Chapter 11
“This is not going well with the parents,” Bobby said as he helped Becky get Barbara onto the bed.
“I know,” Becky agreed. “I knew there would be hurt feelings all around.”
“You have to admit that Barb was pretty desperate to try something like this.”
“I know that too, but I can’t understand it. Take her shoes off, please,” Becky said as she pulled Barb into an upright position and removed her jacket.
“That’s because you like working with ghosts,” Bobby said. “It doesn’t annoy you the way it does me. And, to be honest, I think Barb is scared of dead people.”
“She can sleep in the rest of her clothes,” Becky allowed. “She won’t like it, but I think this is the best we can do for now.”
Bobby pulled off Barbara’s shoes and sat them against the wall. Becky got a light throw from the closet and covered her sister with it.
“Turn her on her left side,” Bobby instructed.
“Why?” Becky asked.
“I can tell that you’ve never been drunk to the point of passing out,” Bobby scoffed as he looked closely at his little sister. Then, feeling bad for acting like Becky’s standards were a bad thing, he decided to explain. “When people drink too much, they sometimes throw-up. If she pukes, and she is on her side, she won’t strangle on it,” he advised as he stuffed a large pillow behind Barb’s back. “That will keep her from rolling over on her back.” He pulled his sister’s right leg over, bending it at the knee, and added, “And that will keep her from rolling onto her stomach. If she’s on her back or her stomach, either position might cause her to choke if she gets sick in the night.”
“Oh yuck!” Becky said. She had never had alcohol to excess and didn’t really know anything about the pitfalls. She did know of a hangover recipe and she’d make sure Barb had it first thing in the morning. “Do you think she’ll throw up? Do we need to check on her every hour?”
“She drank an entire bottle of wine and took several Xanax, but in this position she should be fine. Just check on her again before you go to bed and again in the morning. She’ll be all right,” Bobby soothed. “Besides, she’s got the easy part. Now, we have to go back in there and deal with our parents and their reactions to this.” He waved his hand over Barb to indicate her inebriated condition and shook his head.
“You’re right about that. We can’t put it off either.”
“Then, let’s get back to it,” Bobby said.
Chapter 12
When Bobby and Becky returned to the living room, Justin and Joyce glumly sat at the table with their heads down. Neither of their parents was happy. Neither had adjusted to the news they had learned about their eldest daughter. Bobby rolled his eyes at Becky when he saw how his parents acted. In response, she lightly punched him in the shoulder and shook her head at him.
Joyce sniffed loudly and wiped tears away. Justin had his arms defiantly crossed over his chest. Certainly, they had not liked what they’d learned about Barb… and who could blame them?
“We knew she was seeing a shrink,” Justin admitted.
“We also knew she was taking an anti-anxiety medication,” Joyce added, “But this! This!”
“Mom, I already explained that,” Becky said.
“You didn’t explain why she would mix alcohol with her prescription!” Joyce cried out. Her lamentations fell silent when suddenly a chill blasted into the room.
At first they didn’t see him, but everyone certainly felt him. Then, Josh materialized. “Oh, you’re having another birthday party and everyone was invited and welcome except me! Right?” Josh yelled, splintering what little peace was left in the dining room.
The shock of his apparition was chilling.
Joyce forgot what she was saying and gasped. Justin looked worriedly at Becky. He was surprised that no one had mentioned Josh Edwards. He personally hadn’t thought about the boy since his death and burial. Justin wasn’t sure what to make of his icy visit just now.
Static filled the air and Barb’s empty wine glass exploded into thousands of pieces. The chandelier above the table trembled and shook overhead, threatening to fall off the ceiling. The lights in that part of the house blinked on and off and then went out.
“Stop it!” Bobby yelled in his harshest military command voice. “Stop it right this minute, Josh. Why do you want to cause Becky such heartache? What did she ever do to you? Just stop it, dammit! You’re long dead and none of us had anything to do with it. Either be kind or be gone!”
