The letters were stacked high on the kitchen table. Bills. They were four months behind on their mortgage. The last letter warned of foreclosure.
Sighing wearily, she walked to the basement where her husband often hid-out, drinking booze and smoking marijuana. He’d told her it made him relax.
She could smell the pungent odor as she descended the stairs. Her decision to leave him hardened.
He was lying on the cement floor.
Shocked at the needle hanging from his vein; a note on his lap.
‘The insurance money should be enough for you and the kids.’
“Coward”, she screamed.
2016©Isadora DeLaVega
Word Count: 100
Genre: Flash Fiction
To join Rochelle and her Friday Fictioneers
in this challenge: click here
*****Photo Prompt©Shaktiki Sharma
Inside the Mind of Isadora 
September 14, 2017 at 9:29 pm
So real, so raw—-well done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 20, 2017 at 8:24 pm
Thank you 😎
Sorry about the delay in responding but I no no electric for 10 days due to Hurricane Irma.
I’m glad to be able to get back to my blog.
I appreciate your visit. ~~~ : – )
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 20, 2017 at 8:36 pm
Oh bless you! Hope you’re ok?
LikeLike
November 19, 2016 at 2:49 am
To me often the end matters a lot, especially in a story. And in this one too, it did the trick! I was kind of expecting her husband to be dead as she walked to the basement but wasn’t expecting it to be a suicide and the ‘Coward’ broke my heart! I feel for the woman and kids he left behind…indeed a ‘coward.’
LikeLike
October 3, 2016 at 1:12 am
Intense. But yes the bills give us a stress that sometimes we feel that we can not escape.
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 3, 2016 at 5:37 pm
Sadly, this is so true. Managing our expenses is difficult and can cause stress.
I’m pleased you enjoy my writing on the subject. Thank you for commenting.
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
September 21, 2016 at 10:38 am
I was aware that insurance companies often won’t pay when it’s a suicide. The poor woman would have to just start over. It’s heartbreaking. That’s reality,though. Good writing. —- Suzanne
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 23, 2016 at 3:16 pm
I think she would have to start from the beginning. But, it looks like she was headed that way anyway. Suzanne, I’m glad you stopped by and left you very nice comment. Thank you, Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 2 people
September 20, 2016 at 11:29 am
Addiction meddles with your brain, so all I can be is sorry for the guy, but I don’t blame her for wanting to leave him. I hope she burns the note though (see Russel’s comment about insurance). Can still go as unintentional overdose then. Sad and powerful story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 20, 2016 at 4:28 pm
I agree with you on addiction meddling with the brain. He was pitiful. She needed more, I suppose.
I’ve learned a lot from this short little story I wrote from you and Russel. Life sometimes hands people a
a burden heavier than they can handle. ~~~ : – ( I appreciate your visit and wonderfully enlightening comment.
It helps me grow as a writer and a person. Thank you …
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 10:31 pm
Unfortunately, most insurance companies won’t pay in the case of a suicide. That just leaves her with more problems on her hands including funeral expenses. Sad tale, but very well told.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 11:37 pm
Oh my, I didn’t know that about insurance policies. Who says you can’t learn something everyday…???!!!
An interesting twist to my story. I suppose that would be the next chapter if I were to continue the sad tale.
I appreciate your informative comment, rGayer. Thank you for that and for visiting my neighborhood.
Have a wonderful week.
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
September 19, 2016 at 5:42 pm
Powerful imagery Isadora. Very powerful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 11:38 pm
Thank you for kindly visiting and commenting, Dawn.
Have a wonderful week …
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 3:05 pm
So very sad, and such misunderstanding that it was just the money that mattered… maybe they should have spent time talking about something else than the financial problems.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Coping with financial stress can be overwhelming for some. It’s sad, indeed.
This was a story told to me. Of course, I’ve fictionalized it. I’m sure there are many out there
with these problems. Thank you for stopping by, Bjorn, and leaving your insightful comment.
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
September 19, 2016 at 11:58 am
This is a very sad story, addiction to drugs of any sort is a curse, one that society is not dealing with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 4:20 pm
I believe your right, Michael. There should be more done in that area. Unfortunately, drugs are much more readily
available than mental health services.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving your comment. I appreciate it very much.
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
September 19, 2016 at 6:57 am
A very sad way to shoulder your responsibilities, and to discard them at the same time. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 4:18 pm
Sometimes, people lack the coping skills for severe stress. I appreciate your very nice comment, Sandra.
Thank you so much.
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 10:12 pm
Oh! A tragic and unexpected end. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 19, 2016 at 5:13 am
I’m really pleased the ending was powerfully unexpected. With only 100 hundred words it’s difficult to describe more. Impact helps grasp the reader for me. Thank you, Alicia, for visiting and leaving your very nice comment.
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
September 18, 2016 at 6:43 pm
Hello Isadora
I wish you a successful new week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 9:28 pm
Dear Marko,
Welcome … a pleasure to see you here.
Thank you for always visiting.
Do you have a new photo post? Let me know.
May your week be filled with peace.
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
September 18, 2016 at 2:19 pm
Great story Isadora! Lot of mixed emotions caused in this piece!
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 5:21 pm
Suicide and drugs are a powerful subject to write about.
It does bring to the surface painful events for those having been through it.
Fiction imitating life ….. Thank you, PJ.
Have a happy Sunday
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 5:22 pm
You also have a happy Sunday! Thank you Isadora!
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 9:27 pm
😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Querida Isadora,
A coward perhaps, but he saved her the trouble of leaving. Powerful story.
Shalom, y abrazos,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 5:07 pm
Querida Rochelle,
What lurks behind the doors of married couples???
For sure, only they know the dark secrets.
This wife in shock sat rocking and repeating the word ‘Coward.’
A powerful event for me to hear from someone I always feared leaving for work.
Thank you for always leaving a comment and visiting. I always look forward to your feedback.
Abrazos y adios,
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
September 18, 2016 at 7:54 am
Ha! only if he made the monthly payments!
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 5:18 pm
I agree, Gilly. Let’s hope the insurance was enough to cover her expenses.
But, what and how would she tell her children is the balance of the story I may have to write.
Thank you, dear friend. It’s lovely to see you here again.
Issy 😎
LikeLike
September 17, 2016 at 10:37 pm
Powerful and brutal tale.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 18, 2016 at 5:11 pm
Yes, it’s a powerful event that I was told about. I fictionalized it for less impact.
Unfortunately, some brutality exists in the lives of some people out there.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment..
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 17, 2016 at 9:47 pm
Very powerful Isadora, and ‘coward’ indeed, though pressure can do that to people…
LikeLiked by 2 people
September 18, 2016 at 5:15 pm
Yes, pressure is handled differently by everyone. Families of people who
commit suicide feel they leave a huge whole for them to fill. I can’t imagine
what words she would use to tell her children. Indeed, a story I thought long about
before writing. It was an event told to me that I fictionalized for less impact.
I’m pleased you enjoyed it enough to leave a comment. Thank you.
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 3 people