She took a sip of coffee. “Give her some time. We both know how this turns out, don’t we? Not even Barbara Ann was able to stop it.” She handed him a napkin from the stack in the plastic holder on the table.
Ryan stopped eating and gazed at his mother. “How do you know how it turned out? You’re dead.”
“We knew all along you two would get together. But I must admit, I had hoped it would not be so messy…you know…all the detours down misery lane…with Rex and that little tramp, Emily Anderson. Son, I tried to warn you about women like that, but you didn’t listen.”
“You know about that, too?”
“Yes, Ryan, we know about everything. If you had only listened to your mother, you could have saved yourself from most of the pain you went through. But you had to learn the hard way…most people do.”
He couldn’t explain it, but he was having a conversation with his dead mother in a dream, talking about things that only he knew about.
“Okay, you were right,” he said. “But as you now know, Keri and I did finally get together. Everything turned out fine.”
“Yes, but think what it
could
have been like if you had never met that little floozy on the beach or that disgusting friend of yours; I thought I taught you better. Because of your bad decisions, my poor little Keri got pushed aside and suckered into Rex’s trap.” She took a sip of coffee. “I do wish all that could have been avoided, but once it’s done, it’s done. There’s no going back. So, please, do your momma a favor and try not to make anymore foolish choices.”
“I fixed all that. It never happened. Remember back when I was still in the Navy and I called you from California on your birthday, and you gave me Keri’s address?”
“Yes, that was sweet. You always called me to wish me a happy birthday.”
“Well, I had a strange dream and was able to live that day over again. I made different choices. When I woke up from the dream, Keri had never married Rex and I never married Emily.”
“I know all that,” she said. “But in your
other
life, you still married Emily. So although you think you fixed everything, you will live with the reminder of what could have happened, which is not a bad thing. Maybe now you will respect those ugly life-altering consequences that result from bad choices.”
“Why doesn’t Keri remember?”
“It was your dream and your life, not Keri’s. When you changed things, Keri never had to experience the ugly consequences of your previous choices. Keri was always supposed to be in your life, but your bad choices delayed it. As you know now, because you didn’t go to the condo in New York, Keri didn’t get pregnant with David. And by not going with Rex to the beach, you escaped Emily’s trap and avoided being seduced into marrying her, and Keri never married that jerk, Rex Dean. As a result, you and Keri married years earlier.”
He let what she was saying soak in. She was right. His choices had not only affected
his
life, but the lives of those around him.
He said, “Well, in our situation, it was mostly Rex’s fault. He’s the one that kept us apart when he changed the letters.”
“Is that what you learned from your dream?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re trying to shift the blame away from yourself. It’s not about Rex, it’s all about you. You can always find a ‘Rex’ to blame, but in the end, you—not Rex—must live with the consequences. By the way…you and Keri would have figured out the letters if you had not gone to the beach with Rex.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Trust me, I just know.”
“You sure do claim to know a lot to be dead.”
“Listen, you are not the first, nor will you be the last, to make a bad decision. People have been making bad choices since the beginning of time, and they all have ugly consequences—some life-altering. Take Adam and Eve for example; they are the ‘poster children’ for bad choices. You might even say it was their choice in the Garden of Eden that birthed
every
bad choice since then. You followed Rex to the beach just as Eve listened to Satan—her ‘Rex’—and pulled the fruit from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden and did eat. Emily was your forbidden fruit. Your dream was given to you to show you that you had a choice; we always do. We were sitting right here in this house when I told you that if you were not careful your heart would deceive you.”
“I know! I know! I was a stupid kid back then.”
“Hopefully you’re a little wiser now.” She fingered the cross again. “I’ll tell you what you need to do.”
“What?”
“After you finish your breakfast, you need to take a shower, get dressed, and go back over to Keri’s house. You need to tell her that your life will never be right without her, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t lose her. I see great things in your future.”
“But I’m leaving this afternoon for the Academy, and she will be at church. I’ll miss her.”
His mother ignored his comment.
He begged, “Help me. I don’t know what to do?”
She just sat there, holding her little cross, running it back and forth on the thin, silver chain around her neck. “Ryan, life is a test without a time limit. Just as I tried to tell you when you were a young man, you have a great opportunity ahead. Whether you seize it or not will depend on a very important principle.”
“I’m all ears. I’m listening this time. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it!”
He sensed the seriousness in her pause. She looked deep into his soul filling him with a peace that was not of this world.
She said, “Ryan, have mercy on others, be compassionate, and serve them. Put others before yourself—starting with your wife and family. The poor in spirit, and those who mourn, are the ones who are conscious of their own selfishness. Because of this they are meek and merciful in their attitudes and actions toward others. The greatest blessings in life flow into the lives of those who show mercy to others.”
Her words were not from his mother but from some other place—a place beyond his dream.
“I understand! I know I failed and made many mistakes. Can you help me? If I could go back and do it all over again, I would definitely do things differently. How can I get her back? What can I say? I’m leaving this afternoon.”
She said, “God put you and Keri on this earth and designed each of you for a specific purpose. If you want to be truly happy and fulfilled, learn to serve others—start with your wife.”
But
this
is
a
dream
.
Keri
and
I
are
together
.
Our
lives
are
half
over
.
What
am
I
thinking
?
“Don’t worry about that!” Martha said.
“About what?”
“What you were thinking.”
“How did you know what I was thinking? How did you do that?”
“Forget how I do what I do. Trust me. It will all work out if you follow my advice. Don’t let her get away this time. You two were meant to be together from the beginning. You can change
everything
if you act now. Have faith and don’t worry about the Academy.”
He pushed back from the table. “Should I go to her house now?”
His mother had mysteriously disappeared. He was alone in the little kitchen.
