Abby's Ghost

Author's Notes: I want to thank all of those who have messaged me with their wishes for my continued writing. It means a lot when you want to write, but can't. I was able to squeeze a day of writing in, and this is what came out. Counter to what the name implies, this is not part of the Halloween writer's contest. Thanks again for all your support and enjoy.

*

Abby was doing the dishes when the phone rang. "Hey, you sexy thing you." She smiled as she answered her lover.

"Hey yourself." Lindsey replied happily. "So, what are you cooking for our eighth anniversary?" She smiled at the happy tune she could hear her mate humming under her breath.

"Cooking...? Cooking, hell... you're supposed to take me out to wine and dine me, so you can get lucky." Abby teased back.

"Oh, I've already got lucky... I got you babe." Lindsey laughed. "Even my boss couldn't bring me down today sweetheart." She sighed. "I still say you need to cook, that way when I can't wait anymore I won't embarrass or bare your sweet ass in public."

"Oh, the horror... I don't know dear, it's been awhile since we've been arrested for indecent exposure. Who knows, they might like a floor show. Only three more days." She burbled, giddy at the thought.

"It's hard to believe it's been eight years already." Lindsey sighed. "I can still remember when you seduced me away from that jerk I was going out with."

"Oh, you mean... umm what was his name? That arrogant jock, super stud; who treated you like shit!" Abby smiled at the memory. "And Sweetie, it was you who seduced me." She added as she stirred the pot of homemade chicken soup and checked the loaf of sweet bread in the oven, for dinner.

"Let not argue about who seduced who." Lindsey said in a very bad British accent. "I'll be home soon babe. I better get going before I have a wreck." Lindsey sighed.

"Okay sweetheart, I'll be here waiting for you. Love you!" Abby spun around, making her dress flair out as she danced to the music in her head.

"Love you too....OH SHIT!" Lindsey screamed.

"Lin... Sweetie, what's wrong." Abby stopped spinning and tried to listen.

"No, no, NO...!" Lindsey screamed.

Abby was screaming. "Lin... Lindsey. What's wrong? Answer me baby, please answer me." She listened and heard the screech of breaks and the sickening sound of ripping metal right as the line went dead. "LINDSEY...!"

Abby fumbled with the phone as she tried to push the buttons. She hit the buttons for Lindsey's number. "The cellular customer you are trying to reach is not in the service area or has turned their phone off."

"Fuck!" She hit the end button three times until the thing shut up and tried again.

"The cellular customer...."

"Goddamnit...! Don't do this to me Lindsey. Answer the fucking phone. I have to know you are alright." Abby paced the kitchen of the home they had restored together.

Five hours later, the burned bread and dry soup were still where she left them when her friend came and got her and took her to the hospital. No one would tell her anything. Not the cops, the emergency room people, no one.

Abby was tired of hearing. "We can't divulge any information unless you are her family or spouse." She tried to tell them they were together, but since they were not married, all they would repeat was. "I'm sorry ma'am, but we cannot...." Before she would slam the phone down and scream. By the time she found Lindsey, it was too late. Abby shuttered and collapsed on the couch, ignoring the smell of the ruined dinner. She wanted to forget the last five hours.

"Are you going to be okay Abby?" Tracy, Lindsey's old roommate and friend asked, wiping her own eyes.

"I... I don't know." Abby said and buried her head into one of the fancy pillows Lin demanded for their off-white couch, to give it some color.

"I'm so sorry honey. I know how much you loved her. You were all she would talk about. It drove us mad most of the time." Tracy said as she tried to give comfort in her own grief.

Abby was numb. She couldn't feel anything but the huge hole in her middle. Her heart was gone. She wanted to lay down, close her eyes, and never wake up until she found her Lindsey again. It had to be a lie. Lin couldn't be dead. Her car was barely dented. From the side, you couldn't tell it was in an accident. Lindsey had to be playing some sick joke.

Five days later, Tracy tossed out the stinking pot and brick hard loaf of bread. She couldn't tolerate the smell as she and her sister forced Abby into a shower. Abby was almost catatonic. She had her sister give her a shower while she cleaned the house. They knew it was going to be bad, but never expected to find Abby right where she left her when she brought her home from the hospital.

