Glimpse (17 page)

She tried to touch his hand, but hers passed through his and rested on her own knee.  She left it there anyway.  “You’ve been with me this whole time?  Through everything?”

He nodded.  He put his hand to her stomach and gazed into her eyes. “Everything.”

Avery looked away, his dad’s comment registering. He dropped Mrs. Wells hand. “I’ll leave you guys alone for awhile.” He got up and went into the hall, closing the door behind him. He leaned against it, listening in on their one-sided conversation.

“Yours, Mike,” she said. “Of course I’m going to keep it!” She paused. “I know. Paul and Becky will be devastated, not to mention the kids.” There was silence and then laughing. “You should’ve died a long time ago. It’s the best thing that ever happened to us.”

Avery slumped to the floor and crawled across the hall into the bathroom. He made it to the toilet and threw up. The best thing that had ever happened to Mrs. Wells and his dad was ruining his life. Didn’t they see that?  How could they be so selfish?  How could his dad continue to torment his mom from beyond the grave? Another wave of nausea hit, he heaved again.

In the guest bedroom, Mrs. Wells giggled, oblivious, and said, “This is some crazy stuff, huh?”

Grabbing a wad of toilet paper, Avery wiped his mouth. He’d bought into Mrs. Wells theories and rules because Zellie had frightened him, because she had kept information from him.  He could see now why she’d done that.  Zellie was protecting him, keeping it together for the both of them.  She was making sure they didn’t become the next Mike and Gracie. And he’d treated Zellie like crap.  Well, at least she’d thrown rocks at him. He would always have that precious memory.

Steadying himself against the wall, Avery stood and stumbled back across the hall.  When he opened the door, Mrs. Wells had a goofy grin on her face.

He went to them, taking her hand and addressing them both. “I’m going over to Jason’s for a few hours. Tomorrow I’m calling Zellie and begging her to come home. That is if she’ll talk to me after what I’ve, we’ve, put her through.”

“Son, it’s still not a good idea—” his dad reached out to him.

Avery stepped back from him as his hand flowed through his shoulder. “No. You two don’t get to tell me what to do anymore. I’m happy you get to be together, but maybe you should have taken that chance all those years ago, y’know?”

His dad and Mrs. Wells looked at him, confused. They were in their own world. “Because you’re about to screw up all of our lives? Again? Forget it.”

His dad reached out to him again. Avery stayed put this time. “No. You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, either of you. Zellie and I?  We’re going to do what we want. We’re going to be together now, if she’ll have me.” Avery turned and left the room calling over his shoulder, “Mom and Pastor Paul better know about this baby by the time I get back. Everything out in the open.  That’s the only way I see this working.”  

Free from his guilt and his dinner, Avery jumped into the pickup and headed to Jason’s.

I turned off the television and lay back in bed.  It was eleven.  Grandma was asleep in a chair with her feet propped up on the end of the fold-out couch. So much for guidance. Melody lay still beside me, probably worn out from her day of sleuthing. Claire slept face down with a pillow over her head. Aunt Hazel had gone into her bedroom hours ago. 

For all intents and purposes I was alone.  Just me and my half-assed psychic powers. All I had to do was give myself over to it.  Apparently, my body knew how to use all of my abilities if I could just manage to get out of my own way.

I pictured my parents sleeping, dreaming away in their cozy little bedroom in Rosedell, a light summer quilt covering them. Dad was most likely snoring, his arms flung up above him.  I imagined Mom, curled up on her side, her hair fanned out on the pillow. Content? I hoped they were.  I closed my eyes. Put myself in their room, next to them, watching. The image crumbled and fell away.

Standing behind the pulpit, Dad spoke to the congregation.  I looked out at them.  Mom and Mr. Adams sat together in one pew.  Melody and dream me, Claire, Avery, and Mrs. Adams sat in another. Dad held the Bible up over his head, the light through the stained glass windows illuminating the gold cross on its cover.  We all snickered at him, holding our hands up to our mouths.  Mom stood up and pointed at him, laughing the loudest. Dad threw the Bible.  It hovered in the space above them and then burst into flames.

I opened my eyes.  This was not helpful.  Why wasn’t Mom asleep? Was she conscious of Dad’s nightmare?  On the verge of coaxing him awake, soothing him?

