Miriam’s peaceful beach vacation was shattered when she saw her daughter Pamela and son-in-law across the hotel lobby, the same people she had emotionally buried five years before. Miriam’s heart was beating, and she had to decide whether to confront the ghosts before her or let them slip away into the sun-drenched crowd.
Miriam stepped out of the airport shuttle and inhaled deeply. The saltwater air of The Bahamas flooded her lungs, a refreshing departure from the stuffy airline compartment.
At the age of sixty-five, this vacation was long overdue. The Ocean Club Resort rose in front of her.
The marble floors echoed with the conversation of excited travelers and the clinking of luggage trolleys, and Miriam peered at all of their happy faces, expecting to feel the same way they did.
“Welcome to The Ocean Club, ma’am. May I have your name for check-in?” The receptionist’s cheerful voice snapped Miriam out of her thoughts.
“Leary. Miriam,” she replied, fishing for her ID from her purse.
As the receptionist tapped away at the computer, Miriam’s gaze wandered. That’s when she saw them.
Time seems to stop.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Two people who couldn’t possibly be there were standing outside the gift store, looking at a display of colorful seashells. Her daughter Pamela and son-in-law Frank.
But they were dead. Killed in a car crash five years ago… Or so she thought.
“Ma’am? Your room key,” the receptionist’s voice sounded distant.
Miriam’s hand shot out, grabbing the key without looking, while her eyes never left the couple as they turned away from the gift shop and headed for the exit.
“Hold my bags,” Miriam barked, already moving. “I’ll be right back.”
She hurried across the lobby, gasping for air. She was out of shape, and the pair was on their way out.
“Pamela!” Miriam called out. Even her own ears detected the desperation.
The woman turned, her eyes wide with surprise. It was obviously Pam!
She abruptly grabbed her husband’s arm and murmured something urgent. When Frank looked back, Miriam noticed his face change into a terrified mask.
They rushed without notice.
Miriam’s heart raced as she followed them outside into the brilliant sunlight.
“Stop right there!” she cried, her voice echoing along the palm-lined driveway. “Or I’ll call the police!”
The threat worked.
The couple froze, their shoulders slumping in defeat. They slowly turned to face her.
Pamela’s eyes welled up with tears, but Miriam had no idea why. Was Pamela crying out of guilt, the deception, or something else?
“Mom,” her daughter whispered. “We can explain.”
***
Pamela and Frank’s hotel room door clicked shut behind them, sealing off the cheerful vacation atmosphere outside. Inside, the air felt heavy, charged with the past five years of Miriam’s mourning and her current anger.
She stood rigid, arms crossed. “Start talking,” she said forcefully.
Frank cleared his throat. “Mrs. Leary, we never meant to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” Miriam’s laughter was bitter. “I have buried you. Both of you. I grieved for five years. And now you’re standing here, claiming you never intended to hurt me?
Pamela stepped forward, trying to reach out. “Mom, please. We had our reasons.”
Miriam recoiled from her daughter, although she also had the same urge. “What reason could possibly justify this?”
Frank and Pamela exchanged troubled glances, and it took a second before Frank spoke. “We won the lottery.”
Silence fell, broken only by the distant sound of waves crashing on the beach outside.
“The lottery,” Miriam repeated flatly. “So you faked your own deaths… because you won money?”
Pamela nodded and began to elaborate, although her voice could barely be heard.
“It was a lot of money, Mom. We knew if people found out, they’d all want a piece. We just wanted to start fresh, without any obligations.”
“Obligations?” Miriam’s own voice rose. “Like paying back the money you borrowed from Frank’s family for that failed business? Like being there for your cousin’s kids after their parents died? Those kinds of obligations?”
Frank’s face hardened. “We didn’t owe anyone anything. This was our chance to live the life we always wanted, and we don’t plan on letting anyone get in our way.”
“At the expense of everyone who loved you, and I bet you’re also avoiding taxes,” Miriam shot back. She turned to her daughter. “Pamela, how could you do this? To me?”
Pamela looked down and sniffled. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t want to, but Frank said…”
“Don’t blame this on me,” Frank interjected. “You agreed to the plan.”
Miriam watched as her daughter wilted under her husband’s glare. At that moment, she clearly saw the dynamic between them, and her heart broke anew.
“Pamela,” she said softly. “Come home with me. We can fix this. Make it right.”
For a moment, hope flared in Pamela’s eyes. Then Frank’s hand clamped down on her shoulder.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he stated resolutely. “Our lives begins today. “We have everything we need.”
Pamela’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Mom,” she muttered. “I can’t.”
Miriam stood there, marveling at the strangers that her daughter and son-in-law had become. Without saying anything else, she turned and left the room.
Three years have gone.
Miriam attempted to go on, but the weight of this secret and the pain of betrayal never left her. Then, one rainy afternoon, there came a knock on her door.
Miriam opened it to discover Pamela standing on her porch, soaking from the rain, arms wrapped around her body, and looked completely bewildered.
The designer clothes and perfectly styled hair were gone, replaced by worn jeans and messy hair. Dark circles shadowed her eyes.
“What happened?” Miriam asked, her tone carefully neutral.
Pamela slumped into the couch, her shoulders bent. “It’s all gone,” she said. “Money, house, everything. Frank… he made some terrible investments. I started gambling. “I attempted to stop him, but…
She looked up and met Miriam’s gaze for the first time. “He left. They took what was left and vanished. I do not know where he is.
Miriam sat across from her daughter, digesting the information.
Part of her wanted to comfort Pamela, to wrap her in a hug and tell her everything would be okay. But the wounds were still too fresh, the betrayal too deep.
“Why are you here, Pamela?” she asked quietly.
Pamela’s lips trembled. “I didn’t know where else to go. I know I don’t deserve your help, after everything we did. How selfish I was. But I… I miss you, Mom. I’m so sorry. For all of it.”
Silence stretched between them because Miriam had no idea what to do. This was what she wanted ever since that day in The Bahamas.
So, she studied her daughter’s face, searching for signs of the girl she used to know. After a few moments, Miriam sighed.
“I can’t just forgive and forget, Pamela. What you and Frank did… it was more than just lying. I think you broke the law. Faking your death may not be exactly illegal, but I bet you didn’t pay any taxes on that money. But also, you hurt a lot of people, not just me.”
Pamela nodded as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I know,” she whispered. “And you’re right. Part of the reason Frank wanted to leave was to avoid paying taxes. Everything else… what he didn’t want to pay back to his family… well, that was just icing.”
“If you want to make this right with me and with everyone else,” Miriam continued, her voice firm, “you need to face the consequences. That means going to the police. Telling them everything. About the faked deaths and everything else you two did with that money. All of it.”
Pamela’s eyes widened in fear. “But… I could go to jail.”
“Yes,” Miriam agreed. “You could. I don’t want you to, but it’s the only way forward. The only way to truly make amends.”
For a long moment, Pamela sat frozen, sniffling slightly. Then, slowly, she nodded. “Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll do it. Whatever it takes.”
“Alright then,” she said, standing up. “Let’s get you into some dry clothes. Then we’ll head down to the station.”
As they walked out to the car a short while later, Pamela hesitated. “Mom?” she asked. “Will you… will you stay with me? While I talk to them?”
Miriam paused, then reached out and squeezed her daughter’s hand, allowing herself to again feel and show all the love she had for her. “Yes,” she said warmly and desperately. “I’ll be there, for sure.”
“Thank you,” Pamela nodding and taking a deep breath. Suddenly, her expression shifted. Her mouth set in a firm line, and determination filled her eyes. “Let’s go.”
