Orpheus - Haunting the Dead.pdf - Dice

HAUNTING THE DEAD
RICK CHILLOT
“Listen, honey, I’ve been thinking… I know, I know,
just let me talk for a moment, okay? I’ve been thinking
and I…”
Jack swallows. Do the right thing, he’s thinking. But
what was the right thing? Would she really want him
there in the hospital with her? The treatments were so
expensive, wouldn’t they both be better off with more
money in the bank? Insurance will only go so far….
“Honey,” he tells her suddenly, “I’ve been thinking
and thinking and I think it’s best I don’t take any time
off right now. I—that’s right, that’s right, I know. I
know. But this therapy is so expensive and our bills are
piling up. I think I should stay on the road for a few
more weeks… oh, honey, don’t cry. It’s for the best,
I…” Jack licks his lips, he pulls the receiver away from
his ear and closed his eyes. This is crazy, he’s thinking.
Fuck the money. Fuck everything. I need to be with my
wife. He puts the phone to his ear and opens his mouth
to speak. “Listen, I, I don’t know why I…” The words
won’t come. He can’t make himself talk. Finally, he
hears himself saying, “Honey, I have to go now. I’ll call
you back in the morning. Mhmm.”
When he puts down the receiver, he can’t make
himself let go of it. He feels as if the phone is still
connected to her, as if he’s holding her hand. He
realizes his shallow breathing is turning into deep,
shivering sobs. She begged him, begged him to come
and see her. And he backed out of it. He’s not a man,
he realizes. He’s a coward, a worm, just as he always
suspected. He lets his hand slip from the phone, and
walks away, back to his room where he can drown in his
misery.
Blue Palace Hotel, Third Floor, East Hallway
September 20, 10:20 a.m.
Ed rounds a corner, spots the PHONE sign jutting out
from the wall, and sighs with relief. He gets closer and
sees that the phone booth is occupied by a middle-aged,
tired-looking man dressed in a wrinkled suit and tie.
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