The Bessie Series - Books 1-3

30. Heaven

On a balmy afternoon at Millie and Will Dodd’s cottage in the valley, Ash and Bessie sit on a blanket on the lawn, playing with Peach the cat. Grandpa Will is pouring tiny glasses of his latest batch of nectarine hooch, with a whispered, “Shush, don’t tell your grandma.” On a small table, a plate of Millie’s brownies, still warm from the oven, emanate a sweet chocolate aroma. Nearby, Grandma is fussing with an open steamer trunk. Beside her, a pile of clothing is neatly folded, waiting to be packed.

Bessie sips on her thimbleful of the tangy alcohol. Her features reveal her distress. She asks her plaintively, “But why now, Gran? Why are you going to reincarnate now?”

“Because it’s time, dear,” Millie says simply, giving her a sweet smile. She fingers her bright green brooch, perched as always, on her left side of her chest.

“Why do you wear that silly brooch, anyways?” Bessie wonders out loud.

“This one?” Grandma replies, as if there were another one. She removes it to set it on her open palm. “I’ve had it, oh, well, forever. What do you see?” She hands it to her granddaughter to examine.

Bessie looks down at the silver and green stone jewelry. “Did Grandpa give it to you for your wedding, or something?”

“Hush,” Millie replies. “Stare at it without blinking. Focus.”

Bessie frowns for a moment before following her grandmother’s instructions. Suddenly, she sees it. An aura emanates around the emerald brooch! It seems to be vibrating with an energy all of its own. As she continues to stare, pulsating streams of iridescent green light reach towards her. Startled, she almost drops it.

Her head pops up to look over at her grandmother who, she realizes, is observing her intently. Millie puts out her hand to retrieve her beloved jewelry. Pinning it back on her dress, she smiles mysteriously. “Hand me those slippers?” Millie looks towards Ash.

“These? Oh, they’re so glam,” Ash gushes. She holds up red-beaded Chinese slippers, twirling them in her palm. “Where did you ever find these?”

“An Asian friend of mine made them for me,” the older woman tells her. “She’s in Miami now, doing quite well in her next life, I hear, as a designer to the stars. Lovely gal.” Millie reaches for a hand-knit sweater to admire before tossing it into the box.

Bessie jumps up, heading out the door in the direction of the woods. Her grandparents share a look. Will grabs the plate of fresh brownies and follows her. Soon he finds her perched on a large rock, her arms hugging her legs to her chest. As he approaches, he can hear his granddaughter’s gentle sobbing. Without touching her, he quietly sits on the grass beside her, handing her up a brownie.

She takes it silently. They sit there companionably for some time before Will speaks. “We’ll only be gone a lifetime, sweetie. It’s not as if it’s forever. Why, a lifetime goes by like …” He snaps his fingers in the air. “Like that.”

Bessie looks over at him, love shining in her eyes. “It’s just that I want you here with me. Selfish, I know.”

He holds up the plate so she can take another brownie. “That’s not selfish, that’s just natural,” he reassures her. “We realize it’s hard on you, sugar plum. It’s just that—”

Bessie jumps in. “It’s your time. I know.”

“When it’s your turn, you’ll know, too,” he says. They munch in silence, watching a squirrel chase another squirrel up and down a nearby tree.

She asks him, “So what are you planning to be this time around, anyways?”

“Well …” Will snickers. “You may not believe your old grandpa, but I’ve always wanted to be a policeman.”

“No!” Bessie laughs. “Not you … a policeman? No, really?”

“No kidding,” he says, patting her on the back, grinning. “A copper. A real live copper.”

She looks over at him in astonishment. “Never would have guessed that one in a million years.”

They both reach for the remaining brownie. Giggling, their fingers pull, breaking it nicely into halves. “Maybe even …” he teases, his old eyes twinkling, “Scotland Yard.”