Excellent Was it Mother Nature, Rebecca or God? Murder or Coincidence : Murder or Coincidence? Part 3 by Begin Again

"Roses for your lady, sir?" The street vendor's cart was near the bus stop, a good spot to catch people. An impulsive buyer meant money to the vendor. Lee dug deep in his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. He couldn't remember the last time he'd bought flowers for Rebecca. What a fool he'd been! He'd been angry with Sandi for disappearing, but he shouldn't have taken that anger out on Rebecca. He wondered how he would ever be able to make it up to her. It wasn't going to be easy to forget the past, but if they worked together, remembering how it used to be, they could make it. They had too. "I hope that bus gets here soon. The weather's starting to turn nasty." Lee watched as dark clouds started to move into the area. A hospital orderly, waiting for the bus, nodded at Lee. "Heard a real bad storm was headed our way. About 100 miles west of here, they spotted several tornadoes. I'd like to get home before any of that gets here." "Me too." The bus pulled up and everyone quickly climbed aboard. They all hoped to escape the storm. Within a matter of minutes, the sky changed from blue to dark gray. Gusts of wind snapped tree branches and tossed loose debris everywhere. The rain was pounding the bus windows. A burst of thunder and lightning lit up the inside of the bus. Everyone on the bus was chattering about the sudden change in weather. Stopping near Lee's apartment, the bus driver opened the door. The whipping winds blew the rain into the bus as Lee tried to make his exit. The driver yelled, "Be careful out there." and pulled the door closed. Lee yelled, "I will," and raced across the yards toward his apartment. His clothes were instantly drenched by the rain. The wind almost knocked him off his feet. Trying to shield the flowers from the rain, he climbed the stairs two at a time. At the top of the steps, he grabbed the doorknob, hoping it was unlocked. He quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Remnants of the morning's battle remained; the table, the broken lamp, the chair, all evidence of the ugly scene that had taken place hours ago. Shame washed over Lee as he stared at the destroyed front room. How was he ever going to get Rebecca to forgive him? "Rebecca? Rebecca, are you here?" She didn't answer and the only sound was the rattling windows as the wind and rain battered against them. Water dripped from his clothes, but his thoughts were only on Rebecca. Could he be too late? What if she had left? He couldn't blame her if she had, but he hoped she hadn't. Walking into the bedroom, he breathed a sigh of relief. Rebecca was standing by the window, her back toward him. "Rebecca, didn't you hear me call your name?" Without saying a word, she slowly turned to face him. A large purplish green bruise covered one side of her face. Her eye was swollen shut. A guttural moan escaped Lee's mouth, "My God...Rebecca. I'm sorry." She stood staring at him. He had never seen her look so sad. Cautiously, she moved past Lee into the front room. He reached to touch her and she jerked away. Could she be that terrified of him? He swallowed hard. He'd never meant for his anger to hurt her this way. Following her, he tried to speak to her once more, "Rebecca...did you listen to my message? I'm sorry...I'm going to make it up to you. Things are going to be different." "What kind of fool do you think I am, Lee? Christina called. Did you think she wouldn't tell me about Sandi? You beat the crap out of me and then rush to her side." Rebecca's eyes were brimming with tears. She turned away from Lee, refusing to let him see the pain. The storm outside couldn't match the one brewing within her. She stood, silently, staring out the window. "Rebecca, you don't understand! I don't want Sandi...I love you. You're my wife." Reaching out for her arm, Lee flinched when Rebecca pulled away from him. "Sandi's gone, Rebecca. She's dead!" He stopped; he wanted his words to be the right ones, to make her understand. "I was wrong. My anger was at Sandi, not you. We can start over, please, Rebecca." "So Sandi's dead...Did she die from a broken heart?" Rebecca's voice was bitter. She turned to face Lee, "Or from all the pain you must have caused her, too!" She started laughing, a horrible, psychotic laugh. "Sandi ran away to escape you, Lee, but I refuse to run. You aren't going to hurt me anymore." "You're right Rebecca. I promise I'll never hurt you again. Sandi made me realize how much I love you. I've done a lot of things wrong, but I promise to make things right." Remembering the flowers, he picked them up from the chair and tried to give them to Rebecca. "Look, I brought you roses. I want to make things right. Just give me a chance. I'm begging you, Rebecca." Ignoring the flowers, she turned the table upright and placed the lamp on it. She picked up her grandmother's crocheted afghan, pressing it against her face, before carefully folding it. Lee