Closing my eyes again, I turned onto my side. Of course I wasn’t sleepy now. Should I try Avery?  Risk knowing what was going on in his subconscious? With him, it somehow felt like a violation of his privacy but…so tempting.  I better not.  He’d be in my dreams soon enough when his vision made its nightly appearance.

I searched for the remote amongst the covers and turned the television back on, quickly turning the volume down. I ran through the channels until I found an infomercial.  Those were good to fall asleep by.

“Hello, Avery.” A female voice he didn’t recognize said into the phone.

“Claire?” He looked at the clock on his bedside table. 7:12, why the hell did she keep calling so early? “Are you under a bed again?  You sound different.”

“No.  This is Zellie’s grandma,” the voice whispered. “Listen closely. You cannot continue to be in touch with Claire or try to contact Zellie in any way. They will be back in Rosedell soon enough—”

“Zellie’s grandma that’s dead?  As in Mrs. Wells’ mom?”

“Yes, Avery, now pay attention.  It is important that you don’t call anymore.”

Well, in that case, he’d just hop in the truck and drive up—

She sighed, annoyed. “Or come to Portland. This is altering your and Zellie’s future in an unfavorable way. Her vision about you is changing. I’ve seen it.”

Avery huffed. “Great.  I’m supposed to believe you now?  What is it with all of you grown-ups?”

Zellie’s grandma huffed back. “There is nothing “with me” young man. If you want to survive another year on this earth you’ll listen to me. No more calls. Got it? And not a word to Grace about me. We’ll be in Rosedell on Monday.” She hung up.

Screw that, Avery was sick of listening to adults, they didn’t know what was going on any more than he did. He got out of bed and pulled his pajama pants on.  Everything out in the open, no secrets.  He crossed the hall to the guest bedroom and brought his hand up to knock on the door, when he heard Mrs. Wells talking to herself again.

I opened my eyes and looked toward the chair grandma had been sleeping in.  I heard her talking in the other room but couldn’t make out what she was saying.  What the hell time was it anyway?  I pawed at the end table next to the couch where Claire usually kept her phone, but it wasn’t there.  Must have fallen on the floor.  Well, whatever time it was, I was awake, might as well try the dream thing with Mom—

My eyes snapped shut.  Guess it was glimpse time again.

Mom rolled over in a strange bed and said, “I don’t know how long it’s going to take before I believe that you’re actually here.”

A transparent Mr. Adams grinned. He lay beside her. “We have forever, Gracie.”

She snuggled into the pillow and glanced through him at the bedside table.  There was a folded up piece of paper on it. “Can I try something?”

“
Sure,” he said. 

She reached out, leaning into him.  She inhaled sharply. “It feels like being in the static on the TV.” She stayed there for a moment. “It’s amazing.”  Electricity coursed through her veins.

He curved away from her. “We don’t know what that’ll do to you.”

She pouted.  “Fine, but it’s not like I can say ‘hand me that piece of paper.’ I just wanted to try.” She reached over him and retrieved it.

They lay on their backs, my mom reading aloud. 

“
One. Mrs. Wells can talk to Dad if she just concentrates.” She motioned like she had a pen. “Check.  Two. Her and Zellie can see other people’s dreams.” She turned her head to Mr. Adams, “I stumbled on that one on my own.” She read the next item. “Three. They can see glimpses of the future.  The big picture.  If they focus on a specific event.”

She flopped onto her side, facing Mr. Adams. “Jesus, just think of what I could’ve seen if I’d known that.” She looked toward the ceiling. “Thanks, Mom!”

Both of their eyes opened wide.  He grabbed her hand as best he could.

“
Do you think?” Mom said, “Oh my God, what if they’re both here?  What if my parents have been with me all along?” Her eyes filled with tears.  She rolled onto her back and shut her eyes.  Tears spilled onto the bedspread. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

“
I’m staying put.” He tried to squeeze her hand.

After a minute Mr. Adams cleared his throat. “Open your eyes, Gracie.  Your dad’s here.”

“
Daddy?” Another transparent man, tall, with dark brown hair, about the same age as my dad, stood next to Mom’s bedside.

“
Hey Red, it’s been awhile.”

