Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
The cold. The cold went all the way to my bones and tore through my body like sharp, frozen daggers made of ice. Trying to catch my breath, I gasped for air. I knew it would end soon, but the need to get air into my lungs was real and my body was acting of its own accord.
The only sound that left my lips came from so far away I could barely hear it.
My head pounded violently, and every single cell in my body screamed for oxygen.
My mind went numb, and I couldn’t feel my limbs anymore.
I vaguely wondered if they had fallen off.
I wondered that each and every time I took a dive.
So far, I’d stayed intact. However, there was a first time for everything…
We landed with a loud and ungraceful thud.
That was a newish development that would take some getting used to.
Slowly, I got to my feet and helped a whole and very lovely Mr. Jackson to his.
He was in his late eighties. His twinkling eyes were bright blue and the smile on his face was contagious.
I realized in that moment that if he and Gram had gotten together in life, he would have been my grandpa.
I would have loved for this man to have been my grandpa.
Mr. Jackson’s kindness radiated off of him. Without a single word, he calmed my tangled and chaotic soul.
He wore the same clothing he’d been wearing only minutes ago on the earthly plane, but now the outfit was pressed and stylish—crisp white shirt, natty blue suit and a red paisley tie.
His black loafers were shiny and I spied bright red socks.
He was a handsome man. Mr. Jackson was no longer in a state of decay and possessed all of his limbs.
His head was shiny and bald. I was tempted to kiss it.
So, I did. His laugh of delight made me tingle all over and he pulled me into a warm embrace.
I wanted it to last forever. It couldn’t. Both of us knew that.
I stayed silent while my sweet friend took in the surroundings.
There were no floors or walls to speak of. The area was entirely a murky gray. We stood facing each other as if we were suspended in the air.
“Where are we, Daisy?” he asked, taking my hands in his. “Is this Purgatory?”
I smiled. That was a new question. I’d never been to Purgatory and wasn’t angling for an invite any time soon. “We’re in the Darkness,” I explained. “The only rule is that we can’t walk into the Light or the Dark. We stay here. I kind of think of it as a waiting room.”
He nodded and smiled. “Shall we chat a bit before we get to it?”
“I would love to chat.”
Getting to it was why we were here, and it was the last thing I wanted to do.
I was grateful for the reprieve. I would only be gone from the Earthly plane for five minutes, no matter how long it felt like Mr. Jackson and I were in the Darkness.
I could chat until the cows came home if that’s what he wanted, and I would do it happily.
He glanced around again. “Is there any procedure we need to follow? I don’t want to mess up.”
I shook my head. “Nope. No procedure. It’s whatever we want it to be. Sorry about the stark surroundings. It would be much nicer if we had a couch or something to sit down on, but it always looks like this.”
“No worries, child,” he said. “It’s been a while since I stood on both of my feet. Standing feels glorious.”
His words made me happy and sad. In death, he was missing a few appendages—his leg being one of them.
“How did you die, Mr. Jackson?” I asked, then quickly followed with, “You don’t have to answer if it’s too personal.”
“No worries,” he assured me. “And please call me Joe.”
“Your name is Joe Jackson? Like the singer? The one who sang, Is She Really Going Out With Him?”
He laughed. “Same name, though I’m hardly a singer. “
I smiled. He might not be the Joe Jackson of rock fame, but his voice was melodic and made me feel squishy happy.
“As to your question,” he continued. “I died of a heart attack after a long and wonderful life.”
“Did you have children?”
“Ahh, I did,” he said. “Three terrific boys who married three amazing wives and gave me seven brilliant and adorable grandchildren—four girls and three boys.” He got lost in his memories for a bit.
I stayed silent and hoped for more. He didn’t disappoint.
“I had a good life, Daisy—a happy life. Got married right out of law school to a wonderful gal named Clara. Good woman. Good mother. Good wife. Loved her with all my heart.”
“Is she still alive?” I asked, feeling wonky. Was he still on the Earthly plane because he had unfinished business with Clara? That felt like a huge conflict of interest for me. Gram was in love with Mr. Jackson, and for all intents and purposes, I was sure he loved her back.
Had I gotten it all wrong? The thought left a sour taste in my mouth. I didn’t show it. That would be insulting. Gram would whoop my ass. Of that, I was certain.
“No,” he said with a fond smile. “My Clara passed when she was only forty-five of cancer.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, feeling like a gaping ass for my previous thoughts.
“Me too,” he replied. “It was a heartbreaking situation. She was well aware that she was going to die. Before she left us, she did all sorts of lovely things for our boys. Wrote them meaningful letters to be handed out as they reached milestones in their lives—marriages, children and the such. We even made some videos to be shown on future birthdays and holidays when she felt well enough. She was such a lovely person that she made lists of presents that she wanted the boys to have for the foreseeable holidays and insisted I run out to the store and buy them. Immediately.” He chuckled at the memory.
“I did, and we wrapped them together. Over the years, it was such a wonderful gift for our boys, knowing their mom was still thinking about them, still with them, even though she wasn’t around. ”
“That’s beautiful,” I whispered, liking the woman I would never have the opportunity to meet.
“It was,” he said. Then paused for a long moment. “Before she died, she tried to make me promise to find someone else to love—someone to spend my life with. Someone to grow old with and do the things we would never get to experience together.”
“Did you?”
