Have you ever woken up and felt like the world was just slightly tilted on its axis? That was me on the morning we were supposed to leave for a dream family vacation.
My husband, Mark, turned 35 that year. For months, he had been talking about wanting a real vacation with his parents.
Now, we didn’t see my in-laws much. They lived three states away.
We didn’t have kids yet, and I was doing great at my job, so I thought, why not give him the best birthday gift ever?
He had been talking about wanting a real vacation with his parents.
I went all out.
I booked an all-inclusive getaway to Florida, paid for the flights and the five-star resort. I handled every single detail.
His parents, Margaret and Arthur, seemed so grateful. Margaret even sent me a little note saying how much she looked forward to the “bonding time.”
The night before our flight, I was a whirlwind of energy.
Then, something happened that I should have flagged.
I booked an all-inclusive getaway to Florida.
Mark came into the bedroom with a steaming mug.
“I made you some chamomile tea, honey.”
He was smiling calmly in a way that seemed a little awkward, but the weirdest part was the tea. Mark never made me tea. He always said it was too complicated.
“Oh? Thank you, that’s unusually thoughtful of you,” I said.
He chuckled. “Well, you’ll need the rest for our early flight! You’ve been rushing around all evening, and I figured you might be too wired to sleep.”
Mark never made me tea.
I laughed.
He sat on the edge of the bed, and we chatted a little as I finished the tea.
I thought he was just being nice, that maybe this was his way of showing his appreciation. I trusted him. Why wouldn’t I? He was my husband.
Not long afterward, I started feeling sleepy. I zipped my luggage closed after one last check to make sure I’d packed everything, then climbed into bed.
That’s the last thing I remember.
I trusted him. Why wouldn’t I?
I woke up the next morning to absolute silence.
It took me a full ten minutes to realize how bright the sunlight streaming through the window was. My heart did a little somersault, and I scrambled out of bed.
“Mark! What time is it?”
His side of the bed was empty.
“Mark?”
I reached for my phone.
His side of the bed was empty.
There was a new text message from Mark.
I tried to wake you, but you were completely out. We couldn’t miss the flight. I logged into your airline account and changed the ticket to Mom’s friend’s name so it wouldn’t go to waste. Hope you understand.