avatarRuby Lee

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A Gift From The Beyond

Was it really a gift from my brother?

Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash

My hair kept falling in my eyes as I bent over the tub. It was getting harder and harder to scrub all of the scum away, but I was determined to get it done.

Cleaning the bathroom was my least favorite job, but then I couldn’t think of anyone who woke up in the morning excited about cleaning a toilet.

It had been a hard and sad week. My older brother’s sudden death had been devastating to our family. Even though he had long had health problems, you always hoped that he would overcome them and live a long time.

That didn’t happen.

My heart was full of sadness. I had taken the week off for the funeral. It was amazing how much there was to do when someone died. I had helped my sister-in-law as much as I could. The decisions were endless, and then there was all of that paperwork. Just when you want to curl up and mourn for your lost loved one, you have to get copies of death certificates and handle finances. Then, there were bills to pay and people to notify.

My thoughts drifted as I looked back at my childhood. There was a lot of fighting and arguing between my brother and me. It was typical sister-brother stuff, but there were some good times too.

Our parents were already gone, and now my brother was gone too. It made my family smaller with just my husband, daughter, and myself. Then, of course, there was my sister-in-law and her two children. I hoped that we would remain close even though my brother was gone. Family is family no matter what.

I wondered what her future would be. I hoped that she would recover and be able to move on with her life. I didn’t know how, though. I was having a hard time with that myself. Even though I didn’t see my brother often, I knew he was just a phone call away.

Now, there were no more phone calls to be made.

Finally!

The tub was clean or clean enough!

Things were pretty quiet in the house. That wasn’t a good sign.

I listened and didn’t hear anything.

I had left my three-year-old daughter Allyssa watching tv. She had been so focused on the screen that I thought that I could take a few minutes to get something done.

Glancing at my watch, I was horrified to see that thirty minutes had passed since I had checked on her. The tub had been harder to clean than I had imagined.

I hurried into the den, and there was the tv playing, but there was no Alyssa.

“Alyssa,” I yelled.

I raced through the house, looking for her. Her room was empty, and so was the bathroom. I checked every room, and there was no Alyssa.

Panic filled my body, and I frantically looked for my daughter.

“How could I have left her alone?,” I berated myself. “You are such a terrible mother!”

Entering the kitchen, I could see that the door was cracked open.

My heart stopped for a moment.

We lived on a busy street. If Alyssa ran out into the road, a driver wouldn’t have time to stop her.

Tears were streaming down my face, and I ran out the door.

“Alyssa, Alyssa,” I screamed.

“Mommy, mommy,” came a faint voice from the front of the house.

Running as fast as I could, I ran toward the front of the house.

Alyssa was standing on the sidewalk, holding a tiny kitten.

She was smiling and laughing as she talked animatedly to …well, no one!

I stopped. It was if I were frozen.

I watched my daughter until she finally turned and ran toward me.

Scooping her up in my arms, I hugged her tight.

Becoming aware of the wriggling kitten, I stopped.

“What happened, Alyssa. Why did you come outside without me? You know you aren’t supposed to do that!”

“Where did this kitten come from?”

“I saved it, mommy,” Alyssa replied excitedly. “Someone threw it out of their car, and I got it before it was runned over.”

My heartbeats were slowing down by now. Alyssa was safe.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and then I asked.

“How did you know about the kitten, Alyssa? And who were you talking to?

Alyssa smiled. “Didn’t you see him, mommy? It was uncle Manny. He told me to get the kitten and give it to you. He said its name was Toby.”

I stared at Alyssa in shock.

Toby was the cat that I had as a child. It had been thrown out of a car, and my brother Manny had saved it.

Looking at the kitten, I could see that it indeed looked like my Toby. He was yellow with white spots. Toby had lived to be a ripe old age of fourteen. Manny went with me to the vet that last time, and he was the one who held me as I cried.

I hugged Alyssa and reminded her to never go outside without me again.

“I won’t, mommy. I only went this time because Uncle Manny was holding my hand. Can we keep the kitty?”

“Absolutely!” I replied.

This time I held Alyssa’s hand as we walked into the house. For an instant, I felt the brush of fingers against my face. Then it was gone.

Be Open Says;

So pleased to present you 1 of Be Open Golden Stories created by: Bia Root

Approved by Be Open’s Editors: A Shayens Abran & Rhonda Marrone

Fiction
Family
Life
Death
Ghosts
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