The Gate

by Jennifer N Hibbert

  The nurses called Cynthia and told her what had happened. She immediately rushed to the hospital. When she walked frantically into the waiting room twenty minutes later, Kevin was struck by her beauty. He remembered the first time he’d seen her in a bar and how everyone had turned to look at her.

  She spoke to a nurse at the desk, who told her that Matthew was stable and hadn’t sustained any serious injuries. The nurse led her through a door and it wasn’t long before both Cynthia and Matthew emerged, his arm around her shoulders for support.

  Tobus quickly took the form of a chair as Kevin stood up to greet them.

  ‘Darling! Meet Ashley Bart,’ Matthew said. ‘He saved my life. If it weren’t for him, well, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. Ashley, this is my girlfriend, Cynthia Hugh.’

  ‘How do you do?’ Kevin said. He realised he was staring at her.

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ she said softly.

  It was the voice that Kevin had fallen in love with. He quickly turned to Matthew and asked, ‘Did they take a look at your hip?’

  ‘Yes, and I haven’t broken anything, thank goodness. Just some minor bruising here and there.’

  ‘Oh, great. I’m glad you’re okay. Right, well, I’d better get going.’

  ‘Ashley, I was wondering if you’d like to join us for dinner tonight, since Matthew mentioned you don’t leave far away. I mean, if you’re not busy. Otherwise, we can arrange another time,’ Cynthia said.

  ‘I’d love to come but you really don’t have to do that!’ Kevin said, without much resistance.

  ‘Honestly, we’d love you to join us,’ she said.

  ‘Okay, great. I’d love to come, if I can find a babysitter for my five-year-old son,’ Kevin said with a smile.

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, you can bring him along. Our daughter Tyler is five, too. And of course, our two older ones. I’m sure the kids will get along just fine,’ Cynthia said.

  ‘What time should I come?’ Kevin asked.

  ‘How does eight o’clock sound?’ Cynthia looked at Matthew, who smiled and nodded.

  ‘That’s perfect. Thanks for the invite. I’ll see you guys tonight.’ Kevin took the address that Cynthia had written on a piece of paper. He opened the waiting room door and walked out of the hospital. Tobus soon joined him and took the form of the Ferrari 488 GTB. They drove off, the whole day still ahead of them.

  Kevin decided to visit his sister, Kate. She had just dropped off her children at school and was driving to the gym. They headed to the same gym, where Tobus stayed outside on the street and Kevin went inside. He waited inside the door for Kate to come in.

  ‘Hello, ma’am,’ he said politely when she entered. ‘Today the gym is offering a free trial of our personal training services and you’ve been randomly selected to participate. We’re offering it as part of a study. Would you be interested?’

  ‘Well, yeah, I would love that. Thanks,’ she said, beaming.

  ‘Okay, great! We’ll start with stretching and then work our way up to using the machines,’ Kevin said, heading off to the corner where the mats were stored. Kate nodded and followed him. He began to coach her through the same training regime he had used while he was alive.

  As Kate stretched her hamstrings as instructed, she asked, ‘Do you work here or are you visiting? I’ve never seen you here before.’

  ‘Yes, I’m new! My name is—’ he hesitated and glanced around. He saw a notice on the wall: ‘Half-price skipping ropes, just in!’ ‘Justin, my name is Justin,’ he stammered.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Justin. I’m Kate,’ she said. She took a drink from her water bottle. Kevin noticed that she seemed self-conscious; she kept pulling her T-shirt down to cover her waist. It looked like she’d gained weight since he’d last seen her and he hoped she was doing okay.

  He looked at her steadily. ‘How many times a week do you usually come to the gym?’

  ‘I’ve only just started again. I stopped for a while,’ she said quietly.

  ‘Why? Don’t you like using the gym?’ he asked, acting surprised.

  ‘Oh no, I like the gym. We had a death in the family, so that’s how I piled on the weight.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that. Was it someone close to you? Of course, it must’ve been,’ he added without waiting for her to answer.

  ‘Yes, yes, he was. He was my only brother,’ she said. Tears poured down her cheeks.

