I was on the phone with my husband for over an hour. Five minutes later, he was dead.

**I am not a professional medical advisor, but you should really get your kidneys checked out.**<br><br>Chris and I had been married 13 years when we both ended up on the phone with him at the same time. I know that doesn’t make sense. I just got off the phone with him, and now I am talking to him again. Bear with me here. This all happened in the course of about five minutes. <br><br>The first time, I answered, and I heard a bunch of background noise.  It sounded like he was out at a bar or a restaurant.<br><br>“Hello?” He asked. <br><br>“Hey, man. How’s it going?” I replied.<br><br>“Not great, I don’t know who I just called. I was trying to call my wife, but I guess I got the wrong number.”<br><br>“Yeah, sorry. That sucks. Well, I guess you can talk to me instead. What’s your wife’s name?”<br><br>“Carole.”<br><br>“Mine’s Chris. Nice to meet you, Carole.” <br><br>“Nice to meet you, Chris.  How long have you guys been married?”<br><br>“We just had our thirteenth anniversary.”<br><br>“Happy anniversary! We just had our thirteenth anniversary too. Isn’t that funny?”<br><br>“Yeah. What city are you in?”<br><br>“Chicago. How about you?”<br><br>“Chicago too.” <br><br>“Well then, maybe we could grab coffee sometime, since we’re in the same city.” <br><br>I laughed. “Yeah, maybe sometime. So what were you doing tonight?”<br><br>“I was meeting my boss and his wife to discuss a new promotion. But we haven’t gotten there yet. It’s about a forty minute drive, so I’m just on my way there now.”<br><br>“Okay, that sounds cool. Good luck, and all.”<br><br>“Alright, well, it was nice talking to you. Maybe I’ll talk to you again sometime.”<br><br>“Yeah, sounds good. Have a good night.”<br><br>“Alright, you too.” He hung up, and the call ended. <br><br>I set my phone aside and went back to the dishes. I was only halfway done with them, and Rachel was already in bed. <br><br>The phone rang again, and I answered it. <br><br>“Hey. Just got here. The food looks really good.”<br><br>“Oh good. I’m glad to hear that.”<br><br>“Yeah, so how long have we been married?”<br><br>“Thirteen years,” I replied. <br><br>“Yeah, thirteen years is a long time. I know this probably isn’t the right time to bring it up, but I wanted to ask you something. Do you ever feel like something is off? Like we’re just going through some kind of routine, and not really truly living?”<br><br>I laughed. “Of course you feel that way, dear. You just got off the phone with the wrong number, and now you’re trying to create some kind of fake marriage with me. Stop messing around.” There was a long pause on the other end of the line. <br><br>“Carole, what are you talking about?”<br><br>“I’m just kidding,” I replied. “You’re not Carole. You’re Chris, and we’ve been married thirteen years. I know, sweetie.” <br><br>“I don’t know who you are,” he said. “My wife’s name is Carole.”<br><br>“Stop messing with me,” I said. “I’m going to go pick up Rachel in ten minutes.” <br><br>“Who’s Rachel? Is she our daughter?”<br><br>“Of course she is. You dropped her off at Grandma’s house an hour ago. Don’t you remember?”<br><br>“I don’t have a daughter. What are you talking about?”<br><br>“I’m just going to go pick her up,” I said. “I’ll see you when you get home.” I hung up the phone. That was weird. <br><br>I finished up the dishes, got in my car, and headed towards my Mom’s house to pick up Rachel. <br><br>When I got there, my Mom was crying. <br><br>“What’s wrong?” I asked. <br><br>“Chris is dead,” she replied. “The police just called. Some drunk driver ran a red light, and now he’s gone.” <br><br>I was confused. “Chris isn’t here. He went out for drinks with his boss.” <br><br>“What are you talking about?” My Mom asked. “No, he dropped Rachel off right after dinner, and then he left for work. He was heading to that new construction site he was working on.” <br><br>“Wait, what? He’s a lawyer, not a construction worker.” My Mom gave me a concerned look. <br><br>“Carole, I think you need to go see a doctor. You’re not yourself right now.” <br><br>“Stop calling me Carole,” I screamed. Rachel started crying. <br><br>“Carole, stop. This isn’t good for Rachel.”<br><br>“I am not Carole.” I yelled, getting out of my chair. “I am Chris’s wife. And his name is not Christopher Todd James. It’s Christopher Michael James. We met in college, and we have a three year old daughter named Rachel. We live in Chicago. And Chris is a lawyer at Kirkland and Ellis.” <br><br>My Mother put her hand on my shoulder, and gently led me out to the car. “You need to go see a doctor now. I am going to stay with Rachel for the time being.” <br><br>I did as I was told, but I didn’t need to go to the doctor. You see, I knew something they didn’t. That the conversation I had earlier was real. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I am Chris’s wife, and he is the one who was on the phone with me. <br><br>It’s been three months now, and I am still trying to convince people that Chris is still alive, and that he is a lawyer in Chicago. But no one ever believes me. They just write me off as a crazy person. But I know what I experienced. I know it was real. <br><br>I know this sounds impossible, but I’m telling you, it really happened. I don’t care what you say. I know what I experienced. <br><br>I am Chris’s wife. He is a lawyer. And we live in Chicago. <br><br>You can say whatever you want. But that’s the truth.