Husband

Every night, Kristina would dream that her husband was still alive. The dream would be so real for Kristina. In Kristina's dream she would think her husband was dead, but then she would see him standing right in front of her on a busy street, smiling at her. Kristina would run across the street toward her husband, but before she could embrace him and kiss him, her dream would end. 

The man who shot Kristina's husband was executed and Kristina witnessed the execution. The only one who stood by Kristina's side was her older sister, Pamela. Pamela would always support and comfort Kristina through hard times.

Right now, Kristina needed her sister's support. Kristina wanted to visit a psychic and she wanted Pamela to come with her. Kristina heard stories about psychics contacting dead loved ones. The young woman thought she could reunite with her deceased husband through a psychic. She thought she could get answers behind her husband's death.

Kristina's sister on the other hand didn't believe in psychics. Pamela thought psychics were fake, like Las Vegas magicians. She didn't want her sister to give her money to a psychic.

Pamela and Kristina were sitting in the living room of a psychic's house. Kristina had her 6 year old daughter, Brianna, sitting on her lap. The little girl was with her father when he was killed. She was in the back seat of her daddy's car and she was being taken to school. Brianna remembered laughing and singing with her father that morning. She never saw the face of the man who shot her daddy. She only saw a burly, masked man walking up to her father's car with a gun. 

"I'm only doing this because you're my sister and I love you," Pamela said to Kristina. "I don't believe in this psychic stuff and I think you're wasting your money." Pamela lightly fussed at her sister. 

"I appreciate you doing this," Kristina said to her sister while resting her hand on her sister's knee. "I know you think I'm an idiot for doing this and I love you for supporting me anyway." Kristina meant what she said to her sister. She leaned over to hug Pamela and she found solace in her sister's embrace. 

"I love you too," Pamela kissed her sister. "I also love my little baby princess," Pamela said to her niece through a smile. "I still think bringing Brianna to see this psychic was a bad idea." Pamela didn't let her displeasure stop her from kissing her niece and her sister.  

"It's funny that she said I looked like Marilyn Monroe with a nose ring." Kristina laughed while mentioning how the psychic complimented her supermodel looks.

"I agree with her. You do look like Marilyn Monroe with a nose ring and tattoos on her arms," Pamela giggled while reaching over and touching her sister's arm. She wanted to say something else to Kristina, but she held her tongue when she saw the old psychic walk into the living room carrying a tray of shortbread cookies and three glasses of ice tea. 

"Hope you girls are hungry. I made some shortbread cookies and sweet tea." The old psychic, whose name was Carol, presented her refreshments to Kristina, Brianna and Pamela with a whimsical enthusiasm. The old lady sat the tray of cookies and tea down on a table in front of Kristina. She straightened out her bright yellow 1960s retro styled dress before sitting down in a recliner. 

"I love shortbread cookies," Kristina exclaimed. She watched as her daughter quickly reached in to grab a cookie. 

 "I can feel how much you miss your husband." Carol rested her hand on Kristina's knee. The psychic wasted no time and she went into her spiritual trance, but she made it look normal. "I can sense a tragedy. The man in your life was taken from you unjustly. He was a good young man. He was a good husband to you and a wonderful father to his daughter. I keep hearing the name, Brian. Was that your husband's name, Darling?" Carol asked her question but the old psychic already knew that she was on point, judging by the astonished look on Kristina's face. 

Kristina slowly put her hand over her mouth while trying not to cry. "Brian was my husband's name," The young woman answered through a gasp. She couldn't believe how quickly Carol fell into her spiritual talents. 

"Your husband was murdered? A man shot him? Is that correct?" Carol asked through her soothing, experienced voice which was just as relaxing as a tropical rainfall.

Kristina nodded. "Yes a man shot my husband while he was sitting in his car." Kristina paused for a second and she gulped while feeling tears boiling in her eyes. "My daughter was in the car with my husband when he was killed. My baby saw everything." Kristina bit her bottom lip after saying that and she swiped away a tear that cascaded down her cheek. "I'm sorry for crying." Kristina giggled in the midst of her tears. She smiled when the old psychic reached out and touched her face.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Darling." Carol whispered while helping Kristina dry her face.

"The man who killed my husband was executed. I was sitting in the witness room during the execution and it was the hardest day of my life. My sister was with me. She helped me get through it." Kristina looked around at Pamela and she took hold of her older sister's hand.

Pamela took a deep breath after her sister reached over to touch her hand. She caressed Kristina's hand while locking her eyes on the psychic.

"I came here because I was hoping you could answer my question." Kristina continued after holding and kissing her sister's hand. "Is my husband at peace?" Kristina's soft voice trailed off into a grieving sigh.

