When Angels Play Poker Read online

  At that point, Pat turned to Jimmy and said, “Have a good time tonight. You’re doing great! I need to leave now, but trust me, if you need anything, Norm will be at your side in a second—including when you’re ready to go back to heaven. Okay?”

  “Okay, sis. Thanks for everything.” Jimmy turned back to the radio station, thinking he didn’t care if he ever went back to heaven.

  Pat was relieved to see that Jimmy wasn’t upset that she was going. And because he was distracted, he didn’t turn in time to see her open her huge, beautiful rainbow wings and fly away.

  Jimmy was too focused on having a blast with the radio station to think twice about where his sister went. He had gotten Bob to forget all his troubles, get into the music, and drive all the way down Route 6 on Cape Cod with his favorite girl. And Maura was happy because she could sense Bob’s mood lightening. She cuddled up to him as his drove, knowing not to ask where they were going exactly, because Bob always made it a surprise.

  They drove a long way on Route 6, and Bob finally pulled into a secluded beach area in a town named Dennis. They got out of the car, pulled a big blanket out of the trunk, and walked out onto the soft sand. Maura spread the blanket out on the beach, and she and Bob lay down and stared up at the big, bright moon and stars.

  Bob pulled Maura close to him, gave her a long kiss, and then just held her close for a long time without saying anything. Maura sensed again the overwhelming sadness emanating from him as they lay together. But because she thought it had to do with her, she couldn’t ask the simple question “What’s wrong?”

  What she did know was not to push him, and she decided not to turn the time on the beach into a romp in the sand. Gut instinct told Maura to just let it alone and let Bob lead where he wanted things to go. And it became obvious quickly that he just wanted to hold her, to take in the beauty of the surrounding ocean, and to chill.

  Meantime, in the back of Maura’s head, she could hear a male voice insisting, “Ask him; ask him what’s wrong!” But she pushed it out of her head. Jimmy was actually chanting this to her, but he had no way of knowing whether he was connecting with her or not—and he was getting exhausted from trying.

  Bob and Maura stayed on the beach for a long time, just talking, cuddling, and reminiscing about the past. Finally they decided to head back home, since it was starting to get cold and very late.

  When Bob started the car, the radio came back on and was finishing up a tune. Just as Jimmy was thinking, What’s the point of all this? the first connection happened. As a new song started, Maura turned and said, “Bob, we need to remember this radio station. It’s great!”

  He replied, “I know. Funny, but I never remember hearing it before.”

  “Well, what are the call letters?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to pay better attention.”

  That’s when it clicked for Maura. She turned to Bob with a stunned look on her face and said, “They haven’t said the call letters all night! It’s FCC regulations to announce them so many times an hour, and they have never said them once.”

  Maura turned to look out the window and was silent while she thought that through. She realized that in the two hours they had been in the car, driving down to the Cape, there had not been one commercial either. That’s when Maura smiled and realized that something very special had happened. She decided not to bring it to Bob’s attention though—she didn’t want to freak him out. She wasn’t sure he would understand the special music connection she had with heaven.

  Jimmy started jumping up and down in the back seat of the car, shouting, “She got it. She got it! Hot damn.”

  At that moment Bob turned to Maura and said, “There’s something I need to tell you, hon.”

  Maura’s heart stopped. She turned, seriously looked in his eyes, expecting the worst, and said, “What is it?” And that’s when he told her that his brother had died suddenly two weeks before, the night they were to go out.

  Maura breathed a sigh of relief and instantly understood everything: his sadness, unfocused attention and actions, distant behavior as well as his melancholy mood. Though she was hurt that Bob hadn’t told her earlier, she understood how hard it was for him to share his feelings, and her heart went out to him. She let him talk about how it happened, how bothered he was with the suddenness of Jimmy’s heart attack, how he had planned to see Jimmy that next day, and about the funeral and all that transpired there.

