That sounds like "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. --Ben ---------------------------------------------- Ben Treat Director, Bangor Public Library 145 Harlow St, Bangor, ME 04401 Direct to me: 207-922-6064 Library's main line: 207-947-8336 [log in to unmask] On Tue, Oct 19, 2021 at 8:24 AM Weddle, Jacqueline < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > Looking for the title and author of the following short story: > The story goes as follows: > A woman is visited by her adult children with bad news: the > evening commuter train dad takes each day on his way home from work has > crashed, there are no survivors. The kids are concerned for mom, she is > after all "elderly with a weak heart." Mom excuses herself from the > communal living space to "lie down to rest." As we follow mom into her > bedroom we realize by her internal monologue just how freeing this is. > Finally, after all these decades a chance for a life of her own. There's a > commotion in the living room, she comes out to find her husband is alive > and well, he just got home. He'd been running late and took a different > train, he's fine. Mom drops dead. Reader left to wonder: did she die from > her weak heart and the roller coaster of stress, or because her husband is > alive and she's not free? > > I want to say it's from the late 40's - the late 50's? > > I read it in school (college English 101?) in probably one of those Norton > Anthologies. > Any idea greatly appreciated. > Thanks, > Jackie @ the Maine State Prison >