Spirits in the Material World

All persons are over the age of 18, and all characters and locations are totally fictional.

None of these parts or chapters stand alone. The narrative picks up where the previous one left off.

I had intended for this one to wrap up the story, but there's simply too much to cram into this one part. Look for a Part 17, which I hope will be the end of this arc.

Friday, December 18 continued:

Maggie, David, Alan, and Rose were met at the doors by Maggie's friend, Joy, who had been looking rather nervous until she saw Maggie's party. A look of great relief crossed Joy's face, as it was crucial to have these two extra chaperones for their event.

"Thank goodness you're here! Mrs. Lawson, would you please hurry inside with your date? We can't start anything until there is sufficient adult supervision, and you two are who we have been waiting for."

"Of course, Joy. Straight away. Alan, shall we go make this event happen for these young people?"

Joy's attention turned back to Maggie and David. She caught a whiff of David's cologne, which was not overpowering in any way, and the pheromones did their thing. Her nostrils flared and her eyes glazed over for a moment. Joy wavered slightly and David caught her elbow to keep her from falling down.

"Oh, my God! You are such..." Joy's words failed her, but her nipples hardened and her pussy began to dampen. Stabilizing herself, she grabbed Maggie's arm and pulled her toward the girls' bathroom, leaving David to deal with the entry fees. Just as the door to the bathroom was closing, he could hear Joy say, "Where on earth did you find..."

David smiled and approached the table staffed by two pretty girls, one blonde with lots of curls, the other of Oriental descent with straight, raven-black hair. They had been watching Joy and Maggie disappear into the bathroom, then squeaked with surprise at David appearing before them.

"Hi, I'd like to pay for two people, please," he declared.

"Are- are you Maggie's boyfriend?" the blonde managed to ask.

"Yes, I'm David. And you are?"

"I'm Donna and this is Abbie. We're good friends of Maggie." Both girls looked at David from head to toe and unconsciously licked their lips. Although he was just a year or so older than them, his semester in college had given David a measure of maturity that seemed to set him apart from high schoolers.

"Ladies, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. Maggie tells me she has traded me to each of you for a dance sometime this evening. That will be a very pleasant thing, as you both are quite lovely tonight."

"Look at Mr. Smooth Talker go," Abbie muttered but she did not deny his statement. Both girls now became even more envious of their friend and they wanted to do nothing else but rush into the bathroom with Joy and Maggie. However, stern duty kept them at their station.

Seeing the backup of other attendees beginning, David provided the requisite admission and passed by the table with a soft, "I'm looking forward to our dances together." He entered the cafeteria and scoped out the room. The DJ service was set up in a far corner with speakers and amplifiers strategically placed. The room was quarter lit by the fluorescent lights, and the decorations along the walls looked hand-made, pretty much what you would expect for a high school event. There was a table along the left wall with a couple of trays of cookies and a couple of punch bowls. About a dozen young couples milled about and he saw the chaperones lined up against the near right wall. He stepped towards the adults so as not to block the entrance, and as he approached, Rose turned to greet her daughter's beau.

"Everyone, this is Alan's son, David, who is Maggie's date and, I guess, boyfriend," Rose introduced. A few of the teachers welcomed him with a nod, and the one at the far end said softly, "No wonder she's been so easy to get along with lately."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be here tonight and a pleasure to meet you. May I be excused to go speak with the DJ?" David was piling it on, higher and deeper, and Alan was smiling from ear to ear. Laura's lessons in etiquette were bearing excellent fruit! Given nods of approval, David stepped down to the DJ's setup. On the table before the turntable and CD player was a small pile of business cards, advertising the service, "Orpheus", and providing contact points and a website. David pocketed one of these and asked to speak when the DJ had a moment.

"Sometime tonight, can you please play two songs? One you may not have. 'Happy Together' by the Turtles and 'All of Me' by John Legend?"

"Yeah, man. 'All of Me' is not a problem. I'll have to dig to see if we have 'Happy Together' though. Thanks!" as David passed him a $10 bill.

The DJ came back with, "You know, Weezer did a pretty good cover of that, and I know I have that here. Will that be good enough?"

"Perfect, man! That one's for my dad and his soon-to-be fiancée. Thanks so much! Doh! I have one other request." He flashed another $10 bill. "Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me', please?"

