The Missing Tombstone

Synopsis

On Remembrance Day, I arrived at Section C, Row Three, Plot Seven, the place where my father's tombstone had stood for years, only to find it gone. I could have found it with my eyes closed, yet when I stopped in front of the plot, I found a polished pink headstone standing where my father's grave should have been. Engraved across it in gold were the words: [Starry, Mommy's Forever Little Princess 2013–2025] A ceramic photo frame shaped like a cat's paw rested beside the stone, displaying a picture of an orange-and-white Persian cat. The white chrysanthemums slipped from my fingers and landed at my feet. I squatted down and noticed a smaller inscription carved into the base of the headstone. It read: [With love, Mom — Kaelyn Harvey.] I didn't cry. I didn't make a scene. I simply stood there and read every word on that pink headstone three times before pulling out my phone and calling the cemetery management office. My voice was perfectly steady. After all, every burial plot in Section C, every plot number, and every maintenance contract in this cemetery had been designed, recorded, and approved by me personally.