'Please, please, please just make me one or the other.'
Does God make mistakes? If not, does Heaven? And if so, how do they happen, and can they be corrected? Would you want them to be?
If your reality has ever caused you to form a request such as this, You might be wondering.

This is a feel good story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave a comment.
Carla Ann

Bobby and Bethany
A story of making things right
Copyright  © 2008 Carla Ann, All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction, any resemblance to real people, places or events is coincidental and unintentional. This work may be printed for personal use but not otherwise reproduced in part or in whole to any other site or medium without express permission of the author.

I would like to acknowledge all the help from my dear friend Tiffany Shar. Without her help and encouragement, this story would never have seen the light of day. Also, to Jan S., for all the practical editing and advice, and also for encouraging me to consider joining BigCloset. You are a dear.

This is the first story I've ever posted, so please comment, but please be helpful and kind. Writing does not come easy to some, and I cannot hope to become better unless I know your thoughts.

Thank you,
Carla Ann

This story is complete.

---

The cabin pressure changed slightly as the plane slowed, and then banked into what could only be a holding pattern. Thomas Baylor woke as the pilot announced the delay, saying the flight would still arrive on schedule. His empty cocktail cup gone, he stowed his tray table and put away the notes on his team lineup for spring season.

He'd felt more than a little guilty about even going on the "executive getaway", but it had been a good vacation. Really a relaxed sales and networking opportunity for their biggest customers, it was promoted as a couples vacation. When his most troublesome customer cancelled at the last minute, it had left a lot of time to for him and Carol to rekindle the romance that had almost been forgotten in the midst of their busy lives. If it hadn't been for the nightly calls home to check on Bobby, it would have been a perfect second honeymoon.

He thought about poor Bobby at home with his sister Lydia, recuperating from the accident. He'd planned to send a co-worker on the trip so he could be home with Bobby, but Bobby had caught on and insisted they go, saying both of them, but Mom especially needed the vacation. Thomas was often surprised by his perceptiveness, for while it was true that they did need some time alone together, how would an 11-year old boy know that? It made him feel all the more guilty for some reason, as if he were taking advantage of his son's giving nature. Bobby had only been home from the hospital two days when he had told them he wanted them to go on the trip, and Thomas only agreed to go after the doctor assured them he'd be alright. Between the sales job he hated, and the part time college coaching job he loved, he knew he didn't spend enough time with Bobby. But something else nagged him. Something about Bobby's nature just didn't seem natural for a boy his age. Or any age for that matter. He couldn't put his finger on it, though he'd been trying for some time.

He looked over at Carol, that amazing, caring woman whom he'd met after losing Julie. Julie had been his first true love, but they'd broken up because she needed more than he could deliver at the time. Then Julie drove off that mountain in the fog and killed herself, forever preventing them from patching their relationship. Carol had been her best friend. What began as friends facing a common loss had blossomed quickly from the ruins of what had been before. Thomas never expected to fall for Carol, and never expected her to see so easily into his soul. For her part, Carol had never expected to be attracted to a hyper-jock like Thomas. She'd always dated the academic types, not that Thomas was any slouch in that department, either.

“You know.." Carol and Thomas said at the same time as they turned to face each other. They both stopped, surprised, then she chuckled and said, "No you go ahead".

"I was just thinking about Bobby. I realized this week I've been pushing him too hard to toughen up like other boys his age. He tries, but it just seems to bounce off or something, and I'm afraid he's starting to feel he's not living up to my expectations. I don't want him to feel like that. But I'm afraid I'm just not cut out to be the kind of father he needs ... He's just so different ... It's hard to explain." Carol's expression changed to concern as she saw him set his jaw in his trademark look of frustration.

"Whatever do you mean, 'not cut out to be the father he needs'?" Carol asked. 'Where was this going?' she asked herself.

"Well, you remember how excited I was when we first knew we were having a son. I looked forward to all the great things we could do together, and all I could teach him. I envisioned coaching his little league team, and campouts and going to car shows, all those things a dad does with his boy. But Bobby is just so different! He doesn't seem to be interested in the things I was at his age -- any age for that matter, and I'm kind of at a loss what to do," he paused and looked at her.

"And...?" her eyebrows had gone up, her concern evident.

"It's hard to explain...Here. Let me tell you what happened a while back. I haven't told you the full story before, because I wasn't sure what to think myself. You remember about six weeks ago when the flowers were just blossoming? I took Bobby over to the forest preserve one afternoon, remember? Well, the reason I did was to show him something. The Boy Scouts were there about four months before, thinning the forest for the county. There were a couple hundred of them there one weekend.They saved part of the timber for firewood, but someone had donated a couple huge coils of rope. So they built this really cool bridge over the creek entirely out of logs they had lashed together with the rope. They even cut planks with two-man saws for the floor. The Forest Preserve guys even drive their trucks over it now, it's that strong. It's quite a sight, so I took Bobby over there to see it, but I wanted it to be a surprise. The only thing is, I was the one surprised." He stopped and looked at her but she just returned his gaze, so he continued.

"From the parking lot, the path takes you through some trees, a clearing, and finally into the woods where the creek is. Just before you get to the creek there's a big meadow, maybe an acre,where the grass is about waist high -- almost shoulder high on Bobby. Well, we were walking together, talking about his school and having a good time when we got to the meadow, and just as the bridge came into view over the grass and wildflowers, I stopped and looked that direction. With all that color and the bridge peeking over it all, it was picture perfect."

"Bobby looked too, then his eyes got big, and he took off running! My own excitement turned to confusion when I realized he was running into the grass, not toward the bridge. Then I saw the butterflies, thousands of them, all different colors. Bobby could barely be seen by now, he was frolicking and dancing around in the grass, right in their midst. He was completely absorbed, and he was giggling like he used to when he was three! I was still in shock that he hadn't even noticed the bridge, when a lady passing on the trail with her dog stopped and watched him for minute, then said to me 'There's nothing like a meadow full of butterflies to bring joy to a little girl!'"

"Well! I was all set to get indignant and put her straight until I looked again and saw what she saw. Bobby was in his red shorts and faded blue T-shirt, sandals and with his shaggy hair in the midst of all that grass, and the way he was frolicking around, he did kind of look like a girl. So I didn't say anything, because you couldn't help but smile watching him. Then about that time a butterfly landed on his nose, and he actually squealed! The lady smiled and left then, and a few minutes later Bobby came running back, all bubbly and excited, and thanking me over and over for such a 'precious moment' - he actually used that phrase!" Carol visibly relaxed, and began to smile, envisioning the sight in her mind.

"I was so flabbergasted, I couldn't even say anything", Thomas said, "I just started walking toward the bridge again. When we finally got close enough that it dominated the view, he just turned to me and asked 'Why would anyone build something like that out of logs? It looks unsafe.' So I explained it's how the settlers built them, and they were strong enough for their heaviest wagons, and lasted for years. When I told him the Boy Scouts built it he just said 'Oh,' as if to say he still thought it was a condemnation or just wasted effort. It was such a weird experience for me, totally turned around and unexpected." He looked at Carol, but she just looked back expectantly, smiling now.

"Cabin crew, prepare for landing." the captain stated over the intercom as the plane began to turn again. Thomas paused as the stewardess walked by for final seatbelt check, then continued.

"We turned around then, and if I wasn't surprised enough already, this really did it. Bobby actually grabbed my hand, and held it until we got all the way to the park by the parking lot! Then when we got back to the park, we walked along the pond there. There were several boys with their dads running their remote control boats, but Bobby didn't even notice them. Instead he was totally engrossed watching a mother duck teach her ducklings how to find bugs in the mud along the edge of the pond. It was just a little unnerving, to tell the truth. And, when I read through his papers from the van the other day, I found a poem about the ducks, and an unfinished one titled "Joy", which has a reference in it about butterflies. There was also the beginnings of a watercolor of that meadow."

"Well, it sounds like Bobby had a wonderful time, and all because his dad wanted to spend some time with him. It must have meant a lot to him if he wrote two poems about the experience. What about you? Did you enjoy taking him?" she asked.

"That's just it! I did enjoy it. That look on his face in the meadow was pure ecstacy! But it was completely accidental. I couldn't have planned that even if I had known the butterflies were there! And that's the problem. I was looking for a bridge, and he was looking for butterflies! I can't figure him out, so how can I hope to provide him what he needs? And how can I give him confidence to compete with the kind of kids I coach? I mean, how many boys his age dance with butterfies and hold their dad's hand? It's really confusing! I've coached a lot of boys, and he's not like any of them." he finished, his frustration evident.

Carol laughed at that point. "Is that all? Of course you can't understand him! You're all physical, and he's all mental and emotional. You're complete opposites, but even if you weren't, he would still surprise you by seeing and doing things differently than you would have. It's part of being a child! In time you'll both find a way to meet halfway. Perhaps you should take him to the opera sometime, that's something you could share," she suggested, alluding to his passion for great music, which he learned from his own grandparents.

"You should know by now that kids don't come with a play book, Thomas. He'll find his own way. All we have to do is help him discover the right direction for himself, and give him a nudge from time to time. You're a great father, just like yours was, and Bobby adores you just like you did your dad and grandfather. Maybe he'll never have your strength or gift for athletics, but he's got your character, and that's your best part! And he's got lots of self-confidence, just in different areas. You ought to know, you've seen his poems--he carries them everywhere, even though the other kids make fun of him for it. It wouldn't hurt Bobby to know that his dad enjoys a little culture too, you know."

"Well, I guess, but the arts are not something most dads get passionate about with their sons. I've just been so afraid that since he's not interested in sports, I have nothing left to teach him. At least he seems to like baseball. Size isn't so important there. Maybe we can learn to relate over catch."

Carol laughed in that bubbly way he found so endearing, "Well, not if you continue to throw balls like the last time! He couldn't close his hand for a week!" She was referring to a few weeks before the accident. Tom had enticed Bobby into the front yard and then escalated their catch session until he was throwing fastballs like his last season in college. One blistering pitch Bobby had caught hard, right in the palm of his fielders glove, and it had bruised his hand terribly. The tears in his eyes showed the pain but all he said was "I'm a little tired, Dad. I think I'll go read a while." Thomas winced at the memory. He hadn't even congratulated him for getting in front of the ball like he had. Some coach. Some Dad, for that matter.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. You know, he didn't even complain. I didn't realize he was hurt until the next day when his teacher sent him home because he kept dropping his pencil."

"Don't feel too bad about it. He didn't tell you because he didn't want to disappoint his dad. Bobby wants to live up to your standards so you'll be proud of him. But he's a little reluctant to play with you for fear of getting hurt. Don't forget that time you knocked the wind out of him with the football. You just have to learn how to play a little more on his level, that's all. He has trouble competing physically with kids his own age, so he's no match for a hundred and eighty pound sack of muscles like you", she said, smiling.

"I know he's a little underdeveloped socially and physically, but he's very bright and talented, and has a real gift for his writing and art, 'way beyond his years. It should be no surprise he pours all his energy into those things he's good at. You did, and you still do. He'll eventually balance out if we give him time."

Thomas looked thoughtful, as the jet touched down on the tarmac. "So, really ... Everything you've said is about being a good father. I just want to be his Dad." He started to try to explain but she'd had enough of this nonsense by now, and interrupted him with a shove on the shoulder.

"You already ARE his Dad, you numbskull!! Dad, Father, they're the same damn thing for cryin' out loud! Just lighten up a little, and cancel the order for his sky-diving lessons!" she managed to say before dissolving into giggles, followed shortly by Thomas' hearty laughter. It was as if something pressing down had been lifted, a longtime worry that just evaporated. The cabin lights came on just then, and Thomas chuckled to himself, thinking it was perfect timing, reminiscent of the way the sky gets lighter after a storm.

