Chapter 2

“Brad...,”

“Brad...,”

“Oh, Brad!” An angelic voice sang.

“Uhh?” He grunted.

He lifted his head, wrinkling his brow and squinting from the brilliant light shining in his eyes. He put his right hand up to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the strong light. A shadowy, bright figure came into focus.

“Aunt Laura ... Mom? Is that you, Mom?” Brad asked, feeling as if he were still half asleep.

“Oh, so now that I’m dead, he finally decides to call me Mom!” Laura kidded sarcastically, gesturing with her arms.

“Yes, honey, it’s me,” Laura said softly.

“But ... but, how can that be? Am I dead?”

“No, you’re not sweetie.”

“But how am I dreaming?”

“My, my, you have so many questions. The mind’s a very powerful instrument when it wants to be. You can call it a very vivid dream, an out-of-body experience, or a visitor’s pass to heaven.”

Laura was bathed in a shimmering white mini skirt and very low-cut top; her golden hair, done up high, glistened brightly.

“Are you an angel?”

“I sure hope so; I am one,” she smiled.

“I didn’t know angels could look so beautiful and sexy.” His skin tingled from head to toe from the unbelievable encounter.

“Oh, you’ve got your dad’s way about you, that’s for sure. You look very handsome in your suit and tie, and I love your beard; it gives you a sexier look,” she said, stroking the softness of his silvery-coated face.

“Thanks, Mom, but my beard itches like hell.”

“You had better not say that word around here,” Laura cautioned. “Come here and give me a kiss and a hug,” she said, holding out her arms to him.

Brad felt Laura’s breasts press against his chest. The smell of her perfume still lingered on her skin.

“You know, you could have called me Mom when I was alive.”

“I guess I thought of you as my second mom but never said it very often.”

“Better late than never, I’ll say. There are a few things I want you to tell your dad. I’m so very proud of Karen and how she’s again become such a vital member of the family. I love how she and Dan dealt with that woman, Trisha, when she tried to break them up.”

“I 100 percent support Wendy’s involvement in their relationship and want to have three babies with Dan. When Wendy visited my grave on November 22nd, I touched her shoulder as her hand touched my headstone and helped her go into labour. What a tribute to me to have Dan, Karen, and Wendy’s babies born on the anniversary of my death. I also support Dan and Tina having several babies, as well as Lisa. I’m not so sure about Dan and Cathy creating Jessica, though she is a darling, and wanting another one or two with him.”

“Oh, and you can tell Dan, Karen, and Vicky that yes, it was me who put the idea in Vicky’s head for her to stop and help Dan the night they met. Vicky was supposed to have a flat tire, but I had no control over the car accident, so I had to act fast.”

“And to settle another question I’ll answer, yes, it was me and Abby’s mom, Maryanne, who stopped Karen from driving her car off the cliff and killing herself. She was in such a mess. Maryanne wasn’t going to let Abby live without her future mother-in-law.”

“You know about Abby and I getting married someday?”

“Of course we do, and remember to save us a seat at your wedding,” she smiled.

“I will. You’ll be there?”

“Of course we will. You may not be able to see us, but we’ll be there in spirit, literally,” she chuckled.

“Good pun, Mom!” He agreed.

“We were at your dad and Karen’s wedding and also Scott and Vicky’s. Plus, we silently gave our approval to Dan, Wendy, and Tina. I think that Lisa will win out over Susan and Sandra, who seem to get along quite well. And those two girls of Lisa’s that Dan is fucking, they remind me of your sisters.”

“We do remember smelling your perfume, and Abby said she could smell her mom’s perfume at Mom and Dad’s wedding.”

“Also concerning Karen, I wasn’t going to let Dan become a widow again. One wife dying was bad enough. He and Wendy make a nice married couple without Karen dying.”

“Thank you, Mom, for saving my mom’s life. It seems weird saying it like that.”

“We managed to stop her from driving her car over the cliff, but it was your dad who saved her from dying at the hands of that Thor fella or jumping off the Quinte bridge.”

Brad sat up, looking at his new surroundings. He was shaded on a hilltop by a gigantic tree whose silver bark and leaves he’d never seen before.

“The story has it that the seeds of this tree came from the tears of Jesus. It’s called the Susej (sue-say) tree, which Jesus spelled backwards,” Laura explained.

The land gently sloped away at his feet, and off in the distance, a mountain range was dressed in a snow cap. He had never experienced colours so brilliantly clear before. The temperature felt like a perfectly dry twenty-nine Celsius, eighty-four degrees. A gentle breeze waved over the sea of brilliant green clover and grassy fields. All around, he noticed thousands of tiny white, cotton-like puffs materialize into various life forms of humans and animals, move along, then disappear again.

“Every living thing that has ever existed on earth, had a soul, and died lives on here. Though some who have committed monstrous deeds are not welcomed, The T-Rex is a little menacing-looking, but they’re harmless now,” Laura’s soothing voice explained.

“This place must be huge!”

“It is bigger than the skies around the earth.”

“Why am I here?” He asked, looking up at the deepest, bluest sky he’d ever witnessed.

“You love Abby, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then I needn’t say more. Brad, honey, Abby is in a very bad way. She’s on the threshold of death’s door.”

“How can I help her? I’d gladly give my life so that she could live,” he quickly offered.

“That is very generous of you; you truly love Abby. Giving your life in her place won’t be necessary.”

Brad was startled by the sudden appearance of a bounding, playful dog. “Max? Oh my God, it’s Max! Hi Max, hi my buddy!” Brad exclaimed playfully, rubbing his silvery, jet-black coat.

He barked several times, furiously wagging his long tail. Max whined and whimpered, circling Brad, his long-time buddy. He picked up the stick Max had dropped and threw it as far as he could.

“The countless hours you two spent together...” Laura fondly remembered. Max fetched the stick and returned it for another throw. “I have someone I’d love for you to meet.”

A miniature white puffball appeared, then magically transformed into a beautiful, slim brunette. She was also wearing a shimmering white short mini skirt and top with very revealing cleavage. “This is Abby’s mother, Maryanne,” she said, gesturing with her right hand.

“You’re Abby’s mom?” His skin tingled again. “Wow! What an honour it is to meet you, Mrs. Kendall! Abby looks just like you!” Brad couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Hi Brad, thank you for the compliment. It’s nice to finally meet you in person. So this is the young man who has stolen my Abby’s heart,” she remarked, approaching him.

“I’d say it’s more like she has stolen mine,” he said proudly.

Brad politely stood up, his height towering over Maryanne’s petite frame. She put her hands on Brad’s shoulders, feeling the strength of his muscles.

“My, my, you are so tall, good-looking, and sexy in your suit and beard. No wonder Abby is so deeply in love with you!” Maryanne complimented.

“Oh, to be human again...” She pondered. “Give me a hug,” she said, taking Brad in her arms.

“You smell just like Abby. Now I see where she gets her incredible beauty from.”

“Oh, you’re a lady killer, alright!” She teased. “This may be the only encounter we ever have face-to-face, and I want to tell you, Brad, how happy and proud I am of you for loving my Abby. I’ve seen many of the sexy things you do together, and it surely is different than what Scott and I did, but you make Abby very happy, and that’s what counts,” Maryanne stated, hugging him again.

Max came over, barking, and dropped his stick for another throw. Brad chased Max, who ran over to the base of the tree.

“Please stay with me a moment,” Laura said, going to him and softly touching Brad’s arm.

He tossed the stick for Max again, then noticed another small ball appear near Maryanne and gasped as it transformed into Abby. Her shape was slightly blurred, just like his.

“Ab...,” Laura cut Brad off.