100 People in 100 Days:ii. Tabitha Peeler

Tabitha Peeler was folding and putting away laundry when Ezekiel walked in the apartment. He walked past her in the living room, said, “Hey, stinky monkey,” and entered the bedroom where he fell onto the bed, face first.

“Why am I stinky?” Tabitha asked. She wore an oversized, tattered blue t-shirt, blue jeans, and no shoes. Her short hair stuck up in a variety of directions. She walked into the bed room, “Why am I stinky?”

Ezekiel was already half asleep, laying on the edge of the bed on his stomach. Out of his mouth he mumbled, “Because you haven’t showered and it is almost one.” Ezekiel had used deep meditation to make it through the final hour of his church meeting. Such meditation always wore him out and he usually passed out soon afterwards in a deep sleep.

Tabitha, standing next to the body of her sleeping husband, said, “This is my only day I don’t have to do anything. I don’t need to shower.” She looked at him and started pouting, “Zeke. Zeke roll over.” Then she started pushing on his body. “Roll over. Roll over. You need to roll over so you can hold me.”

She finally pushed him over onto his back. Then she began moving his limbs. She climbed into the bed, into his arms. She wrapped his limp arms around her body. “Zeke, you need to hold me. You need to hold me. I’ve been waiting all morning for you to come home so you can hold me.” Ezekiel made no sound.

“You make me feel so good when you hold me. You’re warm like a giant cookie.” Tabitha pulled Ezekiel’s arms tighter around her body. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waste and kissed him on the lips. Ezekiel made no response. “Wake up and love me. Please.”

She looked at his sleeping face. She began pinching and squeezing the small pimple and black heads she saw on his face. At first she was gentle. She would pinch for only a fraction of a second. Tabitha noticed that Ezekiel did not respond. She began pinching harder and longer, trying to extract the puss. When she was able to dig out anything she would scoop it onto her fingernail and inspect it. Then, she would wipe it on her pants and look for another imperfection to prod at.

After a while she moved on to looking at the whiskers on his face. She would gently stroke his cheeks, separating the small hairs, looking at the follicles each one protrude from. Every once in a while she would pluck at the whiskers. “Zeke, you have three hairs growing out of this follicle. Why?” Ezekiel said nothing. She continued to inspect his facial hair, occasionally plucking at the hairs.

Once she must have plucked particularly hard, as Ezekiel began to stir. He shook his head to drive her hand away like a horse does with its tail to flies. “Oh I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? Here let’s just hold each other.” Tabitha drew his body close to her again—taking his arms and placing them around her while she wrapped her arms and legs around him. “Let’s just love each other. You’re so warm like a giant cookie.” Ezekiel slept. And eventually Tabitha fell asleep too.