Maureen, after thirty years of marriage, became a widow. Although Maureen believes no one else knows, she was abused from the very beginning of her marriage. Her husband abused her via severe pinching, threats, and abusive language. Even though he is gone, Maureen still feels his control, but she is slowly and quietly living her life.
And then one day Maureen went to the attic to retrieve her Halloween decorations. Right next to the decorations, she discovered a beautifully wrapped package. The card on the outside says it’s for her from her husband. She’s afraid to open it so she lets it sit on the kitchen counter. Her husband still has that much power over her.
Her grown daughter drops by and urges her mother to open the package. Inside is a GPS for her car. This is a puzzle to Maureen but her daughter helps her put it in the car. program it, and teaches her how to use it.
Although she is suspicious because it came from her husband, Maureen agrees to use it. She asks her sister to meet her for a special day out. She assures her sister she can find the place because she now has a GPS in her car.
Maureen sets off confidently and then her GPS voice suddenly switches to a menacing male voice. It’s not exactly her husband’s voice but it’s talking the same way. It’s obvious the GPS has another place it wants Maureen to go. How can her husband’s control be coming back? He’s dead, but who is this voice in her ears and in her head?
I always enjoy any story Jennifer Weiner tells. (In Her Shoes and Good In Bed) She’s a compelling storyteller and this story was no exception. This one, however, was the first ghost story written by this prolific chick-lit writer. To my knowledge, that is. Please note: I read this story and actually liked it. I don’t like his kind of spooky stuff, but Jennifer Weiner made me love Maureen.
At 40 pages, this is a long short story. It is what Amazon is selling as a Kindle Single. They are short stories by mostly well-known writers, and sell for a dollar or two. This one is HERE for 99 cents. Recalculating was published by Simon and Schuster Ebooks so if you have another e-reader you could also downloaded it here: S & S E-Books.
I’m linking this post to Short Story Monday, sposored by John at Book, Mind, Set.