It took both of them to get Abby dressed. All Abby would do is cry and wail as they had to tighten the small belt, trying to make the now too large dress fit. They tried to force some food and water into her. They had to get her through this day. She had to be at the funeral, even if Lindsey's parents didn't want her there.

They held her tight as Lindsey's mother spewed hurtful things. She said things like. "I dressed her in my wedding dress since she will never get married now. She will never know they joy of having children, the joy of finding true love and happiness. I hope I gave her some of the dignity she could never find in life." Her mother never accepted that Lindsey decided to live with her lesbian lover and mate. She always hoped she would find her way back to a normal relationship.

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Kari wondered if it would have been easier to just die, than sit there and watch them together. She wondered what the fuck she ever did to deserve this shit. She watched as the person she thought was always going to be with her, frolicked with her brother.

'Fuck them both anyway.' She thought bitterly. She was supposed to be my girl, not have that asshole seduce her and get her pregnant. 'What the fuck did I do to him to have him do that to me?'

"Come on Kari, this is fun." Trevor said, as he spun his pregnant wife in circles. "Come on, join the fun." She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"No thank you." Was all Kari said, as she tried to leave.

She didn't get ten feet before her mother stopped her. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem...?" She asked, shocked that her mother was so clueless. "Oh, I don't know mom. Maybe I'm pissed that my lover and my brother, bumped crotches behind my back and fucked me over. Maybe I just can't sit there and eat shit as they play the happy couple. I don't know. Maybe, just maybe I expected some member of my family to see just how fucked up this is." She spat at her mother. "But, what the hell. They're happy so I should just paint a smile on my face and act happy for them." She shook her mom's hand off her arm.

"What do you mean?" He mom asked confused. "You introduced them. She was your friend...." Her mother never accepted the facts.

"No mom, she wasn't my fucking friend." She pulled her hair back in frustration. "She was my lover. I'm Gay, remember! I love women. I loved her before she betrayed me. We were supposed to get married when they legalized it next year." She ranted at her obtuse mother.

"But... but... but." Her mother sputtered. "I thought that was just a phase."

"No mom... it wasn't a phase!" Kari was tired of the whole mess. "Fuck this, I'm out of here." She found her purse and grabbed it before her mother could stop her. "Tell them I hope they're happy." She seethed. "But, never invite me to anything they will be at. I won't come. I hate fucking cheaters, so that means I hate them!" Kari spun away before the building emotion could escape again.

"What's wrong with her?" She heard her brother ask, as she slammed the door behind her.

"I won't cry. I won't break down. I won't give them the fucking satisfaction!" She told herself as she got into the car and started it. Less than a mile out of the neighborhood she grew up in, Kari had to pull over because she couldn't see for the tears.

********************************

One year later

Abby put the last of her stuff into the big moving truck. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? You've done so much to the house. You'll never get all your money back out of it." Tracy said sadly.

"Yeah, I just can't be here anymore. I'd rather see it go to someone I know will appreciate it, than some stranger. It will be a good place for you. It has room for a growing family. I just can't stay. The memories are killing me." Abby put her hand on Tracy's arm. "I can still smell her, feel her, and hear her. I just can't. It's been a year and I still can't." She sniffed back her tears.

"Are you going to be okay?" Tracy asked, tearing up also.

"Yeah, I've accepted that job out west. It will be the new start I need. I might even learn how to ski." Abby tried to smile. Everyone knew, besides her dancing, she was a major klutz. "You take the house. Have babies, send me pictures and be happy." She kissed Tracy's cheek and pressed the house key into her hand.

Tracy and her husband waved as she pulled away from the drive. He rubbed the growing bump. "We can never thank her enough." He said emotionally. "We couldn't have gotten into a house for years if it wasn't for her." He added as Tracy buried her head into his shoulder.

"I know..." She sniffed. "I hoped that... but she's right. All she did was mope around. Maybe she can find happiness out there." Tracy knew she was overly emotional. She knew the date and knew this couldn't have been easy for Abby. Tomorrow would have been their ninth anniversary.

In the cab of the rental truck, Abby had on her music so loud she couldn't hear her own sobs as she drove away. She missed Lindsey so much it still felt fresh and new. She had to leave or die; and her friends refused to let her die. She hoped over the next few days of driving, she could find some peace.

