Woman Meets a Boy Who Looks Just like Her Husband at His Funeral — Story of the Day

A woman mourning her late husband caught sight of a strange boy who looked just like him at the funeral — her first thought was infidelity, but it was something totally different.

Jennifer was numb. She had not eaten since she found out her husband Kyle had been in a car accident that claimed his life and a good portion of his body.

Jennifer had been making lunch that day when she received a call that her husband had passed. She could still remember how wrong it felt to be surrounded by smells of baking when her husband would never breathe again.

She had rushed down to the police precinct in their neighborhood to speak to the responders who found his car and body. They did not let her get near the body at first, trying to spare her the gory sight of what was left of her husband's corpse.

It wasn't much because the car had exploded after taking a long tumble off a hill. Kyle had always been a fast driver, but she had always been secure in his confidence behind the wheel.

To think that his driving was what actually killed him was even more shocking to Jennifer. Rather than mourn, she threw herself into planning his funeral, paying attention to the most minute detail and making alternative plans to cover last-minute changes.

There was a huge turnout from people at the funeral because of the good work Kyle did in his community. Jennifer knew most of the faces as she had written their invites herself.

Imagine her shock when she set eyes on a young boy wearing an old suit. He looked exactly like the late Kyle and was walking around holding a sealed white envelope in his hands.

Jennifer knew she did not invite any minor to the event, so she followed him to learn more. He left the gathering of mourners inside Jennifer's house and picked his way to the gravesite where Kyle was buried.

Jennifer kept a respectable distance as she followed Kyle; she didn't want to scare him off before finding out what he was up to.

All the while, her mind was racing; the boy looked just like her former husband. As far as Jennifer was concerned, it only meant one thing: Kyle had been unfaithful. The thought saddened her.

The boy took the enveloped letter to the yet-to-be-buried coffin of Kyle, and there he waited. After a few minutes, Jennifer went out of hiding to speak to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still astounded by how much he looked like her late hubby.

"I've got a letter I'm to deliver to you ma'am," the strange boy said, handing over the envelope.

"I'll get going now," the boy added before beating a hasty retreat, deaf to Jennifer begging him to wait.

After he left, Jennifer opened the letter and read its contents.

"Dearest in–law, I'm Zack, Kyle's twin brother who has for a long time now not come by. I apologize for my insensitivity but my brother and I did not have the friendliest relationship while he was alive. We quarreled a lot and after a particularly bitter fight in college, we stopped talking altogether.

"When you married him, I was glad, but by that time I had been estranged from Kyle for years and I decided not to reach out to him. It was a petty move but it took his death to open my eyes. I've sent my son, Ethan, to deliver this to you. If you need anything at all, my family and I are ready to grant you any help we can. I'm sorry for your loss."

The whole affair was shocking to Jennifer, who had no idea her husband had a twin. He had undoubtedly never spoken about it to her, but she could remember how tight-lipped he used to be about his family affairs.

Jennifer also felt relief that her initial suspicions about her husband being unfaithful were unfounded. And at this point, anything that would make her feel closer to him was a welcome thought. So she found a way to trace the letter's address and sent another one back.

"Dear Zack, it is nice to hear from you, though I must confess it took me completely by surprise. Thank you for your offer to help out but I'm more curious about why it took you so long to reach out. We can both agree that this could have happened a whole lot earlier, nevertheless, the past is the past. Would you be open to having a cup of tea with me tomorrow?"

Zack, his son, and his wife made themselves available to meet Jennifer, and they spoke extensively about the late Kyle. Jennifer learned that Zack did not reach out for years because he was afraid of how his brother would have reacted.

He was even more worried about what his brother's family might think of him, which is what made him send his son to deliver the letter rather than him doing it in person.

They all became friends after that, and they helped each other get over the loss of a loved one.

What did we learn from this story?

• Stop overthinking things. Zack could have revealed himself to his brother and his family for years, but because he was afraid of how that would look, he kept pushing it forward. He did this until he lost his brother in an accident, ending any chance of having a reconciliation.
• Don't let a simple argument turn you against your sibling. Zack and Kyle were estranged from one another because of their stubbornness. They both got into a fight, and rather than apologize and move on; they let the fight turn into something else. Something that kept them apart for years and eventually permanently. The best thing Zack could do after his brother's death was make things right with his wife, which he successfully did.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who learned his youngest son was not his but said nothing about it to his wife.

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