Free Suicide Note by Teresa Mummert Page A

shoulder of the road and put the car in park.
    “Here?” she asked as her eyebrows shot up.
    “Why not?” I shrugged and got out of the car, making my way to her side to let her out. I grabbed the cake and nodded to the tree-dotted field ahead.
    “We can’t go in there! There are horses!”
    “Don’t tell me you are scared of horses.” I laughed and shook my head. Jenn narrowed her eyes at me as she crossed her arms over her chest and took off walking.
    “Not scared,” she said as she grabbed hold of the old wooden fence and boosted herself over the top. I held out the cake for her to take and put my hands on the top of the railing, boosting myself easily over the top.
    “Show off.” She bumped her shoulder into mine as we began walking across the large field toward a group of trees in the center.
    “You do this a lot?”
    “What? Take girls on cake picnics?”
    “Trespassing.” She giggled, her hair falling in her face.
    “Only if it’s necessary.”
    “You’re kind of scary, you know that?”
    I winked at her as I took the cake from her hands. When we reached the cluster of trees, I motioned for her to pick a spot to sit. She sank down at the base of one of the larger trees and leaned back against the trunk. I took a seat in front of her and set the cake between us.
    “Would you like to do the honors?” I lifted the lid from the cake and raised my eyebrow. She laughed as she broke off a piece of cake from the corner and shoved it into her mouth. I did the same and we relaxed and watched the horses wandering around us.
    “I’ve always wanted to live at a place like this,” she said, licking frosting form her fingers.
    “Too peaceful,” I replied as I grabbed another hunk of cake, crumbling over my shirt.
    “What’s wrong with peaceful?”
    “I’m used to a little more chaos in my life.” I laughed as I brushed the crumbs from my chest.
    “Don’t you ever just get tired of it? Tired of the stress and worry?” she asked as she swiped her finger over the top of the cake and stuck a clump of frosting into her mouth.
    “Do you?” I asked, following suit and dipping my finger into the frosting and sticking it in my mouth.
    “I think I’ve had enough sugar,” she said as she stood and brushed the grass off her legs. I put the lid on the cake and stood and glanced around the field. “Now what?”
    “It’s time to get back on the horse.” I grinned as I caught sight of a horse near the fence.
    “You’re insane.” She shook her head, which only made my smile grow.
    “We can’t just ride these horses. They don’t even have saddles,” she said as she started walking back toward the road.
    “We can fix that.” I smiled as I followed her to the car and placed the cake in the back seat. Jenn got in and gave me a worried look. I got in the car and pulled us back out onto the road, turning to follow the perimeter of the field.
    “What are you doing?”
    I turned down the gravel driveway leading to an old farmhouse.
    “Doesn’t hurt to ask.” I put the car in park and turned off the engine.
    “You really are crazy, aren’t you? I am out with a lunatic,” she said under her breath as I exited the car and made my way to her side.
    “But I’m fun,” I said as I closed the door behind her and took her hand, pulling her to the front porch.
    I knocked on the screen door and waited for an answer.
    “No solicitors.” A woman in faded jeans and a dirty T-shirt answered the door.
    “No, ma’am. We aren’t solicitors.”
    Her eyes narrowed as she looked us over, her eyes stopping on the dog tags hanging from my neck.
    “Name’s Betty. What can I do for you?” she asked as she stepped out of the door and let it close behind her.
    “I’m Shane and this is Jenn. I am home from war and my girlfriend here just loves horses. She has always wanted to ride one and I couldn’t head back to war without making her dreams come true.”
    She didn’t respond as she looked over Jenn.
    “I can