Free Safe & Sound by T.S. Krupa

Lanie said, coming into the room.

    “Jill needs to shower and get dressed. I was hoping you could help me pick her up and put her in the shower.”

    “Fully clothed?”

    “Fully clothed.”

    “You wouldn’t dare,” I mumbled back. I was fuming, why couldn’t they just leave me alone. Lanie grabbed both my ankles and Stella grabbed my arms and together they dragged me into the bathroom, lifting me over the edge of the tub and placing me gently in the tub.

    “If you wanted to lose some weight, I could think of better ways,” Stella commented.

    “Seriously, you can’t do this. Let me go,” I shouted as I tried to wiggle free but it was impossible.

    “Seriously, we can do this and we will,” Stella said as she turned on the shower. I started to scream as the cold water drenched my clothes. Each time I tried to stand, one of them pushed me back down. “Are you done feeling sorry for yourself?” Stella asked.

    “Sorry for myself? Fuck you!” I screamed back. Who did they think they were? My husband had just died.

    “Jill, this is for your own good,” Lanie insisted.

    I didn’t comment as the cold water continued to cascade down over me. I was having trouble concentrating on anything other than my chattering teeth.

    “Jill, we aren’t going to let you become a zombie. You need to start moving forward,” Stella said. I was about to protest when she added, “a little bit … every day.”

    “If I agree, can I get out of this shower?” I asked, my body shaking.

    “I think you’re agreeing too quickly and you don’t mean it,” Stella said.

    “I agree,” Lanie said.

    “But we will let you shower,” Stella added, turning the water off. They both gave me one final look and left the bathroom.

    I slowly stood up and stripped off the cold wet clothes. This time I showered with hot water, dressed, and headed downstairs. Perhaps I could play pretend until they both left?

    “There she is, all shiny and new,” Stella said, teasingly.

    Lanie laughed and I scowled.

    “Now what?” I asked. I was acting like a sullen teenager, but I didn’t care.

    “Now you eat and then we go to Swanford and Sons,” Lanie said.

    “Why do we have to go to Swanford and Sons?” I whined.

    “To pick up Jay,” Stella said in a very matter-of-fact voice.

    “Pick him up?”

    “His ashes are ready,” Lanie said.

    “Oh.”

    It was after one in the afternoon by the time Stella and Lanie could convince me to head to the funeral home. When we arrived, there were several cars in the parking lot.

    “I hope we’re not interrupting,” Lanie said.

    “We did have an appointment earlier this morning, but Mrs. Greenfield here was too busy throwing a fit,” Stella commented. I stuck my tongue out at her.

    “Be nice,” Lanie cautioned.

    “This is me being nice,” Stella said.

    “Let’s get this over with,” I said and trudged up the steps.

    Once inside, we could hear several voices off in the distance, so we decided to wait on one of the sofas in the lobby.

    “Ladies.” We heard Gary address us after several minutes.

    “Sorry we are late. We had some … trouble,” Stella said after Lanie elbowed her.

    “No problem. Just wait here a minute.” He motioned he would be right back and left.

    As he turned to leave, another man escorted a woman and her children into the lobby and told them that Gary would be right with them. I stared at them. The woman appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She wore jeans, a sweatshirt and running shoes as she carried two children’s coats and a very large bag from which toys were sticking out. Her daughter appeared to be about 10 years old and wore a similar outfit to that of her mother. The little boy was wearing jeans and a T-shirt and was climbing over all the furniture. I could see myself in this woman. In another five or six years I wanted to be this woman. Jay and I had recently started talking about having a family. We had always wondered about the best