"Dude. She's wearing a white dress, isn't she?"

"You know it."

"Done. Have a great night!"

= = =

Joy practically dragged Maggie into the girls' bathroom.

"OH. MY. GOD!" Joy gushed. "Mags, WHEREVER did you find him?"

Maggie smirked and answered, "Oh, he's just the younger brother of my sister's boyfriend. Yummy though, isn't he? And he's all mine." She walked over and washed her hands, watching her friend in the mirror. She could practically see Joy's brown eyes glowing with a fluorescent green of jealousy.

'Challenge accepted and completed,'

Maggie thought.

"You are going to let me have a dance with him, right?"

"Of course, Joy. And with Donna and with Abbie as well. I promised."

"You are such a lucky bitch, you know that, right?" Joy asked.

"Yes, yes I do. Now let's get primped and go out there and break some hearts."

The girls emerged from the restroom and walked over to the table being staffed by Donna and Abbie. The cafeteria was beginning to fill up with people, and the DJ was playing music for all to dance to. A couple of others on the party committee were behind the refreshments table, making sure things were under control and not being exhausted.

= = =

Rose and Alan were doing their best to be influencers of proper decorum without getting in anyone's face. They leaned against the wall with the other teacher chaperones and observed the youthful antics. They would comment to each other how things had changed yet had remained the same. Hormones running rampant among teenagers is not a new story. They had to break up a couple of excessive ass grinds and some blatantly wandering hands. But all in all, it was a well-behaved crowd that was celebrating the end of a semester's classes and the joy of the human spirit.

David danced exclusively with Maggie unless she requested otherwise. In her white dress and silver shoes, she was resplendent and many of the boys she attended classes with had no idea how to deal with her ignoring their newfound interest in the beautiful girl. So, David had very few young men to stare down or intimidate. Except for the few times she and her posse had to hit the restrooms, she remained by his side, her hand in his while they rested, or out on the dance floor together.

The first slow dance song the DJ played was John Legend's 'All of Me'. He introduced it as "a special request for the girl in the white dress." David took Maggie's hand and led her out onto the dance floor, looking deeply into her eyes the whole time.

"I asked him to play this, just for us, Magpie. Cuddle in and listen to the words, please. I'd like this to have meaning for us," David informed her.

They swirled and stepped just like they had practiced at the Harrisons' home, and by the end of the song, when David lifted her chin to press his lips to hers, they were both in tears of love for the other. Alan and Rose were so moved by this finale that they, too, had tears in their eyes for their children. The chaperoning teachers also took note of this, and a few tears were wiped from their eyes as well.

Joy got the first non-Maggie dance with David after about 30 minutes. She was able to wrap her arms around his neck and slow dance with him while the DJ played the Kiss song, 'Beth'. It was a simple box step and sway dance, but Joy was filled with... well, joy. Maggie had placed Joy's hand in David's and gestured for them to do their thing. At the end of the song, David bent over Joy's hand and kissed it tenderly in thanks for the dance. It was going to take a day or two for the smile to be removed from Joy's face.

Abbie was next up for time with David. Again, Maggie placed her friend's hand in her boyfriend's, and the two of them swirled into the maelstrom of humanity. This time the song was Seal's 'Kiss From a Rose', and because Abbie had also taken dance classes, they went a-waltzin'. Round and around across the floor they seemed to fly, much to the great envy of many who watched. The adults were quite amused, and again at the end David kissed Abbie's hand and thanked her.

The final promised dance, with Donna, almost didn't happen. 'Nights in White Satin' by the Moody Blues began, and Maggie decided that this should be Donna's dance, but Donna was not in sight. About 1/4 of the way through the song, Donna showed up with a cup of punch, and Maggie took the punch from Donna and placed Donna's hand in David's, and pushed them both out onto the dancefloor. Another simple box step and sway song, and for some reason or other, David's light cologne smacked Donna upside her nose. She quickly nestled in, breathing him in and wrapping him up. She ducked her head under his chin and had the biggest smile on her face that she could remember. While Graham Edge's poetry finished the song, David gently extracted himself from Donna's grasp and repeated the bow, kiss of the hand, and the thanks for the dance. This led to the last trip to the restroom by the posse, and David found a chair to sit in.

