( have this on repeat as your read the story:
Jeff wasn't a remarkable guy, but he loved Mary. He had boy next door looks and a good head on his shoulders.
The two were inseparable, once they came together and agreed to always be with each other. That was when they were 14. They went through high school together, won homecoming king and queen. No scouts came to watch him, no modeling agents contacted her, but they were happy.
They decided they would not go to college. They would get simple good paying jobs. Marriage was just an assumption since they had already made a promise to each other.
Jeff got the call that he would start Monday to be an apprentice electrician, Mary would start on Monday too, being a seamstress. They could take vacations and do things in life, most people their age could only dream of.
They bought a house together only a year out of high school, something modest, a 3 bedroom. None of their friends could afford a house, definitely not a year out of high school.
Life had its ups and downs, but none more up and down than people testing their love and loyalty to each other. Men hit on Mary and women hit on Jeff. They quietly and politely would excuse themselves from these people and leave the situation. No drama, no claiming they had a boyfriend / girlfriend. Just a really reserved aura that said, no.
One was never far away from the other. Half the time Mary was at home, taking in hems, and stitching holes. She would go into work when there was a big project that required all hands on deck. She had steady work, but she could do it at home.
Jeff would come home and tell her about everything, the guys at work, the girls at work, the work. She would just rest her head on his chest and they would nap together until dinner time.
When her dad got sick Jeff arranged to take off work and the two stayed in the house to keep her mom company and be there if need be, to answer any call the hospital had.
They all sat around her Dad's hospital bed on that day... that day the earth stood still for them. The eldest son flew in, just in time. Jeff had picked him up from the airport. He had come along, not bringing the wife nor kids, just himself. He lay with his head on his father's hand, Mary stood over her brother and her mother held her.
Her dad passed on, that afternoon. The bed was wet with the eldest son weeping. Her mother held Mary upright, almost fainting. Jeff came and got her and drove everyone home.
Mary just laid on his chest that night, not weeping, just there, not saying a word. Jeff held her all night. When her mother came in the morning and opened the door, there they lay, eyes open, laying, not saying a word. Mom quietly came in and pulled a chair next to the bed and stroked Mary's hair, just like when she was a baby girl.
"Your brother's a mess, in there. Please go talk to him. Jeff are you hungry? I made us a morning snack. Come get some juice at least. You know Henry looked at you, like a new son," she steered the moment like a ship's captain.
Mary got up and tears... fell from her eyes. It's as if laying on Jeff's chest kept them in and being away from him, let the flood gates open. Jeff reached out to her, but mother captain, got up, hugged her, rubbed her arm and said, "go help your brother, you know dad was his biggest hero."
Mary went in and talked to her brother and held him for an hour, like Jeff held her.
Jeff and Mary's mother went into the kitchen and snacked on little pieces of meat and cheese and juice.
An hour later Mary and her brother came in. Her brother's eyes were red like a stop sign, this was going to take some time for him to let his father go.
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They set a date for the wedding, a year out. Everyone had plenty of time to get ready.
It was nothing fancy, no tons of gifts, because they had mostly everything in the house.
One day, Mary was at home taking in hems. It was getting late, the sun was going down. She kept working. Finally, she looked up and it was dark.
She kept working. After several more hours she curled up on the sofa and drifted off to sleep, he'd be home soon, she told herself.
She was cold, so cold it woke her up. What time was it? She got up and turned on the lights. What was she doing sleeping on the couch. Oh yes, waiting for Jeff. Should she call her mother? No, she decided against that. Mother wouldn't know anything anyway.
She prepared a quick meal, so when he came in he could grab it and come to bed.
She left a note on the counter telling him it was in the oven.
She headed off to bed, but left a candle burning by the note. The bed was cold, so cold, without Jeff. She put on all her nightclothes and got in bed. He'd come in and laugh at her looking like a big kid in her night clothes.
She woke up in the morning. She found the candle burning still, and the food in the oven untouched. She put it in the fridge and called in to work. Did they need her to come in? No! They'd be around to pick up the work she'd done and give her some more.
Ninna came by and marveled at how many hems she did. She explained her fiance hadn't gotten home and she worked all day and night, 12 hours. Ninna laughed that she worked too hard. Maybe she needed a raise, she'd see to it, and since she's about to get married it would help too.
They sat and gossiped for about an hour. Then Ninna left. She was happy for the human contact.
Jeff would call if something was wrong. He'd always call if something happened. She set out to work. She looked up and it was lunch time already. So steady working, it was 2pm already.
After lunch she set to work again. She continued undisturbed till night again, late in the evening. Still Jeff was a no show. Again she cooked a meal, set it up and watched T.V. for a bit.
"Do you have a loved one that is about to leave this world, is in a coma, or just can't talk to you? A miracle break through has just been created. Neural net! Just place this device over your head and neural net will connect you to that loved one. Don't worry, the neural net will contact the brain that you have in your mind, that person need not be connected at all. We are taking testers right now, just call this number and we'll send a kit over next day and they'll explain everything."
Mary had already ordered hers before the commercial was even over. Won't Jeff be surprised when she taps into his brain?
The next morning the representative came over. She was expecting a man, but a lovely lady came buy and explained everything, hooked it up for her and as she started talking to Jeff, she waved goodbye.