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Kari looked around her new apartment complex. "What the fuck is with all the adobe?" She sighed. She started her new job and ignored all the looks. She had become the master of how to ignore things over the last year.

She ignored her mother, her brother and her ex-lover. She ignored the baby pictures, and she ignored the phone calls from the people who called themselves her friends. She ignored it all. She was finished with all of them. Let them live in their fantasy world. She rather live cold and alone, than a lie.

She only once wondered how long it would be before Trudy cheated on Trevor or Trevor cheated on Trudy. 'What a fucking joke. Trevor and Trudy just like a comic strip.' She scoffed then realized what she was doing. She bitched herself out for a month over that lapse and started looking for an out of state job.

It wasn't perfect, but it was out of state. She thought long and hard as she flew into Denver airport about the big move. Should she just move on? Or should she fight for her place in the family. She looked at the invitation to the baby's birthday party and made up her mind. It was time to move on.

She negotiated what she thought was a fair deal and signed the contract. It didn't matter that she had stopped teaching in a classroom. The money was okay and it was the clean start she needed. She could look at going back into a supervisory job later if she wanted.

She didn't leave her contact information. She made a clean break. She had just enough time to get moved, find an apartment, and get her curriculum set up, before school started. After that she was too busy to even worry about her past and that is exactly the way she wanted it.

**************************

Ten months later.

Abby had come to love the stark beauty of her new state. She wished everyday that Lindsey was there to share it with her. She kept thinking that it would have been ten years if only.... She would sigh and have to stop that thought. It didn't matter that most marriage didn't last that long. To the hateful world, she was still just a single woman.

Since she stopped dancing for exercise, she started running. There were so many good places to run. If she wanted to see the plains, it would take her five minutes to get there. If she wanted mountains, that would take fifteen minutes. If she wanted woods, a half an hour. If she just wanted privacy, well that took the same half an hour but in the opposite direction.

She didn't realize that four times out of five, she automatically headed for privacy. The open park had a two, five and ten mile loops, all depending on your determination and how alone you wanted to be. Abby found a second loop that it seemed that had been hardly used and ran on that one.

It kept her away from the leering looks, the overly friendly 'Hello's' and the eyes of the guys as they watched her breasts bounce with every tread. Abby didn't notice her eyes following the shapely figure in front of her. She just listened to her music and tuned out the world. Abby didn't know why she picked up her pace. She figured it was just her feet following the rhythm of the music. She hoped she didn't overdue, as her heart picked up the pace as she got near.

Kari heard the person running behind her. She knew it had to be a woman or a young person because of the slight footfalls. She had hoped to be alone today. The kids had driven her to distraction and she needed an outlet before she went off on them. She had found this trail soon after she started teaching and it had become her solace and mind saver. She didn't think anyone else ran it regularly, because of its appearance.

Abby watched the tiny wiggle of the butt in front of her and felt a tingle up her spine. She ignored it and just picked up another step. She just wanted to get done and get home. Before she knew it, she was beside the stranger. She saw the profile and gasped. She shook her head, smiled and hit her longest stride. She knew she needed some distance between her and the woman who shared her track.

Kari heard the gasp and looked. She was stunned by the thin well breasted woman who had caught up with her. She didn't want to think about the hard nipples as they bounced under the woman's sports bra. She didn't want to think about the instant attraction she felt. She knew it would be just another runner who had her boyfriend waiting for her at the car. She didn't need any complications. She liked her simple life. 'The lies we tell ourselves.' She thought bitterly.

Abby couldn't help herself. The last half mile she was running like she was being chased by a demon. She was gasping for air as she saw the end of the trail and her small SUV waiting for her. She felt like her life depended on getting away as far and as fast as she could.

'SOTP IT...!' Linsey's voice in her head screamed. She slowed her pace and tried to catch her breath. She leaned against the side of her car and sipped from her water bottle. "God damn it Lindsey, I need you." She told the air around her as she cooled down.

Kari's mind was no longer on running. She was thinking about the woman who had left her in the dust. She felt a pull she hadn't felt in a long time. For the first time in over a year she wondered and maybe wished just a little. Her heart rate picked up as she turned the last corner. The blonde was standing next to her vehicle.