In a case of exceptional timing, as Maggie and her posse returned, the DJ started the requested Taylor Swift song. Maggie's eyes snapped to David's watchful gaze, and a tearful smile crossed her face as she excused herself from her friends and approached David. When Taylor said, "you belong with me", Maggie pointed first at David, then at herself. They met on the dance floor and stepped in rehearsed synchronization. At the end of the song, when Taylor finishes once again with "you belong with me," David responded in true Han Solo-style with, "I know," which drew yet another tearful smile and kiss from Maggie.

A couple of songs later, the DJ finally played his final request, Weezer's cover of 'Happy Together'. David and Maggie were in the perfect spot to watch Alan's and Rose's faces light up, and they, too, danced a little. And then Julie showed up, breathless.

= = =

Julie was a little puzzled at Tom's lack of response to her texts, but she let it go, for now. She busied herself with getting the supper leftovers put away, then she wandered down the hall to her room. She flopped on her bed and toyed with her phone, looking at Facebook posts by friends and watching numerous videos of kittens doing odd stuff. The one of the three kittens in the wrestling ring made her laugh the most.

Tired of waiting for Tom to get back, she called his phone. To her shock, it was answered by a woman.

"Hello, this is Tom Harrison's phone."

"And why, pray tell, is Tom Harrison not answering his own phone?" Julie demanded. "Who is this?"

"My name is Patricia Wells and I'm the nurse in charge tonight at the Middleburg Hospital. With whom am I speaking?"

"I'm Julie Lawson and I'm Tom's girlfriend. Why is his phone at the hospital?"

"Julie, before I answer that question, do you have a way to contact his parents or family? His phone is locked so we cannot access his contacts, and nobody is answering his home phone. Hold on a second, will you please?" Julie heard the attempt to muffle the microphone and then she heard Maeve Johnson's voice demanding the phone.

"Julie, is that you dear?" Maeve asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Johnson. What's going on?" Julie asked, starting to worry a little.

"Tom was broadsided in his little car by some kids in a much larger car. His car hit a tree and he's been unconscious ever since. He's here in the hospital and nobody seems to be answering cell phones. Do you know where Alan is?"

"Yes, ma'am, he's up here in Centreville being a chaperone at my sister's high school dance with my mother. David was escorting my sister, Maggie." Julie was starting to panic now.

"Can you get this information to them soon? I know it's a good two hours from there to here."

"Just as soon as I hang up with you. Mom has your number, I believe, and we can always call Tom's cell as well. Oh, his unlock code is 25846. Will you be at the hospital for a couple more hours, please?"

"2-5-8-4-6. Got it. Yes, dear, I'm here for as long as you need me to be. Jack too."

"Ok, I'm hanging up now and going to grab them by... going to let them know to call you and to get back to Middleburg, tout de suite. I'll be coming too. Thank you, Mrs. Johnson!" And Julie disconnected the call.

Tom was hurt and in the hospital! She grabbed her purse with her keys and her coat and dashed out the door to her car, leaving many of the lights on in the apartment. She fumbled with the keys to the ignition for the car, dropping them on the floor twice as her hands were shaking so badly. Finally, she got the car started and she raced to the high school, knowing the dance would be held in the cafeteria. She caught a piece of good luck by finding a parking place close to the door. She remembered to shut off the car but she left the driver's door ajar as she dashed up the steps to the doors. Ignoring the kids on shift at the admission table, she pushed through the doors of the cafeteria and scanned about wildly looking for her mother and Alan. Julie was puffing as she found the adults along the right wall and she dashed to Rose's side.

"Where are your cell phones?" she demanded, quite loudly.

"I think we left them in my car, Jules. Calm down and catch your breath."

"Tom's in the hospital and nobody can reach you!!"

"WHAT???" Alan roared. "What happened?"

"He was in a collision with another car and he's been unconscious ever since. Nobody was answering the home phone and nobody was answering your cell phone either. We've got to go, now!"

Rose looked at a nearby teacher who had overheard the exchange. Getting a nod to be excused, the three then headed for the door. Alan stopped and went back to catch David in his arms as his youngest son slammed into him.

"David, Tom's been in an accident and is in the hospital. I've got to get back there ASAP. Are you and Maggie ok here, or do you want to caravan back with us?"