stood watching her. Her rigid movements sent a chill down his spine. This wasn't the same woman he'd married. My god, what had he done to her? "Rebecca, I promise you things will be different." Tears started to run down his face. Unimpressed by his pleas, Rebecca straightened the pillows on the couch, retrieving her little surprise. Stepping away from the couch, she calmly raised the gun and pointed it directly at Lee. "You are right again. Lee. Things are definitely going to be different." "Oh my God...Rebecca, what are you doing? You're not like this...You wouldn't hurt anyone." Dropping the flowers, Lee backed away from Rebecca, frantically trying to think of a way to escape. "Rebecca...please, think about what you're doing." An eerie calm settled over Rebecca. Her eyes were cold and vacant. "My, aren't you the smart one today? I'm not the same person. YOU changed me, Lee. YOU made me into someone else. YOU should be so proud!" Snapping and emphasizing each word, Rebecca appeared to be driving home her point. The house moaned as the storm bashed against it. Neither Lee nor Rebecca appeared to be aware of it. Sirens were blaring. The wind was howling fiercely. A huge tree branch slammed through the bedroom window, landing across their bed. Broken glass shattered everywhere. Lee screamed; his heart was pounding against his chest. Rebecca never flinched. She remained standing, pointing the gun at Lee, as if frozen. "Rebecca, I love you. I'm sorry but if you'll let me, I promise to make it up to you. I'm begging you, Rebecca." Fear dripped from every one of his words. He believed she was about to kill him and he didn't know how to stop her. The bedroom curtains flapped with the wind. A tremendous gust of wind whirled around the room, tipping lamps over, tossing a basket of clothes like a Frisbee, the dresser mirror crashed to the floor. Only a few feet away, the storm was destroying their home, but Rebecca remained eerily calm, focused on Lee. His eyes darted left and right, looking for an escape. Rebecca laughed sadistically and waved the gun at him. "The "almighty champ" is begging the poor underdog for another chance. That's a classic, Lee! What about all the nights I begged you? What about that, huh?" He hoped that God had been listening earlier when he'd begged for forgiveness. He feared his life was about to end. He wasn't going to get that chance to make amends, but he pleaded again. "Rebecca, please...give me a chance?" The howling wind and the branches banging against the house sounded like a freight train. Another branch smashed against the front room window, shattering the glass across the room. Rebecca began to laugh hysterically and shouted, so Lee could hear her, "You've had your chance, now it's my turn. Things are going to be different! Good bye Lee!" Her stone cold eyes never left his. As another window broke, Lee dived toward Rebecca. The gun fired once, twice, three times. The house shook on its foundation and the roof collapsed. The wind uprooted a hundred year old maple and slammed it into Rebecca and Lee's apartment. Beneath the collapsed roof, the crumbled walls, shattered glass, and the stately old maple lay two lifeless, young bodies. The aftermath of the storm would take weeks to clear away. Except for emergency personnel, the area remained blocked. Electrical lines were down everywhere. The utility workers disconnected everything. Residents waited, hoping for a chance to see how much damage the storm caused. A group of Lee's closest friends stood silently near the blockade, waiting for news, hoping for a miracle. They'd stood vigil throughout the night. Seeing the damage in the daylight left them with little hope that their friends survived. When the coroner's car arrived with an ambulance, they huddled together, holding on to each other. No one could say anything. They stood watching, waiting, and knowing the outcome. Finally, the EMTs carried two covered bodies from the collapsed house and placed them in the awaiting ambulance. Tears streamed down the faces of the huddled group. Their prayers weren't going to be answered. The nightly news reported an emergency worker had found a gun in the rubble. Police indicated it had been discharged. Neighbors were too worried about their own belongings to worry much about the young couple. Rescue workers said that damage was so massive; that only a miracle would have saved their lives. The miracle his friends prayed for and never got. An autopsy found no evidence of foul play and the couple's deaths were ruled accidental. At the funeral, one of Lee's closest friends struggled to offer a eulogy. "Lee and Rebecca were our friends. We will miss them." Pausing, he wiped a tear away, "Hell paid one too many visits to their house. I can only pray that God has found them a new home. Rest in peace, brother, rest in peace." Recognized Author Notes Thank you for reading. I am curious if the ending suited you or would you have done something different?

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