"OK then, good point." He said, as they both unbuckled and began to collect their things from the overhead bin. Everything for Thomas boiled down to a gameplan, and he had it in his head now.

"I guess the real problem is me. I just need to get to know the real Bobby instead of the one I expected him to be ... and no more pressure for sports unless HE wants to do something. And if he grows up to be a world class..." He waved his hand in the air searching for a word while handing Carol her shoulder bag.

"Fashion designer?" Carol baited him with a big grin on her face.

"Then I'll just stand in the back of the room and brag to the lighting and camera guys and say, 'Hey! Did you know that's MY son up there? He gets to spend all his time working with beautiful half-clothed supermodels!'" At which point Carol almost bruised him with a good natured slug to the arm.

"Oh you!" They didn't even notice the goodbyes from the stewardesses as they left the plane.

"I love the Aruba run!" one stewardess gushed to the other as they watched them walk up the ramp.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the passengers were that much in love?" the other one mused before the next passengers got to the door, and they turned their attention to them.

A Little Later.

In the pre-dawn quiet Bobby rolled over in his sleep, and came awake instantly, his head pounding like a hammer with each heartbeat. He had to pee too, so he got out of bed slowly, lest his nausea return. Knowing Aunt Lydia was a light sleeper and would be concerned if she heard him up at this hour, he slipped on his soft-sole slippers and robe and padded slowly and quietly to the bathroom, avoiding that squeaky place in the floor. Too dizzy to stand, he sat to do his business just as a fresh wave of vertigo hit him.

'When is this going to go away?' he wondered almost aloud. It had been three weeks since the accident that almost cost him his life. 'Sometimes I just wish I'd been killed before I do something really stupid. I'm a big enough embarrassment to my parents, better to be remembered as I am now than later, when the truth comes out and they find out how screwed up I really am. How's it going to look when it gets out that the son of the big coach hates sports and reads romance novels?'

Three Weeks Ago

Bobby had stayed after school to do research at the library. He was writing a paper on the architectural masterpieces in Chicago, and the school had some books that put the city library to shame. Unfortunately, you couldn't check out books from the reference section. Bobby hoped someday to see Chicago for himself. The buildings fascinated him, but only for their beauty, not any real interest in architecture. He was just leaving for home, when Bethany Fuller and her mom overtook him in the hall as they all made for the exit. Bethany was in his class, and unlike most of the kids, had always been nice to him, but he didn't really know her outside of class. She had friends. He didn't know how few, but he had none, so in his eyes she seemed wealthy in that department. At least she didn't have to eat lunch by herself every day. She was also cute. Pretty, really, except she was also a tomboy and it looked as if she did everything possible to disguise her looks. One thing they did have in common was that a lot of the kids picked on her too, in spite of the fact she was the school's best softball pitcher.

"Hey, Bobby!" she called out in that little Tinkerbell voice of hers that she hated, but always sent a shiver through him. "We're just coming from a softball meeting. Need a ride home?" Bobby didn't need a ride home. He was actually planning to jog the half-mile route home. That was one way he stayed in shape so he could outrun the bullies if need be, but she seemed to be genuine enough, and he wasn't going to miss an opportunity to maybe be friends with anyone, especially Bethany! He couldn't figure it out, he was just drawn to her, like they were the same somehow.

"Sure!" He paused, looked at his shoes, then said a little embarrassed, "That is, if it's okay with you, Mrs. Fuller."

Mrs. Fuller could see an attraction between the two young people, and she'd heard Bethany describe Bobby as 'a really nice kid' to Kathy on the phone. Knowing neither had many friends, she replied, "Of course it's all right, Bobby! We do have to stop at the cleaners, but if it's okay with your mom, we can grab a cone at the Dairy Queen next door. Do you want to call her?" she said, offering her cell phone.

She watched as Bobby politely accepted the phone and made the call, noticing just how much like Bethany he seemed to be. He not only moved like her, but he was the same size and even looked a lot like her. She decided on the spot that Bethany was right. He truly was 'a really nice kid'. A touch shy and effeminate maybe, but in a charming way and very polite.

It didn't take long for Bobby to get the okay from his mom, with the admonition not to spoil his dinner, and soon after they were in the minivan, headed to the cleaners, about a mile in the opposite direction. After Bethany was buckled in, she turned to Bobby. “Oh, by the way, those papers that those guys stole from your notebook today? I saw where they threw them after they got tired of harassing you, so I picked them up after they left -- I figured you'd like to have them back”, she said, pulling a small sheaf of his poems and drawings from her notebook and handing them over to him while he returned her gaze guardedly.

'Is this a prelude to more teasing?' Bobby wondered.

“I hope you don't mind, but I read them too," she continued. "I was just trying to figure out why they were picking on you. They’re really good, you know. Those guys would be jealous if they weren't so stupid! You should enter some in the writing contest over at City Library. I’ll bet that one about the ducks would win. Did you do that watercolor of the pond, too?" Unfortunately, the conversation ended abruptly at that point -- they never got to share ice cream that day.

A few minutes earlier

Mike turned his cab-over tractor-trailer rig up the shady divided street, wondering why Dispatch had routed him this way. They had been very specific about it, and he knew his overwidth permit didn't allow deviation. The next street over was wider, and this one was not only narrow, there were trees in the center median and residential side streets all along it, and it made him nervous. He was a true professional and wasn't afraid of his oversized load, but there just wasn't enough maneuvering room for safety's sake to suit him. A fifty-foot steel high-tension pole is unwieldy to begin with. He could see the crane crew in the distance, and knew that he was almost there, if he could just make that last turn in about a half mile.

Hitting a slight bump, his microphone jumped out of the clip again, threatening to get under his feet like last week, when it lodged under the pedals almost causing an accident. Just as he reached down to grab it, things went to hell. A little red convertible came screaming out of a side street on his right, misjudging the traffic coming toward Mike and instead of completing their left turn, stopped broadside right in front of him, the rear of the car still partially in his lane. The teenage girls looked up in horror as their future seemed inevitable.

"OH GOD, NO!!" Mike's mind screamed at him even as he reflexively swerved to the right to miss the little car. Luckily, he just grazed them, tearing off their back bumper as the huge rig rolled over the curb, leaving deep ruts in the grass between the road and the bikeway. Then Mike realized that in altering his trajectory, he was now headed directly for a large underground power line vault, one of those ubiquitous green boxes you see along modern residential streets.

He also recognized the yellow sign next to it, indicating a high pressure gas pipeline. He instinctively knew that hitting the vault would probably get him electrocuted in a fiery crash. That wasn't the bad part. As a career big-rig driver he knew the risks, and took pride knowing he'd instantly sacrifice himself to keep other drivers safe.

No that wasn't it. He saw that if he hit that vault, he'd take the top off that pipe section too. There would likely be a very big gas explosion and fire, endangering who knows how many people. The whole neighborhood could go up in flames. Old newsreel images of the firebombing of Dresden in World War II flashed through his mind.

"N-O-O-O-O!!", he yelled, with a super-human wrench on the steering wheel. Pulling a muscle in his shoulder, he wrestled the big tractor back onto the road, where it promptly headed for the trees in the center median instead. The power pole on his trailer made a groaning sound as it flexed. He thought for a moment he might get it all under control before hitting the trees, but then he heard a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot.

The noise was but a prelude. The crazy gyrations had caused the rear chain binder on the big pole to snap. The huge column, all 28,000 pounds of it, was now in the process of separating itself from the trailer.

In quick succession, each and every chain snapped, leaving the pole to continue it's forward motion diagonally up the traffic lane, taking up the whole street, but not until after the small end (a "mere" six inches in diameter) ripped most of the truck cab completely in two, its own forward motion having been stopped by a tree.

The crumpling cab floor bruised and strained Mike's right knee and ankle just before the cab turned over on its right side. A metal shipping tag on the very end of the power pole sliced Mike's arm as it went through the cab. Amazingly, instead of being completely severed into two body parts, he was not seriously hurt. He'd even been spared his arm by mere inches.

The errant power pole was sliding, rolling and bouncing down the street, toward the intersection the Fullers' minivan was soon to occupy. It's tapered shape caused it to slowly turn so it became increasingly perpendicular to the road. The truck on its side, Mike watched helplessly as the minivan entered the intersection, only to be smacked and mangled by the pole, looking for all the world like a giant bowling pin hitting the ball and flattening it in the process.

Despite his injuries he was out of the cab almost immediately, though he had to crawl out what was left of the driver's window opening. On his injured leg, he just couldn't run and kept falling down. Adrenalin pushing him onward, he arrived just as the neighbors did, as if anyone could actually help. Relieved at least there was no fire, he passed out then. A small pool of blood was forming under his right arm.

It seemed to the gathering bystanders that everyone was still alive. The side air bags had all deployed making it hard to tell for sure. The very length and diameter of that huge column, the thing that gave it so much destructive mass, had also caused it to roll over the van like a giant rolling pin once the van had hit the curb and stopped sliding sideways. Had it not rolled over the van, its forward motion would have crushed it completely. The driver, probably the kids' mother was just coming to, but they were just going to have to wait for the fire department. Nobody was going open that van without specialized tools, though some guy was prying on the drivers door with a tire iron. It didn't even look like a van now.

Mike came to, his head cradled in some lady's lap, blood everywhere. He thanked her, looked at the mangled van, and realized how helpless they were to help the victims inside. He then got onto his good knee right in the middle of the street, and began to pray. He didn't even notice that within a few minutes he was joined by other neighbors. People of many faiths prayed their hearts out, hoping against hope there were no life threatening injuries. People were starting to notice that the passenger on the left wasn't moving. The passenger on the right, a girl probably, was very bloody, but seemed very concerned for her seatmate. Mike passed out again just as he felt someone wrapping something around his arm.

Enough people had seen the whole thing that the police later commended Mike for his skill and obvious self-sacrifice. The girls that caused the accident were arrested for negligence and reckless driving, cell phones still in hand. Mike, Mrs. Fuller, Bethany, and Bobby all found themselves in the hospital. Mike was released after sewing the gash on his arm and wrapping it and his leg. Bethany suffered a cracked rib, a deep cut in her right eyebrow, a couple bad bruises, and a very black eye as a result of the cut. Bobby wasn't as lucky. He had been riding on the left side where the pole had hit the car, and not having the benefit of the higher driver's seat head restraint or the door post reinforcement, he'd gotten smacked hard in the head as the roof caved in, the airbag already deflating. He was in a coma, with a broken rib which had punctured and deflated his left lung. He had lots of other bruises from the impact of the side of the van caving in. Mrs. Fuller was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken arm. It was a clean break, however, so they were able to set it, put a cast on and release her that same evening. Not that she went home, with Bethany still there. They were watching her for possible concussion or psychological trauma. She had been hysterical by the time the van had been cut open, thinking her seatmate had been killed.

The doctors were amazed the occupants were even alive after seeing pictures of the van. There wasn't much left of it after the fire fighters used the Jaws Of Life tools on it. They'd had to saw the whole left side off to get to everyone. A mobile crane drove over from the job site, and after lifting away the side of the van, removed the pole, now just a big hunk of bent steel. The doctors were initially very worried about Bobby's lung, but it was easily corrected by the surgeon. They weren't so sure about his head injuries, however. The operating scene had been interesting; one team working on his side while another was putting a drain in his skull.

