The Raincoat

by M Romigh

Almost thirty years ago, while we were making love, my partner found a lump in my breast. I didn't have insurance, so I ignored the lump and hoped it would go away. But it grew, and it became painful. Finally, I scraped together enough money and scheduled an appointment with a doctor who immediately took a biopsy. Waiting for days to find out about the results of the biopsy, I lived in a state of constant anxiety, convinced I had cancer and was going to die. Over the weekend, a friend drove me out to the beach for the day, trying to get my mind off the lump that was consuming all my thoughts. Coming back from the beach, as my friend drove, I stared out the window, wondering how many days of my life were left. We were on a curvy deserted South Carolina island road when I spotted a large, bright turquoise bag on the side of the road. As we drove past it, I had the strongest feeling that the bag was meant for me. I told my friend what I saw and she turned the car around and pulled over next to the bag, and I got out of the car to retrieve it. Inside the bag was a brand new MIsty Harbor raincoat with the tags still hanging from the sleeve. The coat was a 10 petite and fit me like it was made for me. Sewn into the collar of the coat was my message from the universe: "Wear in good health." When I saw the tag, I burst into tears. I knew I was going to be alright. I knew I was not going to die. When the doctor called to tell me the growth was benign, I told him I already knew that. The following Monday, I put an ad in the local paper trying to find the owner of the coat. The ad ran for three days, but no one ever called to claim the coat. I accepted the gift and wore the coat for many years, always feeling touched by something powerful every time I slid my arms into the sleeves.