I.
Rick sat out on the patio, looking at the remnants of the tulip garden. It was a warm day in April, and he was becoming aware of his own overheated feeling as the sun glared down on his black suit jacket. He shook it off and folded it over the back of the bench on which he sat.
As he stared off into the yard, Anna emerged from inside the house with a glass of lemonade. "Here, Ricky, have some, it'll do you some good. It's getting warm out here!" Rick managed a weak smile as he accepted the glass from her hand. "Thank you, honey."
Anna sat beside her husband on the bench and looked out with him. "Some of the tulips bloomed," she mused, mostly to herself. Rick nodded, but she didn't notice. After sitting quietly for some time, the silence was broken by the thunderous running of a three-year-old on the brick floor of the patio.
"Well, I guess the nap is over…," chuckled Rick.
"Oh, Rico, come on now…" Anna chased after the little boy, catching him gingerly and scooping him up in her arms. "Now, where is your sister?"
Rick smiled as Anna carried Rico into the house, calling for their five-year-old daughter.
He sat for a few moments more, staring into the half empty glass of lemonade in his hands, before hearing a familiar greeting from behind.
"Hey, Ricardo."
Rick turned and smiled at his friend, who walked around the bench and sat beside him. "Hey, Ramsey."
"That was a nice service this morning. How are you feeling?"
Rick shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think I really feel anything right now." He smirked and shook his head.
Bruce Ramsey nodded, not knowing quite what to say to his childhood friend. He finally settled on something practical. "Are you going back to New York right away?"
Rick sat back and looked in the direction of the house, his eyes focusing on the peak of the roof as it pointed into the cloudless blue sky. "In a few days. I have to meet with the lawyer tomorrow about the house. I'm not looking forward to it, I never met the guy before. He took over the Bennett practice when Artie retired."
"You gonna sell?"
"I hate to do it. My mother was in love with this house. My father bought it for her. But it doesn't make any sense for us to move here ourselves."
Bruce took a deep breath, following Rick's gaze up to the sky. "You know, Rick, if you and Anna have business to take care of, me an' Annette can stay with the kids for a bit. They like playing with Patrick and Tina."
Ricky sighed. "Thanks, Bruce. I'll talk to Anna about it, I think it may be a good idea, even if it's just for tomorrow." He stopped talking suddenly when he noticed his little girl walking out onto the patio.
She looked at Bruce. "Mr. Ramsey, can Tina come out to play?"
Bruce smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry, kiddo, but she and Patrick are staying with their aunt today. They'll be back tomorrow."
Rick smiled. "You'll probably see them then, princesa. Where's Mommy and Rico?"
The little girl looked at her father matter-of-factly. "Mommy's giving Rico ANOTHER bath because he spilled his juice EVERYWHERE an' he's very sticky."
Rick smiled and rubbed his face with both hands. "Does she need help?"
"No. I asked her that and she said it would help her more if I came outside to play."
Rick and Bruce laughed as Bruce stood up. "Well, Rick, you've got your hands full here. Give me a call after you talk to Anna."
"I will," Rick chuckled, waving to Bruce before turning back to his daughter. His smile faded when he saw her face looking very sad.
She moved closer to him and he pulled her up into his lap.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Daddy…why do people die?"
The question stabbed him. He would've liked to know the answer to that question, himself. But he had to provide a comforting response to his daughter's question…and it had to be believable because she was far too clever for the normal vague responses that were often given to young children.
"Well…sometimes people are sick or old, or both. And when that happens, God decides that it's time for them to go up to Heaven so they don't have to be sick or old anymore." He blinked, surprised at his own, very succinct answer, and wondered where it had come from.
She seemed satisfied as she thought of her own response. "Did God tell Gramma to come to Heaven because she was sick or old?"
Rick swallowed hard. "Yes, Selena, He did."
"And what's in Heaven, Daddy?"
Rick looked out at the tulips as he tightened his embrace around Selena. "We won't truly know until we get there, princesa. But I think it's a place where everyone is young and healthy and happy. A place where we are together with all our family and friends that God brought to Heaven before we get there." He didn't really know where in his mind or heart these answers were coming from, but he was glad for them.
"Daddy, I have another question."
