Dominion

Delivery

▶︎◎◀︎

They walk the beach. The sand is already warm. MaryAnn hopes her daughter doesn't know what she and Phineas were talking about, but, somewhere inside she knows she does.
Driftwood and bunched seaweed traces the reach of the waves. The storm had knocked a tall palm tree across the beach, half attached to its base. Jack and Havel practice balancing on the palm as Marie and MaryAnn approach.
    "Hey, please check with your dad or me before you go out."
     "But Dad was drunk, and you were asleep," Jack says coldly.
She examines her children, all coated to their knees in wet sand.
     "Just stay near the house, please."
She turns away and walks down the beach, then pauses and looks back.
     "And don't go into the jungle, not for any reason."
     "Okay, Mom," Havel says.
     "Jack," MaryAnn says.
     Jack stands on the palm, ignoring her, balancing.
     "Jack."
     "Okay, whatever."
     Maryann walks off, leaving the kids to play.

▶︎◎◀︎

    Back in the cabin, Phineas speaks on the phone with the company which supplies food, fresh water, and other various items he requests to his island. Although he keeps a flow of supplies to the island sufficient for one man,  he now realizes he will need much more.
    "Yes, it should be good for water. Maybe an extra crate or two of vegetables. We've got growing kids here now!"
MaryAnn steps into the cabin and Phineas catches her eye, holding up a finger to tell her that he will be off the phone in a minute. She can hear the faint tone of the man on the other line talking.
     "No, no, no. It's my son and his family. They are staying with me.... I'm not sure, I haven't had a newspaper in some time.... Okay, then bring me the newspaper."   
MaryAnn watches the children down the beach, feeling nervous.
     "Okay, so we got it all then? The extra water, the extra food, the propane—oh, and some more mosquito repellent for God's sake. Yes, the newspaper too. Thank you, Scott. Oh, and Scott, remember the... yes. You have an E.T.A...? I expect it then, good-day."
Hanging up his old yellow rotary dial phone, he turns to Mary Ann and they pick up the thread of their earlier conversation. 
    "I must apologize, MaryAnn."
     "There's no need, I understand."
    "Sometimes, I get very emotional when I think of my wife. I have been alone for so long, I was like  a kettle with pressure building up, and let it out with some             unfortunate timing."
"I imagine you've been alone for too long. It is good you let it out."
"I do feel relieved. How about I make some breakfast?"
MaryAnn quickly agrees:
"That sounds nice. Would you like some help?"
"I will be okay. Maybe you could check on Timon."
MaryAnn gathers two aspirin tablets on a napkin and fills a glass of water in the kitchen for Timon.  
When she arrives at his bedside, she notices how it would be silent if it weren't for the insistent buzzing of the flies. She wonders how she was able to sleep in that condition — with the addition of the disturbing, groaning, sweating presence of her husband.
    
She walks beside the bed and sets herself down next to Timon, who lays sprawled out naked without covers. She gently places her hand on his wet shoulder and shakes him, but he doesn't react. She shakes him a few more times, progressively harder but to no avail. Worried, she leans toward him, remembering his breathing had become much louder. She hovers inches from his mouth when he comes alive, violently shooting up from the bed. He looks around the room, disoriented. She is startled but reacts quietly:
    "Darling, it's me.".
     "M-MaryAnne?" he struggles.
     "I've brought you some water and some aspirin. I think you should take them."
     "Where is Phineas?" he says dumbly.
     "He is cooking breakfast. I need you to relax, baby. How are you feeling?"
     He falls back into the bed and holds his stomach. He groans.
     "Are you okay?"
     "I feel like my stomach is burning," he says in pain, his body shifting into a fetal position.
     "Take these, honey. And drink all this water. You will feel better."
She guides him up to his elbow and drops the aspirin onto his tongue. He takes the water and gulps it all, with a portion spilling out from the corners of his lips as he finishes.  He takes a deep breath before falling back on the bed and turning his back to MaryAnn.  She takes the glass and walks to the door, mostly hurt, but feeling some pity for him as well.  A stripe of sunlight shines over his body from the window.  Seeing the flies buzzing around him, landing on his back and crawling around.         "I don't need a corpse."