  Kevin found a box of tissues; which customers could use to wipe off sweat if they were moving to a machine that had been used by someone else. He pulled out a few sheets and handed them to her.

  Kate dried her eyes before continuing. ‘He left home after he found his wife of ten years cheating on him with his childhood best friend. When he left that day, it was the last time anyone saw him alive, including his three children. They never got to say goodbye,’ she said, drawing a shaky breath and starting exercising again. ‘The next time we heard anything, my brother was already dead, killed in a hit and run. The police never found the driver.’

  ‘That’s horrible. And what about the wife and best friend? Did they continue to see each other?’ Kevin asked.

  ‘Oh, yeah, they’re still together now – and with no remorse whatsoever,’ she said bitterly. ‘They didn’t even go to his funeral.’

  ‘Well, I’m really very sorry to hear that. But I’m sure your brother loved you and he would want you to move on with your life. He’s in a better place.’ Kevin paused. ‘At least no one can hurt him now.’

  Kate tilted her head towards him. ‘I feel like I’ve known you for quite some time. You’re very easy to talk to. And thank you. You’re right, no one can ever hurt him again,’ she responded.

  ‘It’s been nice talking to you, too. If I can offer one final piece of advice?’ Kate nodded. ‘Try to look forward, not backwards. Remember your brother fondly, but try to forget all of the bad things that happened to him. You mentioned he had children and I’m sure he would like you to keep in touch with them, especially since he’s not there. Perhaps you could help pull your family together, for your brother’s sake.’

  Kate nodded. ‘You’re right. I’m sure he would want that. His ex-wife is very stubborn but maybe I’ll give it another go.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Thanks again. It was very nice talking to you,’ she said. With that, she exited the gym.

  CHAPTER 26

  THE FINE MACHINE AND SOME UNWANTED GUESTS

  Tobus was having an interesting day disguised as a fine machine parked on the corner of the street.

  As soon as Kevin pulled up to the gym, the car attracted the unwanted attention of two men. Tobus saw them standing around on a corner, sharing some money and other items they’d got from pickpocketing people at the train station who were going to work. When they saw the car pull up, they looked at each other and smiled. They walked by as though simply admiring it but, when Kevin had gone inside and the coast was clear, they tried the door. It was locked. They yanked a little harder and it opened.

  The two men quickly jumped in. The tallest one sat behind the steering wheel but they didn’t have the key. He tried the glove compartment but it was locked. He pulled down the sun visor above the driver’s seat and checked behind the mirror. Bingo – the key was there: a gift from Tobus. The men looked at each other and smiled happily. They started the car and drove off.

  As soon as they’d made it out of the inner city, they started to quarrel about the percentage they’d each receive after selling the car. Suddenly, they noticed large lizard hands and legs poking through the leather seats. Soon the limbs were wrapped tightly around their waists and necks. They screamed frantically and tried to free themselves but the more they struggled, the tighter the grip became. Their eyes bulged in horror and sweat ran down their faces.

  The driver was losing control of the car so he screeched to a halt while they tried to break free. They tried to open the doors but they were all locked. Frantically the front-seat passenger pulled a gun from his pocket. Attempting to
help the driver, he fired a few shots in his direction. Bullets hit the door panel, leaving dents in the soft cream leather. The passenger struggled to see clearly, lowered the gun towards the lizard leg that was wrapped around the driver’s waist and fired again. As soon as he released the trigger, the leg retracted into the seat and the driver took the bullet in the hip.

  The driver went berserk. ‘You shot me, man! You shot me! What did you do that for?’ He began to bleed profusely all over the seat.

  The passenger tried to explain but he couldn’t say much with the lizard’s grip strangling him. He was choking to death. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth and he was starting to twitch.

  Finally, the lizard’s hands and legs retracted and the doors were flung wide open. The driver rushed out of the car. The passenger rolled out of the car and landed face down. They filled their lungs with deep gulps of air and limped away.

  The engine was still running. The splashes of blood were immediately sucked into the leather and the bullets were pushed out of the holes in the door panel. The leather repaired itself and everything returned to normal.

