Taking the Rap

Taking the Rap  
     
      She wore her best wedding gown. It felt right to her to celebrate her happiest moment in life on the eve of her death. He combed her hair with the tenderness of a lover. She had taken the rap for her sister who’d been falsely accused of murder. So Marilyn testified that she was the one who did the deed.    
     Her husband served her the dish she so loved, okra, tomatoes, and brown rice. She savored every bite like a gift from heaven. She wondered where she would be in an hour. What lay beyond that gurney with those injections, she couldn’t imagine. Would God think of this as suicide? Would she go to hell for it? How could the Lord All Mighty condemn her for saving her dear sister?  They were granted the privacy they requested for their final dinner together.    
     Her sister had children and grandchildren. This was why her sister held onto life so dearly. Marilyn on the other hand had no progeny. It was a heart wrenching decision for both of them. But now the time of reckoning had arrived. She could recant but at this point it might not save her. No she would face the devil bravely. There was no turning back now. Her husband held her tight and kissed her like on their first date.    
     Ted said, “Don’t do this Marilyn. I need you here on earth with me.”    
     Marilyn said, “Honey I have a different destiny. Don’t die of heartbreak. Don’t be angry. Remember me not like this. Be brave. Take courage. You are a nurse at the hospital. Stay true to your heart. I need you to be a healer in this world.”    
     “I can’t comprehend a life without you. It is too much to bear” Ted said.    
     “You will make it my love. Be strong for me now. I need your support now more than ever. I can’t face this without your courage” Marilyn said.    
     “Please Marilyn. Don’t leave me. Don’t sacrifice yourself. Stay with me” he said.    
     “Don’t do this to me. Don’t make me feel guilty dammit. Quit that shit. Now I’m going to say farewell. Be a good husband to someone. You never did know how to say goodbye” she said.    
     Ted said “God honey come home with me!”    
     “Shut the fuck up! I mean it. No more groveling” she said.    
     “You can’t do this to me” he said.    
     She said “Stop it Ted! I don’t want to hear anymore bitching and moaning from you.”    
     He said “I’m sorry honey. What will become me?”    
     She said “You’re going to be without me. You often get lost when I’m not there.”    
     He said “How will I make it?”    
     She hugged him. “If only I could help you. Kiss me sweetly my love. Don’t ever forget what we had together.”    
     She takes off her wedding ring. “Keep this for me. I can’t take it where I’m going.”    
     He said “I’ll never marry again. You are the only woman I could ever give my heart too.”    
     She said “We’ll get together and renew our vows in heaven. I’ll be waiting there for you. But crap. I feel selfish having you wait for me for the rest of your life.”    
     “You’re worth waiting for. I wouldn’t have it any other way” he said.    
     “I’d have done the same for you. I feel better about it now” she said. A warden stepped in.    
     Marilyn asked “Is it my time?”    
    “No Ms. Marilyn.You’ve been granted a reprieve. The real murderer confessed. You’re free to go.”    
      “It wasn’t my sister Susan, was it?”    
     “No Ma’am. It was someone else. The governor granted to you clemency for taking the rap for  your sister. Frankly I never could see you as a killer” the warden said.    
     “Hold me like you’ll never let go” Marilyn told her husband.    
     “Let’s go home.” he said.    
     “My legs feel weak. Pick me up and carry me out” she said.    
     Ted carried her like a bride out into the darker shade of midnight.  “Say lover man, let’s get in your car and cruise. Take me out for Chinese” she said.    
     “With you in your wedding dress they’ll think we’re newlyweds” he said.  
     She said “Honey I’ve been in that damn cage so long, this will be our second honeymoon.”