Bobby woke up four days later with a throbbing headache, wires running from his head to a machine, tubes going everywhere including one running out the back of his neck and taped to the side of his head. He was terrified when he realized he couldn't move and something in his mouth prevented him from closing it or even talking. He was even more scared when his Mom grabbed for the call button and began yelling and screaming hysterically, "HE'S AWAKE! HE'S AWAKE! Oh Thank GOD!! MY BABY!! He’s come back to us!"

A nurse rushed in, took one look at the terror in Bobby's eyes and injected something into one of the hoses going into Bobby. He faded back to sleep just as the nurse told his mom that the doctor would be there in a few minutes.

When Bobby woke again, there were several ladies in the room. One of them must have been the doctor. Through his blurry double vision he located his mom watching anxiously from a chair behind all the white coats. She looked like she hadn't slept or changed clothes for days. He saw he wasn't even in a bed. It was more like some astronaut training contraption that could be tilted in any direction. He realized then he couldn't move because he was strapped down, not paralyzed, as he'd feared. The rest of the day was a blur, but Bobby finally learned from the doctor that the tube was there to prevent pressure from building in his skull, and the restraints were just a precaution until he came to, if indeed he actually did (that realization really got his attention). They'd been worried about seizures too, and had put an appliance in his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue in two as a precaution. All the restraints were removed after the doctor checked him out, leaving him merely too sore to move. He was also moved to a room with a regular bed once they were certain he wasn't paralyzed.

Aside from the broken rib, they decided he should recover in a couple weeks. Bethany was able to go home a few days later, and came by to check on him before leaving. It amazed him that she actually seemed interested, even concerned with how he was doing. He had no experience with a non family member caring anything about him, especially another kid, and even more especially, a girl. He wasn't sure how to handle it, and it really embarrassed him that he didn't know what to say or do, much to the amusement of his parents. His parents, of course had misinterpreted the matter entirely, assuming he had a crush on her.

Bethany told him that she was basically okay and very lucky, that instead of losing an eye when the 'No Parking' sign had come through her window, the only permanent damage from her cut would be that she'd have to thin her left eyebrow rather severely from now on to match her right. She seemed almost disappointed that the scar probably wouldn't be visible. She laughed when she told him she'd asked her mother to call the scrap yard where the van ended up and ask if she could have that sign for a souvenir, but she didn't think her mom would do it. He thought to himself that she was almost as strange as he was.

The day Bobby left the hospital she was back to get her stitches out. He saw her coming down the hall with her mom, while they waited for Dad to bring the car around. It occurred to him again just how pretty she was under that tomboy exterior, eye patch, and awful hair. Then she waved at him, and it was as if an electric shock went through him. 'What IS it about that girl?', he wondered. Bethany's name was called then, so she turned and went into a treatment room, leaving Mrs. Fuller to continue over to say hi.

"Hi Bobby, Mrs. Baylor. Once again, I'm so sorry my driving skills are so poor. I still feel like I should have been able to do something."

"Hi! It's Carol. Please, especially now, after all everyone's been through. Bobby and I were just saying how fast it all happened, and how nothing could have prevented it. We're all so thankful no one was seriously hurt. I think that poor truck driver deserves an award, don't you? Did you know that after they wrapped his arm and leg he camped out at Bobby's door for two days before his wife came and made him go home?"

"Okay, Carol, please call me Barbara. No, I didn't know that about the truck driver. Poor guy, he checked in on Bethany several times, too. I'll bet this haunts his dreams for ten years. We seem to be lucky enough, we were sure worried about poor Bobby here. I guess we all have boo boos we can focus on though!" she chuckled as she pointed first to her cast, then the bandage on Bobby's head. "Well, I just wanted you to know, Bobby that Bethany and I are very sorry this was your introduction to the Fuller family. We hope you won't hold it against us, and we really do hope you will be up and around soon. Perhaps we can try for ice cream again. This time we'll take a bus!"

Bobby burst out laughing in spite of himself. It brought with it a fresh wave of nausea and vertigo. He closed his eyes until the room stopped spinning. Putting on a bright look he really didn't feel he said, "Thanks, Mrs. Fuller. I'd like that a lot. Please tell Bethany I hope she's well soon". He paused and looked up to Mrs. Fuller seriously, wincing slightly from the movement. After a moment he said, "She seems to be the kind of daughter any mother would be proud of".

The two ladies exchanged glances but Barbara recovered first. "Oh she is, Bobby. We're very proud of her. She's a bit too much tomboy for me sometimes, but I'm used to it and perhaps she'll outgrow it eventually. We're really proud of her, just the same." At a loss to respond further to Bobby's comment, she looked at her watch, stretched ridiculously over her cast. "Oh! Look at the time! Well, I need to check on her. Bye for now, but don't forget, we owe you ice cream!"

And with that, the nurse helped Bobby from the wheelchair into the family car, and he was on his way home, most likely facing another two weeks there before going back to school. His EEG was okay, but there was still swelling, and until it was gone there would be headaches, nausea and sudden dizziness. The bruises and the rib just added to the mess. At least the wires and the tube in his head were gone. The wound from the tube didn't hurt at least. Instead, it just itched where they'd shaved his head.

In the Bathroom

Bobby finished up, then flushed the toilet. He opened the medicine cabinet and took down the pill bottle, taking it downstairs to the kitchen where there was cold water. 'I've got a lot more empathy for drug addicts, now', he thought to himself. He wasn't due for another pill before morning, but he just had to do something. Just from going to the bathroom, he was now seeing double again, and knew he was thinking a little fuzzy. Opening the bottle and shaking a capsule into his hand he saw two, and didn't realize there really were two in his hand. Tossing the medication into his mouth he took a long drink of water and sat down at the table. He was half asleep but no longer sleepy, so he just sat there in the dim light, alone with his thoughts.

ALL his thoughts.

All her thoughts.

All HER THOUGHTS?!

'Oh damn!' he thought. 'Not now! I've got enough on my mind. I don't want to deal with THIS tonight!'

The big "this" was that Bobby had a big secret, one so terrible he couldn't share with anyone, but knew eventually everyone would know. He didn't understand it, but he knew it was true. He knew it would crush his dad, maybe his mom too. Bobby wasn't really a Bobby, or more formally, Robert. Perhaps Bobbi or Roberta, maybe, but that wasn't the name he knew was right. He'd known the truth as long as he could remember. And he could still remember some things from when he was in pullup diapers, so it had been on his mind a very long time indeed.

'It's bad enough I can't be strong enough for Dad, and I hate sports, except baseball, not that I'm any good. I can't even tell him about the sports, so how can I ever tell him I'm a girl?' Bobby pleaded silently to no one in particular, remembering his dad's shock and unease when he'd forgotten and allowed himself to behave naturally for a bit a few weeks ago at the forest preserve. 'At least I didn't go skipping down the path in front of him' he thought miserably.

'Besides, what can I do about it anyway? This body may not be much for a boy, but it sure isn't made for a girl! Please, please, please just make me one or the other.' Though he'd never dressed as a girl, or done anything girly in his life, he knew that all the other boys at school, and who knows how many girls, knew. Or at least knew he wasn't one of them. It's why he had no friends. He wasn't a real boy, and he wasn't a real girl, either. He existed in some no-man’s land in between, and it made him a complete pariah. 'That's a good metaphor for me', he thought sadly. 'I exist in the no-mans land.' Thinking of an old war movie he'd seen recently on TV, he thought, 'Too bad this isn't a battlefield, they send planes in to straffe the no-mans land don't they? That would be a good solution for everyone.'

He lay his head on the table, taking some comfort from the coolness, but the gut-wrenching emotions just continued to churn inside. Tears flowing like water, he wasn't sure if it was the headache or his heartache, or both and he was beyond caring which. He was getting so upset he knew he was going to vomit again, and he knew what that did for his headache. Anxious to avoid that vicious cycle again, he had to find a way to get calmed down.

'What does Dad do when he needs to calm down?' Bobby asked himself. Then he remembered all those times he'd heard his mom tell his dad after a hard day at work or school, "Thomas you're all worked up. Just sit down and relax. I'll get you a drink". 'Ah that's it! A drink!' Bobby figured it must be strong stuff too, since Dad drank rarely and never had more than one.

He got up as fast as his injured body could manage and padded over to the liquor cabinet, with all its bottles in various shapes and colors. Knowing nothing about liquor, having never paid attention, he did recognize the square bottle with the cut glass sides. Taking the large water tumbler he'd just used, and not knowing that whiskey is usually diluted with water or a mixer, he poured it full without ice.

'Eeeewww. Yuch! This stuff tastes awful' Bobby thought as he choked down the first swallow, with the fumes backing into his nose. 'Well, maybe this will turn me into a man, or at least a real boy.' And with that he determinedly sipped it like medicine until it was gone. His chest and mouth burning, he was already feeling sleepy and a little more light-headed by the time he got to the top of the stairs. 'At least', he thought, 'maybe now I can forget what a freak I am for a while.' He did notice his parents' door closed as he topped the stairs. 'Oh, good. I'm glad they made it home okay.'

At the same time, a few blocks away

Bethany woke suddenly as something silver on Bobby's left flashed and her whole world suddenly exploded with a crash and she saw something flying into her eye from the right. It happened at least once every night. Not really a nightmare, it was more a replay of the crash. Fully awake now, she decided to go pee.

Her sore rib was bothering her again. Being in the accident had been awful--while they sat in the van waiting to be cut out, she thought Bobby was dead, and it was her fault for inviting him in the first place. Even though she was covered in blood herself from her cut and could only see out of one eye, it was all she could think of. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing. It looked like the side of the van might be poking into his side but he wasn't even bleeding, which added to her concern he might be dead. She wanted to shake him awake, but was afraid that it might make whatever injuries he had worse.

He wasn't dead of course, but for several days it looked like he might be even worse off. He just wouldn't wake up. She probably drove the nurses crazy asking about him. She'd cried more than a little for him, and even went to the hospital chapel late at night to pray for him twice. Maybe he'll be okay now. She liked Bobby, though she wasn't sure why, and she was so very sorry he got hurt. She, at least got this cool scar on her face, even if it was hidden in her eyebrow. Too bad it wasn't across her cheek, like a pirate!

She got up, walked slowly to the bathroom, and relieved herself. As she sat there, she remembered that awful scene with her mother the day before over the fitting. She loved her cousin Sharon, but the thought of being her junior bridesmaid next month left her cold. She'd have to wear a dress. And not just any dress, a pink and white one, with lace and everything. The picture of it on her dresser made her shudder. And they'd probably want her to go to the beauty salon and get her hair done all prissy, and paint her fingernails, and maybe even wear makeup. 'Why can't I just wear pants, and stand by the guestbook?' she thought sadly. She hadn't intended to get into such a row with her mom. She really loved Mom, and knew she was in pain herself from her broken arm. As a tear slowly rolled down her cheek, she wondered again, 'Who am I, what am I really?'

'Girls are supposed to like all that frilly stuff, but all I want to do is ride my bike and play softball. Girl Scouts was OK for a while, like when we went to camp and hiked and told scary stories and stuff, but now, all we ever do is inside stuff, and stand around selling cookies. In a DRESS.' In her mind, the word dress had become associated with something unpleasant, like spoiled food.

She idly thought about her parents, so loving and kind and felt guilty. Finally coming to a decision she thought to herself, 'Okay, I guess I won't complain about the fitting tomorrow. I love Sharon and she deserves the best wedding in the world. She was always my favorite babysitter, and always fun. She played Pirates and Maidens with me, and always let me be the pirate. And I'll try to be nicer to Mom and go along with trying to be more of a girl. Maybe if I do, some of the girls at school will quit talking behind my back.'

