Word Count:\u00a0 481<\/p>\n

The pact had been Mona\u2019s idea. Said she didn\u2019t want to go on living without him and Ralph thought that was sweet. He resisted but she persisted and he finally agreed.<\/p>\n

The actual execution of the act she was leaving to him. Since he was the one who was dying they\u2019d have to decide pretty quick while he was still physically and mentally able. Once the topic was open, she freely discussed the means.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoison,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe slipped into a last glass of Burgundy wine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about a beer?\u201d he laughed. There was a touch of sadness in it. \u201cI\u2019d really love a final beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mona slyly asked Ralph\u2019s doctor for sleeping pills. She refilled it twice and hid the bottles in the kitchen spice carousel inside the cabinet. Right behind the cinnamon and cloves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about a gun?\u201d she asked one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t shoot you!\u201d He started shaking. She didn\u2019t bring it up again.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarbon monoxide,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that might be the best way. We\u2019ll just both go sit in the garage in the car. It\u2019ll be like when we were dating. Falling asleep at the drive-in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho fell asleep?\u201d he grinned.<\/p>\n

Ralph was beginning to have second thoughts. He was still feeling all right though weak. It was harder for him to get around. \u201cI don\u2019t know, Mona. I think I\u2019d rather I just die in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truth was that as time dwindled down, he grew hungry for each extra day. He also was more aware of a belief in something beyond, maybe even a God. Maybe even a hell where he\u2019d surely go if he killed her and himself. Mona would go straight to heaven.<\/p>\n

They were on their way back from his doctor\u2019s. Mona drove for a while in silence. The doctor\u2019s news had been bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, the wine,\u201d she said. She reached out, gently laid her hand on his knee. \u201cTonight,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll make something special for dinner. The quiche you said you like and can still eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

He put his quivering hand over hers though it took him some time to find it. \u201cMona, I don\u2019t want to do this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mona. Thing is, I don\u2019t want to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned to him sharply, her eyes open wide. Horrible thoughts raced through her head. \u201cWe have to!\u201d she shrieked. Really, there was only so much she could take.<\/p>\n

\u201cMona\u2026\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! Ralph, we\u2019ve decided.\u201d She rounded a corner, tires squealing. She was upset and a little bit angry. \u201cRalph, we agreed!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMona, please\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRalph, I\u2019m not going through a long drawn-out dying and then being left alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMona! Watch where you\u2019re going!\u201d<\/p>\n

They could not have planned it better. She was killed instantly as the car hit the oak. He lived a full week longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Word Count:\u00a0 481 The pact had been Mona\u2019s idea. Said she didn\u2019t want to go on living without him and Ralph thought that was sweet. He resisted but she persisted and he finally agreed. The actual execution of the act … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,15],"tags":[25,24],"class_list":["post-1457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-100-days-2012","category-horror","tag-100-days-2012","tag-horror"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1458,"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1457\/revisions\/1458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}