You plan a wedding for months, but it’s never quite what you expect...

Adam was asleep now, snoring, dribbling ... It had been a big day. Kimberly had maybe over-indulged too, but she had hoped he’d at least keep it together. He hadn’t. So, now, sitting at the side of her marriage bed, lighting a cigarette, (she hardly ever smoked) she pondered.

Adam was a catch ... She knew that. A varsity wrestler and a law school graduate later he really was everything any girl might want. She too, in high school and later in college was considered a most desirable girl. They were, in many ways, a perfect match. And she loved him. She did. He loved her too. There had been others, of course. Before Adam. Not many. But a few ... She had imagined that he might have her in the white dress, she had thought about that, but it wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t like she was having sex for the first time. But, it was the first time as husband and wife.

Even though Adam was asleep she moved to the bathroom to smoke. She didn’t need him waking up and smelling her cigarette. He really was against smoking cigarettes but didn’t mind an occasional joint. She exhaled a long blue plume of tobacco smoke into the bathroom and stubbed out her cigarette. She moved to undress. Then ... A strange thing happened.

In the shady gloomy shadow of the smoke, a figure appeared. It was a figure of a man. It was the image of a man she knew. A man she’d loved. Years ago. Who had died. Ben.

“Congratulations...” he said.

Kimberly knew she couldn’t be that drunk. She walked over by the bed and shook her husband, but he was quite unconscious. He didn’t wake up.

The figure spoke. “No reason to be upset, Kim, I really just called down to say hello. And congratulate you...”

“What is going on?” Kimberly shouted. “WHO ARE YOU?”

“I’m Ben Winter, we used to date? I really liked you.”

“Ben Winter died in that horrific crash. You are Ben Winter? I loved you so much!”

“I loved you too, sweetie...”

“BUT YOU ARE DEAD!”

“Yes ... But dead’s comparative. After-Life is real ... It’s complicated to explain ... We can come back if there are things we wanted to do but couldn’t...”

‘Like WHAT”

“Like HAVE YOU?”

“Are You a ghost?”

“Does that matter? Can I kiss you?”

Kimberly stood there not knowing what to do. Could this really be happening? She knew she was a bit tipsy and her husband was asleep. Perhaps call it boredom. She was talking to a damn ghost. What would be the harm of sleeping with something dead? She was psyched to be talking to Ben again.

Ben was what you call a “fuck boy.” Now-a-day’s you’d call it a “friends with benefits” kind of a relationship. Ben was a stoner and he rode his skateboard to school. He was attractive and always very friendly to Kimberly. He wasn’t like other boys and liked having girl’s as friends. He and Kimberly hit it off and within a short period of time were a steady couple.

They were supposed to go to the same college and even spoke about marriage after the two completed college. It was summer, and Ben was planning a surprise for Kimberly. He was a newly licensed driver and it was raining heavily that fateful night. He took the turn rather sharply and hit a telephone pole. He died instantly. Kimberly was devastated and never thought she’d be lucky enough to meet another person. She didn’t date for the longest while.

She loved Ben with all her heart. But, years later she met Adam. Adam was incredible, and he too fell in love with Kimberly. She never dreamed she’d meet somebody as incredible as Ben was. Now, her new husband was unconscious on their wedding night and the ghost of her dead boyfriend was standing in front of her. She decided she’d have a moment with him. Her husband was asleep after all. And who really believes in ghosts?