While Dressing My Late Husband for His Funeral, I Found Coordinates Hidden under His Hairline

Just over my late husband’s right ear, I noticed something that shouldn’t have been there.

I withdrew.I said to him, “You never had tattoos. “I would have been aware.

You don’t overlook a tattoo on a man you’ve slept with for forty-two years. However, Thomas’s hair had never been this short before. Did he intentionally wear it longer to cover it up?

Thomas would do that, but why? What could be so significant that it required a permanent mark on his skin?

I’m not sure how long I stared at my husband’s corpse, wondering what secret he had been hiding from me. Before I knew it, the funeral director’s muffled voice could be heard from beyond the door.

You don’t overlook a tattoo on a man you’ve slept with for forty-two years.

I looked from Thomas to the door and back again. My time was running out, and if I didn’t write those numbers down right away, they would be lost forever with him.

I pulled out my phone, combed his hair again, and snapped a picture of the tattoo.

The doorknob clicked after a gentle knock on the door.

I put my phone away and straightened Thomas’s hair.”Ma’am, are you ready?” The director of the funeral asked.”Yes,” I said, looking down at Thomas.

These numbers would vanish into the earth with him if I didn’t write them down right away.

Throughout the entire funeral service, I sat at the front with my sons and their families. I don’t recall sobbing or what was said. That tattoo was all I could think about.Are you alright, mom? When it was finished, Daniel muttered.

I raised my gaze to him. I briefly considered telling him what I had witnessed.

Sally, his wife, then approached me.She’s obviously not alright, Dan,” Sally remarked. “Come, Margaret, let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”