He shook his head. “No. I did not. I tried, but never found another who I could love as much as I loved Clara… until I met your grandmother. I never realized that a person could love two different people with the same intensity and care. It’s different, but no less glorious and wonderful.
That’s one of the things I needed you to know, Daisy.
Gram knows all about Clara and my boys. She’s so happy I had love during my living years.
I find it tragic that someone as stunning and amazing as your grandmother wasn’t able to experience true love during the time she was alive.
But I’m humbled and grateful that she and I get to experience it together now—in death.
There aren’t many who are as blessed as we are. ”
I was unable to speak. Tears clogged my throat. I nodded jerkily and swiped at the tears that had escaped.
“Funny, that,” he said, reaching out and gently drying my face with a white handkerchief. “Finding love in the next chapter. Clara is smiling down on me. I feel it in my heart. And I can only hope that she found a lovely soul to spend her years with in the afterlife.”
What the man described was so remarkable, I couldn’t find any words. Mr. Joe Jackson was a diamond—a pure, gorgeous, shimmering jewel.
“So,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him in a formal manner. “I wanted to talk to you… to ask a question… to get your permission.”
I knew exactly where this was going. The word yes was on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to scream it, but I let the man get through his inquiry before I lost it and sobbed happy tears.
“Gram and I have talked about it at length,” he explained.
“We’re both aware it might seem silly or unnecessary to some, but to us…
it’s important.” He paused and wrung his hands nervously.
“You are the most important person in her life. She raised you and loves you to the moon and back. Daisy, I would like your permission to marry Gram.”
I screamed. Loud. For a hot sec Mr. Jackson looked terrified. It was only when I repeated the word yes so many times that I couldn’t even count them did he relax and smile.
It took me a good ten minutes to compose myself. Thankfully, Mr. Jackson carried two handkerchiefs in his breast pocket. I made very good use of them.
Once the snot and tears were taken care of, I spoke. “I do have a question, though.”
“Please ask,” he replied.
“Do you call her Gram?”
He chuckled and I would swear he blushed. “In public yes and she calls me Mr. Jackson. But in private… no. We have pet names for each other.”
Did I dare? Hell to the yes, I dared. “Umm…you wanna share?”
His blush deepened. It was adorable. “I think that should be a conversation with the three of us. I refuse to go there without Gram by my side.”
Always the gentleman. I was a little bummed, but some things were absolutely none of my business.
I knew we were getting to the end of our visit. “Mr. Jackson,” I started.
“Call me Joe,” he reminded me. “Or, you can call me Gramps if you’d like.”
“I WOULD LOVE!” I shouted, scaring the old man yet again. This time it only took me three minutes to pull myself back together. “Soooo, Gramps, normally after a visit to the Darkness, the dead are ready to go into the Light.”
I left the words hanging there.
Gramps shook his head vehemently. “Oh no, not my intention. I’d like to experience married life with family around. Gram and I are staying!”
My relief was so profound that my knees gave out. Gramps, because he was a great guy, plopped down on the floor next to me.
“Before we go, I do have a few thoughts on another matter,” he told me.
“Shoot,” I replied. Getting advice from a grandpa—my grandpa—was a new and wonderful experience.
“As I said earlier, I was a lawyer during life. To be more specific, I was a trial lawyer. While I might not speak all that much on the Earthly plane, I listen. If you go the route of suing the present Higher Power, I’d highly suggest getting a diverse jury of peers and finding a judge with no skin in the game to preside. ”
“That’s going to be tough,” I muttered. “But talk to me more about the jury, please.”
“If you’re going to end the reign of someone who has ruled since the beginning of time, you need buy-in from as many people as you can find.
A jury consisting of Angels, Demons, regular Immortals, mortals and other species, if there are any, would be prudent.
Granted, I’m not sure after the stories Gram told about the Higher Power’s plane that a trial would work at all, but I wanted to share my thoughts. ”
I nodded thoughtfully. “A trial might work. Gathering the jury could take some doing,” I told him.
“Of course, that’s all contingent on us being able to catch the Higher Power and hold It long enough to seek justice.
” I tapped my chin as I mulled the idea around.
Wiping It out had been the goal, but maybe.
.. There was something about Joe, umm, Gramp’s suggestion that resonated with me.
“It’s food for thought. I’ll bring it up to the others when we get back.
” I smiled brightly and leaned in for a hug.
“But first, I want to celebrate Gram’s and your engagement.
I’m so happy for you, for Gram and for our family.
I’m going to throw you all a wedding second to none! ”
“Your Gram will love that,” he said, emotion welling in his eyes. “So would I.”
Gideon and I had gotten married recently.
It should have been a glorious event. Unfortunately, it had soon turned into an enormous shitshow right after the I-dos.
Now we had the chance for an I-do-over. Gram and Gramps’ wedding could be the wonderful and peaceful celebration with the sublime aftermath that I’d wished for myself.
Don’t get me wrong. My situation had turned out fine. I was married to the love of my Immortal life. However, Gram deserved a special day, and I was going to make sure I delivered.
“You ready to go back, Gramps?” I asked. The word felt amazing coming out of my mouth.
He kissed the top of my head and pulled me to my feet. “Whenever you are, granddaughter.”
My inner child squeed when he called me "granddaughter," and I was eager to make it official.
The first thing on the agenda when we got back was wedding preparations.
I would make sure Gram and Gramps had all the bells and whistles for their shindig, and anyone who interfered would get no mercy from the Angel of Mercy.