REJOINING THE LIVING… (An Original Story - Part 3)
REJOINING THE LIVING… Is a story of life and death. Kindness and humanity.
INTRO:
In Part 2 Grace accepts Micks' offer to stay at his place -- making them both, or all 3 of them very happy… We also learned tha Graces' husband was killed in the war that began on that fateful morning when Mick lost his girls. In this latest chapter we meet a new character.., one that will change their lives forever...
If you missed Part 1 click here. Part 2 click here to catch it.., or follow @macksby
PART 3
As Mick and Grace sit in the stillness of the night, drinking glass after glass of wine… They both pondered what a day, this had shaped up to be -- to say the least. A silence, as long as this.., among 2 people that hardly knew each other at all, can be an extremely uncomfortable silence -- but not that night… They relished in the peace.., while enjoying the undeniable fact that they each were not alone.
It was getting late and the alcohol had just emphasized their exhaustion… When finally, the silence was broken -- "We'd love to stay.., and keep you company" Grace says, in such a soft whisper it is barely audible. The sense of relief on Micks' face is unmistakable. And then, she adds -- "And thank you, for all your kindness…"
They look into each others eyes as if they have known each other, forever… And then Mick stands up, downs the last sip of wine in his glass, and says -- "Well, I guess I should let you join that amazing little girl, you have.., and let you get some sleep." And then, at the exact same time -- "Yeah, its been some day -- to say the least…" (they both laugh).
It's really astounding what has occurred .., and all in a day. What's equally, astounding -- is how at ease they feel with each other -- in just a day. "Well, I'll let you get to it -- if you need anything, I'll be in that big room off the kitchen with all the books in it. Tomorrow, I'll give you two the tour. Goodnight Grace.., and thank you." That night was the best nights sleep any of them has had in too many years…
Mick is up before the sun, as always (his favorite time of day). For the first time in years, he rose without this overwhelming sense of doom.., even his body felt rejuvenated. He whipped up a breakfast fit for royalty… And even, made some very special pancakes for Hope. He could here the girls laughing and giggling, as they got ready for the day. It had been so long since his home had felt so alive…
As they headed for the kitchen… He could see them coming down the long hallway.., and for a split second -- he flashed-back to a time when his 2 girls would do exactly the same. He was shocked when he saw them -- they were so beautiful, both of them -- it was hard to imagine that just yesterday they were covered in dirt and living on the street. He ushered them through the library and onto a deck, that looked like it was right out of a fairytale… "I thought we would eat outside again -- it was so much fun yesterday…" he says, with a big smile.
As Grace steps into the backyard (deck), in almost a gasp --"Oh my God.., Mick -- it's amazing out here…" I thought we'd celebrate -- mimosas' for the grown-ups.., and some special pancakes for -- guess who… Hope sees the bunny pancakes.., and once again, we get to see that brilliant ear to ear grin, as she lights up the whole backyard with it. "There BUNNIES!!!" she screams and laughs, practically at the same time. Her excitement is so contagious.., Mick and Grace laugh right along with her...
Breakfast is a big hit, not just with Hope, either… Mick and Grace are having a ball, while Hope devours the last of her pancakes… And then, we hear that charming little voice -- "Mommy I forgot my teddy bear, may I go get him..?" "Of course baby, he might want some breakfast, too" says her Mom. And she runs off back throughout the yard, giggling the whole way. Mick is so impressed with this little child, you can see it in his face. "She's somethin' else, that little girl of yours…" he says, with a definite tone of admiration and a tinge of sadness. Grace picks up on it, immediately.., and somewhat apprehensibly says -- "It must be hard for you… I saw a picture of your little girl in the bathroom" but before she can finish her sentence we hear Hope screaming bloody murder -- "MOMMY, MOMMY HELP!!!" Both Grace and Mick jump to there feet and race back inside…
Hope looks like she just saw the Boogie Monster, himself.., she is completely freaked out, as she holds onto to her teddy bear for dear life. "There's a crazy lady out there and she tried to chop my head off.." she screaming and talking so fast Grace can hardly understand her…
Mick immediately knows, whats up -- "that's just the lady upstairs…" As he starts to laugh. "What are you laughing at -- she's terrified." Yells, Grace, but can't help laughing a bit, herself. And continues -- "Who the heck is the lady upstairs?"
They finally, calm Hope down and she goes into the library to play with her bear, like nothing ever happened. Mick and Grace head into the kitchen, while Grace makes sure she keeps Hope in sight -- and says, still a little freaked out herself -- "So who is this lady upstairs and why would Hope think she was trying to chop her head off..?" Mick pours them some coffee and starts to explain who the mysterious old woman upstairs is...
"Right before Megan.., my wife (he still has a hard time even saying her name) and I were just about to buy this place, the realtor informed us there was a very old woman that lived in a tiny apartment, that used to be for the maid, on the 3rd floor. And, that she had a 100 year lease… But, not to worry, it could easily be broken. Needless to say, after we bought the place, we informed the old woman not to worry -- we would be more than happy to have her as a tenant, and honor the original lease to the tee." he continues…
"You see, this place has a ton of history and more than it's share of mystery… It was built when Central Park was nothing but farmland and inaccessible wilderness, sometime around the 1850's. This whole part of the city was nothing more than a few shanties, shady taverns, huge rock formations jutting out of nowhere -- it was basically a wasteland that was barely inhabited." Grace is completely intrigued…
Mick continues, as he brings over some cookies… "Very few people even dared to venture into this wasteland... Very little is known, almost nothing, about the builder (architect) and it's owner… Except, the rare story, usually told by some vagabond or unsavory type of the time. But these stories, always had one thing in common -- the people that were seen coming in and out of this magnificent structure seemed to be -- extremely important and from another part of the world. In other words.., they stood out like a sore thumb, in this part town.
