HER DEAD HUSBAND’S ASHES
by Kevin Ridgeway
She had told me about them,
where she stored them, and
I was perfectly fine with having
him around. She had been gone
for several days before I finally
opened the drawer and pulled
out the cardboard box that I
opened and there he was, a
pile of gray sand I had heard
so much about in her colorful
stories that I got nervous as
I said hello and introduced
myself. I was lonely, and he
completely understood. He
asked me for something to
drink so I got us some beers.
We laughed and talked until
sunrise. I got emotional about
her and he cheered me up by
letting me sort through him in
search of his remaining teeth.
All was going well with us
bachelors until the day the
Neptune Society came and
took him away to be scattered
like all the other people I get
too close to.
Originally Published in Cultural Weekly
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