Beyond Death (The Afterlife Series Book 1) Page 8

  ‘On your own?’ Tony’s voice brought her back to the present.

  ‘No. Marion Wilkinson, the widow of the taxi driver who killed your sister talked me into doing it.’

  The boys remained quiet, wondering what this woman had done with their real mother.

  ‘The course is with People Against Poverty and if we pass it, we’re off to Zambia for three months.’

  ‘What!’ Shouted her sons.

  ‘That’ll show your bastard father.’ Said Marion, as if she hadn’t heard them.

  They travelled the rest of the way in silence. Marion looking forward to her new adventure, and the twins furious with their father, curious about their new half-sister, and not sure what to think about their mother’s new career.

  *****

  Claire was as shocked as her brothers at her mother’s revelation. Ron was nowhere to be found so she had time to think. Her father had been having an affair and had fathered a child who was nearly 15 years old. So she had a half-sister who she would never meet. Not that she felt she wanted to meet her at the moment, but she’d had the choice taken away from her. And he had another woman on the go. How could he do that to her mother and how could he deceive her and the twins? Claire was once again furious and hadn’t calmed down by the time Ron arrived.

  ‘What’s up?’ He asked and she explained. He could see she was hurt and angry and felt sorry for the lass. Since dying she’d discovered about her fiancé’s indiscretion with her best friend, and now, that her father had deceived her whole family as well. It would take a long time for Claire to get over her father’s betrayal and he felt she needed to be busy.

  ‘Do you want to go and see your father?’ Claire felt Ron’s arm around her and she lent into his shoulder as the tears ran down her face, the anger now dissipated.

  ‘He’s the last person I want to see at the moment,’ she laughed bitterly. ‘The more I think about it the more a lot of things seem to make sense.’ Ron moved a hair from Claire’s eye and nodded encouragement.

  ‘I remember Mum being confused when one of Dad’s team told her that he’d had a chance of a job near home and he’d turned it down,’ she hesitated, trying to control the tears. ‘Dad said that it was a rumour and that the fella didn’t know what he was talking about, but it didn’t ring true at the time.’

  Ron held Claire and remained silent. He knew she’d work things out in her own time and eventually come to terms with this new turn of events.

  ‘Look, Ron!’ she shouted shattering the mood.

  ‘What, what is it?’

  ‘I’m crying, real tears.’ He looked and she was. Although they’d felt as if they’d cried since dying, there hadn’t been any physical evidence. But now they looked down and as well as the tears, they appeared to have proper bodies again.

  ‘Does this mean that people will see us when we go to Earth?’ Claire shrugged.

  ‘No, I don’t know either. Shall we go and have a look?’

  *****

  Claire recognized the London underground as soon as they arrived. She wasn’t sure of the station but knew it wasn’t rush hour. There were a number of tourists on the platform but no business people or bored looking commuters waiting to resume their tedious journeys to their tedious little jobs, that Claire would have given anything for at that moment. She corrected herself. There was one businessman dressed in a snazzy suit who looked out of place among the collection of tourists. She heard the mind the gap announcement and knew that a train must be approaching. Ron pointed in the direction of the suited man who started walking quickly to the platform’s edge - too quickly. They both knew exactly what he planned to do.

  ‘Now!’ shouted Ron. They attempted to combine their thoughts and strength, Claire frowning with concentration in her efforts to keep the man on the platform. The events seemed to move in slow motion for Claire, Ron and the passengers on the platform, as the man jumped and the train hit him. It was as if he had the body of a rag doll as the momentum of the train flew it along the track, before it disappeared under the carriages. The spirits saw his soul leave his body and hover in the air. His soul looked terrified first of all as ugly hands grabbed at it from below trying to pull it in their direction. They were soon outnumbered by gentle caressing hands which eventually prevailed and the dead man’s soul travelled upwards, now looking at his human shell in confusion, as if he couldn’t believe he’d actually done the deed.

  Pandemonium broke out on the platform as a woman screamed and other passengers looked on in horror, then disgust as a man complained about the delay the suicide victim had caused. Police and paramedics arrived in record time and the shocked driver was helped from his cabin and taken away by colleagues.

  Even knowing what they now knew about death, Claire and Ron were still upset.

  ‘The poor soul must have been tormented to end his own life like that.’ Said Ron. Claire nodded. ‘How awful for his family and why couldn’t we do anything?’ It was a question neither could answer and they were frustrated at not being able to help.

  ‘I thought I was meant to have special powers.’

  ‘Maybe it was his time.’ Said Ron and they left the scene, not noticing one woman who had turned very white and was standing still, staring at the space they’d vacated.

  Chapter 6

  Ron and Claire were on one of their visits as opposed to watching from their new home.

  ‘Are you ready to go and see your father yet?’ Claire thought about it. She adored her father but was still annoyed about his deceit.

  ‘I know the best way ahead is to discover his side of the story as well, Ron, but I’m still so angry with him and afraid I’d do something I might regret if I went to see him now. I know my brothers must feel the same too, as they haven’t been to see him yet.’

  Ron didn’t know her brothers so didn’t comment. He couldn’t imagine what Claire would do to her father but did understand her anger.