The most infamous, of these stories -- this folklore to be more precise… Is one night while one of these unsavory characters wondered this wasteland… As he passed this newly built brownstone he was compelled to stop when he witnessed a group of people dressed very differently from anything he had ever seen… He watched from a distance, at first.., carefully registering the symbols that were embroidered into almost every piece of clothing they wore. Intrigued by these fanciful robes and funny hats that adorned these symbols, he inched his way closer, making sure to stay out of sight -- instinctively, he had a feeling, it could be dangerous…"
Grace is totally enthralled… "As the man, Big Dutch, as he was known.., got within earshot, he could not understand anything that was being said -- it was a completely different language. Most believe now, based on the the clothing they were wearing and the symbols attached, that the language was Russian or Ukrainian… Completely in awe of all this -- Big Dutch decided to get even closer but was spotted by some in the group and they scurried up the stairs and vanished behind two giant ornate doors that slammed shut.
But as they made there hasty escape from this unsavory character, rumor has it… A piece of clothing got caught on the massive iron fence that surrounded the structure. Big Dutch is said to have showed this scarf or cape around town and what amazed and even scared most of the people that saw it -- was the double-headed eagle lavishly embroidered on both sides. As the years went by, all the way up until the 1940's.., there were stories of Russian Oligarchs and other various aristocrat types, seen coming in and out of this brownstone, usually in the middle of the night, hidden by the darkness.
Now, the old woman upstairs.., from what we could tell was probably Russian. We would make a point of checking in on her, dropping off groceries and even having her down for dinner one night when Megan was pregnant. It was a magical time in our lives -- newly married, expecting a child, beautiful home, great jobs…
But that night seemed special, for some reason… Megan was to go for her ultra-sound, to find out the sex of the unborn child and the vibe of the evening, was one of celebration. There was knock at the interior door of the brownstone, that lead directly to our apartment -- it was the old woman. She had never done that before and for a second we thought something was wrong… But all the old woman wanted to do was thank them for all their kindness and wish Megan and her baby much joy.
With the air of celebration hanging in the air, we wasted no time inviting her in to join us… She seemed so shocked, by the offer -- as if she had not had an offer like that in years.., and she gladly accepted the invitation. Once inside, I popped some sparkling apple cider (in lieu of champagne) and we all sat down to an amazing dinner and some very interesting conversation.
After dinner, I felt like a drink… So, I grabbed a bottle of a very fine, very rare armagnac and poured 2 very healthy snifters and handed one to the old woman… We sat on the back deck and sipped our cocktail while chatting about, whatever… It was odd but the woman seemed like she knew me the way she spoke.., and how at ease she was around me that night. Even she was surprised… "
"Now get this…" Grace has been on the edge of her sit --
When Megan finally joined us.., the old woman took her by the hand and put her other hand on her very pregnant belly and said… You and your daughter will experience much love and very many joyous lifetimes. "Oh, we don't know the gender of the baby yet" -- she said… You will have a beautiful baby girl filled with pure light and love -- said the old woman. and than she added, "trust me, I know these things…"
She seemed like she was getting a bit tipsy from the armagnac -- but when she took my hand -- all she said was.., "You my old friend, have had many, many lifetimes…" with a big smile on her face. It was getting late, so I walked the woman upstairs to her apartment and thanked her for her company (she was very charming), but before he could turn, she took my hand and said -- "I think maybe you and me knew each other in another life…" And with that she stepped inside her small but cozy apartment (just how she liked it) but before she closed the door… She looked directly in my eyes and said -- "You know, me or one of my relatives have lived in this place for over 100 years… We were forced to flee from our homeland when one of the royalty did not like the psychic reading received from one of my ancestors. We come from a very, very long line of famous psychics, it was in our blood. A very rich man snuck them out of the country and this is where he bought them… And we have, one of us been here ever since…"
And with that she shut the door… Grace is freaking out (in a good way) and she can barely contain herself -- "Mick this is amazing, unbelievable -- I mean, I can't believe it…" And then Mick really freaks her out -- "The next day when we went to the doctor for the ultra-sound… The doctor happily informed us we would be having a beautiful baby girl!"
"Get the heck outta here…" Grace blurts out. "This is crazy!"
Mick has never told this story before and he is enjoying it just as much as Grace. As he finishes his story -- "So, that is the old woman Hope must have ran into in the hallway… She still goes up on the roof, at least once a week.., and chops wood for her fireplace with some very old axe. Trust me, she has scared the BE-JESUS out of me on more than one occasion walking around with that thing."
They both practically fall off their chairs with laughter...
Stay tuned for Part 4… It's going to get very interesting...
- What does this old woman have to do with Mick and Grace?
- Does she have any psychic advice for them?
- And if so, what is that she tells them?
- What's next for this newly formed trio?
