The hearse arrived early the day she died.
She sat up in bed and craned her neck at the window. Her first lucid words in months were: “Have they come for me?”
Sitting in the chair beside her bed, where he had waited eons for her to wake up, he said, “They’ve come for your family.”
She laid her head back softly on the pillow.
He took her hand.
She suddenly opened her eyes wide and said, “My family?”
“I sold the farm. They’ve come to move your family’s graves into town. The backhoes and bulldozers are already here.”
“But this is my farm,” she said. “My family’s farm.”
He released her hand and sat back in the chair.
She looked out the window again. “Why is there snow on the ground?”
“You went into a coma when we were watching fireworks on the Fourth of July.” He stood and went to the window. “Next week is Christmas.”
“You sold–you couldn’t wait till I was gone?”
He wouldn’t disturb her with the details of the insipid cliche–the overused narrative–they found themselves in. The crop had failed that year and he hadn’t been able to pay the back taxes. The bank would have bought the tax lien, but a white knight made an offer for the farm that covered the taxes and most of her medical bills–in addition to moving her family cemetery into town.
He simply said, “Don Dickson made a fair offer that keeps the farm from the coyotes.”
She closed her eyes and murmured, “Don Dickson.”
He approached the bed and rubbed her dying arm. He adjusted her stocking cap and pulled it down over her ears. Her hair had never grown back after chemo ended in the spring.
She slapped his hand away, and, flashing an angry smile full of teeth, said, “Don Dickson was the only man I ever cheated on you with.”
Leave a comment with your choice for his response.
A. He says nothing. He sets his jaw and listens carefully to the cold coyote calling in the distance.
B. He says, “I know. Me too.”
C. He picks up a crochet-covered throw pillow and says, “It’s medication time.”
D. Invent your own.
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Thanks for sharing with this country roads. Anita
It’s a pleasure!
I love option B.
But I had to try my hand.
D. He nodded, slowly producing a small revolver. “And that’s why I made him promise we won’t be in adjoining plots.”
Haha! Like!
Exceptionally written…I was not expecting a choose your own at the end! Incredible…I’d say “A” above everything…but if I had to put my own, I’d say:
A slight look in her eyes, then a turn to look back out the window, “The weather looks like it’s picking back up.”
Thanks for playing along! Thanks for sharing!
Definitely C – she had it coming 😊
For sure! Thanks for participating. 🙂
A. He was already long past caring. Besides he knew anyway
Yes, seems likely. Thanks!
Nice.
And if you really want to know – A.
Thanks for playing along!
That’s an excellent challenge!
Gwen.
😀
Firstly, thanks for “liking” my poem (ibises). This is a great story. Love the choose your own ending. They’re all good and reminded me of the authors …
1. Richard Brautigan
2. Annie Proulx
3. Stephen King
Me: “Thanks Mom”
Very good! Thanks for contributing. 🙂
I would go with A 😊
Good choice! 😀
Don’t know as any “ending” is needed. Life and death are open-ended; abrupt termination of the tale is as acceptable with that revelation as any argument that might follow, any subsequent revelations.
That’s a good observation. Thanks!
I agree.  Ending with the revelation would work well.
Number E.
“Is that true?” he said, his voice steady.
She gave him a long look, her eyes sparkling with disappointment and regret.
“No,” she said, “I don’t know why I said that. I’m just tired I think.”
He nodded and rubbed her arm again and she sighed a wet rattle.
“I can hear the bones beneath the snow.”
He looked at her with sympathy.
“Don’t let them move the baby.”
His vision clouded. He nodded and sniffed.
“Close the window, would you dear?” she said.
“The window?” He said. He glanced over and the window was closed.
“I’m terribly cold,” she said.
It would be a lonely Christmas, he thought.
Very nice. 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
Nicely written. I like all the alt endings in the comments. I’ll try:
‘He said “That’s all right dear, I hope he made you happy. The aide gave me morphine for you if you need it.”
‘He thought, “first thing I’ll do when she goes is to throw away the toilet seat covers that make the lid fall down when I’m peeing.” ‘
Thanks for liking my post, means a lot.
Very nice, thanks for playing along!
B!! I like the comic relief
Thanks for sharing! 😀