  ‘Okay, we’ll leave it for a while,’ he smiled sympathetically, ‘but only if you’re sure?’

  Claire was trying to be more mature and forgiving in her outlook and re-thought her decision.

  ‘Come on then. I’m ready to visit my father but I warn you, I’ll probably get emotional.’

  Talk about stating the obvious. ‘No problem, Claire. I can handle it.’

  *****

  Graham had faced the sack or a visit to the doctor. He’d chosen the latter and had been signed off for six weeks having been told he was suffering from depression. He’d been prescribed tablets and the doctor had also advised him to get some exercise and lose weight. He’d moved into his current flat the weekend after his relationships had fallen apart and he looked around now at the boxes still packed in the corner of the room. He was too ashamed and frightened to speak to his sons. Marion and Carol had made it perfectly clear that they never wanted to see him again and Mel had refused to speak to him since he’d broken up with her mother. Graham picked up the plate and looked at the cakes, the only comfort in his sad miserable life. Whether to have a chocolate éclair, apple turnover or jam donut was the biggest decision he would make today. What the hell, he thought as he selected the giant éclair. It made no difference which one he ate now as they’d all be gone within the hour. He switched on the TV and surfed channels. A gardening programme and chat show later, Graham put the empty plate down next to him on the sofa and looked at the sad crumbs. He turned his head upwards, his face a mask of misery.

  ‘Claire, Claire, Claire!’ he cried out. ‘Oh Claire. What have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE?’ Graham picked up the plate and threw it at the television, watching in wonder as the plate and the screen smashed into smithereens. He bent forward, put his head in his hands and cried. It was the first time that Graham had cried in years. He cried for the loss of his marriage, his relationship with Carol, in self-pity, in shame, but most of all for the loss of his beautiful daughter who he hadn’t seen enough when she was alive and now missed like hell. He sobbed his heart out lik
e a young child until he was totally spent, then he curled up on the sofa hugging his knees to his chest and for the first time in months slept a dreamless sleep.

  The anger that Claire had felt since she’d discovered her father’s double life drained from her as if someone had opened the floodgates. She was overcome with love for the fat man that she hardly recognized and knew he was in dire need of help. As she had with Jay, Claire tried to visit her father in his sleep. Even as she tried she knew she wasn’t getting through. Ron had silently watched the whole sorry episode and when he could see that Claire was no longer concentrating suggested that it was time to leave.

  ‘We can’t do anything for him at the moment. You’ll only upset yourself more if we stay.’

  She was reluctant to leave.

  ‘Come on, Claire.’ Ron tried pulling her but she shook him off. ‘Let’s go back where there’s no distractions and think about what we can do for him.’

  Claire must have agreed without consciously thinking about it as she opened her eyes and they were back in Cherussola. In the land of Cherussola thought Claire as she collapsed on the clean cream leather sofa that was the most comfortable she’d ever sat on.

  ‘Look at this, Ron.’ She couldn’t shake the image of her father from her mind but that didn’t stop her from being impressed with the new addition to their so called home.

  ‘We must have started thinking about home comforts without realizing that we were doing so.’

  ‘Let’s think up a few more things then.’ They both concentrated but nothing appeared despite their best efforts.

  ‘On second thoughts, perhaps you only get things that you don’t ask for.’ Ron agreed and thought about their situation. It was strange, they never felt hungry but didn’t eat, never smelt dirty but didn’t wash, and their clothes were always clean. Claire hadn’t changed clothes since she’d died but when she remembered to look was always dressed in something different. They felt the whole range of human emotions and were also able to use all their senses while there, but some of these senses were ineffective back on the living plain. They also felt extremely tired following visits to Earth, the degree of tiredness dependent on what they had or hadn’t done. Sometimes Claire was out of action for months after such visits but she felt a little less tired each time and likened it to some sort of acclimatisation.

  ‘Wonder how it all works?’ she asked and Ron shrugged. He wasn’t one for spending time on riddles he couldn’t solve.

  ‘Anyway, Ron, enough of this pontificating. We have work to do.’ He didn’t point out that it was her who had been pontificating and waited for her next brainwave.

  Claire could see he wasn’t going to bite, so continued. ‘My father needs help and I can’t give it to him. But I know two men that can. Come on.’

  Ron accompanied her without argument and they made their way back to the land of the living.

  *****

  It was the twins’ football night and they’d decided to have a drink after the match and then return to the flat. Tony and his girlfriend had recently split so Jim and Fiona had decided not to see each other every night, so that Jim could hang out with Tony. They retired early to bed with aching muscles but happily tired after their win and friendly banter with the other lads. Jim noticed the dark circles under his brother’s eyes as he grabbed a quick coffee before work the following morning.

  ‘Still thinking about Hannah?’

  ‘Nope. Claire and Dad actually,’ Tony took a sip of coffee. ‘Dreamed of both of them last night.’

  ‘No shit,’ said Jim. ‘What happened in your dream?’

  Tony could see that his brother was fishing and guessed straight away.

  ‘You too eh?’ Jim nodded. So they’d both dreamt that Claire had told them their father was in a bad way and that they should visit him.

