“I picked an outside table. The coffee is good here and the street is quiet. Please sit down. I’ve something important to tell you, so don’t start scrolling on that cell phone you’ve hidden in your lap.
“You needn’t turn away. I caught that smile. I’ll keep it short.
“He’s returned. I saw him yesterday. It’s now beyond doubt that the boating accident where his body was never recovered was a ruse, a ploy, an escape. I’ve always suspected it, in spite of what you wanted me to believe.
“You’re shaking your head. I know. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him, but the others were years ago and fleeting. This time I’m absolutely sure it’s him.
“There’s the smile again. Don’t mock me. I followed him long enough to be certain. His looks have changed with age, of course, but I recognized that cocky gait, the odd tilt of his head, the way his hands move when he walks, and that sweatshirt with the tattered neckline he loved wearing at the lake. He still has it. He hurried away to avoid me. But I know where we can find him. It’s not far from here.
“Sit back down, please. Just hear me out. We can go there now. If you’re with me, he can’t deny the two of us. We can tell him all is forgiven; that we can all be together again.
“No? Why not?
“How can you say that? That’s not true. It’s simply not true. If you believe that, you don’t know him like I do.
“What? It’s you who’s blind. I’ve kept my eyes open. I’ve been watching and waiting. And now he’s appeared.
“Fine. If that’s how you feel, I’ll go by myself. But you’re wrong. You’ll see. I’m leaving now.
“Let go of my arm and don’t talk to me that way. I’m not a child. You’re making a scene. Let go or I’ll—
“Turn around. There he is. He’s coming toward us. Do you see him, just behind the woman with the blue purse?
“Yes, it’s him. He’s smiling at us. That’s his smile. Don’t you recognize it?”
Russell Fee is the author of the multi-award-winning Sheriff Matt Callahan mystery series. His short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in such journals as The Galway Review, Killer Nashville Magazine, Literally Stories, Short Circuit, Spaceports & Spidersilk, Sci Phi Journal, Hemingway Shorts, Star 82 Review, Winamop, Bright Flash Literary Review, and Spank the Carp. To learn more about Russ and his writing, visit his website.