Father and Son

[racesgirl2000]

With Tina visiting her parents in Cuba gone, Halloween had fallen a bit flat. Wyman Norris and his friends had gone to town the previous year dressing up in crazy costumes and partying like there was no tomorrow but now the team was down to only three and try as he might even his fellow Breakfast DJ Maxine Trent couldn’t inspire the party spirit in them.

Their producer Barrie Jones had decorated the tourist office as usual, handed out candy to visitors but dressing up had felt like too much of an effort. Maxine’s witch’s hat had seemed to droop and the station manager had been listless so unlike his usual self that Wyman had been concerned.

A team trip to the pub after work had seemed to lift his spirits a bit and back at the station after the show had finished, he’d been his usual lusty self but now, Tina was away and Wyman was alone. It hardly seemed fair.

Slipping out of bed, Wyman pulled on some clothes and climbed the ladder to the office above. Maybe some warm milk would help him sleep.

The house was in night mode, everything powered down but there was enough light for Wyman to find his way to the small kitchen area and it only took a few moments to warm a mug of milk in the microwave. He took his drink over to the sofa beneath the old Apache Indian poster he'd had since he was a child and sank wearily onto the battered cushions.

Nothing was the same without Tina. Some days, he missed her and his friends so much that he felt like he could barely breathe. He closed his eyes and wiped away the tears that had come from nowhere to cloud his vision.

“I miss you, Wayne.”

“I know you do. I miss you too.”

Wyman’s eyes snapped open and he almost spilled his milk. The ghost of Wayne Norris as he was in 1983 was standing just the other side of the coffee table. He was a bit see-through but otherwise looked pretty much like he always had.

“Wayne Norris?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You can’t be here; you’re dead!” Wyman’s voice cracked on the last word.

“I know. Have you forgotten what night this is?”

“It’s Halloween. All Hallows Eve.”

“Exactly. It’s the one night of the year when the dead can walk the earth. Being this close to the dead helps otherwise I don’t think you’d be able to see or hear me.”

“I can see through you.”

“I’m insubstantial on this plane of existence. If you tried to touch me, your hand would go straight through.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Are you real?”

“I like to think so,” Wayne smiled impishly then grew serious again. “I had to see you, I‘ve been worried about you; all of you. Are you okay? I mean since me and Bomber died?”

“Dennis said life’s hard without you. It’s like you took all the fun away with you. We’re doing our best but nothing’s the same. I never met you, Mum wouldn't let me. Well, we all miss you. I know you failed me, we weren’t there when you needed us…”

“It wasn’t your fault, mate or your mum’s, no matter what she believes. Look, Squire, it’s okay. I'm fine, Bomber's even happy. He got his missus back and I've got my parents, we found each other again. Can you believe they was waiting for me? We have a good life on the next plane. I've got no regrets except that our deaths have hurt you and the others so much. Please be happy, for me and for Bomber but mostly, for yourself. Make the most of every moment so that you never have to regret anything and remember that I died thinking of you and the rest of the guys. What more could a bloke ask out of life?”

“I’ll try.”

“And tell your mum… Tell him I never stopped thinking about her but that some day, we’ll meet again. Everyone dies and moves on eventually even her, you know that.”

“I’ll tell her, I promise.”

“Good. I should go now, Mum’s waiting. Take care of yourself, mate. You'll always be the me replacement/best mate the others’ve ever had.”

“You too, Wayne. Will I see you again?”

“If you’re close to the dead this time next year, I’ll visit you again. Midnight, that’s when the walls are thinnest. Any time like that'll do, it don’t have to be this one; there are lots of them out there,” Wayne gestured upwards. “Space is full of them. See you soon, right. Until next year.”

“Bye, Wayne. Have a good afterlife.”

“Count on it.” Wayne waved as he slowly faded out of sight and was gone.

For a while, Wyman just sat there staring at where Wayne had stood, his mug of milk slowly cooling in front of him. Had it been a dream or had Wayne really been there? He smiled to himself as he realized that he believed what he’d seen. Getting to his feet, he took his mug to the kitchen and poured the milk down the sink, rinsed the mug and put it away. He hadn’t even taken a sip of it but he felt better, lighter; he thought he could sleep now.

Death wasn’t the end of life after all. Everything was going to be okay.