Anybody Out There - Marian Keyes (50 page)

"I'll always love you, too, baby."
"I know. But it's okay to love other people, too. And when you do I'll be happy for you."
"You won't be jealous?"
"No. And you won't have lost me. I'll still be with you. But not in a creepy way."
"Will you visit me again?"
"Not like this. But look for the signs."
"What signs?"
"You'll see them if you look for them."
"I can't imagine loving anyone except you."
"But you will."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm privy to that sort of info now."
"Oh. So do you know who it is?"
He hesitated. "I shouldn't really..."
"Oh, go on," I cajoled. "What's the point of you visiting from the dead if you don't give me
some juice?"
"I can't give you his exact identity--"
"Meaner."
"But I can tell you, you know him already."
He kissed me on the lips, placed his hand on my head, like a benediction, and left. Then I woke
up, and moving from sleeping to waking seemed like nothing at all. Deep, joy-filled calm sat
inside me and around me and I could still feel the weight and warmth of his hand on my head.
He'd really been here. I was certain of it.
I sat without moving, my blood flowing as slow as molasses, and felt the miracle of my breath,
moving in and out, in and out, in the circle of life.

And then I saw it: a butterfly.
Just like in all the bereavement books I'd read.
Look for the signs, Aidan had said.
This one was beautiful; blue and yellow and white, decked out in lacy patterns, and I took it all
back about butterflies only being moths in expensive embroidered jackets.
It flitted around the room, landing on our wedding photo (I'd restored all pictures of Aidan to
their rightful places), my framed X-rays, the Red Sox banner, everything that had meaning for
Aidan and me. Cocooned on the couch, mesmerized as a stoned person, I watched the show.
It touched down on the remote control and fluttered its wings very fast so that it looked like it
was guffawing. Then, with a touch I could barely feel, it landed on my face; on my eyebrows;
my cheeks; beside my mouth. It was kissing me.
Eventually it moved to the window and sat on the glass, waiting. Time to go. For now.
I opened the window and the noise rushed in; there was a great, big world out there. For five or
six seconds, the butterfly hovered on the sill and then off it flew, small and brave and living its
life.
Acknowledgments
This book wouldn't have been written without the help of countless generous, helpful people.
Sincere thanks to...
My extraordinary editor, Alison Callahan, and the fantastic team at William Morrow for their
unconditional support, vision, and enthusiasm.
Emma Parry, my wonderful agent.
Caitriona Keyes and Anne Marie Scanlon for vital support, New York information, and, most of
all, the Feathery StrokerTM rant.
Nicki Finkel, Kirsty Lewis, Nicole McElroy, Jamie Nedwick, Kim Pappas, Aimee Tusa, and
especially Shoshana Gillis for letting me in on the wonderful world of cosmetics PR.
Gwen Hollingsworth, Danielle Koza, and Mags Ledwith.
Patrick Kilkelly and Alison Callahan for the Red Sox info.
Conor Ferguson and Keelin Shanley for their scuba-diving story and Malcolm Douglas and Kate
Thompson for technical scuba information. Any mistakes are mine.

Nadine Morrison for information on labradoodles. (Yes, they're real.)
Jenny Boland, Ailish Connelly, Susan Dillon, Caron Freeborn, Gai Griffin, Ljiljana Keyes,
Mammy Keyes, Rita-Anne Keyes, Suzanne Power, and Louise Voss for reading the manuscript
at various stages and providing invaluable feedback and encouragement.
Eibh�n Butler, Siobh�n Coogan, Stephanie Ponder, Suzanne Benson and Patricia Keating for
handy anecdotes on everything from blind dates to labor pains.
Kate Osborne, who paid for "Jacqui Staniforth" to be a character in this book, at a fund-raising
auction for the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.
Special thanks to Eileen Prendergast for many, many things, including accompanying me to the
air-guitar championships.
If I've forgotten anyone, I'm (a) mortified and (b) truly sorry.
As always, thanks to my beloved Tony for everything. Above and beyond.
About the Author
MARIAN KEYES began writing in 1993 and is the author of seven previous novels: Watermelon,
Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, Rachel's Holiday, Last Chance Saloon, Angels, Sushi for
Beginners, and The Other Side of the Story. She is also the author of two books of nonfiction:
Under the Duvet and Cracks in My Foundation, She lives in Ireland with her husband and their
two imaginary dogs.
www.MarianKeyesBooks.com
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
ALSO BY
Marian Keyes
The Other Side of the Story
Sushi for Beginners
Angels
Last Chance Saloon

Rachel's Holiday
Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married
Watermelon
Cracks in My Foundation (stories and essays)
Under the Duvet (essays)
Credits
Jacket design by Honi Werner
Jacket photograph of woman by Johner/Getty Images
Copyright
Grateful acknowledgment is made to reprint the lyrics from "Goldfinger," music by John Barry,
lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, � 1964 United Artists Music Ltd., � renewed
EMI UNART Catalog Inc. All rights controlled by EMI UNART Catalog Inc. (publishing) and
Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. (print). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the
author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ANYBODY OUT THERE? Copyright        � 2006 by Marian Keyes. All rights reserved under
International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you
have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-
book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled,
reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system,
in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter
invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Mobipocket Reader April 2006 ISBN 0-06-117474-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Keyes, Marian.
Anybody out there? / by Marian Keyes.--1st ed.
p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-06-073130-4 (acid-free paper)
ISBN-10: 0-06-073130-3 (acid-free paper)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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