The Dead Back To Haunt

“The Dead back to Haunt”

by Nick Strychalski

One day after work Gabriel sees a good friend named Greta walking to her car and he happens to admire her and always tried to get to know her better.  He approaches her and starts a small conversation.  Gabriel asked Greta what her interests are outside of work and some hobbies she might have.  Greta responds by saying she just stays to herself and does a lot of cooking and gardening.   As they are talking Gabriel decides to ask Greta out to dinner one Friday night.  Greta gladly agrees to go out to eat to get to know each other better.  As Gabriel goes to pick her up they talk on the car ride there.  She begins to tell some different stories about growing up as an only child and how lonely it was.  As they arrive to the restaurant and walk in a waiter approaches to seat them.  As the night progresses they talk for hours over dinner going into detail about their personal lives.  Gabriel seems to be having a good time but he feels like it is little bit awkward how Greta talks, and some of the things she is saying.  He can tell that something is not right as the night gets older. 

It begins to get late and Gabriel decides to call it a night and asks Greta is they can get together soon and she agrees.   As time goes on they begin to see each other more and more and then become a relationship.  It is as if the couple is deeply in love and they can’t get enough of each other.  Times goes on and the couple decides to get married and start a family.  Now that the married couple lives together life seems to be great and they even have kids together.  Years of marriage go by and everything seems to be a normal, healthy family. 

One wintery night the couple goes to a work Christmas party and leaves the kids at their grandparents.  On the way there Greta begins to poke fun at Gabriel at random things but he doesn’t say anything.  Once they get to the party and are socializing Greta begins to tell an embarrassing story about Gabe so he walks away to get a drink.  As he is getting a drink he looks off at a woman telling a story and after a few minutes of staring he realizes it was his wife.  Gabriel was surprised that he didn’t notice right away and is confused by the fact.  The night goes on and everything seems to be normal and the couple enjoys some wine and food with the others at the work party.

On the way home Gabriel begins to ask Greta about the night and how she was acting a lot different.  Greta explains she doesn’t know what he’s talking about that she thought the night was great.  As the conversation goes on Greta becomes upset and Gabriel doesn’t understand why.  Greta then tells Gabriel how he hasn’t told him the full truth about her childhood.  Greta tells Gabriel that as a child she witnessed her father killing her mother and burying her in the back yard.  She begins to cry and explain that he said he would kill her if she ever said anything.  She was only five when this happened but by the time she was thirteen her father was convicted fifteen to life in prison.  She has grown up alone and doesn’t have any family so that is why when we do family things together it is different for me.

                  Gabriel now knows why Greta came off as a little off.  She began to cry and hug Gabriel and tells him how her life has been different ever sense that she feels alone.   Every night she has nightmares of her father getting out of jail and killing her for helping   the police she begins to cry.  Gabriel hugs her and tells her that it will be okay that he’s here for her.  Gabriel feels horrible that Greta has been living her life like this scared of what is going to happen to her.  He then begins to get closer to Greta and becomes in a very close nit family.  Over time Gabriel and Greta become more and more open to talking about things that bother them.   Greta begins to control her fear of her father hurting her and finally closes the door to that chapter of her life for good.

Gabriel has never felt so close to Greta after she opened up to him about her childhood and told him what she has never told anyone else. Life is always full of obstacles and Greta has to deal with a major one about her father.  Greta may never be the same since that one day but she does know that her father will never hurt her again, and finally get him out of her mind.