Listing My Living Husband As Dead

Summary

My husband had just returned from a business trip to a high-risk tropical disease zone in South America and was required to undergo a mandatory seven-day isolation.

I spent the night packing his fresh clothes and drove them over to his designated quarantine hotel.

The receptionist checked the registration list three times, then looked up at me. "I'm sorry, ma'am. There's no Dave Foster on our list. He never checked in for quarantine."

I froze, my finger hovering over his contact name to call him—