Last night I got a phone call from my wife’s dead mother

She was one of the kindest women I've ever met. Yes, she was my wife Susan’s mom but she was also a second mother to me. She had a way of making everyone feel welcome. She passed away a year ago from a heart attack. Or at least that’s what they told us. I think she was killed by all the pain and tears she suffered over the catastrophic accident that took her son’s life. My brother in law. Susan and her brother Tommy were inseparable. He was only 17 when he died. He was out driving one night when he lost control of his car. He was killed instantly. It tore this family apart. I wasn't actually married to Susan at the time but her mom called me the day they identifed the body. It was the first time in my entire life that I saw a man cry. She was a really great woman and we all miss her to this day. And that’s why I was so shocked when a few days ago I got a phone call saying.. “Hello dear, it’s Sue’s mom. How are you?” I was so shocked. I couldn’t answer. I could only utter out an “I’m good”. And then I said, “how did you get this number?”. She said “I never call anyone. This is the first time. But I just have so many things that I need to catch up on.. So how is your career going?” This all seemed so dreamlike. I was confused. Was this a prank? But everything seemed so real. But then I remembered her passing and said “Wait, you’re dead!”. She laughed and said. “Don’t be so concerned about me, I’m fine. How’s Susan?” I asked her “Wait, so you didn’t die? You're alive?”. “No, I'm sorry if I gave that impression.. I died of a heart attack. But like I said, I’m fine now. How’s Susan?” Again I asked “how is that even possible?”. She said “I’m not trying to confuse you. I just got a phone and I’m trying to call people I haven’t talked to in a while. How’s my daughter?”. I couldn’t keep pushing the issue so I just said “well, she actually ended up marrying me!”. She laughed and said “I'm so glad she did”. I was so happy to be having this conversation. I actually forgot that she was dead. But then I remembered that this wasn’t my mom calling me, it was my wifes dead mom. So I said “I’m really glad we’re talking but you have to call Susan, she’ll be so surprised to hear from you!”. She said “I don't have her number”. So I said “wait, I’ll get it for you!”. She said “no no no, please don’t do that. I don’t want to talk to her”. I said “but she’s your DAUGHTER!”. She said “I know that. I don't want her to know that I'm calling people. Please don’t tell her”. That sentence sent chills down my spine. I mean, what mother doesn’t want to talk to her daughter? I thought that maybe she was mad at her or something. So I asked “why don't you want her to know?”. She said “no, I love her. But she can’t know. Please don’t tell her. Please”. At this point I was really getting freaked out. So I said “fine! But why didn’t you call her directly? Why are you calling me?”. She said “I need to know something about her. And I need you to answer truthfully..”. I said “of course, I will!”. She said “please tell me the truth even if it’s bad. I have to know..” She paused for about a minute, then she said “Is Susan happy?”. I said “yes, she's very happy”. She said “are you sure?”. I said “yes, of course. She's very happy with her life!”. Susan and her mom always got along. Even after the death of her brother, they were like best friends. It was so sweet to see. But now, her mom was dead and she's trying to get information about her through me? It didn't make sense. I asked her “why can’t you see for yourself whether she’s happy or not”? She said “I can’t see her. But I can call people. So I’m calling people that I know to find out.. Can you tell me about my son?”. I said “well, he died..”. She interrupted me and said “no, I know that. I mean how is he?”. I said “how can he be anything at all? I mean he’s dead!”. She said “no, he's not! And how is he doing?”. I said “I have no idea! But he’s not doing anything! He's dead!”. She just kept asking me if he was doing well. I kept telling her that he was dead. She didn't seem to care. Until finally I said “how can you keep asking me about him when you know full well that he's dead!”. There was a very long pause. And then she said “I can’t see him. But I can call people. So I can call people that I know to find out about him. You need to tell me about him!”. I said “fine! But only if you promise that you'll call Susan now and talk to her!”. She said “okay, of course, but please answer!”. So I said “he’s dead.. He’s not doing anything at all. He died fifty something years ago in a car accident! He was only 17”. I heard her crying on the other end of the line. I felt so bad. She was a great woman. And now I just made her cry. I asked her if she was okay. She said “yes, I'm fine. Please just answer the rest of my questions..”. I said “okay, but you have to promise that you'll call Susan now!”. She said “okay!”. I said “you have to promise!”. She said “I promise, I’ll call her. Now please just answer my questions”. So I said “okay, go ahead and ask!”. She said “how's my sister?”. I said “I don't know who that is!”. She said “she's my sister!”. I said “well, I don’t know her!”. So she said “it’s okay, I didn’t think you knew her. How’s my brother?”. I said “again, I don’t know who that is!”. She said “he's my brother!”. I said “I don’t know him!”. So she said “I guess he isn’t around anymore. How’s my mom?”. I said “I don't know her!”. She said “That's okay. My mom died of old age, a long time ago. How’s my dad?”. I said “I don't even know you!”. There was a long pause. She asked “who is this?”. I said “I'm Susan's husband. I thought you knew..”. There was another long pause. Then while crying she said “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry”. Then she hung up the phone. It’s been about three days since that phone call. Susan asked me if I’ve gotten any weird calls and I said yes. She asked me who it was and I said “your mom”. She looked at me as if to say “are you insane?”. I just said it was a prank. But it wasn’t. It was her mom.

Last night I got a phone call from my wife’s dead mother

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