"The Body"

“The Body”

By Cody Williams

 

1.

            “Honey, I’m home!” Shirley said as she hung up her long gray colored rain jacket on the coat hanger beside the door. She shut the door behind her and knelt down to take of her boots. Shirley slid her boots to the side and stepped onto the hardwood floor. “Honey?” She called out again to Stanley, her husband of fifteen years. “I bet he’s in the kitchen fixing himself some lunch.” She said as she began to walk down the hallway to the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen door and looked around. Nobody was there. She thought for a moment and then continued into the kitchen to his beloved media room where he sits and watches TV. Nobody was in there but the TV was showing an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, Stan’s favorite show.

            “He’s been in here.” She said to herself as she felt her heat began to race with worry. “Stan? Stanley? Where are you honey!?” She shouted out to her husband. Still no answer. She walked back down the hallway to the front door and turned towards the living room. She walked through the entryway into the living room and just stood there. She saw him. He was sitting in a navy blue armchair with wooden legs placed firmly on the ground. His skin was pale. Very pale. The gorgeous black and wavy hair that had once covered his head only six months ago was now almost completely gone and what was left was silver. His body that had once weighed two hundred and forty five pounds now weighed just over ninety.

            His paper white skin just hung on his bones and his body had transformed to a starving monster like creature. That’s how his grand children liked to describe it. The youngest was Teddy. He was five and feared going to his grandparent’s house to see the monster like creature that his once loving grandfather had become. The oldest, Frank, whom had just turned twelve, hated going for a different reason entirely.

            Frank loved his grandfather. Everybody knew that. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that he loved him more that anything else in the world. So why was he so afraid? That’s probably the question that tore him up inside more than anything. The truth was he just didn’t like what the cancer was doing to him. He didn’t like it one bit and hated seeing him that way. Shirley knew this feeling. She understood it. She almost felt the same way.

            She continued to stare at him as her eyes began to tear up. She covered him mouth and stood in silence for a moment. His green colored eyes just stared back at her. But there was nothing there. No good. No evil. No life at all really. His lifeless body lay there and glared back at Shirley.

            “Stanley!” Shirley shouted out as she ran over to him and put her arms around him. He was cold. There’s nothing that could have been done. She knew that. She slowly stood to her feet and backed her way to the table that was sitting on the floor along the wall across from him. She picked up a black cordless home phone that was sitting on it and dilled 911. Her heart began to race even more as she clinched her fists and waiting for the operator to answer.

            “911, what is your emergency?” The woman on the other side of the line answered. At first she didn’t really know what to say. She tried to speak the words simply just wouldn’t come. “Hello? This is 911! What is your emergency?” The woman asked again. Shirley took her free hand and placed it on her forehead and looked down at the floor.

            “It’s…it’s…it’s my husband.” She was finally able to say. “He…he…” She started. She fell down to her knees and began to sob. “He passed!” Shirley said as tears rolled down her face.

            “Are you sure he’s dead? Are you sure he can’t be resuscitated?” She asked him.

            “Yeah. He’s under a DO NOT RESSESSTATE ORDER by Dr. Johnson!” She said as she continued to cry.

            “Okay. I’ll send some paramedics over right away! In the mean time, I think it would be best for you to not be alone right now. Is there anyone you can call to come and stay with you until the paramedics retrieve the body?” The woman asked her. Shirley thought for a moment.

            “No. My daughter is the only one and she took the kids out of town for the weekend.” She said still crying.

            “Okay. In that case, I suggest that you go outside and wait for the paramedics to arrive.” The woman said. Shirley said nothing and just nodded her head and hung up the phone. She placed the phone back on the table and walked over to the armchair beside her dead husband. She reached over, grabbed him by the hand and held it. She placed her head on his lap and closed her eyes as she continued to sob.

 

2.

            Shirley just laid there staring at the old grandfather clock that Stan had once bought for $50 at the local Flea Market. She watched the golden dial swing left to right as she laid quietly on the king side bed for the first time alone. She spared out her legs taking up what was usually his side of the bed. She saw an old picture frame that sat on the nightstand beside the bed. She reached over, grabbed it, and then laid it down on the bed beside her head. It was Shirley and Stan’s wedding photo. The goofy one where he crossed his eyes and held up two fingers behind her head. She remembered laughing at him and then giving him a gentle smack for the serious photo that followed. She smiled.

            Shirley began to rub the picture over Stanley’s face. She couldn’t help but smile. He was sporting that bushy goofy mustache that she had begged him to shave the day before the wedding. She remembered that. But that’s all she had now. Her memories. Sadness began to set back in and she began to cry again.

            “Why? Why God? Why? Stan!” She cried out. She laid there and cried for hours. Shirley looked up at the clock and saw that it read 3:15. “Sleep! I need sleep!” She cried out again. She rolled over and stood up and walked over to the dresser on the other side of the room. She picked up a new bottle of Ny Quill and twisted off the plastic wrapper around the lid. Shirley pressed down on the lid and twisted it opening it. With tears still in her eyes, she lifted up the bottle and pressed it against her lips and took it in in three big gulps. The burn that the alcohol created made her feel warm and tingly inside. She loved it. She smiled again. She knew what was to come, but she couldn’t help but smile. She just walked back to the bed and lay down on her side. She stroked Stan’s face one last time as she drifted off to sleep and breathed her final breath.

Copyright 2014 by Cody Williams

Courtesy of TTP Entertainment

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Author's Note

For Jannie

I realize that this is very different than what I usually write. I got the idea shortly after coming home for the summer. It was a real emotional piece to write and I hope you all like it!

-CW

Reviews

[Jackson H. Harley]

This hit me hard, I experienced this with my grandfather, of the same name bizarrely, so this got to me, but in a good way I guess :p it helpd me realise I too have memories, very well and delicately written, with a tragic but bittersweet ending, great story :)

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Jackson! I'm glad you liked it!

-CW

[Wild Spirit]

Wow. Just wow. That was amazing. A few spelling errors but otherwise wonderful.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading! I'm glad you liked it!

-CW

[Persona]

The 13th Floor is better. I like your style - how you lay out the sections. I like the general idea itself, a bit Romeo and Juliet inspired with the ending. I'm not too sure about the dialogue “I bet he’s in the kitchen fixing himself some lunch.” She may not say it aloud, it may be more of a thought.

[lissalovesyou]

Well done.
The ending smacked me in the face with all that.
But it feels very real.
lissalovesyou:)

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Lisa!

-CW

[ReneeJ]

This was a sad story. I really did not expect the wife to die, but you did a really good Job of writing a piece filled with emotions. It was a sad, but beautiful story

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading!

-CW

[Eddie Phillips]

Deeply moving story. It is hard to lose someone you love bit by bit each day. The journey is hard and one day it ends. This is a truthful emotionally compelling story of how we feel during those times. Wonderful job Cody.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Eddie!

-CW

[Stephanie M]

That was quite a tearjerker, with a dark ending. Nicely written.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks again for reading Steph!

-CW

[NoelHC]

We all face this with loved ones, here you have expressed so well what death does to those remaining. This is beautifully written.

One thing I noticed "She spared out her legs " I believe you meant spread, otherwise well done.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Noel!

-CW

[Dayran]

A cozy home ... and a warm relationship ... is shattered suddenly ... and stops all possibilities for carrying on. There is no protection for something good ... is there? Food for thought ...

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Dayran!

-CW