Excerpts Of Stories That Don't Exist

Scar

I rush out the door and down the three flights of stairs. It takes me five minutes to get to the subway and I'm already ten minutes late. Exiting the building I run down the street keeping my hand on my bag so that it doesn't fly off and hit someone, I dash down the stairs to the underground.

The train doors are shutting as I push pass a group of people. I get shoulder checked pretty hard by some guy wincing at the point of contact I look back over my shoulder breifly to see the guy looking back at me as well. Not paying any attention I grab my shoulder on instinct just as I slip between the closing doors.

I turn around facing the guy who still stands outside the train car holding my bag in his hands, "Shit." I mumble under my breath as the train car starts to pull away. 

I guess when we bumped into each other I dropped my bag, too worried about my shoulder to notice. Thinking about my shoulder I wince again and pull  up my sleeve to see a line from my clavicle all the way down my humerus. Just looking at the scar reminds me of the worse time in my life. 

~

Jacob pulls me into him as we walk away from our family and friends, smiling I kiss him and everyone claps and laughs as we climb into the car. Excitement courses throughout my veins as we drive away from the church and off towards the airport on our way to our honeymoon. Jacob grabs my hand and I look over at him smiling. 

Stopped at a traffic light I turn the radio up as our song comes on, Jacob smiles and looks over at me, "What a coincidence." Smiling he leans over again to kiss me, I pull away as the car behind us honks signaling us to go, and as the light is green Jacob accelerates forward pulling into the middle of the intersection. 

I smile over at Jacob as he watches the road, he pulls my hand towards his mouth and kisses it just as everything goes black.

~

A single tear slips as I remember that day. Which just happens to be today. My wedding anniversary, that's why I'm late. It's been two years since that car accident, and within those two years I have visited Jacob at his grave every special occasion and holiday. Precisely at the time of 12 o'clock because that's when we were married. 

In the accident I broke a leg and had severe lacerations along the right side of my body which is the side we were hit on. My scar is from the window glass cutting along my clavicle and humerus. Jacob wasn't killed on impact, he died right next to me after we were hit. 

Being trapped in the car for about an hour I watched as he died, I talked to him in his final moments and the pain of that moment hurts the most. Letting go of my arm I wait for the next stop.

Losing my bag will not stop me from getting to Jacob, I will have to worry about that later. 

Walking outside and across the street I head towards the cemetery, and just as I'm walking to the the front gate I see a man with his back to me standing outside the entrance. 

He turns towards me and I realize it's the man from the subway, and he has my bag in his hand. "I think this is yours." He says, as I look from the bag to his eyes. 

"Yeah." He hands it to me, taking it I'm afraid to look back up when he clears his throat.

"Sorry about that back there by the way, I should've been watching where I was going. I looked in it for an ID, but only found the address for where you were going, and what time." 

I looked up, "Thanks. I'm sorry I was in a hurry. I should've been more careful." He smiles as I continue, "I was just running late."  

I stop talking as he's still smiling at me, holding his hand out he says, "I'm Jay."

"Ruby." I shake his hand as he asks. 

"Would you like to get lunch with me?" Surprised I go to speak, and then I look at my watch, 11:58 I turn towards the gate and Jay seems to notice my hesitation. "Oh, I'm sorry are you visiting?" 

I nod, "Yeah." 

"Maybe another time. Here I'll give you my number." 

I hold a hand up, "Actually, I'll just be a minute. I mean that is if you don't mind waiting." 

"By all means, take your time. I don't mean to intrude." I smile at him and feel my arm tingle. Wincing I glance at the gate and see Jacob, he's smiling at me. I can't breathe as I know what I have to do, and I know what he wants me to do. 

Letting a single tear fall, I smile and turn back to Jay, "You know what? I can come back later." 

"Are you sure. Cause honestly if you need to be here, you can." 

I shake my head, "No. I have all the time in the world to come back." 

He smiles at me running a hand through his hair, "Okay."

He turns and starts down the sidewalk, and I look back to the cemetery. Jacobs no longer there, but I can feel him, smiling I turn away and follow Jay.