  At some point, Maura realized that the music had stopped completely because they could no longer get a clear signal on the radio channel—or so she thought. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the station to come back. Just then it hit her what was so special about all this: she knew it somehow related to Jimmy. She didn’t say a word to Bob about her thoughts—she knew he would never believe her.

  By that point, Bob and Maura were getting back home very late, at two. As Jimmy was wondering what to do next, Norm mysteriously appeared next to the car and said to him, “You did great on your first angel assignment. I am very pleased!”

  Jimmy grinned ear to ear. “Thanks, little man! It was so cool. I got to hang with my sister, see my brother, and connect through to Maura.”

  Norm quickly said, “Ah, don’t jump to conclusions just yet about connecting. Maura hasn’t completely processed the event and figured it out yet.”

  “Oh, Norm, I think she will,” Jimmy stated confidently, like he had become an instant true believer in her capabilities.

  Norm smiled in return and said, “Okay then. We have to get going now and zoom back to heaven.”

  Jimmy looked at him bewildered and said, “How are we going to do that, Norm? We can’t go back up a slide!”

  Norm nodded. “Follow me to that street light in the parking lot.” Jimmy did, and Norm told him to stand under the light and grab ahold of his arm. Norm looked at him, winked, and said, “This is how easy it is to get back up to Heaven.” He looked into the light and said, “Up!” and off they went together at a fast speed. All Jimmy remembered was starting to be lifted up; the next thing he knew, he was standing back in the viewing room.

  Meanwhile, after saying goodnight to Bob, Maura got in her car and started to drive home, which would take her another half hour. She drove along the highway in a happy but pensive mood. Before she got into her car, Bob had told her he didn’t know when they would get together again and that he needed his space to process and mourn the death of his brother.

  Maura understood this, but at the same time, as always, she felt that she never saw enough of him. Thus she realized it could be weeks, if not months, before they connected again. It was already August, with September fast approaching, as well as Bob’s fiftieth birthday.

  As she drove, Maura’s mind drifted over the events of the evening in detail and settled on the radio and song list. In her gut, she knew that someone in heaven was trying to send her a message. That’s the way it had worked for years, when angels—and sometimes even God—wanted to get her attention. She knew the signs as well as the special songs.

  No, she thought suddenly, that’s not completely right. Someone in Heaven is trying to reach Bob through me! But why? None of her special songs had been played. All the songs were from Bob’s era, not hers, though occasionally some from hers would be mixed in. The oddest part was that the songs were all rare ones that hadn’t been heard on mainstream radio in years. And more importantly, she knew there were no commercials and no FCC call letter announcements. So someone in heaven definitely was trying to get through. But who?

  Maura arrived at her suburban home in the woods, and as she pulled into the driveway, she wondered about the voice she had distinctly heard in her head when she was on the beach. It had said, “Ask him. Ask him!” It was definitely a male voice, but not one she recognized. Then again, Maura said to herself, scoffing, “How do you recognize voices from the spirit world?” It bugged her e
nough to be troubled into thinking that maybe she was just starting to hear voices in her head all of a sudden.

  Maura let out a loud sigh as she walked into the house. As she tiredly trudged upstairs to the master bedroom, she said out loud, “For all I know, that was Jimmy’s voice.” She quickly pushed that out of her mind, saying to herself, “Come on! You don’t even know the guy.” With this finally thought, she quickly whipped off her clothes, shut off the lights, and dove into her sleigh bed. Before she could process another thought, she was fast asleep.

  Jimmy was sitting in the viewing room, and when he heard Maura say his name, he leaped up and started high-fiving Norm. “She said it, Norm! She knows! Maura really knows.”

  Norm laughed and said, “We’ve been telling you that Maura has a unique gift. She’s a special Earth Angel, Jimmy.”

  Jimmy couldn’t stand still, he was so excited. He started pacing around the room. “Man, this is just great. I can’t believe she figured out the connection so fast! What do I do next? What’s my next assignment?”

