Page 99 of Echoes
But then, Daphne was gone, and Iris was alone in her living room once again.
Three Days Later
Iris was asleep when she heard the voice again. She hadn’t moved much in three days, only going from the chair, where she’d stare into the open space of the room, hoping for the voice in her head to return, to the bed, where she’d sleep for a few hours after crying until her body could no longer remain awake.
“Iris,” Daphne said.
Iris rolled over in bed, half-expecting it to not be real again, but there was her beautiful love, standing at the side of the bed they used to share, wearing the same dress she’d worn that night, and she was smiling at Iris.
“Daphne?” she whispered.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m back.”
“How long?” she asked, choosing to give in to herself as she sat up in bed.
“I don’t know. But I need to tell you something, and you have to listen closely.”
“Are you a ghost, or are you in my head?”
“I don’t know what I am. I suspect I’m an entity of some kind, but, Iris, I’m not in your head. If I were in your head, would I know that I bought you a ring? It’s in the blue box on the top shelf of the closet. Would I know that my parents thought it was a pair of your shoes, so they left it here without opening it?”
“A ring?” Iris asked groggily.
“I know we can’t marry…couldn’tmarry.” Daphne looked down at the floor. “But it’s a wedding band. It’s just gold, with no stone, but it would have been suspicious if I’d gotten you a ring with a diamond. I thought you could wear it on your other hand, and I’d have one, too.”
“There’s no ring in that box,” Isis said. “I went through everything after your parents left.”
“It’s on the bottom of the necklace box. The necklace I got you for your birthday. Open the blue box, find that box from the jeweler, and lift the section inside. You’ll find it.”
Iris got up and walked over toward Daphne, wondering what had taken her so long to do this. She reached for her andleaned in, needing to feel Daphne’s body pressed against hers for the first time since she died, but when she did, she touched nothing. She felt nothing.
“I can’t feel you.”
“I’m not alive, my love,” Daphne replied and reached for her cheek.
Iris could see her cupping it, but she couldn’t feel it, even though she leaned into it herself, praying that she’d feel something,anythingof Daphne’s skin.
“I miss you.”
“Please check. The ring is in there. You need to believe this is real before we can move on. You have to trust me.”
“Move on from what?”
“Iris, please. Quickly, sweetheart.”
Iris moved around Daphne then, even though she didn’t need to, walked to the closet, the one they used to share, and opened it. There were onlyherclothes hanging in there now. Daphne’s parents hadn’t asked her any questions about why Iris’s clothes were in Daphne’s closet, but Daphne had told her years prior that they suspected she was a lesbian, and it was something they’d all silently agreed not to talk about. Iris found the box, pulled it down, and removed the felt box the necklace had come in. She opened it and pulled out the white display section, revealing a gold band beneath. Her free hand went to her mouth as she gasped.
“I’m not in your head, Iris. I’m somewhere floating on a different plane, and I think I know how to get back to you.”
“Can I put this on?” she asked, looking into Daphne’s eyes.
“Of course, you can. It’s your ring.”
“Why didn’t you give it to me?” She slid the ring onto the proper ring finger, not caring if anyone noticed it when she left this apartment.
“I was going to give it to you on our anniversary.”
“Which one?”