I Laid My Son to Rest 15 Years Ago – When I Hired a Man at My Store, I Could Have Sworn He Looked Exactly Like Him
“When I turned 19, I ran into one of the older boys, now a man, at a gas station. He tried pretending he didn’t remember anything. But I shoved him against a wall and told him I wanted the truth. That’s when he finally admitted it.”
My heart pounded.
“He said your son slipped. The rocks gave out under his feet.”
Karen let out a broken cry.
“They panicked and ran,” Barry finished.
My chest felt hollow.
“That’s when he finally admitted it.”
Barry continued speaking.
“I lost control after that. All those years of guilt hit me at once. I started swinging at him. It was so bad that the police showed up. I got arrested. I spent the next several years in and out of prison.”
He exhaled slowly.
“While I was locked up, I met another inmate,” he continued. “It turned out he’d been one of the older boys at the quarry that day. He’d been carrying the same guilt for years. He started studying spirituality inside. Said he’d finally forgiven himself.”
My head snapped up.
“I lost control after that.”
Barry sighed. “Before he was released, he helped me face everything I’d been running from. When I got out, I started looking for work. That’s when I saw the name of your store.”
He glanced at me carefully.
“You knew it was mine?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I applied because I wanted to tell you the truth. I just didn’t know how.”
Karen looked at him through red eyes.
“You knew it was mine?”
“So you lied instead?” she accused.
“I tried to say it many times,” Barry said. “But when I got close, I froze. I’m sorry.”
No one spoke for a long time.
Finally, I pushed back from the table.
“I need some air.”
Then I walked out, and Barry must’ve left, cause he wasn’t around when I returned.
***
I barely slept that night.
Memories of my son haunted me. But Barry also featured. I thought about everything he’d told us.
“So you lied instead?”
When morning came, I drove to the store as per usual.
Barry was already there. When he saw me, he looked nervous.
“Morning,” he said quietly.
“Come with me,” I replied.
We stepped into the office.
I sat down.
“Do you know why I hired you?”
He shook his head.
“Because you looked like my son,” I said.
His eyes widened.
Barry was already there.
“Same name and age. It felt like fate,” I continued. “I never told Karen, but before you started working here, I began having dreams about my boy. In them, he kept telling me that the truth would be revealed.”
Barry looked stunned.
“When I first saw you, I thought you looked exactly like him. But after last night, I realized you don’t.”
Barry blinked in confusion.
“I think maybe my son’s spirit followed you,” I said. “Maybe because of the guilt you carried all those years.”
Barry’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“I began having dreams about my boy.”
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