"Lemme ask," David said, turning and bumping into Maggie, who was right on his heels. "Mags, Tom's in the hospital and Dad has to get down there. Are we ok here overnight, or do we need to go to Middleburg?"

"I'm not sure, David," she began.

Turning back to Alan, David decided, "Just go ahead, Dad. I can't be of any help down there. We'll be safe here and we'll drive down in daylight hours tomorrow. Go! But drive safely! Don't text and drive! I'll call you in the morning. Go!" And David gave Alan a small push in the direction Alan needed to go.

Alan bolted from the room and quickly caught up with Rose and Julie.

"One car or two?" he asked.

"One!" Rose decided. "The apartment is on the way. Julie will leave her car, won't you?"

"Yes, Mom! Now, let's get going!!"

= = =

Tom remained unconscious, at least to the outer world. Inside his head, though, he was not alone.

"Tommy, Tommy!" came a sing-song voice. "Thomas Richard Harrison, I named you. I'm calling you now, son. Tommy, can you hear me?" His vision cleared and there she was, his departed mother. She was in a flowing, nearly blindingly white dress. Her hair was perfectly coiffed. Her lips were somewhere between pink and deep red. She smiled at him, and it felt like the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

He reached out his arms for his mommy, but she shook her head in negation, saying, "Come here and we can sit and talk for a little bit."

Any extra second he could spend with his mother was of incalculable value to him, and he agreed. A bench materialized with her at the far end. She directed him to sit at the other end. She then folded her hands in her lap, serenely.

"I know you have questions, my beloved son, and I will answer what I can. Yes, my physical body is gone. Its ashes are in the urn on the mantle next to that picture your brother painted. Yes, I've been pushing, prodding, and trying to guide you three, with the help of those girls, to a good path forward. You all are going in a good direction. Just a little bit more and I can rest a bit. I chose Julie for you, knowing that Rose and Maggie would be very good for your father and your brother. And I love and loved you all with every bit of my being. It sucked to get that cancer. But it has turned out to be necessary."

"But, WHY, Mom? Why did you have to get that cancer and die?" Tom wailed.

"I'm sorry, Tom, but that part of the Plan I cannot see. But please trust me in this: it was totally necessary for you, your father, and your brother to become the people you need to be. My part was in the early years; the later years, well..." her voice trailed off momentarily. "Hold on tightly to Julie, Tom, but be sure to give her enough room to maneuver. She will never betray you, Tom, no matter what things look like at the time. And your father was not keeping his promise to me, so I had to find someone whose life he could make one of his priorities. I believe I have done so, don't you? Your brother has a changing path ahead of him, and he will need to be able to lean on Maggie, and her on him. It all seems remarkably convenient, doesn't it?"

"It does, Mom. Ok, leaving the WHY question alone, as if I can, WHAT should I be doing now?" Tom asked.

"Exactly what you have been doing. You secured the apartment for a time to get to know Julie really well. You have a couple of job prospects ready for after graduation. Stay on the path! You really have no idea what sort of impact you have on others, do you? Just being who you are shines so brightly to others who have lost their way in the gray haze of life. Keep doing that! Oh, I love you, so much, my firstborn baby boy. I was so sad to have to let you go. But I have a path before me as well that I must travel." She got to her feet.

"Mom! Don't go!!" he yelled. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Micah told you: Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With Your God. Oh, and your father just blew me away with his choice for the rings. Hug them all for me, please, son. You will see me one more time. I promise." And she walked away while he was unable to rise from the seat. Then the sun came out from behind a cloud, and the chill he had not noticed was swept aside. He turned his face upward, towards the sun, and it warmed him throughout. The bench faded, and everything got much lighter and brighter, and he opened his eyes.

"Mom?" he croaked.

= = =

They stopped at the apartment just long enough for Julie and Rose to grab some clothes for Saturday. They also turned out the lights which had been left on. It was probably a very good thing that Rose was driving; had Alan been behind the steering wheel, well... traffic laws would have been not merely broken but shattered and there's no guarantee the car would have made it the 100+ miles to Middleburg. As it was the ladies had to keep Alan talking and distracted. Rose started by asking him how they should handle going to church on Sunday. That led to the discussion about the youngest ones bringing the right go-to-church clothes with them.