Kari couldn't keep the smile off her face. For some reason this person just made her want to smile. "Hi...." Kari said and pulled out her own water bottle and took a big drink.

"Hi." Abby replied automatically. "Well, I better get going." She stammered as she fled.

"Yeah, maybe we'll meet again." Kari said as she waved and watched the blushing woman get into her car and leave. "Wow...!" She shook her head and got into her Jeep and headed home to grade the abysmal attempts at an essay her class had turned in.

Two weeks later, Kari was stunned to see her again. She was in the teacher's lounge, and her boss was bringing her in. "Mrs. Kari, here is your speaker for today in health education." Stan Womack made the introduction.

"Hi again." Kari said automatically reaching out her hand.

"Hi... I haven't seen you on the trail." Abby said as she felt the zing go up her arm at the innocent contact.

"Well, I'll leave Mrs. Alberta in your hands so you can go over the lesson plan.' Stan said and walked away.

"Alberta...?" Kari asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, mom was into weird names. You can call me Abby." Abby blushed at knowing she still had Kari's hand in hers.

"Abby works...." Kari said and pulled her hand away and rubbed the warmth against her skirt. "I'm Kari." She smiled. "So, what do you know about sixth graders?"

"Um, they're loud boisterous and hard to keep their attention." Abby smiled.

"Well, I don't think that will be your problem today. I have mostly boys in my class and they have yet to learn how to act around girls." Kari smiled cynically.

"Well, tell me when they do. Most are into their sixties before they learn." Abby grinned. "I've done this before."

"Okay then... we're doing a block on basic first aid." Kari went over what she had covered so far.

"I can handle that." Abby said, confident she was ready. An hour later she sighed as Kari made her introduction.

"Okay class, we have a guest speaker today. I know you will show her the respect she deserved for coming here and talking to you." She smiled at one boy in particular. "That means you Mr. Roberts.... Yes Ma'am...?"

"Yes Ma'am." The class intoned as Abby walked in. "Look at those tits!" The boy blurted out as Kari blushed.

"Mr. Roberts... Office now...!" Kari pointed.

"What, it's not my fault she has big tits. They're even bigger than yours" He snickered as he grabbed his stuff. He didn't want to stay for the stupid lecture. He wanted to go home and get high off his dad's pot stash.

"But smaller than your rude mouth." Abby added. The rest of the class just kept silent. Abby looked at the red faced Kari and asked. "Should I come back after school and give him his lecture then?" Knowing the boy had made a scene to get out of it.

"I'll let you know." Kari said as she walked behind the boy.

"Okay class. I'm Abby. I'll be teaching you how to save a life so please pay attention. What I'm going to teach you is as easy as A B C and 1 2 3...." Abby started her presentation.

After the second presentation, Kari asked Abby. "Can I get you something to eat for your trouble?" They watched the sullen boy walk out of the class.

"You don't have to do that." Abby answered automatically.

"My treat since you put up with my class." Kari smiled her invitation. She wanted to spend more time with Abby. There was something about her that just made her feel good.

"Okay... Pizza?" Abby gave in.

"I was thinking Chinese takeout, but whatever." Kari said and then asked. "Your car or mine?"

"Oh, I'll just follow you." Abby blushed. "I wouldn't want...." She stammered to a stop before she could put her foot in her mouth.

Kari wondered about the blush as she drove to the pizza joint. She knew she was attracted to the woman, but not why she was so attracted to her. She wasn't her usual type.

Abby followed and talked to the air. "What do I do Lin? She looks just like you. She even has the same sassy twinkle in her eye. I miss you so much." She held back the tears and parked next to Kari's Jeep.

"Have I got a treat for you." Kari smiled. "This place has the best food this side of the great divide. They don't mind special orders either."

"Get whatever you like, just no onions or bell peppers please." Abby smiled at the enthusiasm. It was so familiar.

"Okay, you asked for it." Kari smiled at the young girl behind the counter. "Large chicken ranch with avocado and tomatoes." Kari ordered as Abby looked on stunned. "A pitcher of Sprite, since you don't have sweet tea." Kari added as the girls scribbled as fast as she could.