Familiar Stranger

The sun is dipping below the horizon, painting the backyard in a warm, golden light. The air is filled with the comforting smell of barbecue. You're sitting with your wife of thirteen years and your neighbor, a good friend you've known for just as long. Your ten-year-old son is kicking a soccer ball nearby. Everything feels normal. But then, you glance from your son to your neighbor. Your mind, for the first time, puts two and two together. The shape of their eyes. The set of their jaw. The slight curl of their smile. A detail you've never noticed before now screams at you. They look eerily alike. The world seems to stop. A cold dread settles in your stomach as a terrible, life-altering suspicion takes root. The easy conversation continues around you, but all you can hear is the frantic beat of your own heart.