#WritcoStoryPrompt4
The email he has received today is marked urgent. But it's from a friend who died two years ago.
It caught him off guard, spooked him in fact. Kevin hadn't been thinking about anything except getting his work done so he could leave early. A momentary thought of "Should I open it?" flashed across his mind, but he was not superstitious and began to wonder what it was and who the real source behind it was. Had to be a logical explanation. In a well practiced motion the young teacher clicked on the email. It simply read "Remember, don't forget to stop by on your way home. I'd rather talk about it in person."
His mind stopped working for a minute, then he came back. That was the same message his best friend had left on his answering machine that day. Kevin had not heard his office phone ring and had shut down his computer to leave early. He remembered because his friend since grammar school had died in a car accident that afternoon. When he heard the message play days later he had cried before he erased it.
Sadness and anger took over and Kevin got up to leave. He hadn't finished checking his students' exams and forgot to take them. He also left his coat on the back of his chair but he was too preoccupied to notice the cold when he stepped outside. He also made no response to the students in the hallway as questions about the test flew at him.
Without really being sure how he got there, it was like auto pilot, twenty five minutes later he was in front of Benny Murphy's house. He didn't know what to do or say if his wife or children saw him in front of their house, but seconds later his wife opened the front door.
She walked up to Kevin slowly, awkwardly. In a quiet voice as he stepped out of his car she said "I'm sorry." Embarrassd, she hugged him tightly and then Susan continued, telling him how she'd been on Ben's computer. It had become a comforting habit for her to go through all those emails they had sent to each other in the past years, looking at pictures of their times together both before and after kids. "I saw this email that had been saved as a draft. I hadn't noticed it before, I'd never looked at those. It was so important and without thinking I hit send. I was hoping to call you but I couldn't think fast enough."
"It's alright. I hadn't known what to make of it so I just left and came over."
They both went inside and sat down at the kitchen table. Kevin didn't know how he was going to tell her what the email was about, all he knew was he'd better call home first. His plan to get home early had been waylaid and he was not going to be close to on time.
The car accident that took the friend, husband and father was listed as an accident. Benny's. car had swerved on the ice and went off the road. The car had rolled over before hitting the tree.
Benny had told Kevin he was struggling financially. He said six months ago he had taken out an insurance policy, "just in case something happened,"so his family would be okay. Kevin was so angry, he had told his friend not to talk like that. He would help him. He wouldn't even tell his wife Karen and he never had. He would just find a way to help him.
For the last two years Kevin had wondered if he could have stopped his friend, saved him. His anger, guilt and deep sorrow had haunted him. Now hear he was facing Susan. How would he start. How could he tell her he knew Benny had wanted to talk to him after he left the school that day. That's why he left early so he could take care of going to the bank before he went there. Why hadn't Benny waited? He'd left his house before Kevin was expected.
Susan started the conversation. She told Kevin that Benny had been offered a new job. They would have had to move but he was so excited about it. They'd been a little behind and Benny had been worried. They were so relieved. He left the house without telling her where he was going, but she thought he might have been headed to see you at the school. She said he probably was going to tell you in person and that was why the email was never sent. Susan continued, after the accident she had just never told anyone, she said she hadn't thought it mattered anymore.
Kevin put his head in his hands. He was overwhelmed and speechless. She put a hand on his shoulder and said "I probably should have told you, he was so happy that day. You'd always been his best friend." Kevin didn't tell Susan what he had feared had really happened. He wanted her to only remember the good news and all their hopes. Now, at last, he could have those memories too, and he knew in time he would begin to feel better. Now he couldn't wait to go home and tell Karen.