~I'm Coming Home~

  Flash fiction contest

  Prompt: "I have no regrets"

 

It was a somber, rainy, October evening. The wiper blades were moving to a melodious, hypnotic beat. I was depressed from the recent turn of events. My doctor informed me I could never have a baby, and my husband Jake decided to leave me after two years of marriage. He placed a note in the mailbox; “It’s been wonderful, sweetie, but I want to have children someday, and you’re a lost cause in that department.”



My thoughts broke when a flash of lightning exposed something in the ditch. I pulled over, and proceeded cautiously, holding the huge flashlight Jake made me keep in the car. As I got closer, I heard a whimpering sound. I flashed the light on the wrecked car and saw a large tree limb embedded in the front seat. The front half of the car was completely crushed, and the occupants were obviously dead. A sweet little cry came forth from the back end of the car. I could not open the door, however the rear window was broken. I crawled through the shattered glass, peeked inside, and saw a beautiful baby girl, with no visible signs of injury, crying in fright. I unhooked the car seat and pulled it through the window while protecting the baby from glass shards with my raincoat.


I placed her in my car and drove away from the scene. I saw a sign, “5 miles to Mexico”. I stopped at a store in El Paso, purchased a little foldaway stroller, and parked the car two blocks from the border. I pushed the stroller toward customs.

The customs agent greeted me.

“Will you be staying long, Miss Rivera?”

“Permanently Sir; I am coming home.”

 

Three years have passed. I have never looked back; moreover, I have no regrets.


( word count 297)