We ride to the office in total silence. Once we park I grab her hand saying, "I'm so sorry you feel disrespected, that was never my intention. Yes, I knew you were married, but I had to try just in case you weren't happily married. Is that okay?"
Smiling, she nods. Releasing her hand, I return a smile. She exits, never looking back.
As I head home I reminisce on the day my dad introduced me to my ancestor Lee York. After I told him I'd see my mother's spirit he started sharing his secrets with me. Mrs. Braiden, the woman who introduced him to spiritualism was long deceased. However, my dad still had contact with her daughter, Sia Braiden. I was 14 years old when my dad and I pulled up to these iron gates. I ask, "Who lives here?"
"Sia, but we're not here for her. I want you to meet someone else."
Sia opens the door and greets, "Hello King. Hello Lee."
We both simply nod. "Have you all eaten this morning?"
"We're not hungry, Sia. Thanks."
"Suit yourself. Well, follow me."
We walk a long way to the opposite side of her home. We past four funeral parlors before we got to an office. Once in the office, Sia leads us into a small room behind it. There are two fold-up chairs, a screen, and a reel to reel projector. My dad sits then motions for me to sit with him. Suddenly an old movie starts playing. I'm bored out of my mind then Lee York appears. I'm a teen, but our resemblance is undeniable.
My dad says, "He's who I named you after."
Sia then adds, "He was a very, very powerful man. Many believe he still is. He's the most powerful person in the entire existence of the York lineage. And here you sit, him reincarnated."
We leave right after the film. While driving home my dad says, "You know we don't believe in reincarnation, the Bible doesn't uphold it. I don't think you're reincarnated, as those like Sia believe, but I believe you're spiritually connected to him somehow. How you're able to see your mother is beyond me. But I wanted you to know he exists and that by some coincidence, no it's no coincidence. I wanted you to know he's real and so is his spirit."
Tonight, I'm so horny thinking about Bea. It's one thing to be married, but religious too. I'll never win her over. I shower and then finally open the package I got from Joy. On purpose, I delivered it to my nana's old home in case my aunts or Eloise came over snooping. My lawyer did everything for me and then sent it to me in one nice package. I remove my passport, driver's license, social security card, a reel to reel, and a black onyx box. I had gotten my dad's blessing before he died to add Wilhelm to my name. I was now Lee Roger Wilhelm York. As his living heir, I rightfully retrieved all his movies from Alistair's Estate and this onyx box created for his journals. Wilhelm's father had added a letter to it to him. There were photos of his parents and him as a child. I stared at his child photo for hours because it was simply me. His teachings in his journals fascinated me. Even his journals on the woman he loved intrigued me. Everything he believed I already believed too. And to be immortal was a secret yearning I withheld, even from my father.
A month has passed, but I can't stop thinking of Bea. From time to time, I've even been stalking her. Her parents are the pastors of the church she and her husband attend. He's a minister too. One Sunday morning I decided to get reacquainted with Bea at church as opposed to work. Hoping to blend in I wear all black, but as soon as I reach the church steps the parishioners stare as if God Himself is entering the building. I give a friendly nod to all the onlookers, then hide in a back pew awaiting Bea's appearance. Finally, she enters from the doors at the back of the church. I guess these are the leaders. They fill the front middle rows and she looks wonderful today.