Carol gave Kristina a comforting smile. The graceful wrinkles on her face complimented her embracing smile. "I understand your question, Darling. Your question will be answered." Carol patted and caressed Kristina's hand. The old woman's smile was like a gorgeous vintage painting that you didn't want to take your eyes off of.

Pamela wanted to keep holding her sister's hand, but her body tightened and she breezily withdrew her hand when Carol went back into her psychic trance.

 "I can see!" Carol gasped. The psychic had her eyes closed while holding Kristina's hand. "I can see—" 

"What is it?" Kristina leaned closer toward Carol, gripping the old lady's hand. 

 "I didn't have to call him. He was already there. My God, he's a handsome young man!" Carol gasped from amazement.

 "You can see him? Please tell me!" Kristina was eager to know what Carol was seeing beyond her closed eyes. The young widow didn't mean to raise her voice at Carol and she apologized. "I'm sorry, I just wanna know." 

"It's okay, Darling." Carol showered her sweet voice over Kristina. "I see your husband. He's standing before me." Carol's voice drifted down into a calming whisper. "He looks happy. He's so handsome and he's wearing a black leather blazer and blue jeans." Carol gave her description of Brian.

"He wore his black leather blazer on the morning he was killed," Kristina whispered while cleaning tears off her face. 

"Daddy!" Brianna shouted with excitement. The little girl looked around the living room to see if she could spot her father. In the child's mind, she thought that her daddy was invisible. "Why can't I see my daddy?" Brianna asked the psychic curiously. 

"You can't see him, Honey, because he only wants me to see him. He's in the spirit world." Carol told the child. "He sees you though. He said tell my little Buttercup that daddy says hi and that he misses you," Carol told Brianna through a short, delighted laugh. 

"I miss you too, Daddy!" Brianna shouted. The little girl became overwhelmed with excitement when she knew that the old lady was actually speaking to her father.

 "He wants me to tell you that he will always be with you and that he loves the little sunflowers on your dress." Carol continued to deliver the news to Brianna. "He wanted me to tell you that he's sorry about what happened that morning. He said you and him were in the car singing the theme song to Sesame Street. He says that he misses singing Sunny Days with his little Buttercup. He wants me to tell you that daddy will always love you." Carol felt water in her eyes while she was telling Brianna everything that her father wanted her to say. 

Pamela was creeped out by the moment. The woman stood up and she broke into a nervous sweat while listening to the psychic.  

"He wants your daughter to cover her ears." Carol continued. "There's something he wants me to tell you, but he doesn't want Brianna to hear it." The smile was melting off Carol's lips.  

"Brianna, cover your ears, baby," Kristina told her daughter, obeying her husband's orders. After telling her daughter to cover her ears, she didn't know what to expect next.  

"Your husband has something he wants you to know," Carol's eloquent and grandmotherly voice filled the atmosphere in her living room. "First of all, he wants me to tell you that he loves you so much and that he misses your touch and your kiss." Carol moaned sorrowfully after she repeated what Brian's spirit wanted her to say. 

"I love you too, baby! I miss you so much!" Kristina shouted out to her husband's spirit while wiping tears from her face. "Did he hear me?" Kristina asked Carol with urgency in her trembling voice. She released a joyous laugh through her tears when Carol replied to her with a slow nod of her head. 

"He heard you, Honey," Carol whispered to Kristina while caressing the woman's hand. "He said that you and Brianna will always be his babies and he loves the both of you more than anything," Carol paused for a minute while taking a deep breath. "There's something he needs to tell you and he says that it will be disturbing." Carol's voice became firm but it never lost its gentleness. 

"What does he need to tell me?" Kristina wished she could hear her husband's voice. The young woman made sure that her daughter's ears were still covered.

 Carol licked her lips while cradling Kristina's hand in both of her sweaty palms. "It's about his murder. He's telling me that his murder wasn't random, it was an assassination." Carol was delivering the news to Kristina as fast as she could. She could still see the spirit of a tall, dark and handsome man standing before her and instructing her on what to tell his wife.  

"What's he talking about?" Kristina was thoroughly confused. Her heart was pounding against her chest and her throat was so dry that when she swallowed it felt like someone was pinching her esophagus. "Keep your ears covered, baby," Kristina told her daughter while reaching over her little girl to grab her glass of ice tea. 

Pamela was still standing and the sweat from her body was soaking her white dress. The woman's heart was thumping in her throat and she wanted to stop the psychic but she couldn't talk. All she could do was reach for her purse.  

"He's saying that the man who shot him was a paid hitman." Carol's voice trembled a little as she continued speaking. "Your husband tells me that the man who killed him was paid by a woman. The woman was your sis—" Before Carol could finish her sentence she heard a loud click echo throughout her living room. 

Kristina swallowed hard when she looked around to see her older sister pointing a loaded semi automatic pistol at Carol. 

