that had always been hers to make the tea. Four decades of marriage, it had always been what she had done, putting on the kettle to relax or just because, but finally one day, she forgot how. She stood staring at the pot in her hand as though it were a foreign object, unsure of her next move, not able to remember to fill it with water. He had taken the kettle from her hand, guiding her to sit at the table before he himself filled it and placed it on the stove. It was when he turned back to face her he could see it in her eyes too, the sadness at what she’d lost, at the loves she was forgetting.

Eventually Joe couldn’t take care of Hailey by himself. She was so close to forgetting who he was completely, but she had long since forgotten their home, waking up screaming in the night, wondering where she was. The times he’d looked into her wide eyes, the eyes that didn’t know his face, were some of the worst of his life. Nothing had ever hurt him so badly as realizing his wife was afraid of him, was afraid of who she thought was an intruder in the home they had built together.

He felt like he was dropping off Raelyn at school for the first time all over again on the day he had to leave his Hailey at the extended care facility. He had kissed her goodbye, promising to visit her the next day, keeping it together because she was having one of her rare lucid moments that he was determined to cherish. It wasn’t until he sat in his car that he let the tears fall freely, gripping the steering wheel and praying for the strength to drive away from her. His house, and his heart, had never been so empty.

It was that day, when he finally made it home, that he found it. Inside of the china teapot that had once been her Gran’s, the one they only brought out on special occasions, was a note addressed to him. His hands trembled as he opened it, a fresh wave of tears pooling in his eyes.

“My mind may forget you, but my heart never will. I love you. Forever. –Your Hailey”

Every day, as promised, he went back to her. He kept their routine intact, never once wanting to leave her side. He would go to the retirement home, still at 4:30, two cups of tea in styrofoam placed within his hands. The nurses always smiled sadly at him as he walked down the hallway, and he could hear their whispers while he watched Hailey from a distance as she sat alone. She was waiting for something, but she didn’t know what. Joe would sit across from her, a genuine smile spreading across his face as she would look at him. Even though she didn’t recognize him, it would remind him of the first time they had met, the first time he had laid eyes on his Hailey and his heart would leap at the memory.

Hi Hailey.” He said politely.

“Do I know you?” She would always respond.

“I’m Joe. I’m a friend.”

“Oh… I didn’t know I had friends.”

Joe tried to hide the falter in his smile as she looked away from him, her eyes once again staring distantly out of the window in front of her. He could only pretend it was the beginning again for so long.

“I brought you tea.” He said, sliding the foam cup across the table to her.

“Tea?” She asked innocently.

“You love tea.” He re-affirmed with an encouraging smile

Joe watched as she gingerly lifted the cup to her lips, sipping softly before setting it back down. Hailey didn’t protest the taste; he’d known she wouldn’t, he always brought her favorite.

They sat in silence as they drank their tea, Joe clinging to the familiarity of the afternoon. It was in those moments of silence that he could pretend she still remembered who he was. He could pretend it was 4:30, and they were sitting in the kitchen, her bustling to boil the water and him sitting at the table looking through the paper. Joe could imagine it perfectly, just as he thought it should have been, them sitting together in their home, repeating the same routine they had always done. No matter where her mind had gone, no matter if she didn’t recognize his face or his touch as that of her husband’s, he would always have tea with his Hailey. It was the best part of his day.

When she passed, Joe followed her advice. Instead of mourning the life they had shared, he cherished it. He cried that his best friend, his partner, was gone and that her smile had been lost, but he learned to laugh at all of the good times they’d shared. He never wanted to feel sad when he remembered her, he wanted to remember the life they’d built fondly, as the best time of his life.

Joe gave the tea set he had long ago given Hailey to their daughter, just as his wife had wanted. And still, every day at 4:30, Joe found himself putting the kettle on the stove, boiling water as he pulled an old mug from out of the cabinets. He had always hated the taste of tea, two years of dating and forty years of marriage hadn’t changed that simple fact, but he could never let it go. He and Hailey had always sipped tea.