Towards the Farthest Side: A Collection Of Sci-Fi Short Stories And Novelettes

"Abomination Part 5"

I paused, surprised at what the woman just said.

Her husband? Phil's her husband? I thought I was wed to Philip? Then what are those wedding pictures back at Jen's house?

I blinked a few times and I saw the woman raise one of her eyebrows at me.

And she said Phil never mentioned a friend from Leoranda? What about Jen? Is she not a friend?

Then I realized that my long pause maybe was weirding her out so I hastily thought of an alibi.

"I was friends with him back when he was in college," I answered, hoping it won't sound suspicious.

The woman raised both her eyebrows and grinned.

"Oh. In that case, come on in," she ushered me inside and made me sit on the living room sofa while she went to get some drinks.

It felt strange, a sudden hailstorm of memories came pouring in, I was remembering that this was the same exact living room in my memory, this is indeed my house and I am being ushered by a woman who claimed to be my husband's wife.

The living room was the same as it is, they must have done a few changes in the interior paint and moved some furnitures, but still it's the same house.

This is my house, I can't be mistaken.

The woman returned with a glass of orange juice and handed it to me. She sat at the chair opposite to me and forced a smile.

"Pardon my behavior earlier, it was so rude of me to hold you at the door. It is hard being alone, you could never be sure of your own security. Not that I don't trust you, but you know what I mean," the woman said, hinting guilt and embarrassment in her voice.

Did she said living alone? I thought she was with Phil? Where was he anyway?

She reached for a shake, trying to break the sudden silence between us. "I am Maybel Terona." I shook her hand and smiled at her courtesy.

"Maia," I lied.

Maia what?

She caught this. "Just Maia?" She asked.

"Maia Cross," I answered and nervously cleared my throat.

"Nice to meet you Maia," she said while shaking my hand.

"So where's Phil?" I asked.

I wanted to know the truth, if I am the wife or not, because this woman had me confused. I bet Philip could give the answer to everything.

Maybel's face became sullen. "He died from stroke five years ago." She said, her tone down. I saw on her face a hint of sorrow while she rested her head on her knuckles.

Oh Great. And Jen didn't said a word? Did Jen knew anything about this?

"I was not able to send word to his family or any of his friends as I was not able to meet them," Maybel said, her voice cracking. "It happened so fast. We were just enjoying our first wedding anniversary when it happened."

First wedding anniversary? So she was wed to Philip just five years ago?

"Sorry to know," I said, trying to comfort her, but I don't know what I am feeling.

Should I be glad for what happened to them? I still don't know what's my relationship with Philip. And the place, why is it still named after me?

Maybel started sobbing. "He was just starting to be happy again, after her first wife died years before our wedding," Maybel sobbed.

After her first wife died, so Philip was really my husband and was just moving on after my death and maybe he met Maybel afterwards.

"Loren," I said. Maybel was surprised to hear the name that she stopped from her sobbing. "Philip's first wife. The manor is named after her." I explained to Maybel, though I suspect she already knew this.

"Yes," Maybel cleared her throat, she wiped snots from her face. "It was named after her. How did you know about this?"

"The people at the town, they told me about it." I said. I saw a glimpse of bitterness in Maybel's eyes.

"They knew full well about Philip's life before we meet more than I do, I give you that," she forced a chuckle.

Then we spent a few minutes talking about the gloomy aura of the Mansion after Philip's death and that Maybel was forced to rearrange some of the furniture in order not to remember any memory of Philip. Back in my mind I felt being violated for she cast away some of the properties inside the house, but somehow I could understand her.

I would do anything just to move on. Philip did it after I died, why can't Maybel?

"Sorry to bother your day Maybel. I am just hoping to see Philip for old times sake and catch up on things. I never expected to know what happened to him," I told Maybel a few moments later.

To be fair, she don't deserve to feel that loss again.

"It's fine. I'm okay. It's good to know that there are friends remembering Philip and would give time to check on him," Maybel reassured me.

She then ushered me to the front gate and we both said goodbye to each other. I gave her a tight hug, though it felt awkward.

This is my husband's other wife I am hugging.

As I silently trudged back to town I was deep in my own thoughts.

So Philip moved on five years after my death. And when he finally did, he died. Now I wonder what I will do next, return to Jen?

I came across the same old woman who pointed me to the direction of the Manor earlier.

"So did you find the place dear?" she asked, remembering I was the stranger who asked her for direction earlier that morning. I nodded and smiled.

"Did you find what your looking for?" she asked again.

"No. It turned out Philip's dead." I said forcing a smile.

"Ah yes. Dr. Terona. Good fellow. He had been sullen since his wife died from lupos," she said, her eyes fixed on a distant place, recalling some information she knew.

"Lupos?" I asked surprised.

"Yes. Chronic disease, no cure. What a terrible way to go," the old woman said in a stiff voice, then she shook her head in despair.

Damn. So it was Lupos that got me. The panic voices in the hospital I remembered, those maybe were hospital staffs during my death.

"But what really breaks my heart," the old woman continued. "..is the children. Those two girls doesn't deserve to be orphaned at such an early age."

"Wait! What?!" I exclaimed, surprised to hear what the woman just confessed.