Joyce was stunned; her tears forgotten. Justin put aside his worry over Barb just as quickly. This was something new. Now, something told him that he should be worried about Becky. Justin wasn’t sure what was going on but he stood with his son on it out of principle.
“You heard him, Josh! Get!” Justin shouted.
Another wild rush of frigid air blew through the dining room as Josh made a hasty retreat. He wasn’t about to tangle with Mr. Tibbs or Bobby. He had too much respect for both of them. But, he was angry that he hadn’t been included in the family gathering, especially since they were there to celebrate Becky’s birthday. He’d been with Becky that very morning and she hadn’t mentioned it. Or had she? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t even remember leaving her this morning, but he did remember that he’d visited her.
As soon as Josh left the lights came back on. The Tibbs’ family, still sitting at the dining room table, looked at each other in disbelief but for different reasons.
Justin and Joyce were surprised that no one had mentioned Josh Edwards. Bobby was shocked that Josh’s anger was so fierce and directed at his kid sister. Becky was stunned that Bobby had so cruelly told Josh the truth.
She glared at Bobby, “I told you I’d handle Josh.”
“He needed to know,” Bobby defensively argued.
“What? You mean to tell me that he didn’t know?” Justin asked.
Becky sadly nodded her head.
“How could he not know?” Joyce asked. “It’s been years. He died long before we did.”
“You know that ‘time’ holds no meaning on the other side,” Justin curtly reminded his wife. “An hour, a day, a year, a decade, it doesn’t matter… there’s no reference to any time period. It’s simply what it is.”
“I think I would find that to my liking,” Bobby added. “To me, it seems like every time I pay attention, it’s already Saturday once again.” No one seemed to pay any attention to his comment; they were too concerned about Josh, and more importantly, Becky.
“Regardless, how could he not know he was dead?” Joyce asked again, ignoring her husband.
“I’m not sure,” Becky replied. “This is a new one for me. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t had to tell a new spirit that they’re dead before, but Josh has been dead for ten years. Ten years today. I can’t imagine where he has been all this time and why he didn’t figure it out before now. I agree with all of you, he needed to know, but I wanted to break it to him a little more gently than that,” Becky said, casting an accusing glare at her brother again. “I told you I’d handle it,” she added.
“I suppose that means he’s been here before,” Justin said.
“Yes, the first time was this morning,” Becky admitted.
“No,” Bobby corrected, “the first time was when he invaded your bedroom last night… when he disturbed your sleep.”
“Oh my,” Joyce said. “That’s not good, Becky. He could be a vengeful spirit.”
“You might not be safe,” Justin added. “Jiminy Cricket! A parent’s worry doesn’t even end in death! And, we can’t protect you!”
“What I need to do is figure out how and why he died. That’s the only thing that will help him,” Becky replied to all three of her worried relatives.
“Just how do you propose to do that?” Bobby asked.
“I don’t know yet, but I have to try,” she stubbornly replied.
“Maybe Mom and Dad can make some inquiries on the ot
her side. Find out what happened to Josh and where he’s been all this time,” Bobby suggested as he hopefully looked at his parents.
“That’s a great idea,” Joyce said. “We’ll get right on that. In the meantime, be very careful, Becky.”
“We’ll let you know if we hear anything,” Justin agreed.
The party was over and Becky wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She wasn’t sure if it had been a success or not. Once Josh had appeared, everything seemed to go down the drain. Physically tired and mentally exhausted, she said goodbye to Bobby, checked on Barbara one last time, and then went upstairs to bed.
Chapter 13
Once again, Becky had a restless night. Her subconscious mind continued to work on the Josh problem which resulted in more bizarre dreams. It didn’t help that Josh was in her room yet again, watching her while she slept. His spirit presence couldn’t seem to let her alone and invaded her thoughts and dreams.
