Reunion

Reunion

Quietly, she sat at the butcher-block island and played with her wedding ring, oblivious that I was even there. As far as she was concerned, I was a dream, an apparition that was more of a mirage than real. It had been so long and it was good to see her again, her long flowing black hair drifting over her shoulders and contrasting her brilliantly blue eyes. I’d missed her.

I set a bowl of apples down in front of her but she didn’t even look up, still twisting the ring on her finger. After all these years she hadn’t aged at all. Sitting here in front of me now I didn’t even know how to begin telling her what I needed to say…how to tell her how much my heart ached for her and the mistakes I’d made.

“It’s good to see you again,” I said awkwardly, trying to at least break the silence. She didn’t respond, not even looking in my direction. “I’ve…I’ve made so many mistakes. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. There was just so much…so much I did that you didn’t deserve.” Still, she sat and played with her ring. “Look at me!” I demanded and slammed my hands on the tabletop but she didn’t even flinch.

Then, she stood from her stool without a word or even a glance in my direction, as if her mind was searching for some meaning it couldn’t grasp, and headed for the hallway. I followed her to the stairs…to the place where I knew I’d buried her body. Then her ghost disappeared as it always did, leaving me alone with my guilt, in my hell.


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