Silt, Denver Cereal Volume 8 (37 page)

He gestured to the far corner of the
room.

“
Death was something I
mocked, cheated, played with,” MJ said. “It was all just a game,
one I wanted to win at all costs. Then, I was on assignment, and
Honey got stabbed, and . . .”

He glanced at Honey and she smiled.

“
She almost died on the
kitchen floor,” MJ said. “And I realized that life isn’t a game
that you ever win. And I realized that by not valuing death, I
didn’t value my life or anybody else’s. I was playing a game with
everything that mattered. At first, I just wanted her to live, and
then . . .”

MJ shrugged and looked at Honey.

“
She’s the love of your
life,” Gracie nodded. “I always knew that. I guess
I . . .”

Gracie’s head went up and down as she worked
through what he’d said.

“
You broke my heart,”
Gracie’s eyes welled. “I . . . I thought you were
dead.”

“
I’m sorry,” MJ
said.

“
What do you need to make
this right, Second Lieutenant?” Captain Mac Clenaghan
asked.

Looking down at the desk, Gracie crossed her
arms across her heart and shook her head.

“
I understand that two
years ago, you requested through your command a training day with
the Jakker, then again last year, and again this year,” Captain Mac
Clenaghan said. “I assume you’ll be putting the request in again in
January?”

Gracie looked up at him. Her hand flew to
her throat. She glanced at MJ and he smirked.

“
Sergeant Scully has
arranged for the Jakker to be available to you for the rest of the
day,” Captain Mac Clenaghan said. “When you’ve finished here, you
may begin.”

The captain gave Gracie and MJ a nod and
walked out of the room. Gracie turned to MJ.

“
Did you love me so much?”
MJ asked. “Was I the love of your life?”

“
I . . .”
Gracie shook her head.

“
What can we do to make
this right with you?” Honey asked.

“
Spending the rest of the
day with the Jakker?” Gracie smiled.

Honey smiled.

“
How did you pull that
off?” Gracie asked.

“
He flies the Fey,” MJ
said. “You met his son last night. The kid with the great eyes and
black hair, boyfriend of Noelle?”

“
Teddy.” Gracie
nodded.

“
His son,” MJ
said.

Gracie looked down at the ground for a
moment. When she looked up, she gave MJ a long look. She glanced at
Honey, and then back at MJ.

“
It’s different,” Gracie
said. “Here. In country. People have kids. The Jakker has
kids.”

“
Four,” Honey
said.

“
Who knew?” Gracie asked.
“It’s like my heroes are real people. You’re a real person, MJ—not
a monster or a victim or a hero or anything. Just a person.
It’s . . . different.”

“
War,” MJ said. “All you
think about is your next mission. There’s a lot more to think about
here.”

Gracie nodded. She looked at MJ and then at
Honey.

“
I’m kinda glad you found
each other again,” Gracie nodded.

MJ nodded.

“
Do you mind if
I . . .” Gracie pointed to the door.

MJ smiled and glanced at Honey.

“
He’s an asshole,” MJ
said.

“
Rapist?” Gracie
asked.

“
No,” MJ said. “Just an
ass. The only person he’s nice to is the LC. She’s the only one who
holds the end of his chain.”

“
He’s an amazing parent,”
Honey said.

Gracie nodded. She had the impatient look of
a child waiting for permission to eat her special treat.

“
Go,” Honey
said.

Gracie looked at her. Her face broke into a
smile and she ran out of the room. MJ looked at Honey and she
smiled.

“
Good idea to ask Zack,”
MJ said.

“
I thought so,” Honey
said. “She’s happy. You?”

MJ took her hand and they started toward the
door.

“
I feel bad,” MJ
said.

“
Sure,” Honey
said.

“
But not that bad,” MJ
said.

“
Sure,” Honey
said.

“
Wanna get our baby and go
home?” MJ asked.

“
Sure,” Honey
said.

