From Columbus to Chicago

From Columbus to Chicago

“CRAP!” I yelled as I knocked my luggage down the stairs. I tried to run after it, but it was too late. My luggage was tumbling down the stairs, random pieces of clothing flying all over the place. I grabbed the railing of my apartment stairs and slowly walked down them. I was hoping I wouldn’t trip over the clothing that had fallen out all over the place. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I began to pick up my clothing that was spread all over the floor. As I was repacking my luggage, I sat on the floor and just cried. The call came in the night before; my husband, Jack, was in a car accident. The police told me he was driving and a bunch of drunk kids slammed into his car. He died on impact. Jack was on his way to Chicago for a bachelor party with his brother and a few childhood friends. The boys were going to go fishing in the daytime and hit a few bars at night, but Jack didn’t even make it to the cabin they were staying at for the weekend.

I packed up my car and began to drive. It was a 314-mile drive, but it was the only way I would make it to Chicago from Columbus. I refused to fly because my dad passed away in a plane crash a long time ago. I never recovered from that. If I can’t drive, I won’t go. Jack would tease me all the time. Even our honeymoon had to be a place we could drive to because of my fear of flying. I knew the ride was going to be long, but I knew I had to get to Chicago to be with Jack. He was the love of my life. He was my high school sweetheart. We have loved each other for years. We wanted kids but couldn’t afford it right now, but maybe in a year or two just to make sure that we were financially set. We are happy and in love.

As I continued to drive, my eyes became heavy; I knew I needed to make it to my destination, but I needed a couple of hours' rest. I saw a cheap motel with a flashing vacancy sign. I pulled over and asked for a room. The owner handed me my keys. I was about to leave when the man heard my stomach rumble. “Are you hungry?” The man asked before I walked out of the lobby.

“Yeah, do you know a good place?” I asked, holding onto my stomach.

“Oh sure. There is a diner right down the road a bit. They have the best food. When I go there, I always order grilled cheese. It’s very comforting. It looked like you needed something to make you feel better.” The man behind the counter said.

“Thank you. I will go down in a bit. I just lost my husband.” I said, grabbing my keys and heading towards the door.

I went up to my room. I sat on the bed and thought about what the man behind the counter said about getting something to eat. I knew it was the best thing for me now. I needed to keep up my strength for the rest of my drive. I hopped into my car and drove down the street. I saw the flashing lights of the diner. The diner was called Mama’s Diner.

I walked into the diner, and it looked like an old-school diner. It had the round metal stools at the counter, the cheap fluorescent lights that crackled, and the smell of deep-fried potatoes. I sat at the counter and skimmed through the menu.I settled on the grilled cheese and fries.

As I waited for my order to come, I heard a couple of women talking about their weekends. They were laughing and talking loudly. One woman kept saying a man named Jack was meeting her at a cabin near the lake. I didn’t think it was my husband since Jack is a very common name. I continued to listen in on their conversation. I knew I had to get a closer look at Jack to make sure it wasn’t my husband. I got up to go to the bathroom. I crept over to the girl. When I walked past the girl's phone and glanced over at the picture on the screen. The picture on the screen was my husband, Jack. My heart sank into my stomach and I felt sick. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I didn’t know what to do. Do I confront that woman, or do I just leave and continue on my trip tomorrow morning?

When I was done in the bathroom, I walked out and stared at the woman, but instead of confronting her; I paid my check and left the diner. I drove back to my motel room. I walked up into my room, lay on the bed. Tears filled my eyes, and I cried. The man who was the love of my life was cheating on me. I kept asking myself, what did she have that I didn’t? Or why didn’t I see this coming? He was the most important person in my life and he vowed to love me no matter what. I finally fell asleep, but I felt sick to my stomach.

The light shone through my window the next morning. I woke up with a clear thought in my head: I needed to get to Chicago and claim my husband's body before that woman found out he was gone. Before I left, I felt sick once again. I ran to the bathroom and got sick in it. The last time I felt this sick, it was a stomach bug but this time I think it’s something more.

I left the motel around 9 a.m. I made sure I got an early start on my ride. As I drove, I thought about my marriage and whether there were any signs of him cheating on me. I knew he would work late a couple of nights a week, but he was home every weekend. As I was thinking, I remembered he went on a couple of boys' trips with his friends, but I never knew where they went. I then remembered our anniversary weekend, and we made love the entire weekend. We went on this trip to a ski resort. It was perfect and romantic. I think something more happened than just us having a romantic weekend. I think that weekend I got pregnant. The last couple of weeks I have been getting sick, and I have been nauseated throughout the day.

My drive concluded, I arrived at the morgue. I told the coroner who I was and whom I was there to see. The coroner brought me to the back. He uncovered Jack’s face. It was the man I married. They quickly covered him back up and gave me his belongings. I found his cell phone, his wallet, and the cabin key. I signed the release papers to have my husband’s body shipped back to our home, and I left the morgue. I walked back out to my car and sat there for a couple of minutes. I was about to drive away when Jack’s cell phone began to ring. The name Samantha flashed on the screen. I answered the phone. “Hey baby! I am about an hour away from the cabin. Do you have the wine and rubbers? I have some sexy lingerie the girls helped me pick out.” Samantha said before I could get a word out.

“Hello, Samantha. My name is Ella; I am Jack’s wife, and you have been sleeping with my husband. He will not be joining you because he died in a car crash a few days ago. I hope you know that your little getaway killed my husband and the father of my baby. I hope you can live with yourself.” I said as I hung up the phone before she could speak.

I drove home thinking about my life with the most important person in my life. Jack was the man I loved, the man that I trusted, and the man who held my heart. Jack died and broke my heart ‌‌at the same time.