"Hi honey, I've been waiting to hear from you for three days," she said.
Jeff seemed confused, "who is this?"
"Honey it's me Mary, you're surprised aren't you? I'm on this new neural net and I can connect with you directly," she said excitedly.
"It's only been three days? It seems like an eternity," Jeff said, in a distant voice.
"I know right? I missed you so much when I went to bed. Where are you?" Mary said.
"I don't know, it's dark here," he said.
"You don't know where you are? Were you in an accident?" Mary asked.
Jeff patted himself down, "nope I seem fine, It's just really dark."
"Well are you near the car, when are you coming home?" She asked.
"Home? That seems so long ago," Mary thought maybe he was in accident and didn't know and he's in shock.
"Honey, where was the last place you were? We'll come pick you up, I'll get mom to drive dad's old car," Mary said.
Just then she felt hands on her and being shook. They we calling her name, Mary, Mary, Mary sweetheart.
"Hold on Jeff, someone is here in the house," Mary said. She decided to take the set off.
"She's regaining consciousness," one voice said.
Mary opened her eyes to find herself in the hospital surrounded by nurses, her mom, her brother and a couple of doctors.
"Where am I? What happened?" Mary was almost yelling.
One of the doctors said, "calm down miss, you're alright now. You've been in a coma for a whole month."
Mary went into shock immediately.
After the doctors and nurses got her under control, her mother brushed aside the doctor and went to Mary's side, "you put that thing on and lost track of time?"
Mary shrugged and said, "I must have. Because it seemed like a minute to me. I was talking to Jeff, through this thing."
The room went silent.
"Honey..." her mother started it.
"Here you want to talk to Jeff? He's right here," she said.
Her brother snatched the headset from her and put it on, "Hi Jeff."
"Hey, boy I haven't seen you in forever," Jeff said.
A single tear rolled down his face as he removed the headset, "She's right. He's literally sitting there waiting to talk."
"How can that be," the mother turned to the doctor. The doctor shrugged, "I have no idea what that headset does, Ma'am. But, I think, as we saw with your son, if you don't let yourself get lost in it, you won't lose yourself."
"What's goin on?" Mary asked.
"Here, Mary. Hold my hand. I'll be right here. I'm holding your hand. Tell me what you see, while you talk to Jeff," her mother said.
Mary placed the headset on and took her mother's hand and closed her eyes, "he's standing on a street with purple and blue lights."
"My god, Mary is that you? It's been ages since I last spoke to you," Jeff said.
"He says it's been ages since I last spoke to him," Mary said under her breath.
"Mary sweetie, I don't know how time works where he is, but I have some new for you. Jeff has been dead for about 6 months," her mother whispered.
"That's impossible. It's only been 2 days, and I've only been talking to him for 15 minutes," Mary whispered back.
"Mary are you talking to me? It's so dark here," Jeff said.
"He says it's dark there," Mary whispered.
A gasp went around the room.
"She's keeping him there," a voice said.
"She most certainly is," a new voice said. "Either she should tell him to go into the beyond or she can keep him there for eternity and he will not pass on," the new voice said. You could hear the smile in the voice.
Mary's mother shook Mary and squeezed her hand, "honey you have to let Jeff move on, tell him to leave."
"Mother he's leaving, like a cloud or something. He heard you. NO JEFF DON'T LEAVE ME!!!" Mary screamed.
"SHE'S GOING INTO SHOCK," a voice said.
"ACTUALLY, you have a choice, let her go with Jeff or keep her here. But it is our experience that being this close to someone breaks the human spirit when they let the person go," the new voice said.
Although a commotion was going on throughout the room the mother looked over to the eldest son. "Unplug it," she said.
The son reached down behind the bed and with great force yanked the plug out of the wall.
The beeping and monitors all stopped. Mary's body went slack.
"SON, YOU UNPLUGGED THE WRONG THING!!!" the doctor yelled.
Mother turned to the doctor with cold smoldering eyes. "No he didn't!"
Mary passed away that moment. You could hear her laughing quietly.
"It's not dark here at all. There's a light right there, you dingus," she said grabbing his arm. "Oh, so there is. Let's go over there then. You feel all warm now," Jeff said.
The eldest son stood up from the bed. "I couldn't imagine Mary with anyone but Jeff."
The mom shrugged, "I think her laughing at the end there, pretty much summed this who affair up.
And you, did you not warn the public what they were doing?"
The representative took the kit and placed it into the eldest son's hands, "technically, you could recall her and Jeff any time you want to talk to them. It won't hurt them anymore, since they've gone into the beyond. It'll be like a day visit.
We spoke with the entity that keeps the beyond and he actually explained a lot to us. This doesn't break the rules.
BUT, don't go anywhere except that road. If you go anywhere else but that road, you're gone.
We explained that to your daughter. She might not have remembered, but I think you made the right choice, because she decided a long time ago. We were surprised that she stayed alive this long.
We've already taken care of all the financials and the home. One of you sign here. And, we'll take care of the hospital too."
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Once a year the eldest would put the headset on and visit with Jeff and Mary. He would always come away from those talk as If he had aged in wisdom a hundred years.
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