The Unexpected by Ginger Simpson

This year was a record year for me. On November 12, I turned 70.  I'm shocked to even be able to type my age. :)  Since my entire life I've been reminded that I favor my father's side of the family, and most of them have passed (Dad 61, Uncle late 50s, Aunt late 50s, Paternal Grandmother and Grandfather, both far too young,) I expected to be gone long before now.  Thank you Lord for giving me my mom's longevity genes.   She just turned 91 on November 1.

Nov 1 - Mom's 91st

Atrium balconys

My husband, bless him, took me to Gaylord's Opryland hotel for an
overnight stay.  I've always wanted to be one of those rich bitches sitting on their atrium balconies, looking down at the travelers below.







 For a fleeting moment...I was.  Not the rich bitch part,but I did sit on a balcony overlooking the bar, restaurant and walkways below.  That night, we left our door ajar to the outside so  we could listen to the amazing sound of the waterfall cascading just feet from our room.

Listen to the waterfall

We enjoyed a drink and cheese platter in the bar, and later dined in a very proper and expensive restaurant.   Personally, I loved the carousel bar that was lost during the 100-year flood. :(  But...as far as my birthday trip... I'll be paying the bills for a while, but it was worth every penny, and a proper celebration to reach a year I never expected to see.  I'm already saving up to go for my 80th.

Waterfalls from the bar

View from our room...notice the decorations going up.

The Empty Chair

My neighbor, Hilda, had just returned from her brother-in-law's funeral. She and husband, Troy, had traveled from California to somewhere mid-US and the week had left both of them drained. They were a large family, and the sudden death of her sister's husband came as a shock to all.

I didn't see Hilda for a while, while she recuperated and rested, and I figured I should give her time to grieve her loss. When we finally did get together for coffee, she greeted me at the front door with a puzzled look while holding a photograph.

"What's wrong?" I asked, her confusion apparent in a raised brow.

"This. It can't be real." She handed me the photo, her hand trembling.

I stared at the images, but noticed nothing uncanny. A woman sat in a recliner, a rather sad smile on her face, while family surrounded her.

"It's a nice picture, but..." I handed the snapshot back.

She shoved it back at me. "You don't understand. My sister bought that recliner for her husband. It's practically new. All weekend, no one sat in it out of respect for him. When we got ready to leave, I wanted a picture of everyone, and I insisted she sit in the center.

"So," I held up my palms, waiting for the rest of the story.

"Look at my sister's face...the one sitting in the chair." Hilda's face paled.

I inspected the images a little more closely. Sure enough, superimposed, but oh so faintly, over the woman's face was that of a man's. I shrugged. "A quirk of development," I said, unfazed.

"B-but...that's my brother-in-law."

Not getting the inference, I continued with my uneducated guess. "Probably from another picture you took on the same roll. It happens often, or so I hear."

Hilda swallowed. "You don't understand. This is a new camera, and my brother-in-law was dead before we arrived and started taking pictures."

A chill ran up my spine. I finally got why she was so upset. The grieving wife sat in her deceased husband's chair, and had no idea she shared it with her beloved. Sort of a eerie romance tale, don't you think? True, too! Yep...Ghosts are around us.