Rick smiled gently. She always seemed to. "Yes?"
"Why did God tell Grampa to go to Heaven before I got to see him? Didn't he want to know us? How come we only got to see pictures and hear stories?"
Rick's heart sank. "Your Grampa would've wanted to know you more than anything in the world. And, in a way, he does know you. See, from Heaven, the people we love can see us, so he knows you and Rico and Mommy. He's just waiting for us to get there someday. We show you his pictures and tell you about him so you'll recognize him when it's time for you to go." He exhaled as if he was letting go of something heavy.
But Selena looked contented with her father's answers to her questions and she slid off his lap, earlier than he was ready to let go, he thought to himself. Before skipping off into the backyard, heading for the tire swing on the big tree, no doubt, she turned back.
"Daddy, Grampa was waiting for Gramma to get to Heaven, wasn't he?"
Rick smiled broadly, with genuine happiness for the first time in several days. "Yes, princesa. If there's one thing I can tell you that I know for sure, it's that he was right at the door waiting for her."
II.
At first, it was dark. Behind her, the faint sounds of sad voices grew more distant. Ahead of her, there was music. And a dim light that continued to grow in size and intensity as she walked toward it. As the darkness faded, replaced by the warm light, she became aware of many people walking with her, moving in the same direction. None of them were sure what they would find, but all of them knew the way.
Eventually, they all came to a grand body of water. It was bigger than any ocean of the earth and perfectly reflected the light and rainbow of colors from the sky above it. It was a place of great love and joy, she thought. As she drew closer to the water, she knelt down next to its shore and looked into it.
She was amazed at what she saw. Like rapid flashes, the water reflected all the scenes of her life. All the things that she thought had absorbed so much time, visible in mere moments.
As the scenes faded away, she was left with her own reflection. It caused her to reach up and touch her face in surprise. The woman in the reflection was young and beautiful, with cherry lips, snow white skin, eyes the color of deep sapphires, and soft tumbling curls of flaming red.
The young beauty started to look around her at the other people, who all saw different images in the water. She stood up and started walking, again unsure of her destination, but feeling certain about the path. She knew what she wanted to find.
As she walked, she saw the people around her running toward the ones who'd been waiting. Cries of happiness and shouts of greeting could be heard; it was a place of immense joy. She continued to walk, eventually aware only of the sound of her own steps.
After a while, she came upon a large group of people dancing. She smiled as she watched them and basked in the beautiful music. It was different than anything she'd ever heard before, and yet, there was a familiar rhythm that went directly to her heart.
Suddenly, she heard a voice singing with the music. She put a hand over her mouth when she heard it. It seemed that it had been so very long since she'd heard it. She'd missed it so, that she had spent many a night trying to replay it in her memory. But it was never the same as really hearing it.
The singing continued as she stood there listening, and it grew more beautiful with each note. The people stopped dancing just to listen, and it seemed as though they were parting to make a way in front of her.
III.
The young man was dashingly handsome, with wavy hair the color of pure ebony, round brown eyes and smooth tan skin. Dressed in a tuxedo, he always stayed here in this place, with the music. He knew that she'd be able to find him here.
When the song had ended, he stopped singing and noticed the people parting, as though they knew what he waited for. He looked past them at a figure who was standing perfectly still, watching him. A very lovely redhead in a form fitting blue dress that stopped at her knees, with lily white skin and striking blue eyes.
The ethereal orchestra behind him began to play another song, but he did not sing. He moved forward, his smile growing as he became closer to her.
Halfway to her, the lovely redhead moved toward him quickly, unable to contain the happiness that burst from her heart at the sight of his face.
He waited for her to get to him, his arms outstretched, laughing with joy.
When she met his embrace, her feet left the ground as he lifted her into his arms and spun her around. Without a word, still embracing tightly, they looked into each other's eyes. After a few moments of silence, she touched his face, tracing the details of it with her fingertips.
"Is it…really you?"
He responded by kissing her, his warm soft lips pressing to hers. As he pulled her against him, the kiss deepened and she melted. Everything within her sang and danced with the return of that kiss, those lips, that embrace, this man.
When their kiss broke and they looked into each other's eyes again, he smiled. "It's me."