The Lover I Buried
They called it a whirlwind romance.
Darla called it everything she never knew she needed.
Reginald was strength in a storm; the kind of man who made you forget that questions should follow passion.
They met on a Friday, kissed on a Monday, and by the time Fall kissed the New York skyline, Darla had a ring on her finger and a baby in her belly.
He was stationed between deployments, a decorated military officer with the charm of a man twice his age and the mystery of a man who’d seen too much.
Their love was a rush, like falling through sky and soil and scripture — all at once.
But nothing prepared her for what love leaves behind.
The funeral was held on a rainy Sunday.
Four months pregnant and hollowed by grief, Darla moved through the motions of widowhood with swollen feet and an aching spirit.
Reginald’s friend had been the one to tell her – just a knock at the door and a tone too casual for death was how the message came.
When Darla went to the base for answers, she was told: “There’s been an accident. Reginald is deceased. There’s already a beneficiary on file.”
Red tape. Cold process. No comfort. No closure.
She didn’t need his money. She needed his presence.
The chapel was full. Too full.
Darla searched for Reginald’s family, hoping to meet the people who made the man she loved.
That’s when she saw her. Tyler.
She stood with the grace of a woman who had endured. Two children clung to her sides.
Her face carried the fatigue of someone who had mourned long before today. People approached her with flowers and condolences.
They called her by name. Mrs. Jasper. Tyler.
The name landed in Darla’s gut like a betrayal.
Darla walked over with quiet purpose, not wanting to cause a scene, only to gain clarity.
Tyler looked at her, tired but kind.
Before Darla could speak, Tyler’s daughter tugged her sleeve and whispered, “Is Daddy really gone?”
Tyler’s eyes watered. “Yes, baby. Daddy’s gone.”
Darla’s breath caught. Her heart clenched. Her world spun.
She didn’t say a word. It wasn’t the time for that.
With a numbing ache and confused heart, Darla nodded her condolences and walked away.
