I got married straight out of high school, to my high school sweetheart. We went to the same college, and graduated with good GPA's. And we found steady, although not spectacular, employment with a local company. For two years, things were normal.
And then she decided to take her dad out to a local restaurant for Father's Day. I couldn't begrudge her that.
Unfortunately, the police tracked down a wanted criminal in that restaurant. Screaming that he'd never be taken alive, the criminal pulled out a semiautomatic rifle with a "bump stock" and started blasting away at the police. They, of course, responded in kind.
When the bullets stopped flying, ten people, including the criminal, three police officers, and my father-in-law, were dead. My wife's body was alive, but she was in a coma. The doctors said she may never wake from it, and if she did it would take years.
I met my mother-in-law, Sherri, at the hospital. We were both crying our eyes out.
"Tim was my everything," she whimpered between sobs.
"Lisa was mine," I murmured.
"Paul... I'm sorry."
"And I'm doubly sorry, Sherri. You lost your husband AND for all intents and purposes, your daughter."
We stopped talking and held each other, crying and in a state of shock.
After several hours, we recovered enough to get up and go to our cars outside. There was nothing we could do at the hospital, since Lisa was in a coma.
"Paul?"
"Yes, Sherri?"
"Come back with me. I can't deal with this by myself. I'm afraid I might do something... drastic."
I drove over to her house and helped guide her inside.
"Please stay."
"All right, Sherri."
We collapsed onto her couch and cried some more. Eventually the two of us fell asleep from sheer fatigue.
*
"Oooof."
I blinked my eyes open. Sherri was struggling to lever herself off the couch.
"Need a boost?"
"Thanks."
I helped push her upright, then slowly untangled my limbs and climbed stiffly to my feet.
"You'd better call your work. I doubt you're in any shape to go in."
I pulled my phone out and dialed my manager's number.
"Hi, Paul. I figured you'd be calling in. Take a week off. I suppose I'll need to hire someone to replace Lisa."
"Yeah. She ain't coming in again ever." My voice was bitter.
"You know what? You take TWO weeks off. With pay. Even then I doubt you'll really be yourself."
"Thanks, boss."
He hung up, and I turned to Sherri.
"What about you?"
"I don't work. Tim's job paid all the bills... not that we have many. The house and car are already paid off, so it's just utilities and Internet/TV. Plus shopping for food."
"I don't know how I'll pay mine."
Lisa's income was paying for half of everything. And we had been living month to month. Now that was gone.