  Norm replied, “Let her get some rest, and you as well. There will be plenty of time and things you can do once you really connect with her and she knows you’re her spirit guide.”

  Jimmy looked at Norm, perplexed, and said, “How do I make her know that I exist?”

  Norm said, “You need her to get a visual of you in her mind, through what we call a daydream, which happens not when she’s sleeping, but as she’s waking up. So, for now, go snooze-doze for a bit. You’ve had a very exciting night. We’ll connect again when Maura starts to wake up, which—trust me—will not be for another twelve hours. This woman loves her beauty sleep!” He laughed.

  Jimmy laughed as well and said, “You’re telling me! And why do you think I’m so bored all the time? It can be like watching paint dry just being assigned to her. You really need to find me something else to do, Norm.”

  “Jimmy, focus on tonight. You should be really happy with what you’ve accomplished. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good snooze-doze,” Norm reiterated as he turned to leave the viewing room.

  Jimmy gently smiled and said, “Thanks for everything, little man! Good-night.”

  CHAPTER 6

  The Second Connection—The Dream

  Later the next morning, Norm went to visit Jimmy in his cloud cube, only to find it empty. So he glided down the hallways until he came to the viewing room, and there he found Jimmy, snooze-dozing on the floor.

  Norm quietly said, “Jimmy!”

  Jimmy immediately flashed open his eyes and sat up quickly. “Is it time yet? Is Maura awake?” He glanced at the viewing screen, only to see that Maura was still fast asleep.

  Norm said confidently, “She’ll be awake soon. You decided not to snooze-doze in your room?”

  Jimmy smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t want to miss out on my next opportunity.”

  Norm replied, “Well, that will be happening shortly.” As he said it, he looked at the screen and could see Maura starting to stir a bit. “Okay, here is your next assignment, if you’re ready. And it’s a tricky one.”

  Jimmy quickly said, “I’m ready.”

  “Maura is coming out of a deep REM sleep now and is floating in and out of a lighter sleep and consciousness,” Norm said. “This means she can dream, be aware of her dream, and remember it as well. You need to catch her during this light sleep phase and insert a dream situation that she’ll remember when she wakes up. Thus she’ll know that she saw you in the dream.”

  Jimmy asked, “Any situation?”

  Norm replied, “Yes. But if I were you, I would try to make it something that has to do with Bob, since you want to connect with him as well.”

  “Why do I have to do that?”

  “Remember that Maura might not believe this dream. Therefore you have to make it a situation that Bob will remember, so that when she tells him about this, he will completely understand.”

  Jimmy was quiet for a minute as he thought about what Norm had just told him. “How much time do I have?”

  “Very little—actually under five minutes. But I know you can do this, Jimmy,” Norm said encouragingly. “Just focus!”

  Jimmy closed his eyes and thought about various events that had happened in his life, but he kept discarding them because they didn’t connect well with Maura’s life in any way.

  Norm jumped in and said, “Come on, Jimmy, you have very little time left! She’s starting to wake up.”

  Just then Jimmy thought of a perfect scenario. “Okay, Norm, I’m ready!”

  “Great! Now focus totally on Maura and start to play out the dream in your head like it’s a movie.”

  At that moment, Maura started to stir in bed and could feel herself waking up, but she turned over and murmured to herself, “Nooo, it’s too early!” and started to drop back off into a light sleep and dream.

  Maura dreamed she was in Boston with Bob at a small rustic bar. It was one of those places that has low ceilings and a very old, authentic wood-beam structure. The bar was lively and crowded with people everywhere, hanging close together. At the far end of the bar was a tiny dance floor, and a live band was playing cover songs that night.

  Bob was coming back from the bar with a Sam Adam beer for each of them, and as Maura watched him walking toward her, she suddenly heard a man nearby say, “Hi there!” As she turned her head a bit to the left to see where the sound had come from, suddenly she saw a handsome, Dean Martin lookalike man, in a leather jacket, leaning against the wooden post and beam pole closest to Maura, smiling at her.