'I just wish Dad were a little more like Bobby's dad. I see him and Bobby playing catch all the time'. She finished her business, took a Tylenol, and went back to bed. As she succumbed to sleep again, she began to pleasantly dream of being a field researcher, pack on her back, in the middle of some tropical jungle. Some previously unknown insect was crawling up her sleeve, just waiting for her to discover it and make entomology history.

A little Later

"Well Bethany Anne, it looks like you really did it this time. Really, you’ve outdone yourself."

Bobby heard the voice, but it didn't seem to come from his ears. He must be dreaming. He rolled over on his face.

"Bethany Anne, wake up. We have some things to clear up."

That voice again. He recognized it but it wasn't Mom or Aunt Lydia. Then it hit him. He rolled over and sat up with a jerk, pain be damned. Shock number one was that there wasn't any pain. Shock number two was what he saw standing right in front of him, or more to the point, WHO was standing there. It was Susie, that odd little girl in his class. Everyone liked Susie, but she was quiet and didn't seem to have any close friends. Bobby didn't recall ever seeing her outside of school. It was like she only existed at school. He could see in the dim light that she was pretty, but she had seemed so forgettable before.

"Susie!! What are you doing here?!!" Bobby shouted, then remembered the time of night. But while he heard himself, and she obviously had too, no sound reached his ears. It was pretty confusing. Even more confusing was the fact that he wasn't the least bit dizzy.

"Relax, Bethany Anne. I'm your Guardian Angel, and my real name isn't Susie, but it can't be pronounced using words, so we'll just continue using Susie. I've been with you from the very beginning. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I've been comforting you and keeping you from harm for a long time, and waiting until the right time. I'm older than I look," A small giggle escaped her lips. "and I know everything about you. Everything!" She paused for effect. "So you will please calm down now". It wasn't a request.

Bobby suddenly found himself completely relaxed, and it startled him. The whole sequence of events should have had him screaming and bouncing off the walls. "You're ... my ... my Guardian Angel? Really? ..." He pondered his short life for a moment, remembering how he used to marvel at his luck in dealing with the bullies. Sure, he'd been roughed up a few times, but never seriously hurt. And there was that time he accidentally rode his bike in front of that car ...

"You know ... I think I might believe you. There are times like I felt like someone I couldn't see was helping me somehow, like that last time Aaron and his posse beat me up. Right in the middle of it, I just kinda zoned out and they seemed to lose interest. Then they just walked away. It was like someone told them it wasn't worth it or something -- was that you? ... But ..." Bobby paused.

"But what?" the little girl smiled with the wisdom of a thousand years.

"Why did you call me Betha..." he trailed off, then said in a very small voice, " ... oh." Bobby was looking down, then slowly looked up to Susie with tears already escaping down his chin.

"Oh Yes, Bethany Anne. I know your secret name, and I even remember the day when you were barely four years old that you chose it. You were in the park watching a little girl your age in a blue pinafore on the swing! I even know why you chose it! Well, aside from the fact you know it's right for you, even you don't know the real reason it feels so right. At least not yet."

"But NOBODY knows that, I've never told ANYBODY! ... Why are you here? Why now?" Bobby was becoming quite confused.

"Easy. I wasn't quite ready to step in yet, but I had to. You just killed yourself. Take a look behind you," Susie said, as she non-chalantly motioned with a sweep of her hand.

"Wha ..." Bobby looked back and saw himself lying face up on the bed, but he was superimposed on himself from the waist down. "What happened?! Why am I dead? I mean, I've been pretty miserable, but I'd never do THAT!" He was surprised that he wasn't worked up about it, only incredulous.

"Oh no, not intentionally, I know. Well, first, you overdosed on your painkiller. There's a reason it says 'take one every twelve hours'. The doctor was already worried the dosage was too strong for your little body, and had warned your parents and aunt to watch you carefully for unusual symptoms. Well you jumped the dosage about six hours, which is just like doubling the dosage, and then, you doubled it again by taking two. I know you were seeing double from the headache at the time. Self medication isn't a good idea when you can't see and you're half asleep, because it leads to mistakes. You might have even pulled through, except that you compounded the error by following the pills with twelve ounces of eighty proof. You can't drink alcohol with most drugs, but a good kid like you didn't know that did you? And you drank enough whiskey to put an Irish longshoreman under the table! It was just a little too much, I'm afraid. It makes my job a bit harder, but we have a bit of time."

"Oh no. That awful stuff. The pill. Pills, I guess. What happens now, and why do you keep calling me Bethany? And why aren't I more upset about it all? And why isn't everyone in here, considering all the noise we're making?" Bobby looked across the room as Susie just stood there smiling in her pastel cotton dress and mary janes, her hair bow just slightly askew. Just like school. Just like always. It was so normal it was unreal.

"OK, here's the deal. I'm calling you Bethany Anne because that's who you are, inside, who you feel you were meant to be. You and I both know it. So just stop denying who you are, because you're right. You aren't upset because I told you to be calm. Angels don't have a lot of powers, but that is one we do have, because it's necessary sometimes. And we aren't making any noise at all. When you died, your spirit separated from your body, and we're in the spirit world at the moment. Well, I'm not, sorta, but you are. I'm kinda in several places at once. But never mind all that, you wouldn't understand, and it's not important anyway. We have to get busy, or we'll be taking you Home. And it isn't Your Time yet.

Bobby seemed even more confused. "Home? I am home. I'm in my own bed!"

“No Bethany Anne, not home. Home. You aren't due there for a good many Earth years, and your future children and grandchildren will need for you to be here for them. So let's get going. We can talk along the way". And with that, she turned and walked out the door.

"Wait for me!" Bobby jumped out of the bed and followed her. Or at least it seemed to him like he did. It was eerie when he looked back, seeing himself still in the bed looking asleep. He caught up with Susie just as she went out the front door. "Where are we going?" He was a little self-conscious about leaving the house in his PJ's.

Walking purposefully down the block, Susie explained it to him after a few minutes. "Ok Bethany Anne. We're going to a rendezvous, where you can be happy and grow up and be everything He intended for you in the first place. And, do you mind, I'm starting to get a headache of my own, seeing a girl in a boy shell". And with that she just sort of flipped her hand, as if it described what she meant. Bobby was stunned to see his pajamas and slippers morph into a pair of yellow overall shorts with a pink shirt and brown loafers, complete with ankle socks trimmed in yellow. It was exactly the outfit he'd seen Bethany in at the hospital. He instinctively knew all his clothes had changed, he could feel the straps from the training bra. Even his hair felt different, and he could tell the training bra wasn't all padding, either. Knowing he was somehow now a girl, he had no idea how or why. Just to make sure he (now she) reached up and touched the top of her head. Sure enough, there was the headband. Bethany Anne didn't need a mirror to know that it was white.

"There. That's better. Now you look the part. Please quit thinking of yourself as a boy. We know you never were."

Bethany Anne was truly shook up now. Despite Susie's earlier statement that he/she would be calm, the shock was just too much, and she stopped suddenly and sat on the curb. They'd only walked two blocks. Bethany Anne was just staring off into space, a dazed look on her face.

Susie stopped and turned back, then sat next to Bethany Anne, taking her hand and holding it in her lap as girlfriends do. After a few minutes of silence Bethany Anne finally looked over to Susie.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Susie said, "that was a bit sudden. I sometimes forget you can't see what's to be yet. Let me tell you a story, but first you have to know how things work at Home." She pointed up as Bethany looked at her quietly and nodded, scared and confused. "Scared?" she asked.

Bethany just continued to nod silently. She laughed gently and said, "Relax, we're not going there yet!" She paused before continuing, then chuckled. "You gotta admit it though. For the first time ever, you just feel 'right' in your skin, don't you?"

Bobby--Bethany Anne just looked at her earnestly, the truth evident on his — or rather her face. Susie giggled a little and said, "I knew it!"

"Home isn't like anything you've ever known here. Nobody from Earth knows what it's like because it can't be described in physical terms, at least three dimensional ones. Some of your Christian apostles caught a glimpse of what they perceived was there, that's where all that 'streets of gold' and 'walls of jasper' nonsense came from. It's so much better than that! When an Earth Soul reaches Home, it's always a shock to them, so for a period of time, say a hundred or so years of 'Earth time', the Soul is given a job to do, similar to what they did on Earth, with regular 'hours' and everything. On their 'day off' they use their new experiences to gradually get to know Home, and figure it out, experiencing parts of it as they learn how. It takes a while to get used to thinking in all those new dimensions, and it takes a little longer if they're not naturally good at math for some reason. Once they are ready, they usually move on to something else, in another plane of existence within Home. Some don't though, they just continue with what's familiar. He, the Great Master, isn't wasteful however, so the 'work' these Souls do is real, and always important, and that's part of the story." She stopped talking for a moment as she remembered another human misperception.

"Oh, there's something else you need to know. Your Book says that when you die, your 'old nature' dies with it, and you are completely 'cleansed'. Well, it's true, and about as good an explanation as possible in three dimensional, or 'physical' terms, but that's not really exactly like it is. What happens is, your Soul has to learn how to exist in the totality of Home, and all those parts of you that make you fallible as a human are incompatible with that. As a Soul becomes acclimated, those things are left behind, kind of like a baby graduating from diapers. But the process isn't instant. It's another reason for the acclimation process. Do you understand? It's important, because I can't go on until you do."

Bethany Anne had been listening intently to Susie under the streetlamp, oddly noticing how her fingers looked longer and skinnier than she remembered, and wondering where the nail polish had come from. "OK, maybe I understand, sort of. -- OHMIGOSH -- my voice sounds so different! Heaven is a wonderful place, but it's complicated so you have to learn how to live there. They give you a job until you do, and you change to fit in as you learn. You can keep your job as long as you like, but it's how you learn to be worthwhile for God. It sounds like the Catholics' description of Purgatory. OH NO! I'm Methodist!"

"Hey, that's pretty good!" she said with a laugh. "Only we don't use all those words. There are many worlds out there, even other universes, and dimensions, all with Souls equally precious, so we just call it Home, and the Great Master is known by many names. And no, Purgatory isn't the right word. That would be punishment, or at least, working off your sins, which is impossible. No, this is more like education. And Methodist or whatever, He loves each Soul, and just wants you to trust and love Him back. The how of it is less important". For once, she looked earnestly at Bethany, with only a hint of a smile. This was serious stuff, and Bethany Anne had to understand. It seemed she was following along, so she continued.

"Now I'll tell you the story. I think you'll be able to understand it now. Three years before you were born, a beautiful young woman by the name of Julie had a tragic car accident. She had gone to a ski resort in the mountains for the weekend, meeting up with some girlfriends. All month she had been in the dumps because she'd just broken up with her boyfriend Tom. She had been pushing him for a ring, but he was in the Marines, and just wasn't ready for the commitment. She knew he loved her deeply, but he wanted to get at least a year or two of college behind him first before committing to marriage. He became upset with her for not trusting him to do the right thing when it was time. It all kind of went sour, and he told her they both needed some time off. She felt she'd driven him away, and blamed herself. Your Mom was there that weekend too, because she was Julie's best friend. The night before they left for home, the six of them had a "hen party" in the bar. A lot of things were said, but two of the girls, no, not your mom, kept going on and on about how terrible men were. There were a lot of awful things said, and a lot of drinking."

"The boyfriend, by the way, didn't know about any of this. He was home on leave at his parents that weekend, visiting his dad who was in ill health. Had he known about Julie and her emotional state he would have moved mountains to be with her. He loved her so dearly and completely he ached for her, even though he'd been the one to call a time out to their relationship. It just wasn't the time to think about marriage, though he couldn't think of a future without her. He doesn't know what happened that night, and probably never will. It would have broken his heart to hear what those other girls said about 'all men'. He was a 'real man' of true integrity, after all. Those girls with the loose tongues in the bar had never met a 'real man' before." Susie stopped for a moment and studied Bethany Anne's face. Empathy for the troubled couple was written all over it, and a look of dread was beginning to form. Susie continued.