  The two bullets that had been pushed out of the driver’s door hovered in mid-air at the men’s chest level, like arrows aiming at a target. The men were too busy coughing and hobbling away to notice. When one of the men turned around and saw them, he screamed and pointed them out to the other. They both panicked and tried to move faster. Suddenly, the car doors closed softly and it screeched off, leaving a cloud of dust that encircled them. The two bullets fell to the ground.

  With their mouths open in horror and the driver still dripping with blood, the men stood by the side of the road, wheezing heavily. They couldn’t speak properly for some time.

  *

  When Kevin left the gym, the car was parked where he’d left it. He jumped in and drove off. Tobus told him what had happened with the two idiots.

  ‘Why did you let them take you? You should have refused to open the doors,’ Kevin said.

  ‘Are you kidding me? I like to have fun, too, and that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do much in the city so I let them take a little joyride first. Plus, it’ll teach them not to take things that don’t belong to them,’ Tobus said, laughing. ‘So, how did it go with your sister?’

  Kevin looked sombre. ‘She was still crying over my death. Kate and I got on very well – she always looked out for me, even when we were kids. I tried to console her. I told her to try to move on with her life. I was going to ask her about her husband, Tom, but I didn’t. Tom and I never got on but it would be nice to know how he is. I could find out if I wanted to, but there’s no need. My main concern is Kate, not Tom. I hope she adjusts,’ Kevin said.

  ‘How would you find out if you didn’t ask Kate?’ Tobus asked.

  ‘I could go to Tom’s office canteen. It’s almost lunchtime. You’ll always find Tom around food. Or I could summon the canteen here,’ Kevin explained. ‘In fact, let’s have some fun and see Tom’s canteen.’

  Kevin opened his hand and a database opened up. He selected an area, then Tom’s office canteen in the town centre. Tom was sitting at a table with two other men, eating mashed potatoes with steak and vegetables. Some mashed potato with sauce was dangling off his beard.

  Kevin quickly closed the scene. ‘Nothing new there. Yep, that’s Tom, all right. We never got on,’ he said again.

  ‘So, where next?’ Tobus asked, looking forward to their next adventure.

  ‘Where else but to my poor mother? She really is a nice, caring person. She looked after me the best way she could. She even tried to stop me from marrying Cynthia but I was adamant,’ he said.

  Tobus changed into a taxi and they drove towards the house where Kevin’s parents had moved before he’d been born. Kevin took an invisible form as he entered the house in which he was brought up.

  His mother and father were sitting in the lounge watching TV. Suddenly, his mother rushed into the kitchen and checked her shopping list on the kitchen table. She took it back into the sitting room and said to her husband, ‘Paul! I need to go to the store! Would you drive me?’ She flitted from one room to another, getting her purse and some shopping bags.

  ‘Must it be now? Can’t it wait until another day?’ Paul asked. ‘I’m resting.’

  ‘Yes, Paul. We have no food. We don’t even have any biscuits or snacks to offer if someone drops in to see us.’

  ‘I’ve never heard of such a thing. The amount of food in this house could feed an army of at least twenty very hungry people. I bet if I go to the fridge right now, I’ll find plenty to eat,’ he argued, still watching television avidly.

  ‘Are you taking me or not? Otherwise, I‘ll call a taxi. I know you’re just too lazy to get up, that’s why you’re arguing unnecessarily,’ Jackie said, rolling her eyes.

  ‘I don’t feel like going anywhere. I haven’t even brushed my hair. If you can wait until tomorrow, or even later today, I’ll take you. Otherwise, call a taxi.’

  Angrily, she picked up the phone and called the number of a local taxi that they had used for years. Kevin answered: ‘Right away, madam. I will be there in a few minutes.’

  It was only a ten minutes’ drive to the store. Their journey to the shop started quietly but Kevin soon struck up a conversation. ‘The weather has been very good today, don’t you think? A barbecue in the backyard would be nice.’

  ‘Yes, it’s really lovely. Maybe when I finish my shopping, I’ll go outside and sunbathe a little,’ Jackie responded cheerfully.

