In the month following Tim’s funeral, Joe and her father-in-law had clung to each other, and checked in with each other several times a day. But eventually, seeing each other became too painful, a reminder of what they had both lost, and the phone calls trailed off.
Tim had been everything to both of them. For Joe—an only child who had lost her parents in an automobile accident during her last year of high school—Tim had been her best friend, her lover, her confidant. For her father-in-law—having lost his wife during childbirth—Tim had been his only reason for living.
And then Joe discovered she was pregnant. At first she was afraid to share the news with anyone for fear that the grief and self-neglect of the first two months following Tim’s death would cause her to miscarry. But when she passed the first trimester and the doctor assured her that the baby was healthy, she shared the news with her father-in-law and the baby became a lifeline for them both. A new reason to go on living, even when everything inside them resisted.
The doorbell rang precisely at ten, and when she pulled the door open, her heart seized and her legs nearly slid out from under her. Tim had been the spitting image of his father, and seeing him still took her breath away.
As they sat across the kitchen table from each other, sipping coffee and nibbling the store-bought Pecan Sandies she’d neatly arranged on a plate, her father-in-law reached across the table and took her hand.
“How’s my grandchild today?” he asked.
His eyes, once vibrant and alive and the deepest blue she’d ever seen, were now pale and dull and empty, and when she looked into them, she saw her own pain reflected back to her. The promise of a grandchild had brought some life back into them, but Joe wondered whether she would ever see them twinkle again.
“It’s a boy.” She surprised herself with the admission.
He arched an eyebrow. “So, you decided to find out after all?”
She shook her head. “No, I just know.”
A slow smile met his lips and he nodded. “So, what’s on the agenda today?”
“Well, for starters, I need something from the attic. After that, I was hoping maybe you could help me build the crib for the baby?”
“What exactly am I looking for?” her father-in-law called from inside the attic. Joe climbed the ladder and poked her head inside.
“A small box, about yay big.” She used her hands to show the dimensions, just as Virginia had done in her dream. “And she said...I mean...it’s behind the HVAC system. And while you’re over there, will you take a look at the roof?”
His eyebrows knitted together. “The roof? Didn’t the previous owners put a new roof on just before you bought the place?”
A slow burn crept into her cheeks and she grinned sheepishly. “Yes, but I had a dream that a big storm came and the roof leaked. Could you just humor me and check it out?”
He chortled and nodded. “Anything for the mother of my grandchild. Now please, climb carefully down that ladder and wait for me downstairs.”
Thirty minutes later, he emerged from the attic, with a small box. “Where do you want it?”
Joe’s mouth gaped open. She couldn’t believe he’d actually found it. She was sure it had been just a dream and that she was crazy for listening to the voice inside her head. “Right here.” She patted the top of the kitchen table.
Her father-in-law laid the box on the table and moved toward the garage. “I did see a little evidence of water damage on the drywall up there, so I’m going to climb onto the roof and get a better look.”
“Uh huh, okay, thanks.” Her eyes never left the box. When she heard the door to the garage slam shut, she reached her hand to the lid, and then yanked it back. The woman told her to retrieve the box; she didn’t say to open it. But she needed to be sure it contained what the woman—what Virginia—had said it contained, didn’t she?
Yes, she decided, she needed to verify the contents, and once she did, she would put the box away and respect Virginia’s privacy. And if it was filled with old bank statements or other such nonsense, she would call her shrink.
Joe stood, reached a trembling hand to the lid and peeled it slowly back. When she glanced inside, she gasped and slammed the lid back into place.
Holy shit. I’m not crazy. I really was visited by a ghost.
When her father-in-law returned to the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks. “Joe, are you okay? You look a little pale.”
She was vaguely aware of his voice, and her eyes floated over to his. She saw the concern on his face and quickly gathered her senses. “Yeah, sorry, I’m fine. Did you see anything?”
His brow furrowed and he nodded. “I think pregnancy has made you psychic. There is a tear in one of the shingles on the north corner of the roof. It needs to be replaced or it will leak with the next heavy rain. I’m going fishing for a few days, but when I get back I’ll go up and fix it for you.”
Joe pushed up from her chair so quickly that it toppled over. “No.” She bent down and lifted the chair up. “It has to be tomorrow. A big storm is coming on Wednesday.”
Her father-in-law stared at her for a long moment before nodding. “Okay, I’ll fix it tomorrow before I leave then.”
Joe sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said. “But if I were you, I’d postpone the fishing trip.”