The Sea She Never Saw

The day my daughter was fighting for her life, my wife, Shirley Hartley, was busy helping her childhood friend Oliver Burke get married.

I called seventeen times.

She hung up on me every time.

On my eighteenth try, she finally picked up.

"Shirley, Nyssa's getting worse. The doctor says she needs life support now. They want twenty grand upfront. Where's the money?"

Her voice turned ice-cold.

"I used it. Oliver's wedding is coming up, and that stuff costs money. I'm not letting his fiancée's family look down on him.

"Nyssa just has asthma, right? She coughs a little and suddenly they want twenty grand? Sounds like a scam."

Nyssa lay in the hospital bed, her tiny face ghost-pale. Her eyes slowly opened.

"Daddy, I want Mommy."

I turned away, biting my lip hard so she wouldn't see me cry.

"Mommy'll be here soon."

But over the phone, Shirley snapped, "Oliver still hasn't picked out his wedding suit. I don't have time for you freaking out over this."

Then she hung up.

By the time I scraped together the twenty grand, forty minutes were gone.

Half an hour later, the doctor came out of the ER.

He pulled off his mask and shook his head. "If we'd started treatment thirty minutes earlier, she might've had a chance."

Then my phone buzzed.

A transaction alert.

Shirley had taken the money that could've saved Nyssa and bought Oliver a $220,000 Maybach.

I looked at Nyssa's blue-tinged face and called my lawyer.

"Draw up the divorce papers.

"And pull the records for every expense Shirley ever covered for Oliver.

"I want every cent of our money back."

After I hung up, Shirley finally texted me.

[Keep your schedule open seven days from now. You're coming to Oliver's wedding.]

[He wants you there as family. Don't be petty and ruin his big day.]

I stared at the screen.

No reply.

Oliver's wedding was exactly one week after Nyssa died.

***

My hands wouldn't stop shaking when the nurse set Nyssa's death certificate in front of me.

She was only five.

Just yesterday, she'd wrapped her arms around my neck and said that when she got better, she wanted me to take her to the ocean.

Now she lay still beneath a white sheet, never opening her eyes again.

The nurse looked at me with pity. "Your daughter... needs to be taken to the morgue. Is her mother not coming to see her one last time?"

I shook my head.

For two straight hours, the doctors fought to save Nyssa.

The hospital called Shirley seven times.

She ignored every call.

Meanwhile, Oliver posted three times.

First, Shirley was helping him pick out a suit.

Then they were test-driving the Maybach.

In the third, Oliver stood beside her, keys in hand, grinning.

The caption:

[From growing up together to me starting a family of my own, thanks for always having my back.]

Someone commented:

[Damn, a $200K+ car? Who bought you that?]

Oliver replied:

[Shirley. She said you only get married once, and she wasn't gonna let anyone look down on me.]

Shirley immediately liked his reply.

I shut off my phone and took Nyssa to the morgue.

The next day at noon, Shirley finally showed up.

She walked in wearing heels and frowned at the empty bed.

"Where's Nyssa?"

"The hospital handled it."

"Oh."

That was it.

No questions. Nothing.

She pulled out her tablet and opened the wedding seating chart.

"Since you're here, help me figure out where Oliver's college friends should sit.

"His fiancée has a huge family. Our side can't look cheap."

I stared at her. "You came all the way to the hospital just to ask me this?"

"What else?" Shirley snapped. "Nyssa has doctors taking care of her, doesn't she?

"I'm not a doctor. What am I supposed to do here?"

She shoved the tablet at me.

"Wear that black suit to the wedding next week.

"Oliver doesn't have parents, so you're standing in as family. You'll need to give a speech too.

"And quit looking so miserable. Don't ruin his wedding."

My grip tightened around the tablet.

"Fine."

Shirley froze.

She clearly hadn't expected me to agree that easily.

"You're really coming?"

I looked at her and nodded. "I'll be there."

Oh, I'd be there.

And I'd bring a wedding gift they'd never forget.