  ‘It’s understandable after all that’s happened,’ said Jim. ‘but I’m still too angry with him and I’d just lose it.’

  ‘And me but aren’t you curious about our half-sister? I know I am.’

  ‘I am but it would somehow feel like a betrayal to Claire and I wouldn’t want to meet her feeling like that. Shall we give it a bit more time?’

  ‘Yup, sounds like a plan,’ said Tony, putting on his coat, ‘see you later.’

  ‘Damn, damn, damn.’ Claire shouted at Ron. ‘They’re so bloody stubborn at times.’ Family trait thought Ron but chose not to comment.

  ‘You can’t force them into doing something they don’t want to, Claire.’

  ‘I could when I was alive, so watch this space.’ She was determined that she would convince her brothers to visit her father sooner rather than later.

  In a hurry that morning, Tony hadn’t had time for his usual routine before leaving the flat. He picked up a newspaper from a colleague’s desk and made his way to the facilities. Leisurely studying page three while answering the call of nature, a gust blew into the cubicle and he had to fold the newspaper to stop it from blowing away. Someone must have opened a window earlier, thought Tony, but the weather had been calm when he was travelling to work and he hadn’t heard anything about a storm brewing. He opened the paper again but as soon as he did so, an image of his sister appeared in his mind’s eye, it seemed so real to Tony that he gasped.

  ‘Claire?’

  ‘Visit Dad, he needs you.’ Was all she said.

  ‘Bloody hell, Claire! I’m on the loo for God’s sake.’

  He heard his sister’s giggle which was followed by a small gust of wind, then absolute silence. Tony hastily finished what he was doing and left the cubicle. He looked at his pale face in the mirror and splashed cold water over it after washing his hands. This was no dream and he took a moment to come to terms with what had happened. He thought that he’d be spooked. He was shocked but not frightened. He’d adored Claire but when she wanted something she could be a right pain in the arse. Apparently this was the case whether she was alive or dead. Tony laughed to himself as he left the company bathroom, his sister’s visit had actually given him some comfort and he knew that he wouldn’t get any peace until they went to see their father. Returning to his office he picked up his phone to call his brother, and wondered how she’d got her message across to him.

  ‘Same here,’ said Jim when he answered the phone. ‘But I was in a meeting with the boss. He asked me a question. I was forming my answer and she appeared in my head, telling me that Dad needs me. The boss must have thought I was losing my mind when I said you’re supposed to be dead. I excused myself quickly and she was laughing. Why couldn’t she have waited?’

  Claire managed to stay with it as she watched the twins speak as if a visit from their dead sister was a completely natural occurrence. It had worked and she knew that they’d find the time to visit their father, probably that weekend.

  Ron had watched in amazement. They hadn’t been able to contact anyone since the episode with Jay, and now Claire had visited both her brothers simply because she had wanted to. He could see that it had totally drained her but he needed answers.

  ‘What were you thinking? How did you do it? Can you do it again?’

  Claire put up a hand. ‘Tired, Ron. Need to rest.’

  They were back on the cream sofa and she lay down and closed her eyes. ‘Later.’ She faded as she spoke the last word and Ron knew he’d have to wait for his answers, possibly for quite a while.

  As Claire drifted away her wedding fantasy appeared and she smiled. This time Tash was no longer a bridesmaid and had been replaced by Mel. Although Claire had forgiven her, she didn’t want to be reminded of her friend’s deceit on her wedding day. Her half-sister was a vague version of what she imagined her to be, but plumper than the real Mel as Claire remembered immodestly how good she had looked at age fifteen and didn’t want her young sister to upstage her on her special day. The ceremony continued until Claire was too exhausted to think any longer.

  Chapter 7

  The night before the course was due to start both Val and Ma
rion were happier than they’d been since the accident. A purpose had returned to their lives and they were like twenty somethings at the beginning of a weekend. Marion looked around the room they were sharing.

  ‘London’s not exactly cheap is it? Wonder how much this hotel costs the charity?’ She had expected more frugal accommodation. They each had a queen size bed and a separate wardrobe. There was one desk and chair and at the other side of the room, and a sofa was positioned against the far wall facing a TV screen. The bathroom contained both a bath and separate shower with toilet and b-day.

  Val explained that a rich benefactor had left the hotel to the charity, and that they made money out of it by running it as a going concern.

  ‘Having the courses outside of the summer tourist season and carrying out the training in the conference facility saves them from paying out money. That’s why we’re with this lot, because they don’t waste much money on administration and stuff.’

  ‘Fair point,’ Marion was impressed that Val had done her homework. ‘Shall we eat?’ They made their way to the hotel’s restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner while discussing the course programme.

  They felt refreshed and were raring to go the following morning as they met the other students over coffee in the conference anteroom. In total there were five women and six men who hoped to work for the charity. Most were in their twenties and thirties with the exception of Val and Marion and a married couple who had retired, had travelled large parts of the world, and were now looking for a new adventure and wanted to give something back to society.

  A short thirty-something lady hurried into the room. She got their attention without asking.

  ‘Hi everyone, I’m Gail and I’ll be taking you through the programme this week. Ready to make a start?’