A Text from the Dead

My husband, Mark, died on a stormy night — or at least, that’s what I believed. His truck supposedly skidded on an oily stretch of road, flipped twice, and killed him instantly. I was left to raise our five-year-old son, Caleb, who was battling a rare but treatable illness that drained both our finances and our strength.

After Mark’s death, life became a blur of double shifts at the diner and office cleaning jobs. My days were a cycle of work, bills, medicine, and exhaustion. Caleb kept asking when Daddy would come home, his little eyes always drifting to the door. I didn’t have the heart to crush his hope, even though mine had already been buried with Mark.

Then, one rainy night months later, I came home, wet and aching, and checked my phone. Among the work messages and a missed call from Mom, one text made my blood run cold. It was from Mark’s number. Just one word: Hi.

Shaking, I replied, telling the sender that the man who owned that phone was dead. The answer came quickly: No. When I demanded proof, an address in Cedar Rapids appeared on my screen — the same town where Mark had supposedly worked his final job.

The next day, I left Caleb with my mom and drove there. The house was unremarkable — white fence, toys in the yard — but my heart raced as I rang the bell. A tired-looking woman opened the door. I explained about the message, about my husband’s death, and she hesitated before inviting me in.

Over tea, she finally called for a little boy named Brady, who sheepishly admitted he’d sent the text. He liked collecting discarded items and had found an old phone or SIM card that must have been Mark’s. Relieved but still unsettled, I prepared to leave.

That’s when the front door opened — and Mark walked in. Alive. Real. Carrying a lunchbox and keys. He froze, pale as a ghost. Shame filled his eyes as he admitted he’d faked his death. He couldn’t handle the stress, debt, and constant struggle of our life. He’d chosen a “simpler” existence with this woman and her child.

I felt gutted but stood my ground. “I’ll never walk away from my family,” I told him before leaving. He didn’t try to stop me.

When I got home, my mom greeted me with unexpected news — a letter from Mark’s mother containing a check and a note of support. That night, lying beside Caleb, he asked if I’d found his dad. I told him the truth: “I did. But he lives somewhere else now.”

He asked if his father would return. “No, baby,” I whispered. “But we’re going to be okay.”