"The next day, everyone left the resort to go home. Julie wasn't a great driver, and though she wasn't drunk, she did have a hangover, and her little sports car didn't perform well on slick pavement. It was not a good combination. As she drove down the mountain, she drove into a fog bank that had descended against it. She was listening to a sad song on her tape player, preoccupied with the awful claims of her friends about how she'd been wronged, and was tearing up a little, blurring her vision. Between her tears and the fog, she misjudged a turn just as she hit a small patch of ice. Unfortunately a much bigger car had done exactly the same thing the night before, and damaged the guardrail. When her little car hit the rail, it failed, and she went over and died in the canyon below. Are you following so far, Bethany Anne?"

Bethany Anne sat, staring across the street. Her male-trained brain and boy experience allowed her to visualize the course of events perfectly. Her true nature allowed her to feel all the pain and hurt Julie must have felt and despite herself, felt so much empathy for the lady that it almost overwhelmed her. Tears flowing from her eyes, she looked up as Susie stood, stretching.

"That's a good girl. I knew you'd understand. It's written all over your face".

"It's so SAD! Why did he have to break up with her? She died because of it! Oh! ... That is so AWFUL!" Bethany Anne was becoming agitated, the tears now running down her cheeks. She wondered why Susie was telling her this story, and also why she didn't tell her to calm down like she had before.

"Remember, it wasn't his fault. She was the one pushing him for a ring before it was time. The rest was just an unfortunate confluence of events."

"But what has it got to do with me?" Bethany wasn't sure she wanted to know. But she knew she had to.

"Well, Bethany Anne, it'll be clear in a minute. Stay with me, I'm almost done." Susie walked across the street and sat on the bus bench. Bethany Anne was sure it hadn't been there a few minutes before. "Come over here Bethany Anne, I know you're in the spirit realm, but I'm still physical, sorta, at least for a while. It's uncomfortable sitting on the curb like that."

"Thanks," Susie said, putting an arm around Bethany Anne. "Now you know how Julie arrived at Processing. Her job on earth had been working in a library. She was a really neat person, lots of attention to detail, and all that. So her library job had been keeping all the card catalogs up to date. It's a big responsibility."

"What's a card catalog?" Bethany Anne had never seen one.

"A card catalog is an old system for locating the books, using paper cards. It was used for hundreds of years before computers. In fact, your own library didn't get their computerized card catalog until about the time you were learning to read. Card catalogs are great for keeping track of anything unique but similar and in great number. Anyway, Julie was familiar with card systems of tracking things so she was given the job of helping keep track of Inventory. Because of her experience, the presentation of that Inventory appeared to her in the form of cards. It really doesn’t look anything like that, but for someone just learning about Home, things always appear as something familiar. But before I tell you more about that, let me tell you what happened on Earth after Julie left".

"OK, but please hurry. This Julie sounds important to me somehow."

"Oh, she is, Bethany Anne, but you need to know what happened after her death."

"When he learned the news, the young man was devastated. He blamed himself for her death, and just couldn't accept that his Beloved was gone. He took a whole month off from the Marines, and spent most of it just staring at the back fence of his parents' yard. Not even his own Guardian Angel seemed able to help comfort him. Finally, after three and a half weeks, he took a drive about two o'clock in the morning. He just drove aimlessly for hours, not really thinking about where he was going. He stopped for breakfast, miles from home just as the sky was beginning to lighten. Guess who he saw at the coffee shop? Julie's best friend Carol. Oddly enough, she'd been doing the same thing as he, because she missed her best friend so much. They'd been like sisters."

"My MOM! Did she help him? Oh, I know she did, please tell me so! If anyone knows how to help heal a broken heart it's my mom!" Bethany Anne was really leaking tears now, feeling the pain not only for this Julie, but for her mom and Julie's boyfriend Tom.

“Yes, as a matter of fact it was her. She wasn't a lot better off than Tom, but they did sit together picking at their eggs and sipping coffee. They started by talking about how much they missed Julie, but gradually the conversation changed to questions about other friends, then each other, as neither one knew much about the other. Their common thread had been Julie, but before long they found a genuine interest in each other. Well to make a long story short, they discovered after a few weeks they were soul mates, and eventually got married. A baby was born 23 months after that."

"OMIGOSH! You just described my parents!! They said they met in a coffee shop, and you said his name was Tom! Dad used to go by Tom, and I was born two years after they got married! I never knew the whole story!"

"OK, I think you see where I was going now. Let me continue. Remember Julie? By the time you were born she was just getting the hang of her new job. Can you guess now what the word 'Inventory' means at Home? Let me answer that to save time. It means Souls. Julie's job was to keep track of new Souls about to be born. It's a very important job, and hard too but very rewarding.

When it came time to retrieve your Soul from storage she made a mistake. Remember, I told you a Soul new to Home takes time to acclimate to its new surroundings? Well to understand what happened, you have to know how Julie did her job. Julie's day sort of went like this, over and over. Cross reference a card number from a printed list, then pull the card from the card catalog. After checking it off the list, she then retrieved the Soul from storage and attached the card to it for routing, and put the Soul and its card on a cart. Every few hours another worker or angel would retrieve the cartful of new Souls, and leave an empty cart for Julie to fill. Now to her, the new Soul looked something like a small jewelry box in the store room, and they were kept track of by the card system. To another Soul it might have appeared differently. I suppose if she'd been an engineer, they might have looked like something on a big conveyor, and she'd be sitting at a big computer console full of knobs and gauges." Susie giggled. "But for her it looked like that. She was busy that day, retrieving Souls for about two weeks of production. It's a lot of Souls, and that's just for your solar system."

"As she was rolling the cart back 'up front', she was startled when an angel flew by, and she was distracted by the thought that she had always thought angels had wings. She bumped the wall and a couple Souls fell off onto the floor, getting separated from their cards. As she picked up one card, she read the back side and recognized the parents' names as her old friends. She was busy, but was happy that her friends had found each other and had obviously created a Soul as a result of their love. But that tiny distraction was enough to exhibit what you might call her 'old self', and she failed to follow protocol. She should have stopped and checked with her supervising angel, just to make sure the new Souls were okay, but she forgot. It wasn't a big mistake, but because of it she attached your card to the wrong box, and the other one was attached to one that was scheduled to be born two weeks after Bobby, ironically in the very same town!"

"Oh NO!! I got switched! It must have been with a boy, since I'm a girl, and Bobby's a boy! OH! ... It must have been even more awful for him, he's in a girl's body!” Bethany Anne paused, her brow deeply furrowed as she thought out the implications. "Bethany, from school! It's got to be Bethany! It IS Bethany, isn't it? Now I know why I latched onto this name, and I realize why everything just didn't seem to fit!! We got switched! That's why she's such a tomboy, isn’t it? Oh, what a DISASTER! I love my parents, and she loves hers! What am I going to do? What's Bethany going to do?"

Bethany Anne had now become even more distraught as the implications began to form in her mind.

After all those years of asking "Why?" she finally had the answers, but it just made her feel worse. She didn't know it was possible to feel this horrible. Susie just leaned over, and putting her arms around her, rocked her for a few minutes as she cried great racking sobs. Eventually Bethany Anne ran out of tears and wound down. It seemed as if hours had gone by. She turned quietly to Susie, the tears on her face reflecting in the streetlight.

"Does she know?"

As much as Bethany Anne hated being a boy, and wanted desperately to be who she was meant to be, she couldn't see any way for Creation to correct things without causing great hurt to her parents, and Bethany and her parents, indeed to their entire families. Not to mention all the problems trying to figure out how to resume life as Bethany.

And, what about Bobby? His body is dead back there, so Bethany couldn't take Bobby's place. Bethany Anne decided she couldn't take Bethany's place. It's just too awful and selfish to think about taking Bethany's body and forcing her-HIM into an early arrival at Home.

"No, she doesn't know," Susie replied gently. "The brain in a girl's body is wired differently so she doesn't realize yet -- but she suspects and 'he' would have eventually figured it out. She knows that she's not a normal girl, but she doesn’t know she’s actually a boy. In fact, I helped her own Guardian Angel hold her hand and comfort her a couple nights ago as she cried in bed for hours, wondering why she felt so wrong. She's done this many times, but it's happening more and more frequently of late."

"We didn't know you were going to kill yourself tonight. Angels working in the three dimensional realm don't always think to look into the future. If I'd been with you in the kitchen I'd have made you drop the pill bottle and make enough noise to wake someone up or something. Brenda, Bethany's angel, thought Bethany was okay for the time being, so she left for India to help the flood victims there, and isn't scheduled back for at least two days. There isn't an angel shortage, but the ones assigned there are tired, and need a little relief. But Brenda wouldn't have gone had she known about tonight. I was checking in on Bethany about the time you took that drink."

"I'm so sorry". Bethany Anne put her hands over her eyes and blubbered. "It was an accident. Really it was. I didn't know what I was doing. And now look at the mess I've caused! I can't be Bethany, I haven't the slightest idea how. Besides, who will she be? I'm dead, remember? O-h-h-h I'm d-e-a-d..." she continued to sob.

"Shhh, Shhh." she said as she pulled a tissue from the pocket of her dress and wiped Bethany Anne's tears. "It's OK. We're going to fix it, right now. You'll see. C'mon, we're here." Susie stood, and holding her arm out for Bethany Anne, pulled her to her feet, then walked across the street and into the next house, right through the front door. The family dog, sleeping with one eye on the door, didn't even stir. Rushing up the stairs, she turned left and burst into a bedroom. The perfect bedroom! It was all pink, with a canopy bed, and dolls everywhere! And cute dresses in the closet. They looked untouched, but a grimy softball uniform was draped over the chair, a well worn glove on the seat. And the room was unkempt, not dirty but kind of a mess. A girl was sleeping in the bed. Bethany Anne looked at her. She was cute but it looked like she had a terrible haircut, and a bandage over her eye. BETHANY! It was Bethany, from school! As Bethany Anne looked wonderingly at her, she stirred, as if she'd heard something.

"Who's there?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing her unpatched eye. Everyone heard, but no sound was made. "Susie!! What are you doing in my room? And who's this? W-a-i-t a minute! You're, ... you're ME!! You're even wearing the shortalls I wore to the hospital last week!! Hey, what's going on? ... Oh God, the doctor said there might be nightmares!"

Susie said "You need to calm down a bit, Bethany. We're going to tell you what's going on, and you're going to like it a LOT!"

Bethany instantly felt a calm wash over her, not of her own volition. "How'd you DO that?" She looked expectantly at Susie, who just giggled. Then she turned serious and looked hard at Bethany.

"Bethany, what's your full name?"

Bethany looked at the two carefully and warily. "Bethany Anne Fuller. 1205 Rocking Chair Lane. What's that got to do with anyth....."

"Tell us your most sacred secret, Bethany. And who you most admire, and why." Susie interrupted, leaving no room for argument.

Bethany looked at them carefully, convinced she was in a dream. OK, she'd play along. After all, she'd heard sometimes you could direct your dreams. Maybe she could at least achieve in her dream what she couldn't in real life.

