being watched.”
“Okay, why?”
“Tell me you didn’t feel just a
little better when you knew Will was around? When you felt there was always a
pair of eyes on you?”
“Yeah, that was nice,” I admit.
“And when the time comes, I’ll need
you to stay close and protect him. You know how it is at the end. Things might
get a little hairy.” Deedy is suddenly serious.
“Is he going to have to go to the
Day Care Center?” Even I can hear the fear in my voice. Those memories are
still a little too fresh for me.
“His experience will be different,
but you will still know,” he answers.
“Right,” I say breezily, standing.
“Easy Peasy Mac and Cheesy! Where do I start?”
Deedy gives me one of his signature
smiles. “And you accuse me of talking rubbish. Downstairs with you, Ms.
Elevator Repair Person. He should be arriving for the first time in about a
half an hour.” Deedy stands and approaches me. “And now, my darling girl, this
is goodbye until the end of the assignment.”
“Why?” I ask with panic. “I thought
I was able to return to Heaven every night!”
“Relax, you will. But you won’t be
able to see or talk to me. And I’m sorry, Lou, but I have to do this.” He puts
his hand over my eyes and through the blackness I hear him say “hwyl fawr.”
“I know that one! That means
goodbye,” I say as the sensation of his hands on my face disappears. When I
open my eyes the room is empty. Not just without Deedy, but nothing is there.
No desk, no chairs, no files. “Deedy?" I call into the nothingness around
me. There is no answer. I feel a chill run down my spine.
I spin and rush out of the office,
hurling myself down the hall toward Gabby. When I see her I feel a surge of
relief. “Gabby!” I exclaim and realize after I speak that I am screaming.
Gabby turns and floats toward me.
Floats.
Like when I first met her. She no
longer has wings.
I remember the first time I saw her
in Heaven, my surprise at her seemingly new accoutrement. “Gabby!” I had said.
“You grew wings!”
“I’ve always had wings, Louise. You
just couldn’t see them before now.” She had explained to me, all those years
ago.
Now she looks like she did then. I
start to hyperventilate. Gabby rushes over to me and puts her hands on my
shoulders. “Don’t panic, Lou. It is just protocol.”
“Am I back to being totally blind?”
I say, rushing over to the windows to peer out.
When I was in Hell, looking up was
like looking directly into the sun. Today my eyes are painfully reminded of
those days. There is no more beauty in my world, just blinding light and
nothing else.
“Gabby, I don’t like this!” I turn,
now sightless for a minute while my eyes adjust.
“It’s okay, Louise. It is just
camouflage. Joe has to be able to see and interact with you, and you have to
fit in as much as possible. Try not to worry.”
Try not to worry? Riddle me this,
angel girl.
“Can Heaven really be Heaven if you
can’t see God?”
CHAPTER SIX
Joe pulls on his clothes by rote,
barely paying attention to the almost comedic ridiculousness of the outfit.
After all these years, nothing can surprise him anymore. If he is being honest
with himself, he really doesn’t care either.
He hasn’t really cared about a
whole lot for the last, who knows how long. A dozen years? A hundred years?
Fifteen minutes? Time means nothing in eternity. And down here, what would be
the point in trying to track it anyway? There are no holidays, technically you
no longer have a birthday after you are dead, and the only thing that separates
day from night is the tossing and turning of a few sleepless hours compared to
abject misery and a thankless job in the wakeful ones.
Thinking about work makes Joe’s
head hurt. His brain is still reeling over recent events. He cannot believe
that after all this time, however much time that may be, he summarily lost the
only job he’s known not only in death but in life. Joe
“Okay, why?”
“Tell me you didn’t feel just a
little better when you knew Will was around? When you felt there was always a
pair of eyes on you?”
“Yeah, that was nice,” I admit.
“And when the time comes, I’ll need
you to stay close and protect him. You know how it is at the end. Things might
get a little hairy.” Deedy is suddenly serious.
“Is he going to have to go to the
Day Care Center?” Even I can hear the fear in my voice. Those memories are
still a little too fresh for me.
“His experience will be different,
but you will still know,” he answers.
“Right,” I say breezily, standing.
“Easy Peasy Mac and Cheesy! Where do I start?”
Deedy gives me one of his signature
smiles. “And you accuse me of talking rubbish. Downstairs with you, Ms.
Elevator Repair Person. He should be arriving for the first time in about a
half an hour.” Deedy stands and approaches me. “And now, my darling girl, this
is goodbye until the end of the assignment.”
“Why?” I ask with panic. “I thought
I was able to return to Heaven every night!”
“Relax, you will. But you won’t be
able to see or talk to me. And I’m sorry, Lou, but I have to do this.” He puts
his hand over my eyes and through the blackness I hear him say “hwyl fawr.”
“I know that one! That means
goodbye,” I say as the sensation of his hands on my face disappears. When I
open my eyes the room is empty. Not just without Deedy, but nothing is there.
No desk, no chairs, no files. “Deedy?" I call into the nothingness around
me. There is no answer. I feel a chill run down my spine.
I spin and rush out of the office,
hurling myself down the hall toward Gabby. When I see her I feel a surge of
relief. “Gabby!” I exclaim and realize after I speak that I am screaming.
Gabby turns and floats toward me.
Floats.
Like when I first met her. She no
longer has wings.
I remember the first time I saw her
in Heaven, my surprise at her seemingly new accoutrement. “Gabby!” I had said.
“You grew wings!”
“I’ve always had wings, Louise. You
just couldn’t see them before now.” She had explained to me, all those years
ago.
Now she looks like she did then. I
start to hyperventilate. Gabby rushes over to me and puts her hands on my
shoulders. “Don’t panic, Lou. It is just protocol.”
“Am I back to being totally blind?”
I say, rushing over to the windows to peer out.
When I was in Hell, looking up was
like looking directly into the sun. Today my eyes are painfully reminded of
those days. There is no more beauty in my world, just blinding light and
nothing else.
“Gabby, I don’t like this!” I turn,
now sightless for a minute while my eyes adjust.
“It’s okay, Louise. It is just
camouflage. Joe has to be able to see and interact with you, and you have to
fit in as much as possible. Try not to worry.”
Try not to worry? Riddle me this,
angel girl.
“Can Heaven really be Heaven if you
can’t see God?”
CHAPTER SIX
Joe pulls on his clothes by rote,
barely paying attention to the almost comedic ridiculousness of the outfit.
After all these years, nothing can surprise him anymore. If he is being honest
with himself, he really doesn’t care either.
He hasn’t really cared about a
whole lot for the last, who knows how long. A dozen years? A hundred years?
Fifteen minutes? Time means nothing in eternity. And down here, what would be
the point in trying to track it anyway? There are no holidays, technically you
no longer have a birthday after you are dead, and the only thing that separates
day from night is the tossing and turning of a few sleepless hours compared to
abject misery and a thankless job in the wakeful ones.
Thinking about work makes Joe’s
head hurt. His brain is still reeling over recent events. He cannot believe
that after all this time, however much time that may be, he summarily lost the
only job he’s known not only in death but in life. Joe
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