It Was Time
Her husband's death had always been a source of fear for Margery. It was always clear to her that he would be the first to go, and now her biggest fear had come true. One of the most difficult days of her life was the day of her husband's wake.
As she gazed into the coffin and saw the face of the man she loved, tears streamed down her cheeks. Suddenly, everything changed when she saw a familiar face in the crowd. It wasn't clear to Margery what would happen when she approached the other woman.
A Difficult Time
Margie Williams woke up that morning knowing she had a tough day ahead of her. Having not been alone for forty years, she suddenly found herself alone. She wore all black on that morning and wore her gray hair in a low ponytail.
Her son arrived just after 10 am, and they walked together to the wake. It was clear to Michael, her son, that his mother was suffering behind those blue eyes of hers. The day had come when they would say goodbye to their husbands and fathers.
Keeping It Together
While her son drove through the familiar streets of Chicago, Margery remained silent. “How are you feeling, Mom?” Michael finally asked. There was a delay in her response. There were a hundred thoughts going through her mind at once.
It took her some time to respond, but eventually she did. “I’m holding it together,” she whispered softly. “I’m going to push through today. But so help me, if anything else happens, I might just snap.” She didn't know what was going to happen next.
Time To Herself
After arriving just half an hour later, they were the first to arrive at the funeral home. It was time for Margery and her husband to spend some time together. While Michael waited outside, his mother had all the time she needed to say goodbye to the man she had loved so much for so long.
As Margery entered the large venue, she walked slowly. The staff left the room as soon as they spotted her. The day was going to get worse, but she was grateful.
Feeling Sad
She was overcome with tears as soon as she spotted the face of her husband in the coffin. Her jaw dropped as she realized what had happened. She looked at her husband, Tom, who looked like he was sleeping.
Her doubts about his disappearance began to grow. The older woman slowly reached out a hand and touched his cheek with her fingertips. A cold wind blew over him. Even more tears were shed as a result of this.
Getting To Know Him
In her mind, she pictured the man she'd loved for so many years flashing behind her eyes. Besides being her best friend, he was her rock. Eventually, however, she would change her perspective on him.
“You know, Tom. I always knew you’d go first. But secretly, I wished it would be me. How could I survive without you?” She spoke quietly to him. Her ears were then alerted to something. A frown set between her eyebrows as soon as the heavy doors of the room opened. The woman wondered if Michael had entered the house. She wasn't prepared, however.
Visitors
Seeing the crowd of guests, Margery's eyes slowly raised from her husband's face to the set of doors to her right. As people began to arrive, the crowd grew. As Margery wiped the tears from her cheeks, she smiled at the familiar faces.
Suddenly, she stopped looking at one woman in particular as her eyes trailed from face to face. As she looked at that face, she realized she had seen it before. Her husband's death brought her to the realization that she didn't know something about him.
Soulmates
Margery Williams has lived all her life in Chicago. Her school and college were located there. However, she met the love of her life there as well. Margery and Thomas Williams met as teenagers.
She watched him grow into the perfect man over the course of their relationship. Margery and John remained friends throughout high school, but when she went to college, something unexpected happened.
Horrible News
It had been years since she and Tom discussed college. Chicago State University was the plan for the two of them. After two years of dating, Tom finally told his girlfriend the heartbreaking news. “I’ve been accepted into Yale. I can’t give this up,” He told her.
It was beyond Margery's comprehension how he could confess like that. “Yale? In Connecticut? You didn’t even tell me that you applied for Yale!” She said, her face twisted in pain.
The End
Magery's face was covered with tears. “I didn’t think I’d actually get accepted. I’m sorry,” He said, but Margery knew what was coming. “So you’re just going to end our relationship and move to halfway across the country?” She asked, her heart breaking more and more by the second.
As she watched him, she noticed a single tear escape from his left eye. There and then, she knew it was over. It was only a week later that he left.
She Wanted To Call
For years, Margery tried to move on with her life. She often considered calling him, but she never went through with it. Four years later, she completed her degree and found a job in the city. She thought of Tom almost every single day.
She still felt utterly destroyed and betrayed. Margery was certain she would never see his face again until one casual evening out.
Catching Up
That night, Margery was out with friends from school. The girls decided to go to a bar downtown, where they got to catch up over drinks. It was that night that she tilted her head back, laughing at a friend’s joke. But as she looked to her side. She saw those familiar eyes watching her from across the room.
The second she saw Tom’s face staring straight at her, she stopped laughing. In fact, she decided to go home. “I have to go,” She announced suddenly.
She Left
Margery’s friends were confused as she placed her drink on the table and rose from her seat. They tried to stop her from leaving, but they couldn’t. Margery dashed for the door, and as soon as she left that bar, she was hit by the cold Chicago air outside. Her mind was racing.
She thought she would never see his face again, but now, she knew. Tom was back in town. She tried to run off, but before she could, a hand grabbed her arm.
He Ran After Her
When she turned to face Tom, he didn’t say a word. Instead, he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He’d missed her just as much as she missed him. She had always known that they were meant for each other. They got back together right away. But she noticed something strange about him.
No matter what, he refused to tell her anything about his time in Connecticut. She always wondered what he was hiding as he took his private phone calls in different rooms.
Getting Married
Margery asked him about his time at Yale for years, but she never got any closer to finding the answers. Over the years, however, his private phone calls seemed to stop. Eventually, she let it go. The pair got married when they were only twenty-five years old. Shortly after their wedding, they had their first and only child, Michael.