"Don't say another word," Pamela hissed at Carol after pulling the gun out of her purse. "You were gonna tell her everything?" Pamela broke down in tears while keeping her gun steady on Carol's face. "How did you know? How Is he talking to you? He's supposed to be dead!" Pamela gulped while shaking her head in disbelief. 

Carol stayed calm in the face of Pamela's handgun. "If you shoot me, it won't stop the truth from coming out, Darling," Carol spoke calmly. The old lady wasn't afraid of dying and she knew that her psychic abilities would come at a cost. 

"You stupid old woman!" Pamela roared at the psychic.  

"Pamela baby, what are you doing? You're scaring your sister and your niece! You know that right?" Kristina spoke forcibly to her sister and she tried not to fall into shock. "Give me the gun, Pam." Kristina slowly moved her daughter off of her lap before standing up from the sofa.  

"I'm so sorry, Kristina." Pamela sobbed. The woman aimed her gun at Kristina. She didn't want to point the gun at her sister but it was an involuntary movement of her arm.  

Kristina slowly approached her sister with caution. She couldn't believe that she was negotiating with her sister over not shooting her. 

"I loved him too!" Pamela told her sister with tears streaming down her face. "You were at work one morning when I came over to see him. He didn't expect me to show up at the house." Pamela paused while wiping a few tears from her face. "He looked so sexy in his bathrobe. He made me coffee and we talked for an hour."

Kristina lost her voice for a minute while listening to Pamela confess that she had feelings for her husband.

 "I told him that I was lonely and that I wished he was mine." Pamela kept her gun aimed at her sister and she would back away every time Kristina would take a step toward her. "When your husband hugged me, I tried to kiss him, but he pushed me away. He told me that he couldn't be unfaithful to you! I got mad and I slapped him. He threw me out of the house after that."

 Kristina was listening to her sister and she couldn't take her eyes off the gun. The young woman kept seeing the gun accidentally going off and killing her, or killing her daughter. 

Carol saw something tragic happening in her living room. Since the psychic could see the future, she saw someone being killed in her house. It was a frightening vision of what was to come. While keeping herself calm, the old lady stood up from her recliner and she made her way over to Kristina's daughter. Carol wrapped her arms around Brianna when the child began to cry. She held the little girl tightly in her arms while saying a prayer under her breath. 

"I paid a man to kill Brian. I disguised myself so the man couldn't see my face. I'm Brian's real killer. When you're the big sister, you feel that everything should be yours, including your sister's husband!" Pamela released a maniacal laugh. Pamela's tears caused her mascara to run down her chin. Her slender and haggard face that was once beautiful in her youth, was twisted unnaturally, like a mental patient who was going through electric shock therapy. 

"You paid a man to kill my husband?" Kristina asked in disbelief. "My baby had to see her daddy get shot in his head because of you!" Kristina pointed back at her daughter with her voice elevating.

Pamela never said a word. She kept her gun aimed at Kristina and she didn't want to pull the trigger, but she prepared to shoot if Kristina attacked her. 

 "You hate me that much? I thought you loved me? I thought you loved Brianna? You killed her daddy." Kristina kept talking softly, but she couldn't look at her sister anymore. Kristina could feel her heart crumbling.

 "I'm sorry for killing your baby! I loved your husband too!" Pamela said while gritting her teeth. She cut her eyes at Carol and she felt her hostility toward the psychic arise again. "It's all her fault! She did this!" Pamela fell into a rage while burning her stare into the old lady. 

 Kristina watched as her sister aimed the gun at Carol. "Pam, give me the gun! Please don't shoot in front of Brianna!" Kristina pleaded with her sister, hoping her words would diffuse the situation.

 "You old psychic bitch!" Pamela hissed at the old lady. Pamela tightened the grip on her gun and she was about to pull the trigger, but she hesitated. 

 "Mommy!" Brianna screamed after she watched her auntie aim her gun back at her mother. The little girl wanted to run toward her mom, but Carol held her small body tightly in her arms.

 "It's okay, Honey. It's going to be okay," Carol whispered to the little girl while holding the child against her chest. Carol cradled the child and she tried to use her arms to shield Brianna from the violence that was unfolding in her living room. 

"I'm sorry for what I did to you and Brianna," Pamela whispered her final words to her sister, before raising the gun to her head and pulling the trigger. A loud pop echoed throughout the room.

 "Mommy!" Brianna freed herself from Carol and she ran toward her mother, embracing her. 

 "Hi, baby," Kristina whispered down to her daughter. The woman lifted her daughter up into her arms with her widened eyes stuck on her sister's body, which was sprawled out on the living room floor.

Carol stood up from her sofa. She calmly walked toward Kristina and her daughter. The psychic caressed Kristina's arm before saying to the young woman, "Your husband wanted you to know the truth, Darling. He's at peace now."