"OK. You wanna know my secret truth? I hate being a girl. I hate everything about it, all that prissy stuff, the hair, the dresses, everything! Especially training bras! And don't EVEN get me started about periods! My life sucks except for softball! And even that sucks, because all I ever get to play with are girls, and they can't throw, and we can't even use real baseballs! I hate the Girl Scouts. All we ever do is sit around and sew and do lame stuff like basket weaving and making earrings. And have you ever listened to what girls talk about? UGHH! I just get SICK of hearing about the next fashion trend to come along, or the latest hair accessory at Claires! I want to join the Boy Scouts when I'm thirteen, and go backpacking and fishing and dig for worms. I want to play tackle football, and chop wood and use a rope and rappel down, over a cliff!" She was really on a roll now.

"You wanna know the real truth? I really wish I was Bobby Baylor over on the next street. Have you ever seen his dad, Coach Baylor? Bobby can do ANYTHING with him, his dad's such a jock! Having a real coach for your dad is just about the coolest thing ever! I know he's kinda small, but if Bobby only realized what a great dad he's got, he'd think he'd died and gone to Heaven!"

"And I know Bobby's tough -- did you see what happened to him when we got into that accident? Any NORMAL kid woulda got killed, but he's a survivor! Yeah, if I could trade places with him, I'd do it in a heartbeat!!"

"Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but I just don't fit them. My Mom, for instance. She wants me to be all girly girly. Well I just can't do it. And my Dad. Well. He's a great loan officer at the bank, but even I can throw a better pitch. No, Bobby would be a better fit here, the way he likes to read. Did you know he even paints and writes poetry? Pretty good, too, from what I’ve seen. (Bethany Anne, her eyes widening by the minute, blushed at the comment, unnoticed by the others). He's just too sensitive and nice to be a boy, and I'm all rough and tumble. Maybe that's why I like him. We're both misfits." Finally running out of steam, she looked at the floor.

"Like he'd want to trade with me though ..."

"Exactly. Well, I have news for you, Robert Allen. Today's your day. And no, it isn't a dream. We're here to correct a little mistake, and I think you know the one." Now it was time for Bethany's eyes to get big.

"But, wha ... what are you talking about, and who is this person that looks like me?"

"Oh, come on Bobby. You're a boy, at least inside. Yes, think about that! You really are a boy, aren't you? Doesn't that explain things?" Bethany-Bobby took on a wide-eyed look that slowly turned to one of comprehension. " ... That's right! Once you accept that, it becomes obvious, doesn't it? Problem solve it! You'll figure it out in a minute. But get out of bed, and let’s get going before we run out of time." Susie was starting to act a bit impatient. Of course, she knew what would happen next. They didn't. She was impatient, alright. She was about to see the culmination of almost twelve Earth years of preparation and work by herself and Brenda. This was SO exciting!

Bethany Anne had stood silently watching the exchange, eerily similar to hers earlier. She finally found her voice. "No wait, Susie, just wait a minute! I'm not sure I can go through with this. You can't just switch us like this, we love our parents and family, and we don't even know each other, let alone each other’s family! And besides, if I take over as Bethany, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO BOBBY? HE'S DEAD!" Her questions had started out normally enough, but had crescendoed into a hysterical scream, with Bethany looking on with increasing confusion. Susie looked at the two girl lookalikes standing side by side, paused, then sat on the bed. She turned to Bethany Anne, the former Bobby with tenderness in her eyes.

"Oh that. ... I'm sorry, Bethany Anne, I should have told you. I was so focused on helping you achieve your dream, I guess I got excited and forgot you couldn't see the whole picture. I Guess I'm not as good in three dimensions as I thought. The truth is, it's going to be alright. I'm going to fix everything. But first, Bethany Anne, formerly Bobby Baylor, I would like to introduce you to Bethany Anne Fuller, soon to be Bobby, Robert Allen Baylor. You two felt a connection between you a few weeks ago, and now you know why. Why don't you give each other a hug?"

Bethany looked at her double, completely startled. Wide-eyed she exclaimed, "Bobby? You're Bobby? But you look just like me!"

Bethany Anne, looking back, said ruefully, "Hi Bethany. Yes, I guess I was Bobby. But I've always been Bethany Anne inside, even before I met you. And your story? About being a boy inside and wanting to do outdoor stuff, get dirty and all? Well I'm the exact opposite, even more than you guessed. I want to wear earrings, and lace, and wear cute dresses and shoes, and paint my nails, and allow myself to giggle sometimes. All of that stuff. I even know the names of all the Barbies, and I've read all the American Girl dolls' stories too! To tell the truth, doing some things that boys do just scares me. Susie said our Souls got switched, and we've been living each other's lives ... I sure hope she's a powerful angel, because this is a real mess, isn't it? How are we ever going to untangle it all and explain this to our parents? Oh, it must have awful for you, having to live in a girl's world when you're a boy!"

Bethany was silent for a moment, then looked up. "Now I know why I envy you so much, Bobby -- uh -- Bethany Anne. I guess we really are connected, aren't we? As bizarre as this sounds, I know Susie's right. It explains everything, doesn't it? ... You're right, this is going to be hard. This must have been even more awful for you than me. I'm so sorry for you!"

And with that the two mixed up kids, each part girl and part boy, a potpourri based partly on their real being and partly on biology, felt the emotions, and did what was natural for girls to do. They embraced, then kissed each others' cheek. At that moment, Susie saw the small spark, and the briefest of multicolored auras form over them, and knew He had done His work. As they separated there were now no longer two girls in the room. It was now Bethany Anne in her long nightgown, and Bobby, in his pajamas and slippers. The girl in the nightgown had swapped places. Susie was excited but a bit sad, as she knew it was time to complete her work.

The two children stepped back from one another, a look of complete and utter astonishment on their faces.

"OHMIGOSH!!" they both said at once, then laughed. Bethany Anne was the one to continue, and as excited as Bobby was he knew it was polite to yield the floor to the girl.

"I know everything about you!! I have all your memories, all your experiences, everything! And I still remember my other self, too! Oh, I feel so CONNECTED to you!"

"I KNOW!! It's the same with me! Oh Bobby! Bethany! WHATEVER!" He laughed as he rushed over to her and hugged her again tightly, lifting her off the floor and swinging back and forth, as if she were a giant Raggedy Ann. Her legs swung from the movement and caused her to giggle. "I know everything about you, too, all your joys and troubles. All those hidden things we couldn't share with anyone. We're such a mess, aren't we?"

He cried, and laughed at the same time. "Do you think we can be each other? I'd sure like to try," he said.

Their mood was evident to Susie, watching silently from the edge of the bed. It alternated between extreme euphoria to sadness, and back, as they felt the joy of finally being at peace, while at the same time feeling each other’s hurts from living their crossed lives. Tears were everywhere. They alternated, saying things like, "Oh that time at your aunt's house when she rolled your hair...," or "Remember Christmas that year when you got the train instead of the baby doll ... ."

And there were also giggles from things like, "Oh that was SO funny when you made your cousin go on the roller coaster with you and she got so scared she threw up on her mom!" and, "I'll bet Coach Baylor -- my dad, really wondered about you dancing around in that meadow!"

Susie let it continue for a few minutes, until finally their emotions had run their course. They calmed down, then turned to Susie, who barely had time to conceal her own tears of joy. Being an angel was SO rewarding! Bobby was the first to start the questions.

"What now, Susie? Are we really switched? Can we stay this way? And are we going to remember any of this? Please tell us, we've got to know".

Susie knew the time had come. She couldn't put it off any longer.

"OK, you two. Yes, and no. Sorta. Let me explain. First of all, you aren’t quite switched. Not quite yet. But Bobby here just needed to stop thinking he was Bethany, and the same with Bethany Anne. The only thing that had to happen was for the Great Master to enable you both to remember what is consistent with the proper body so you can resume life in the correct role. You had to combine your beings for just a blink for that, so the Great Master could allow you to share memories ... "

"OK, so that wasn't really necessary either. I could have done it myself, but I just love it when the Great Master gets involved!" Susie paused for a second, realizing she was gushing. She tried to compose herself then continued, "He really does love to get personally involved, you know, and when he merged you, the whole of Creation felt the 'power surge' from His love!" Susie was still misty-eyed, very uncharacteristic behavior for an angel, and she knew the kids had noticed it. "Oh bother! Well, anyway it's done. Right now you both know EVERYTHING about the other. No twins were ever so close as you are right now. But it's only temporary. By morning neither of you will consciously remember your former lives. It has to be that way, I'm sorry. But it's the only way to be fair with your love to your real parents."

"Everyone will notice something different about you, because Bethany Anne, you're not really a tomboy, and Bobby, you want to be just like your Dad in every way, even though you’ll never be his size or particularly athletic. The changes in your personalities will be evident almost immediately, because both of you are now comfortable in your skin. One important thing WILL remain. You two are connected Souls now, and though you won't know why, you'll be able to anticipate each others' actions, and feel each other's emotions, like twins only more so. And though you won't remember your previous lives, there will be times where you learn something about the other and it will be like déjá  vu, or you’ll remember your ‘other self’ in a dream.

Each of you will forever carry a large part of the other, because of having lived for a while in each other's body. One really cool thing, whatever things you struggled with before may remain, but you will retain all those things you're great at, too, and so will your 'other self'. So Bobby, you'll still be able to appreciate and write beautiful poetry and paint, but Bethany couldn't do that before, and she'll soon discover that talent too. And Bobby will soon find that he has a real talent for jewelry making, dancing and calligraphy, because those are things Bethany has always loved and excelled at. Oh, another thing. Since Bethany Anne lived in Bobby's body with all that male conditioning, she'll be able to problem solve with the best of the boys, and Bobby will be able to understand girls on an emotional level most boys never even guess! It will be really fun for you two to discover that you can share in so many things! And Bobby, when you get into high school you'll find that all those clueless guys that pick on you now will start coming around and asking you about girls and relationship issues, and you'll know how to really help! You and Bethany Anne might even have careers as matchmakers. You're going to be one popular guy in a few years," she giggled.

"I think you're going to become best friends, like two peas in a pod."

Susie loved a happy ending, but didn't want to spoil it for them. She wouldn't, and couldn't tell them that after years of being very best friends, their love would someday blossom and they would eventually marry and become grandparents to over 20 grandchildren!

"Well, now if you two have just about drained your tear buckets, I think it's time to go. Bethany Anne, after all is pretty sleepy".

Bethany Anne, the former Bobby, was suddenly so sleepy she could hardly hold her head up.

"Wow. I guess you're right," the new Bethany said. "Maybe I should get back in bed, before I fall down right here." As she pulled her covers back, she noticed she was already in bed, lying on her side with her back to them. Neither child had noticed before.

"That's right Bethany Anne. That's your body. Just climb in, and snuggle up behind, and go to sleep". Bethany Anne was on autopilot now, nodding as she climbed into the bed.

Before Bobby's eyes, the two images just sort of melted together, just like the two images in a pair of binoculars, as they came into focus. Just as they did, a small pink aura blinked. Susie giggled to herself, knowing that auras were always blue. The Great Master DID have a sense of humor!

"Sleep tight, my little friend. Tomorrow promises to be a bright day," Susie said quietly as she bent over to kiss her on the cheek, smiling an enigmatic smile.

She straightened and turned to Bobby, but as he looked toward Susie he saw, not little Susie the schoolgirl, but a beautiful young woman in a flowing white gown.

Looking at the amazed stare from Bobby, she said "Well, I figured this is more like a young man's vision of a proper angel." She winked and grinned. Bobby tried to suppress a laugh, but failed.

"C'mon, Bobby. Time to go." Then she turned and walked out the room and down the stairs.