In her dream, Becky was flying. She noticed the landmarks and realized she was floating over the spot on I-26 where Josh had died. She recognized the location because in order to give his daughter some small amount of closure, Justin had driven Becky out to the actual site a week after Josh’s death. Josh had died over twenty miles from their favorite haunts and her birthday party.
What was he doing out here?
Who called him away from my party?
What did the text message say?
Why had he rushed away from her and into such a dangerous situation that ended in his death?
Becky knew she had to find answers to all these questions.
As she scanned the accident area, she also noticed that one of the officers at the scene was Marty Smith. Marty was a few years older than Becky, but she remembered that he’d gone to school with Barbara at Irwin High. They’d had a serious relationship for a while.
Recognizing Marty presented a solution to part of the problem she now faced in helping Josh. She’d call Marty to find out if he knew anything about Josh’s case. As Barbara’s sister, Becky felt sure that Marty would help her.
Chapter 14
The next day, Sunday, Becky spent most of the morning with Barbara. Her sister was still woozy and nauseated from the mixture of Xanax and wine, but they had a relatively decent visit in spite of her sickness from drinking too much alcohol the previous evening. Barb did manage to drink a spicy-tomato hangover remedy that Becky mixed up for her and then she had some coffee. However, Barb refused all offers of food.
“What do you remember, Barb?” Becky asked while they had more coffee on the patio.
“Not much… Did Mom and Dad show up?”
“Oh yeah, they were here,” Becky replied with a giggle.
“Oh rats! What did I do and what did they do? Tell me everything and don’t leave anything out.”
Becky recapped the highlights for her sister and ended by saying, “Their worries were interrupted when Josh made another surprise appearance. So, I think you can relax a little. He distracted everyone from their concerns about you.”
“Josh came back? Wow, Becky, you really have to do something about him, you know?”
“I know, but I didn’t get a chance. Last night, Bobby took it upon himself to tell Josh he was dead. I really wanted to break it to him slowly, but that didn’t happen.”
“Well, the cat’s out of the bag now and that means you have to deal with it in a different way. Listen, I know how sensitive this must be for you. Josh was your first love or crush. Those guys are never easy to forget or deal with when they pop up in the future,” Barb said as if speaking from past experience.
“Talking about first crushes, didn’t you have a serious thing for Marty Smith?” Becky asked.
“Whatever brought that name up?” Barb asked in surprise, her cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment or excitement over whatever memory his name evoked.
“I didn’t sleep well again last night. I dreamed I was flying and I ended up over the accident scene where Josh died. I noticed for the first time that Marty was one of the police officers there. He was a rookie at the time, but I think he’s made Sergeant now. I’m going to call him tomorrow and see if he knows anything that will help me solve the case. Do you have any advice for me… anything that might help me get him talking?”
Barb only chuckled
“I’m serious, Barb. What can you tell me about him?” Becky urged.
“Listen, Sis… anything I can tell you about Marty Smith wouldn’t help you talk to him about Josh.” Barb giggled again. “He was the quarterback, I was the prom queen. What else can I say? We didn’t do a lot of talking.”
“Oh,” Becky replied with eyebrows raised. She tried to let the subject drop, but Barb was unwilling to do so.
“What? Wasn’t Josh your first big crush?” Barb asked. “Didn’t you have sex with him?”
“No, we didn’t, but he was my first kiss,” Becky admitted as her cheeks reddened.
“Oh, my sweet, innocent little sister,” Barb said as she chuckled softly and knowingly. “Well, then who did you lose your virginity to?”
“I love you to death, Sis, but that is none of your business.” From her sister’s tone of voice, Barb let the topic drop, but she didn’t forget it completely. She’d save it for another time.
After they’d finished off the coffee, Bobby came over for a lunch of barbeque sandwiches that Becky had made from finely chopped chicken and pork leftovers from the previous night. The three siblings visited some more. Becky and Bobby ate lunch while Barb held her nose and tried not to get nauseated. She nibbled on a piece of dry toast, insisting it was all her stomach could handle.