Mom sat up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Is Mom with you?” She looked around the room.

Her dad reached out to her, cupped her face in his hands. “Oh, sweetie, your mom’s not dead.  She’s in Portland.”

She jumped up from the bed, rushing through her dad. “What? What are you talking about? Maybe you’re confused.”

“
No, honey, I’ve been with her since I died.  She can’t see me like you can, but she knows I’m there. Now we can all be together again. I’ve been waiting so long.”

Mom slid down the wall and slumped to the floor.  She looked up at her dad. “She’s in Portland?  Where? With Aunt Hazel?”

“
Yes, she’s with Hazel and—”

“
That’s how Claire knew about all of this?  Mom is with the girls?”  She crawled to the dresser and picked up the phone.

I could hear the dial tone, like I was the one on the phone.  This would be so cool if I could do it on purpose, instead of being forced to see things I didn’t want to. Mom dialed.

“
Hello?”  Aunt Hazel answered.

“
Hey, it’s Grace.  How are you?  I’m doing great.  Just sitting here with Dad and Mike Adams, havin’ a chat. Can I talk to my mom?  I hear she’s not dead.”

“
Oh, dear.” Aunt Hazel set the phone down with a thud.

Someone picked up the phone.  Me and Mom could hear them breathing into it. “Mom? If it’s you, if you’re there, just…what the hell, Mom?”

“
Grace, I can’t begin to explain…” Grandma said, “Why can no one…Avery wasn’t supposed to say anything until I could see you face to face.”

“
Avery didn’t tell me, Dad did.”

“
Your father’s there with you?  Ugh!  He wasn’t supposed to say anything either. The last time I saw him—”

“
So, you guys see each other from time to time?” She shot a look at her dad. He bowed his head.

“
Yes, a few of the other seers I know can do what you can, so we talk when we get the chance.”

Mom’s face flushed. “Were you ever going to tell me, come see me?”

Grandma sighed.  “Monday, honey.  We’re all coming back to Rosedell on Monday.  We’ll sort it out. Zellie has a rewind to do tomorrow, and then we’ll tie up some loose ends and be on our way. Can you please wait until then?”

Mom hung up the phone. She shut her eyes tight. When she opened them again, transparent Grandpa was gone.

Mr. Adams went to her, his arms outstretched. “It’s going to be okay.  There were bound to be difficult moments and you’ve had most of them within the last twenty-four hours.  Come here.” He put his arms around her, pushing his chest into her face. “Get a little static.”

“
My mom is going to be here on Monday.”

“
We’ll deal with it then.” He backed away from her.  She shivered. “Hey, you want to go to the cabin for the weekend?”

“
What about Avery?” Mom said.

“
He’ll be fine for a few days. Probably enjoy the alone time.  C’mon, Zellie’s not in town.  We’ll leave him a note.” He winked at her.

She winked back.

My eyes jolted open and I fought the urge to barf, then the phone rang.  I heard Aunt Hazel answer it in her bedroom and say, “Oh, dear.”

Melody put the phone on speaker so that we could both talk to Dad.  The answering machine picked up.  “You’ve reached the Wells family!” he said in a sing song voice.  Then we all said our names individually. “Paul. Grace. Zellie. And Melody! Leave a massage at the beep!”  Melody cringed at the massage part. I giggled remembering she’d thought that was really funny at the time. Beeeeeeeep.  “Uh, hey Dad,” Melody said, “Please call us at Aunt Hazel’s as soon as you get this.  We really need to talk to you.  Love you, Daddy.”

“Love you, Dad,” I chimed in before I realized that he probably didn’t want to hear from me.

Mel hung up the phone and flopped down on the couch next to Claire.  I sat on the other side.  We listened as Aunt Hazel and Grandma argued in hushed tones in the bedroom.

Claire scooted down into the couch until her butt was almost off the edge.  She put a throw pillow over her face. “Smother me, Zel. Your grandma is going to put some sort of voodoo curse on me. Please have mercy on my soul.”

I took the pillow and tossed it on the floor. “She’s not going to curse you. I don’t even think that’s one of our abilities.  She’s just mad, but whatever, it’s not like she hasn’t majorly screwed things up.  My mom would have freaked out anyway.”