  ‘I’ve been driving taxis for years but I’ve recently begun trying to enjoy life more. Life’s too short, you know?’ Kevin said, looking at her in the rear-view mirror.

  ‘How so?’ she asked. She had a slight frown but she leaned forward, listening eagerly.

  ‘Well, I recently lost my wife and three children in a car accident. I haven’t looked at life the same way since then,’ he said.

  ‘Oh no, what a tragedy,’ Jackie said.

  ‘I was always too busy working when they were alive. Sometimes, when my wife offended me, I took a long time forgiving her. And then she was gone. That’s when I realised, I should have spent more time loving my family and less time being angry.’

  Jackie was quiet for a moment before replying. ‘Yes, I know what you mean. Life can be unkind at times and we tend to take it out on those around us. We blame them for what happens to us.’ Silence fell for a few moments before she added, ‘I lost my beloved son recently to a hit-and-run driver.’

  ‘How did that happen? Was the driver ever found?’

  ‘Well, no. It’s a long story. He left his home because he was having a problem with his wife’s infidelity. We never saw him alive again.’ A tear rolled down her cheek. She used the back of her hand to wipe it away.

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. Did he have any children?’

  ‘Yes, but they’re with her. She won’t let us anywhere near them,’ Jackie said, irritation in her voice. ‘We love the kids to pieces but she won’t even let them visit us. And we certainly can’t visit them as she’s already living with another man, in my son’s family home.’

  ‘That’s terrible. This is the time a family should unite for the sake of the dead person,’ Kevin said. ‘You love your son, right? For his sake, you have to make it up with her. You don’t want to lose your best reminders of him, your grandchildren.’

  Jackie shifted restlessly in her seat.

  ‘I think he’d be sad to know that all the people he loved now hate each other,’ Kevin pressed.

  She nodded and looked out of the window, trying to hold back her tears. ‘Yeah, you’re right. Gosh, I miss my son so much and not being able to see his children just makes it worse.’

  ‘I’d say that no matter what has been said or done, especially when children are involved, you’ve got to make the extra effort to be in each other’s lives for their sake. That way, they don’t lose their sense of identity in additi
on to the person they loved.’

  ‘I think you’re absolutely right. It’s just very hard to forgive sometimes when the other person is in the wrong and they’re not remorseful about what they’ve done,’ Jackie said.

  The silence that followed was interspersed with an occasional ‘umm,’ from both of them, as though they were each thinking of the next thing to say.

  ‘Well, it’s certainly food for thought,’ Jackie said finally. ‘Most of us have so much that we want to put right in our lives. What’s your name, son?’

  ‘Oh, I’m Fred, madam,’ Kevin replied.

  ‘Please, call me Jackie. You’ve spoken wisely and have certainly opened my eyes. It’s been nice to talk to you. I feel like I’ve known you for a very long time,’ she said with a thin smile.

  ‘That’s what people usually say to me! It was a pleasure talking to you, too,’ Kevin said. ‘Jackie, if you don’t mind, I’ll park and wait for you to finish your shopping and then I’ll drop you back at your house and finish for the day. Don’t worry about the money. I’m already in my last hour. This one won’t count.’

  ‘Yes, you can wait for me but I would still like to pay my fare, if you don’t mind.’

  Kevin, used to his mother’s stubbornness, knew there would be no point arguing. ‘Okay, I’ll wait here for you. If you need me to help you carry anything just come outside and fetch me.’ He parked the car, opened the door for Jackie and guided her out gently. She entered the shop while Kevin and Tobus waited. When she emerged twenty minutes later, Kevin rushed to meet her. He took control of the shopping trolley, loaded everything into the boot and opened the door for her.

  Jackie asked, ‘Are you from around here? You’re such a kind young man.’

  ‘Yes, I live locally,’ Kevin responded.

  ‘Have you been driving locally or elsewhere?’

  ‘I’ve always been local,’ he replied.

  When they arrived back at her house, he carried the groceries to the front door. She thanked him warmly and took her shopping inside. Kevin waved goodbye to his Earth mother and left.