Bobby paused for a second, looking at Bethany Anne's backside. He reached over, straightened and smoothed her covers and bent to whisper in her ear. "Bye for now, sweet Bethany Anne, I hope we can always be friends." He bent over and kissed her on the cheek, the action thrilling him through and through, especially when she stirred slightly in her sleep and smiled. He then turned and headed down the stairs. At the moment he knew, of course exactly what Bethany Anne thought of him, what's not to be excited about? He tingled all over. Susie was waiting with a smile at the front door.

"Ready? OK, here we go!" And opened the front door with a flourish and stepped ... into the entryway of Bobby's house!! "Well, I didn't figure there was anything to be gained from walking two blocks, was there?" she said with a twinkle in her eye. Bobby just followed silently, shaking his head. In his room, he saw Bobby -- no that wasn't right. He saw HIS body lying there, flat on his back. Susie turned to him, and said, "OK Bobby? This is going to be a bit different, since you accidentally killed yourself. And it's been a full minute and a half since you died, so we have to do this now. You can't just put yourself back in like Bethany Anne. I have to do it for you."

Bobby was stunned as he suddenly remembered the night, or at least remembered what his Bethany Anne double had experienced. It seemed like hours since Susie had first appeared in his bedroom. He started to open his mouth but was interrupted before he even formed the thought.

"Never mind!! No, we're in the spirit world, and time and your sense of reality has little meaning here. But for reasons you won't understand a bit of 3rd dimensional time has slipped by, so I have to 'put you back' now. Just relax. You're going to get sleepy now".

Her words weren't even out of her mouth before Bobby was half asleep. Susie reached over, and picked up Bobby like a doll, as if he weighed nothing. In truth, he did weigh nothing. Souls, after all, are completely outside the realm of the physical world. As Susie moved toward the bed, what was the essence of Bobby shrank and began to glow, until it was a mere spark of light in her hand. 'All right then. In you go', she thought as she dropped the spark onto his forehead. The spark extinguished just as the faintest of blue blinked over his entire body. Susie then bent over him, and kissed him on the cheek, running her hand over the top of his head as she did so, pushing the bandage off. She then ran her other hand down his left side, as if to smooth his pajamas. 'You've sufferred enough from your injuries, I think little one. You'll rest easier now', she thought to herself. She then straightened up, and sliding her sleeve back, exposed a small wrist chronometer, which looked like nothing more than a woman’s wristwatch. Pulling the stem out, she set the time one minute, forty seven seconds back. As she pushed the stem back in, she heard Bobby take a deep breath, then groan.

Stepping back into the shadows, she watched, but began to slowly dissolve away before she saw the fruition of her work. "Marlene!! Please, not NOW!!" she yelled.

Bobby rolled over and tried to curl into a ball, his stomach in knots. Oh, he felt TERRIBLE!! Suddenly, he threw the covers back and rushed to the bathroom, where he vomited up the entire contents of his stomach. He continued heaving long after nothing was left, for what seemed forever. The smell was awful. Finally, he straightened, rinsed his mouth twice and brushed his teeth. "Oh man! That's the last time I'm going anywhere NEAR Dad's liquor cabinet!" Bobby thought, as he slowly made his way back to bed, rubbing his neck where a tube had so recently exited his head. He was feeling better already, and was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. He hadn't even realized that he had inadvertently flushed all the painkillers from his stomach.

Somewhere Beyond The Three Dimensional Realm

"Well, to use Earth vernacular, welcome back to the 'Working World', 'Susie'. Enjoy your vacation?" As Susie's form filled in, she decided to revert back to the little girl version she'd been playing for so long. She felt it more in keeping with what she wanted to say.

"Hi, thanks 'Marlene'. I knew you'd be the one on duty. The least you could have done is given me another day, so I could see the fruit of my labors. I'm a Level III Worker Angel you know, not some rookie. I know how to get back on my own when an assignment is finished."

"Don't call me Marlene. You know my name. You can see how it comes out like all the angels do. On the Soul Reviewer."

"It's not the same, and you know it."

"Of course not. You can get it in all six dimensions! It's much better!"

"No it's not! Look. I know you never had a three dimensional assignment, so you can't understand. There, time is important. Everything flows, creating anticipation. Personal experience is so much more real than capture and playback. Don't ask me why, it just is. You have no idea what it's like to actually feel emotion, for instance."

"Well never mind, it's done. That was supposed to be such a simple assignment, correcting switched Souls. Get in, make the switch and get out while the little sentients were still infantile. What happened?"

"Look, you just don't understand about humans. This was my thirteenth assignment among them. Their psyches are so precious, but also fragile. You have to wait until the time is right or you can damage them permanently. I wasn't wasting time, though I won't tell you I didn't enjoy living among them while I waited and watched".

"Well you were gone so long you missed two other opportunities on Earth. But since you have such a penchant for living in three dimensions, I've saved you a nice juicy one. Same backwater corner of the cosmos, too. In fact it's on that moon two planets out from Earth, in the same solar system! Europa, I think your humans call it."

"Oh no! Not the worms! Why they're barely sentient, and they move so slowly, I'll be gone a hundred years Earth time! And juicy is right, those underground swamps are positively oily!"

"Don't exaggerate. 'They don't move that slow. But I bet next time, you don't drag your feet on your assignment! Now get going! If you hurry, you can squeeze in enough time to watch the fruition of your work on the Soul Reviewer".

Insisting on staying in three-dimensional form just to irritate Marlene, Susie slowly walked out of the room muttering about having to be a worm after being a cute girl for so many Earth years. Just as she walked through the door, where Marlene couldn't 'see', she turned and did something very natural for the precocious eleven-year old girl she appeared to be, but very uncharacteristic for an angel. She stuck her tongue out at Marlene!

Marlene, stuck in her three-dimensional presentation until Susie left the room, chuckled to herself after she left. She had seen the display of petulance! The three dimensional realm was kind of fun, maybe that's why humans seemed to be The Great Master's favorite beings in the Cosmos. Susie was a great Level III angel, and would someday promote up to take her place she was sure. But Susie had spent so much time on Earth, she had become a little impudent, just like all those humans there. Marlene decided not to tell her that not only had she been to Earth, she'd completed more assignments there than Susie, and in fact had been working directly with Susie for the last eleven, almost twelve Earth years, as Brenda, Bethany's angel.

Susie didn't need to know that she was in fact 'Brenda', or that someone very high up in management had assigned her to help Susie, an indication that it was very important to restore these Souls. So 'Brenda' hadn't gone to India as Susie thought. In actuality, her assignment to monitor Bethany ended when Susie initiated the steps to complete the assignment, so she'd returned to Home and resumed her duties here. Yes, Susie was talented, but she had a lot to learn.

Marlene chuckled again as she remembered Susie's words, "You have no idea what it's like to actually feel emotion." Indeed!

On the Soul Reviewer Console

In One House;

Barbara Fuller rose from bed, tossed on her robe, and headed for the kitchen. She hadn't been looking forward to this day, especially after that huge fight she'd gotten into with Bethany the day before. Today, just after breakfast they would be heading over to that specialty shop in the mall to get Bethany's lingerie, and then later over to the bridal store to get fitted for her junior bridesmaid gown. Bethany had left no doubt in her mind the day before that she wasn't going to make it a Mother and Daughter day. In fact, unless she changed her attitude, it was probably going to be a very long and difficult day for both of them.

Resignedly, she picked up the coffee carafe with her good hand to fill it with water, when she heard crunching behind, coming from the table. Turning, she was shocked at what she saw. No, she was more than shocked. She couldn't describe her feelings. There, sitting at the table, casually eating Rice Krispies was her daughter Bethany, wearing, of all things, a pretty lavender jumper and a very feminine blouse with puff sleeves. And she had rollers in her hair!!

"Hi Mom. I woke up early, so I decided to try setting my hair. I don't think I did a very good job. I don't think this haircut works very good for me anymore. Do you think I can get it trimmed or cut today? As short as it is, I'll probably have to get a pixie cut, but I've been thinking about letting it grow out after. Maybe you can help me figure out something that would work."

'Gosh' thought Barbara. Bethany, up already, and she sounded positively perky. Unheard of. And asking my advice on hair–anything for that matter! It was just too much for Barbara. She sat down across from Bethany, and studied her to see what she was up to this time. Bethany wasn't going to get out of the fitting, and Barbara wasn't about to take any guff from her, either. And she most definitely was not going to be mocked! Bethany in a dress, can you imagine? But she didn't look like she was pulling a stunt, she just looked like she was eating breakfast. In a dress! And wait! There was something else. She'd polished her nails! At a complete loss for words, she didn't realize she was staring.

"MOM, W-h-a-a-a-t? ... The dress? Oh. Well, Mom, I thought about it last night. A lot. You know what a tomboy I've been, but it hasn't really gotten me anywhere, has it? I mean, none of the girls like me except Sherry and Kathy, and I think they might be gay. I mean, that's okay for them I guess, but it's not me. The boys are all afraid of me because I beat too many of them up in third grade, I think. After thinking about things I just began to wonder what I was trying to prove. That a girl can be as tough as the boys? D-u-h! All girls are as tough as the boys! I guess I was just trying to defend being different. And after thinking about Bobby, I realized I didn't need to prove myself all the time. After all, he's different, and he just goes along and does his thing, in spite of what everybody else says about him. And you know something? Everyone teases him but all the smart kids really respect him for his talents. Maybe if I didn't have such a chip on my shoulder all the time the other kids might learn to look past my differences, too."

"And Mom, I'm really sorry for the fight yesterday. You and Dad are great parents, and you deserve a better daughter than I've been. Sharon's always been wonderful to me, the least I can do is help make her Special Day the best it can be. I guess what I'm saying is, maybe it's time for me to try becoming a real girl, if I can just figure out how. It would be nice to have friends, but mostly I just want my parents to be proud of me".

She had said it so earnestly, so matter of fact, that Barbara knew she wasn't playing games. Something had changed in her. What was it? Was her baby girl finally becoming a young lady? It sure seemed so. Bethany, meanwhile had turned her attention back to her cereal, as if the conversation was nothing out of the ordinary in any way. Barbara couldn't think of what to say. Her daughter had taken a one hundred and eighty degree turn overnight, and acted like nothing had happened. She realized she was still staring, so she got up and walked back to the counter, partly to hide her emotions. Then she turned back in time to see Bethany walk over to the sink and rinse out her bowl and spoon, placing them in the dishwasher without prompting. Another first.

"Bethany?"

"Yes, Mom?" Bethany was now right beside her.

“Has something changed? You seem a little...different"

Bethany tossed her head back and laughed. "Well, Yeeeaaah! Aren't you a little different? There's nothing like having your car squashed flat with you inside to make you take another look at your life, is there? I'm just dense, I guess, it took a few extra days for me to wake up!" She laughed again, as her mom finally chuckled a bit, then she turned to go upstairs. Just as she was leaving, her father John stepped through the door, stepping aside with a startled look on his face.

"Hi Daddy!" Bethany chirped in her little Tinkerbell voice as she paused to peck him on the cheek. "Mmmm you smell good! Is Barry up yet? I want to beat him to the shower before he uses all the hot water!" Then she turned to go.

"Bethany!"

"Yes, Mom?

"What happened to your eye patch?"

"Oh, that. When I got up this morning, it itched, so I took it off to wash my face. Then I noticed all the swelling was gone, and my black eye is almost gone too, so I left it off. See? There's just a little yellow left. I'll be able to cover it with a little blemish cover. My bruises are all gone too, and my rib doesn't hurt hardly at all! Can you believe it? I feel GREAT!" She turned to leave, but stopped again. "Oh Mom? Dad? Can you call me Bethany Anne from now on? There's another Beth at school, and she answers to Bethany too, so it's just easier if everyone uses my full name. Besides, it's much prettier when you use my middle name too ... You guys are good name choosers, y'know? Most kids are ashamed of their real name, but I like mine. It just feels so right! I'm going to get ready. See you in a bit."

