Letting You Go: A Short Story Read Free

which sealed his fate, but he was definitely fun to shoot.
                  I couldn't use his photos and pass up models who'd obviously done more professional work. I ended up picking someone else, but I kept in contact. We remained friends for a while before he eventually asked me to dinner. It was then I learned that auditioning for the gig was actually a penalty assigned by his crew for losing a bet. They had his shots pinned on the refrigerator for months. His loss, my win. 
     
                  We found the department store on the corner of Liberty and First. Kate charged for the shoes and lingerie. I wandered aimlessly in circles, keeping my eyes open for the owner or manager. There were more customers meandering around than staff. Figures. I ended up in the baby section, smiling fondly at the cute little tutu dresses, and the tiny baby girl onesies that read “Daddy's Princess”. Ken and I talked about having a baby in the near future. I wanted a girl.
                  My eyes swelled up, and I rummaged through my purse to distract myself. My hand brushed against the cream colored envelope. I read it over again. Meet me here . It wasn't just one sentence. There was more writing on the flip side. I don't know how I missed that. I could then say with absolute certainty that it was Ken's handwriting. Who could have faked that?
                  Pieces of me that you've always kept. Physically and mentally. They will always be yours to smile back on, whether I'm here or gone.
                  “Megan, check these heels out,” Kate called across the store. I quickly put the letter away. Lethargically, like a ghost, I walked over to her. I didn't feel attached to my own body anymore. I felt some place else. Some place with Ken. And I saw things. I thought I saw him in the corner of my eye, playing hide and seek behind clothes racks. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. It was definitely unnerving.
                  “I think we should go,” I told Kate.
                  “We just got here,” she protested.
                  “I don't feel comfortable in this particular store,” I said.
                  “Oh.” Kate understood and nodded. “Let me just pay for these and we can go.”
                  I decided to wait outside for her. I started for the door, thinking about all the pieces I'd kept of him, both physically and mentally. When Ken was alive, he supplemented his income as a firefighter by doing accounting and tax preparing on the side. He was so good with numbers. He developed a strong clientele, and got offered a position at a respected financial advising firm. He turned it down. His heart had always been with the fire department. But when we talked about starting a family, he reconsidered the offer and how he'd close his ties with firefighting for good. He was always trying to make me happy.
                  I heard his voice, somewhere on the right side of the store, behind all the isles. That couldn't be right. I listened again and turned white. It was definitely Ken's voice. My heart skipped. I was both excited and terrified. I followed that voice like chasing salvation.
                  “So you're a single mom with one child under the age of eighteen,” he said. “You don't make much from your part-time job as a tutor, so you will only get a tax return of about four hundred, plus roughly a grand in child credit for your son. A grand isn't much these days. It won't get you through nursing school, that's absolutely certain. What I can do is put you down for education credit. What that means is, since you're working and paying out of pocket for your own schooling, you're gonna get some of that money back. Not all of it, but a percentage. That should help you out.”
                  By the time I reached the back of the store, I couldn't breathe