After he’d eaten two large buns filled with a sloppy-joe style barbeque mixture, Bobby said, “Gosh that was good. I should’ve left some of the potato salad here to go with the sandwiches. But, tell me, Barb… was it worth it last night? You know, tuning out our parents… is the hangover you’re suffering from today worth blocking them out last night? I really need to know.”
“Not really,” Barb said rather sheepishly as she massaged her temples. “No, definitely not; this is the worst hangover I’ve ever had. I don’t think I will ever do that again.”
“I don’t understand why you don’t talk to them and get the air cleared,” Becky said. “If our parents knew their visits annoyed you, they’d stop visiting so often.”
“And you honestly think that would do any good?” Barb and Bobby asked with disbelief at the same time.
“Jinx!” Bobby exclaimed. But Barb and Becky ignored him. He was used to it. As the middle child, he felt he was often unseen and overlooked.
“I think it’s worth a try,” Becky responded. “Look, our parents don’t mean to interfere in our lives. They’re not snooping, spying, or butting in. They just appear every time we think about them. They can’t help it. It’s simply the way it works with any of our departed ancestors.”
“How do you know that?” Bobby asked.
“I have been steadily working with ghosts and spirits for the entire five years that you and Barb have been avoiding them,” Becky softly replied. It was said with sincerity in an effort to help her siblings understand, not to gouge them for their failures.
“So what are you suggesting?” Barb asked.
“Well, if you’re thinking something like, ‘Gosh, I hope Mom and Dad doesn’t see me right now,’ while you’re doing whatever you’re doing, then you have to stop thinking like that. By thinking that way, you are drawing them right to you.”
“I didn’t know it worked that way,” Barb admitted.
“I didn’t either,” Bobby added.
“Keep in mind that they don’t read your mind, they simply hear their names,” Becky said.
“That’s a relief,” Bobby admitted. “I’d really hate it if they knew my deep, dark thoughts.”
“For everyone’s benefit, we could set some ground rules and boundaries. We should’ve done it from the beginning, but better late than never,” Becky advised
in an attempt to stay on target.
“What kind of ground rules?” Bobby asked.
“For starters, we could explain that we think about them a lot. We could tell them that unless we have specifically called them for help about something, they should pop off without making their presence known. They should be able to tell the difference by now. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great if it works,” Barb agreed. “You do realize that I’ve seen more of our parents since they died than I saw of them the entire time I was away at college? That’s why it is so annoying. I was used to living on my own, being away from home, and doing things the way I wanted. I knew they were right here at home and I was in Raleigh. I was confident that I wouldn’t bump into them or see them unless I made the effort to visit them here on weekends. Since they died, I’ve seen them almost every day. The privacy issue is driving me crazy!”
“Do you have a new boyfriend, Sis?” Bobby asked and then chuckled. “It makes it difficult to do the down and dirty if you think the folks are watching, right?”
“That’s not amusing, Bobby. But to be honest, it makes it difficult to do anything when I think the folks are watching,” Barb admitted.
“I’m with you,” Bobby said. “It’s the same for me. I was independent before they died. I’d been on my own for a long time, basically since I graduated tech school. Even in Iraq, I saw them almost every blasted day.”
“Well, Barb, I have to ask… seeing them daily drove you so crazy that you pulled an insane stunt like last night to block them out, right?” Becky said.
“Yes,” Barb admitted. “I felt desperate.”
“And you too, Bobby, you were waiting to see if it worked and if it was worth it because you’re tempted to try something just as dangerous and bizarre like that too?” Becky continued.
“Hey,” Bobby added, “of course she’s not alone. I’ve already admitted that much because I’m willing to do anything too if it will keep them out of my private space. I have a life. Just think about it; I can’t even go to the john without them showing up!”
A Medium's Birthday Surprise Page 4