  Before she could open her mouth to say hello, this man hurriedly said, “No! Don’t say anything out loud! I can hear you perfectly in my head as you think of things to say.” Maura stared at him in stunned silence. She couldn’t have said anything if she wanted to, because as he spoke, she realized that this was the voice she had heard repeatedly saying, “Ask him!” the night before.

  The man gently said, “Don’t be afraid, and don’t look afraid. Bob will immediately pick up on that. He’s coming toward you now. Look at him and smile, like nothing out of the ordinary is happening.”

  Maura did as she was told and couldn’t believe what Bob did next. He stopped in front of her and leaned on the same post and beam that Jimmy was at, but on the other side. Maura could now clearly see them both, the dapper-looking Dean Martin type confidently looking like he owned the whole bar, and Bob, the more distinguished, handsome, and taller man. But if she looked at them quickly, she could see the resemblance in their profiles. And that’s when it struck Maura like a thunderbolt what was happening. Her eyes went wide and she thought, You’re Jimmy!

  Jimmy nodded toward her with a brim-of-the-hat gesture and a grin, saying, “Yes, ma’am, that would be me!”

  At that moment, Bob looking concerned. “Maura, what’s wrong? You look very pale.” To Maura’s relief, he had not seen or heard Jimmy.

  Maura smoothly said, “Oh, Bob, you missed it! Some old guy behind you just grab at some young babe’s butt that he didn’t know, as he was walking up to the bar, and she slapped him.”

  Bob laughed and turned around to see what she meant.

  Jimmy chuckled and said, “Quick and good answer, Maura!”

  Maura sighed and thought, Why are you here? Why are you doing this? Bob can’t see you, right?

  “No, he can’t. You’re the only one in this whole bar that can,” Jimmy proudly stated.

  That’s just great! Maura thought.

  At that point, Bob turned back around. Jimmy could see Maura getting that wide-eyed, panicked look on her face again, so he quickly said, “Dance with me!”

  Maura shouted in her head, What? Are you CRAZY? I can’t dance with you. I’ll look like a nut job, because no one else can see you!

  “Ahhh, but Maura, you’ve never danced with me!” stated Jimmy with a confident air. “I
’ll make it look like you’re dancing for Bob. You know how much he’ll love that. Come on! Listen to the music.” And with that, Jimmy quickly spun her around.

  Maura could feel herself being spun, even though she couldn’t feel Jimmy’s arms. Just then the band’s lead singer started singing, “I’m not missing you at all, since you’ve been gone,” a rendition of the John Waite song. Before she could object or understand what was happening, she was dancing and being led gracefully in turns, twists, and cool dance steps by Jimmy.

  Meanwhile, Bob couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He always loved to watch Maura dance, and when they first met, he use to have her dance for him whenever there was an opportunity. He always felt that she should have been a professional dancer.

  And Maura felt like she was dancing with Fred Astaire. No one had ever taken such command and control of her every move, and Jimmy knew how to guide her from one step to the next as smooth as silk. She was doing dance steps she never knew she was capable of. She couldn’t help but start laughing, she was having so much fun.

  Jimmy laughed with her as well. There was nothing better than dancing. It’s what he absolutely loved to do. In addition, it was the first fun he’d had since being in Heaven, and who would have guessed it would be with Bob’s girl? Her incredible blue eyes and smile mesmerized him. He didn’t want the song to end, or the dance.

  The music stopped, and Maura smiled at Bob, who told her, “You’re still the most amazing dancer I know, Maura!” Then she glanced at Jimmy and thought, “Why? Why now? And why me?!”

  Jimmy replied, “Because you are the only one I can connect to Bob through. I’m your guardian angel now, Maura—full-time. I want you to tell Bob this, and let him know what just happened. And tell him that, unlike the song, I am missing him.”

  Alarmed, Maura thought, I can’t do that! How would I explain all this?