* * *
“Knock! Knock! Knock!” Ryan jumped.
Did
I
oversleep
?
Oh
no
!
John
!
“Excuse me! Housekeeping!” The door clicked open and a woman walked in the room.
“Would you like your room cleaned?” the woman said.
Sitting up on the bed, he said, “No, it’s fine. Just leave me some fresh towels and wash cloths. That should be fine.” The maid worked quickly and was gone in three minutes. He checked the time—3:25 p.m. He had slept for two hours.
He sat staring out the window. “I just had a conversation with my dead mother. How weird was that? She had a clear mind—free from Alzheimer’s—and she knew everything, even what happened to me after she died.”
How
was
that
possible
?
He must have been projecting his thoughts into his dream mother. That’s how she knew what he was thinking. Everything she said must have been what he wanted her to say.
Then it suddenly hit him that in the dream his mother had referred to “we” when he first asked how she knew everything that had happened. She had said, “
We
knew all along you two would get together.” And “…
we
know about everything.” Who was “we”?
Perhaps
she
was
referring
to
her
and
God
?
But
what
about
Angel
,
how
does
she
fit
into
all
this
?
I
wonder
if
mom
knows
Angel
.
Maybe
God
and
mom
are
working
together
and
they
sent
Angel
to
Earth
to
straighten
things
out
…
like
Pastor
Fisher
said
.
He smiled.
Those
were
not
my
thoughts
.
CHAPTER 30
Buckhead
,
Georgia
Saturday
evening
—
April
26
,
2003
After a good workout in the hotel gym, followed by a shower, Ryan waited in the lobby of the DoubleTree at 5:55 p.m.—starving.
John had not mentioned where he planned to go for dinner, but Ryan hoped he might suggest they return to the Atlanta Fish Market. Their lunch the previous week was amazing. There were several selections on the menu he would love to try.
The black Lexus pulled up at exactly six o’clock. After Ryan was in the car, John said, “It’s up to you, but would you like to go back to Atlanta Fish Market?”
“You must be a mind reader. That sounds great.”
“From the way it looked at lunch last week, I thought you might like to give it another try.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, the hostess said, “Right this way, Mr. Dross.”
He
never
gave
the
hostess
his
name
.
He
must
be
a
regular
.
When Ryan opened his menu and began processing the selections, his mouth started to water.
TODAY’S FRESH CATCH
Select Your Fish – Select Your Preparation
New Zealand King Salmon, GA Mountain Rainbow Trout, Atlantic Mahi Mahi, Nova Scotia Halibut, Block Island Swordfish, Atlantic Red Snapper, and more—sautéed, broiled, blackened or Hong Kong Style.
He scanned the ENTRÉE SPECIALTIES:
Sizzling
Whole
Red
Fish
,
Swordfish
“
Cashew
&
Cracked
Pepper
Crusted
”,
Mahi
Mahi
Teriyaki
,
Cedar
Planked
Short
Smoked
Atlantic
Salmon
, and more.
“Do you see anything that strikes your fancy,” John said.
“All of it!”
John chuckled. “You can’t go wrong with any of it.”
“That’s my problem. I’m starved and I could literally eat some of everything. It’s going to be tough just selecting one.” His eyes drifted over to the APPETIZER SPECIALTIES and SOUPS, SALADS.
John said, “Take your time, but I think I’m going to have the ‘
Pecan
Crusted’
Salmon
Trout
Filet
with
Bourbon
Honey
Butter
,
Whipped
Sweet
Potato
and
Broccoli
.”
“That sounds tempting.” Ryan narrowed it down to two possible selections. “Let me see…I had the salmon last week, so I think I’ll go with the
Swordfish
‘
Cashew
&
Cracked
Pepper
Crusted’
.”
“Sounds great, and I think you’ll love that side of cheesy grits that comes with it.”
“My mom made the best cheese grits I’ve ever put in my mouth. I can’t wait to try these.”
“I’ll bet Martha was a fantastic cook,” John said.
“Did you know my mom?”
“Not formally, but I remember Keri talking a lot about her. Keri and your mom must have been close.”
“Very close.” Ryan took a sip of water. “So, how did your trip to Dothan go this morning?”
“Perfect. My wife is spending the week there,”
Surprised, Ryan said, “You never told me you were married.”
“I had hoped to introduce you to my family this weekend, but they had already made plans to go to Dothan.”
“Why Dothan?”
“My daughter, Susan, and her husband, Ronald, live in Dothan. Since I planned to be out of town most of next week, my wife thought it would be a good time to visit.”
“That sounds nice. Do you get to spend much time with them?”
“They come up and visit almost every weekend. My son-in-law handles all of the legal issues for Mercy.”
“A lawyer…that’s nice.”
“His practice is in Dothan where he specializes as a medical malpractice defense lawyer. He is a great asset to Mercy Flight, Inc. taking care of all our physicians.”
“That works out nice.”
“Do you remember Ronald Hart’s lawyer, Philip Darby?”
“Sure. Wonderful man. He coordinated Mr. Hart’s final arrangements with us.”
“My daughter married Philip’s son.”
“Wow! One big happy family.”
“Yeah…we are blessed. Philip actually named his son, Ronald, after Mr. Hart.”
“From what I remember, Mr. Hart and Mr. Darby were good friends.”
“Yes, they were like brothers.”
“Are there any grandchildren?”
“Not yet. Susan is a CPA and oversees the financial side of the Mercy operation. She stays fairly busy.”
What a nice package. John’s son is being groomed for the chief pilot job, John’s daughter handles the money, and the son-in-law is the chief counsel. Ryan couldn’t wait to find out more about John’s wife. She was probably Darby’s sister or possibly a cousin of Mr. Hart’s.