My Daughter Died Two Years Ago – Last Week the School Called to Say She Was in the Principal’s Office

Neil told me Grace was brain-dead.

“Ma’am?” a careful voice asked. “This is Frank, the principal at the middle school your daughter used to attend. I’m sorry to disturb you, but we have a young girl here who came into the office asking to call her mother.”

“What girl? You must have the wrong person,” I said automatically. “My daughter is deceased.”

There was a pause on the line.

“She says her name is ‘Grace,'” Frank continued. “And she looks remarkably similar to the photo we still have in our student database.”

My heart started pounding so hard it hurt.

“My daughter is deceased.”

“That’s impossible.”

“She’s very upset. Please, just speak to her.”

Then I heard a small, trembling voice. “Mommy? Mommy, please come get me?”

The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. It was her voice.

Neil walked into the kitchen holding his coffee mug. He froze when he saw my face and the phone on the tile.