the mistake

I stare out of the kitchen window looking at the rain poring down and wondering when Jake should be walking through the front door. ‘It’s not like him to be late’ I thought to myself. I close my eyes and pray to myself. I get interrupted by the house phone. (Ring, ring) I walk down the long hall way to where the phone sits on an old coffee table. I pick it up “hello” I say calmly. “Yeah Hi. Is there a Mrs Hall there?” the voice asked. “Yes. Speaking” I reply. “Hi. My name is Helen and I’m calling from the local hospitable. We believe that we have your husband here a Mr Jake Hall” when she said his name I felt my heart stop beating and fall to the pits of my stomach. Tears ran into my eyes and down my cheeks to stain my pink top. I couldn’t hold myself up, my knees buckled underneath my weight and I slid down the wall to the ground. I hear the voice on the other end of the phone. “Hello, Ms. Are you still there? Are you ok?” I couldn’t speak. My voice wouldn’t come out so I gave her a slight noise to let her know that I’m still here. My breathing gets heavy, and I can hear myself wheezing for air. I think the lady could hear me because she started to sound a bit worried. “Mrs. Can you hear me? Did you need me to call someone for you?” I sat there in shock. This must be a joke. I thought to myself. It has to be a joke. I pick up the phone “who are you?” I say in a hiss, making sure she heard the hatred in my voice. “Helen, I work at the local hospit-” I cut her off before she could finish. “Is this a joke? How can you be so mean as to play a joke like this on someone?!!!!!!” I can fill the anger run down through my body. “Ms Hill please calm down” the lady asked. My voice grows louder “DON”T YOU TELL---” I stop and think. Did she just say Hill? I think she did. I thought to myself. “Did..... Did you just say Hill?” I asked confused. “Ummmm...... yes Ms I did” she replied. I start crying again. It’s not him, it’s not him, I say over and over again. A new set of tears fill my eyes. I can’t help myself from crying tears of joy. “Ms......  Ms.... can you hear me?” the voice on the phone asked. “Yeah..... Yes..... Can you please say his name again?” I asked hopping that she would say Hill again instead of Hall. “Yes.... sure Ms.... Jake Fred Hill” I let out a heavy breath that I didn’t know I was holding. Thank god I said to myself. It wasn’t his name. They must have mixed the names up. “I’m..... I’m sorry.... ummm..... What was your name again?” I asked. “Helen” she replied. “Yeah.... Helen..... I believe that you have the wrong person...... my husbands name is Jake Frank Hall” I say with a smile on my face, happy that it wasn’t him. There was silence at the end of the phone. “”I am so sorry Ms..... I must of read the name wrong” she said apologetic.

“Everyone makes mistakes. I’m just happy that it wasn’t-” I got cut off by the hinges of the front door swinging open. I listened carefully. “Sweet. Sorry I’m late there was a crash on the freeway” he yelled out. As soon as I heard his voice more tears of relief came flowing down my cheeks. I dropped the phone to the floor and ran around the corner into the kitchen where he would be getting his drink. I stopped in the doorway watching his back as he got himself a drink. He turned around and saw that I had tears in my eyes; he instantly put his drink down and started to walk over to me. “Sweet, what is wrong?” he asked concerned. I couldn’t speak my eyes where overflowing with tears and running down the back of my mouth. I couldn’t hold still any more I had to go to him. So that’s what I did. I ran to him and rapped my hands around his body as tightly as I could never wanting to let go.



I don’t know how long we stayed like that for but it felt like hours. It wasn’t until I calmed down that he moved towards the dining table and sat on a chair dragging me closely behind him and pooling me onto his lap. “Now” he begins. “Why where you crying?”