John watched her bouncing up the stairs as light as a feather, nothing like the thunderous clop clop he was used to. He turned questioningly to his wife, and pointed up the stairs, mouthing the words Bethany Anne.

"I don't know!" She laughed. "But I'm not complaining! Let's just hope it's not a phase!"

In another house two blocks away;

Bobby heard a noise, then felt the sunlight on his face. What a dream he'd had last night! He'd been dead or something, and something REALLY weird had happened after that, as if being dead wasn't weird enough. It all kind of faded when he tried to remember. He sat up to see his mom putting tee shirts and underwear in his dresser.

"Sleep well, Bobby? How's the head? I see your bandage slipped off last night. You look much better, and you have some color in your face finally."

"Isn't it kinda early to be doing laundry, Mom? How was the trip?"

"I was up to see your Aunt Lydia off. It's a long drive home for her, remember? You’ll have to call her in a few days to thank her for staying with you, you know. The trip was fine, there's a whole other world out there. I hope you're not in school next time, maybe you can go too -- you'd really have fun ... You didn't answer my question."

"I feel great, Mom! No headache at all! Even my rib feels good, no more than a bruise unless I push on it. Can I go to school today? I want to work on my report, and I need to get outside and get some air. Being cooped up all the time is driving me nuts!"

"Well, Bobby, even if the doctor said you could go to school, today isn't a good day. It's Saturday! But if you want to get out for a while, maybe we can catch Doctor Wilson after her rounds, and she can check you over. She said to call as soon as the headaches stopped."

"OK, yeah! That sounds good. Saturday, huh? That means Dad's home, right? Maybe I can help him do something in the garage after the doctor. Maybe we can put together that birdhouse kit if he wants to set up the saw."

"Well, take it easy ... "

"Somebody mention me?" Thomas came into the room smelling of shaving cream as he wiped his face with a hand towel. "How ya doing, Sport? You look a lot better than the last time we saw you. You even look better than last night, when we got home. You were asleep."

"I feel great, Dad. I feel better all over, and I don't even have a headache. In fact, that place on my neck, you know, where they tried to suck out my brain? Except for a little itch, it feels fine!" He laughed with his dad at the joke. It was a reference to a late-night "b" horror flick they'd laughed through together a few weeks before. Some aliens had landed behind this kid's house, and they reprogrammed people by sticking a long needle into their brain. Dad had said it was a cult classic, whatever that is. It sure was an awful movie, you could even see the zippers on the 'aliens' costumes.

"That's great son. Your Mom and I have been real worried about you. Glad to have you back. Now I'm going to go get some of that coffee I smell!" As he turned to leave, Bobby spoke up.

"Dad? Later today, do you think we could do something together? A little catch, maybe?"

"Oh, sure! You know me, I'm always up for playing ball! And I promise not to break your hand again, like last time." Thomas wasn't sure he should have added that last part.

"Oh, that's OK, Dad, next time you start pitching, I'll just wear a catchers mitt." he said, laughing. "A metal one!" he said as Thomas joined in the laughter. "After lunch, then, after Mom and I see the doc?"

"It's set! I'll make sure to have the lawn mowed, so we'll have plenty of time!" He turned to leave.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Do you think you could teach me to pitch like you? I mean, your fastball is so hot, it could peel paint!"

Thomas was so surprised he just answered the question as it was posed. "Of course, Bobby. It's all in whipping the arm and wrist, kind of a trick, really. But we'll have to be careful. You're still growing, and that kind of throwing can damage your joints if you're not careful, so we'll need to take it slow, OK?"

"Sure, Dad. You're the coach!" Thomas turned and left, confused as hell. What was that all about? Then he made a decision he’d count as his proudest parenting moment for years, when he knew he’d done exactly the right thing. He returned to Bobby’s room and said, “Son? I hope you don’t mind, but they found some papers in the van after the accident that were in your handwriting, some with watercolor illustrations. They’re very impressive! It would make me very happy if you could show me some more of your work sometime. I knew you wrote poetry and liked to draw, but I had no idea you were so talented. You keep this up, people will say you're a modern day cross between Henry Thoreau and Claude Monet! I particularly liked that poem about perserverence! In fact, if you want to copy it to clean parchment, I’d like to frame it and put it on my wall at work. They're on the desk downstairs. I’m a fan of Elizabeth Barrett Browning too, you know”.

"Uh, ... sure Dad."

Seeing the shock on his son’s face, he just grinned and walked out of the room. He stopped for just a second at the door and pointed to the latest Danielle Steele novel that Bobby had accidentally left out on his nightstand. "Hey, that's a good one. I really liked the part when the guy finally gets to kiss the girl on the beach, alone in the moonlight! Kind of reminds me of last week, with your mom!" he said with a wink. He could be heard reciting "How do I love thee, let me count the ways..." as he descended the stairs.

Meanwhile, Carol had finished storing the clothes and picking up, and had been standing there taking in the conversation quietly, allowing herself a contented, private smile. Wordlessly, she turned to leave too, so Bobby could dress in private.

"Mom?" Bobby asked quietly, a little unsure of himself.

"Yes, Bobby?"

“Was he teasing me?”

“I don’t think so, what do you think?”

“Well, it didn’t sound like it ... but I didn’t think Dad knew anything about that kind of stuff.”

“Well, I don’t think you ever let him know that you did either, so now you’re even! Maybe now you’ll have more to talk about,” she smiled pleasantly.

“Thanks, Mom.” Bobby wanted to change the subject. He loved his writing and art and enjoyed the stories he read, but it would take some getting used to, talking to Dad about it.

"Do you think it would be okay if I called Bethany today, you know, just to check on her? She got pretty beat up in that accident too, and I feel like it sort of connected us somehow. I can't explain it. Besides, she's about the only kid in school who's ever been nice to me, and I really am concerned about her. But I don't want to do anything improper, or make her parents mad or anything".

Carol sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her son's innocent face, finally returning to normal after all this time. "Why Bobby, I think it's a great idea! And no, I don't think her parents would think a thing about it. Mrs. Fuller likes you, did you know that? Bethany doesn't have a lot of friends either, you know, and she's got to be feeling pretty bad with that black eye, and all those bruises. Girls need to feel pretty. Maybe you can reassure her."

Bobby burst out laughing. "Mom, you don't know Bethany very well do you? She’s such a tomboy, she's probably already posted pictures of her black eye on MySpace! But you're right, she is kinda pretty, in spite of herself". Bobby started to blush, but Carol judiciously ignored it.

"Well, call her right after breakfast, but don't talk too long. We have a lot to do if we're going by the hospital, and your dad's really looking forward to playing catch today. I'd hate to see him disappointed."

"Thanks Mom. I know. And I will ... Mom?"

Carol had stood to leave, thinking the conversation was over. Bobby, still sitting on the bed, was motioning with his finger, like he wanted to whisper a secret. She leaned forward. As soon as she was in range, he grabbed her neck and hugged tightly. "I love you. You're the best mom a kid could have." Carol managed to mumble something halfway intelligible, then escaped to her own room and buried her face in a pillow before the tears started. She'd come so close to losing him, and now it was like he was even more precious than he was before. She wondered what she ever did to deserve two perfect men in her life. It was just overwhelming, and breakfast got started a little late that morning.

Just a Bit Later

"Hello? Mrs. Fuller? It's Bobby -- Bobby Baylor. ... Much better thanks. My headaches are all finally gone, and I'm breathing better. It doesn't even hurt to laugh," he laughed. "How is your arm? ... That's great, I hope you don't have to wear a cast very long. It must be hard, sleeping with it and trying to take a shower. I called to check on Bethany. Is she there, and may I speak to her please? ... Oh thanks ..."

"Bethany? It's Bobby! What do you mean you had a feeling I was going to call -- I just thought of it myself!? Well, anyway, how are you doing? Does your rib still hurt? ... No? Me neither! ... No, it hurt like heck yesterday, and today, it's almost like it's just a bruise. I even took some of the tape off. Now THAT hurt! They could use that tape in the space program! How's the black eye, still look like Cyclops?" (laughing) ... "You took off the patch? Great! Is it still black and blue? ... No? Awesome! ... What? No, Mom and I have to go see Doc Wilson. Mom said I might be able to go to school Monday if the doc says it's okay. ... Where? ... When? .. One O'clock at the mall? Maybe, I'll check--hang on." (yelling) "M-O-O-O-M!! Bethany and her Mom want to know if we can meet them in the Food Court at one O'clock. -- Bethany's getting fitted for her wedding dress!" (laughing loudly) "OK? Thanks, Mom!"

"All right Bethany, I guess we'll see you there! ... NO! ... No, I wasn't making fun of you. I'd never do that, I get teased all the time and I know what it feels like. It's just that I've never seen you in a dress, and it just seemed kinda funny, and well, you're going to be in a wedding, so it's a wedding dress! Oh forget it. I guess it wasn't so funny, was it? But I think you'd look really pretty in one." (blushing a bit) "I just thought you hated them, and weddings are so-o-o fancy, and you're always griping to Sherry and Kathy when you have to dress up. Oh crud, don't be mad at me okay? ... What? You're looking forward to it? NO! ... REALLY? RIGHT NOW? I didn't even think you OWNED any dresses, and I SURE never thought I'd hear you say you're wearing one just 'cause you felt like it! ... You WHAT? Are you getting it permed too? Well they can't cut it much shorter, but I bet it's going to look really nice! What time? Oh, too bad. I'll have to wait till Monday to see how it comes out." (turning red, now)

"Wow! I guess being in that accident must have changed us both. You won't believe this. I just asked my Dad to teach me how to throw fastballs this morning! ... Yeah, me, little Bookworm Bobby! Weird, huh?" (giggling on one end, and laughing on the other)

"Something else. My dad asked me to copy one of my poems on parchment so he can hang it in his office -- I didn't even know he knew about my poems. It's really neat that he asked me, but I'm a little nervous. His office is like real fancy and my handwriting isn't so good ... Really, you have all the stuff for that? ... Real calligraphy? ... You'll show me how? You think I can learn it? That's great, maybe I can help you with math or something."

"What, my report? Oh, it's still about the same. I still need to do some research, so I have to get busy on it, 'cause it's due in a week. ... Sure, I'd love for you to partner with me on it. Is it okay for us to do that? ... Wow. Ms. Waters actually suggested it? ... Oh yeah. I forgot you missed a week too. ... No, really! It would be fun to do it together! Which building's your favorite? ... The Chicago Library? Wow. Mine too!! I love all those gargoyles hanging out over the street! ... Yeah, they're called gargoyles. ... No, I didn't know you chose the Library for your whole report! What a coincidence! That's the only building I still need to research! Cool huh? Looks like with my part and your part all that's left is the writing part to make them one report, and we're both pretty good at that."

"Yeah, we can talk about it some more later. ... OK, I gotta go too. See you at the mall! OH, Hey Bethany? This is going to sound a little weird, but I'm kinda glad we were in that accident, you know? Somehow I feel like it connected us, like it was meant to be or something. ... You too? Yeah, I can't explain it either. I even wrote a poem about it that I’ll have to show you -- I'm not sure it'll make sense to anyone else."

"Bethany? Thanks for being my friend. It means a lot to me that you didn’t laugh at my poetry or my watercolors. Can I call you Bethany Ann? I don’t want to insult you or anything, but I think it sounds real pretty and it seems to suit you better ... Really? With an ‘e’ on the end? Super! OK, bye, Bethany Anne with an ‘e’, see you at one!"

-Fine-