He grinned at her, and they went to get
Maggie.

~~~~~~~~

Sunday morning—5:22 a.m.

Jacob let the dogs out the front door of the
farmhouse. He watched them wander, sniff around, and eventually
settle into doing their business. Scooter came right back to him.
Jacob rubbed the old dog’s ear and he looked up at Jacob. Scooter
did not want to miss out on a chance to snuggle with Jill and Katy
in bed.

“
I hear you, boy,” Jacob
said.

Jacob opened the door to let Scooter in the
house. Scooter raced up the stairs. He heard Jill open the door to
the room they were staying in and Katy giggle. He smiled and closed
the front door. He put a leash on Sarah, his yellow Labrador, and
Buster, the ugly dog. He started running on the dirt road that ran
along the back of the property. Used to this morning activity, the
dogs fell in beside him.

He couldn’t be happier. The weekend had been
fun. The kids didn’t argue. Charlie and Tink didn’t end up putting
on a show. Everyone had a great time. Sam and Delphie showed up
early Saturday morning from LA and made the weekend with their
stories of their red carpet adventures. Last night, the adults
stayed up long after the kids were asleep watching the stars under
thick wool blankets and drink cocoa.

He loved having everyone together.

He loved it when everyone laughed and
enjoyed each other.

He loved that Ivy had a chance to enjoy his
father.

He loved that Delphie got to be with
everyone at the farmhouse and go to the premiere.

The problem was that right now, he hated
people.

Right now, he wanted to be left alone.

For the briefest moment, he imagined never
coming back. He would run to the airport, take a plane to somewhere
foreign, and never return.

Relief coursed through his veins. No more
Lipson. No more people telling him what an asshole he was. No more
Jill?

That was always about as far as he got with
this little fantasy.

He stayed because he couldn’t imagine taking
even one breath without Jill in his life.

He stayed because his sons were coming and
his daughter was amazing.

He stayed because that’s who he was.

He plodded on down the road.

“
The problem is that no
one believes you,” Wanda’s father Erik had said. “I mean, who gives
away their business these days? Especially to their employees.
Today, it’s all about ‘grab what you can and stick it to the next
guy.’ I mean, think about it—would you believe it?”

The words made Jacob so angry that he sped
up. He wanted to throttle the cynical world that would rather cling
to its own misfortune than see the bounty presented to it. The
conversation continued to play in his head.

“
What do they think we’re
doing?” Sam had asked.

“
What rich people always
do,” Erik had said. “Shift the burden onto little guy while they
run away with all the goodies. I mean, look around you? You don’t
think people notice the roads are falling apart? The schools suck?
People like me drive those roads. Our kids go to those schools. But
rich people, they drive on perfect roads and send their kids to
schools where the teachers know their kids’ names.”

Jacob wanted to hate the man. He wanted to
blame him for his words. But every cell in his body told him that
Erik was honest to a fault. The plumber was telling him what no one
else would. He was telling him the truth.

Jacob ran for a while. Erik had gone on to
tell them what they already knew. The men Sam had fired had told
everyone that he was selling Lipson Construction because it was
broke. The rumor was that the employees were buying at prime rates,
but the company was worth only a third of that.

Jacob snorted. Since taking the larger
contract, Lipson Construction was worth almost double what the
employees were paying.

Why didn’t anyone believe him?

He just couldn’t fathom it. He never lied.
He never cheated. And still no one believed him!

He had come full circle.

He hated people.

He wanted to run away.

He increased his pace to do some speed work.
The dogs loped along beside him.

“
Don’t let it get to you,
Jake,” Aden had said. “No one believes those jerks.”

His father had just looked at him. He hadn’t
said a word. He’d just watched him with worried eyes.

Jacob reached a bend in the road and took it
to the right.

He should take the company back. It wouldn’t
be hard. He already had the figures from Tres. He’d say he changed
his mind. He was allowed to change his mind, wasn’t he?

He nodded at his reasoning and kept running.
Up ahead he saw the Brighton home Valerie had purchased for the
Marlowe School. Out of curiosity more than anything else, he ran up
to the doorstep. He used his psychokinesis to open the door and
went inside.

This was a gorgeous house.

The morning son filtered through dusty
windows to show off gorgeous woodwork and antique fixtures. Jacob
went to the spot where Aden and Seth and the police officers had
stood while he and Delphie fought the demon.

He couldn’t get over how pretty this house
was. Feeling something behind him, he turned around. He was
standing face to face with an apparition of a woman. She wore a
Victorian dress. Her hair was up in the style of the time. She had
a pleasant face and pretty eyes. When she realized he could see
her, she smiled.

“
Who are you?” Jacob
asked.

“
I own this home,” she
said.

“
Why aren’t
you . . .?” Jacob gestured to where they had laid
the family to rest.

“
I love this home,” she
said. “You were going to fill it with children and I didn’t want to
miss it.”

“
Are you stuck here?”
Jacob asked.

“
No, thanks to you, we are
all free.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

He nodded.

“
I don’t have a lot of
time for ghosts,” he said. “And I’m pretty grumpy.”

“
Good to know,” she said.
“Why are you here?”

“
I was just out for a
run,” he said.

“
Yes, the dogs told me,”
she said. “But why are you here? You dropped the house here, and
probably haven’t given it another thought. Suddenly, you’re grumpy
and here. Why is that?”

He shrugged. Everywhere he looked, he saw
things he could improve. A little buffing here, some color there,
sand the floors and . . .

“
You’re making a list of
how to improve the house,” she said.

“
What if I am?” Jacob
asked.

“
I just wondered—does the
wood like it when you sand the floor?” she asked.

“
No idea.” He looked at
her.

“
Do walls appreciate the
feel of wet, cold paint?” she asked.

He scowled.

“
Walls and floors are made
of the same stuff as people,” she said. “Why would people
appreciate the transitions any more than the floors appreciate
being sanded?”

His eyes flicked to her.

“
Maybe, Mr. Tough Guy, you
should tell your employees why you’re selling,” she
said.

“
So they won’t believe
me?” Jacob asked.

“
What if they do?” she
asked.

Jacob squinted at the woman.

“
No, your mother didn’t
put me up to this,” she said. “She told me about your situation. I
guess . . .”

She gazed at him and he felt her eyes drift
over his sweaty skin. It was such a weird sensation that he
shivered.

“
There was so much I never
said,” she said. “To my love, my children, my brothers, my sisters,
my darling parents. You can hear people’s thoughts. You can read
their energy. But people cannot read your thoughts. They can’t read
your energy. They can only believe what they hear, and they hear
less than half of what they are told.”

“
Why didn’t you tell your
family what you thought?” Jacob asked.

“
I wasn’t supposed to,”
she said. “When I was alive, women were weak and stupid creatures
who didn’t have feelings or thoughts. At least that’s what I was
told all my life. It never occurred to me to tell my family how I
felt or what I thought. Like you, it never occurred to me that they
would care.”

“
Why are you telling me,
then?” Jacob asked.

“
Your mother asked me to,”
she said. “People will die if you do not move the project. And
this . . . problem is nonsense compared to
that.”

“
Nonsense?” Jacob asked.
“You’re dead and you’re telling me my problems are
nonsense?”

“
For an honest man, you
tell very few people your truth,” she said. “It’s time to tell your
company everything. They know you. They’ll listen.”

“
You’re sure you’re not my
mother?” Jacob asked.

“
She is with your sister.”
The woman smiled. “But you knew that.”

The woman faded. Jacob watched her for a
moment before moving toward the door. His hand was on the doorknob
when she reappeared in front of him.