Yesterday, my husband came back from the dead.
Before I tell you more about that, let me tell you about his death.
I remember getting the phone call seven years ago. The police officer explained that he had stopped by my house. I wasn't home because it was the beginning of my workday. The officer said my husband's car was found on the side of the cliff off of Lauby Road. The driver in front of him saw part of the accident in the rearview mirror and reported it.
When the police arrived, they found the car's contents strewn all down the cliffside. Papers formerly inside the car were stuck in bushes. My husband's lunch and wallet were found much farther down the cliff than where the car settled. Coffee, glass, and blood were sprayed around the inside of the car.
My husband was nowhere to be found. Many officers searched the cliff, even checking Turtle Creek at the bottom.
After several days of searching, the police gave up. They couldn't find my husband, alive or dead. All they could tell me was that he was likely thrown from the car.
I called local hospitals searching for my husband. I knew this was futile; the police had already checked there.
About five weeks after the accident, I watched my husband's empty casket go into the ground. Even though I didn't know where his body was, the funeral gave me some closure. It allowed me to acknowledge my loss.
My life changed after his death. I was alone now. I no longer had someone to wake up next to. No one to share dinner with every night. No one to fill the silence at home.
Despite my loneliness, I never knew if I was upset about his death. I had asked for a divorce three months before the accident.
I was unhappy in our marriage. I couldn't pinpoint what exactly had changed in our 12 years together, but I knew I no longer loved him. Whatever we once had was long gone. When the accident happened, we were still living together but had little connection with each other.
Can you be sad about accidentally losing someone who you purposely wanted to lose? I got what I wanted after all; I was no longer married.
So, when I saw him yesterday at the grocery store, I wasn't sure how to feel. Was I excited or disappointed to see him? Did I miss him? Did I want to reconnect and try again?
I walked away, abandoned my cart in another aisle, and left the store.
Where had he been this whole time? Should I call the police? He must live nearby if he's shopping at the same grocery store as me. Maybe he has been checking on me.
I sat in my car in shock. I guess if I want to try again, I can find him at the store next Saturday. Otherwise, I'm going to need to find a new grocery store.
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Yesterday, My Husband Came Back From The Dead
Short Story500-word short story! Seven years after her husband is killed in a car accident, a woman sees her husband alive. This short fiction includes a plot twist that is revealed as the wife narrates.