Over the years, Margery only seemed to fall further in love with Tom. She forgot all about what had happened all those years ago. But someday, she would know the truth.
Their Son
Together, they raised the perfect son and gave him everything he ever needed. At just twenty years old, Michael left their house. Margery and Tom enjoyed their alone time together, and eventually, they retired to a lovely home in the suburbs, close to Michael’s house.
But just a few years later, tragedy struck their small family. Tom suddenly fell ill, and no doctor was certain what the issue was.
By His Side
For months, Margery sat by her husband’s side as he went for all kinds of tests. Eventually, he was forced to stay at the hospital. They all knew that this was the end of Tom’s story. Margery refused to leave his side. Every day, she sat beside his hospital bed, praying for a miracle.
Tom held her hand. He wasn’t afraid of what was to come. “You still have so many great things coming your way,” He told his wife.
Losing Her Mind
But Margery didn’t want to hear it. Just the thought of losing her husband and best friend was enough to make her lose her mind. Unfortunately for Margery, there was nothing the medical team could do. She and Michael sat with Tom the night it happened.
Tom passed peacefully with his wife and son by his side. It was a devastating night, but thankfully, Margery still had her son.
Coming To Terms With It
The following week was the hardest week of Margery’s life. She was in a state of shock and bewilderment, and she tried to come to terms with what had happened. Michael stayed at his mother’s house that week, ensuring that the older woman had everything she needed. She lay in bed for days on end, crying.
But by the time that weekend rolled around, Margery knew it was time to start planning her husband’s wake and funeral.
A Wake
“I want there to be a wake. That way, close friends and family members will have the chance to see him one last time,” She told Michael. He held his mother’s left hand over the table as she wrote the details into her planner. “That’s a great idea, Mom,” Michael reassured her.
That afternoon, they called everyone they needed to call and arranged the wake. But Margery had no idea what was coming her way.
A Sobbing Mess
The days seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, it was time for the wake. That morning, she was a sobbing mess. She knew that in just a few hours, she would see her husband’s face for the last time. She wiped the tears from her face and put on a thin layer of makeup.
Michael arrived just in time, and together, the pair drove to the wake. “I’ll give you a moment alone with Dad,” Michael said when they arrived.
Memories
Memories flashed behind her eyes of the man she’d loved for so many years. He was her rock and her best friend. But soon, her perspective of the man would change. “You know, Tom. I always knew you’d go first. But secretly, I wished it would be me. How could I survive without you?” She spoke quietly to him. But that’s when she heard something.
As soon as the heavy doors to the room opened, a frown set between her eyebrows. She wondered if Michael had come inside. But she was not prepared.
An Unexpected Guest
Margery’s eyes slowly raised from her husband’s face to the set of doors to her right, but as they did, she saw the small crowd of guests. People had started to arrive. Margery smiled at the familiar faces, wiping the tears from her cheeks. But as her eyes trailed from face to face, they suddenly stopped on one woman in particular.
Then it hit her: she had seen that face before. That's when she realized there was something she didn't know about her late husband.
A Memory
The second she saw the woman’s face, a memory popped into her mind. It was a memory that hadn’t come to mind since decades ago. It was two years after she and Tom had gotten back together that she found a photo of a woman in one of his old jackets’ pockets.
She’d asked Tom who the woman was, but he seemed to become extremely uncomfortable with her question. He refused to answer.
The Same Woman
The woman standing before her was the same woman she had seen in that photo so many years ago. She wondered if the woman knew about Tom’s life in Connecticut. Marjory greeted her friends and family, but her eyes hardly trailed from the woman standing all by herself.
Once she had greeted everyone, she decided to approach the woman. But she was not prepared for the truth.
He Never Stopped
“Hi there,” Marjory said as she approached the woman. “I’m Marjory Williams,” she said, waiting for the woman to introduce herself. But the woman said something that surprised her. “I know who you are. Tom never stopped talking about you in Chicago,” She said.
Marjory was confused as she waited for the woman to continue. That was when she learned something new about her husband.
Sarah
“I’m Sarah. I don’t suppose he ever mentioned me,” She said. Marjory confirmed this fact. Sarah continued. “You know, your husband was so depressed while he was away from you,” Sarah said, “I always knew that someday he would leave me for you.”
Marjory was taken aback by this. But then, the woman revealed a secret that Tom had kept for all his life.
A Secret
“We were together for a few months,” She shrugged her shoulders, taking a seat beside Marjory at a nearby table. “But one night, he just up and left without telling anyone. He left me a note. He said he’d come back for me,” The woman sniffed.
It seemed Tom had left an impression on her, too. “I knew he went to find you. He called me now and then. He told me to wait for him while he was with you.”
He Loved Her
Marjory’s heart sank at those words. Was he still with Sarah when they got back together? The woman continued. “But one night, he called to tell me that it was over. It was the night he decided that he would marry you. I thought maybe someday he would come back to me.”
“But I guess now I know. You were always the one for him,” Sarah said and placed a hand on Marjory’s shoulder, squeezing it gently.
That Was All
“Your husband loved you since the second he met you until the day he left this earth. It was you and no one else,” Sarah said. Tears began pouring down Marjory’s face as the woman stood up. She looked toward the coffin to look at his face one last time, and then, she left.
Sarah had come all that way just to tell Marjory how much he loved her. She knew it would take time to heal, but she was so grateful for the man she had for all those years.