Free Walking the Sleep by Mark McGhee Page B

looks over at his mom. She is huddled next to the ice machine drinking the bottle of wine. He nods at her.
    “No. Don’t stay here for her. She’ll find her way home.”
    He shakes his head.
    Sam goes into the back store-room. He yells back.
    “Leave em’ alone. Don’t get involved in shit you don’t understand!”
    “Fuck you, Sam. Come on kid.”
    “You’ll be sorry. Probably follow you around like a stray dog for a hundred years.”
    “You heartless, prick!”
    I walk out and the boy follows behind at a distance. We travel down to the coast and sit on the pier.
    “I like this place. You ever come here?” I finally ask.
    “No.” He speaks for the first time.
    “This is a good place to come.”
    “Yeah.”
    “You know you’re dead, right?”
    “Ummm…yeah. I kind of just figured it out, mister.”
    “When?”
    “In the store when you were staring at me”
    “Well, you’re lucky then, kid. I’ve seen people wander around dead and not knowing it for years.”
    “How long have you been dead, mister?”
    “Call me Paul. Not sure. A long time now I think. Time moves differently here. Don’t try to think about it too much.”
    “Hmmm. I like it here.”
    “Why?”
    “Doesn’t hurt here.”
    “It can, but I think I know what you mean.”
    “You have anyone that died you think might be here, kid?”
    He scratches his head. I see his shirt is new now. Clean. His arms are clean and there are no wound marks.
    “Nope. I think I’ll stay here. I like it here, Paul.”
    I look out into the ocean and listen to the waves crash. A child laughs in the surf.
    I look back and see his face has changed. He’s the same person but his cheeks aren’t puffy, his eyes are brighter. Slowly he starts to change. His greasy hair is gone and it looks silky now. He’s smiling at me. I have to look away.
    “What’s your name?”
    “ Gary. I think my name is Gary. I might get a new name here though, Paul. I like it here.”
    I look back at him again and he is transformed. His clothes, his hair, his skin, his eyes, everything about him looks like a normal, happy healthy teen-age boy. His clothes are clean and stylish. If I didn’t know, I could not have recognized him. The weight was gone. The despair not even a memory now.
    “This is a good place, Paul.”
    I laugh and shake my head.
    “For you, it deserves to be, Gary. It’s your time.”
    “Yeah, Paul. Thanks.”
    I see her again. I thought I would never see her again. And there she is watching us from the side of the pier. Perched up on the rail and smiling. And my heart dances again for a second. I want to cry. She smiles at me from behind her glasses and though covered, I can see her smiling brown eyes from a million memories replayed in my mind.
    “Who’s that pretty lady, Paul?”
    “Someone I loved, love still, but I lost.”
     
    She waves and Gary waves back. She smiles and motions for him to come. Gary looks at me.
    “Thanks, Paul. I gotta go now.”
    “Yes, go. It’s definitely your time, kid. Bye”
    He smiles and walks over to her. She hops down and ruffles his hair. She takes his hand and they walk toward the shore. He is looking up at her and smiling. I see her laughing and telling him something as they walk off the pier and on down to the shore. She looks back one last time and smiles. A wave. The last wave or time. The last. I know this finally.

Chapter 9
     
     
    A good day.
    DAY. I head back to the store and it is night there.
    Sam nods as I walk in.
    “Sorry about that shit I said.”
    “No worries, Sam.”
    He tosses me a pack of Camels. I light one up and catch a small bottle of Crown he tosses. I pop the cap and drink long.
    “What happened to the kid?”
    I laugh.
    “Sam, you wouldn’t fucking believe it if I told you.”
    I stay there for some time again.
    “Are you headed out again?”
    “Not sure. There’s good and bad out there, you know?”
    “You’ve seen some good stuff.”
    “Yeah but that’s usually when I’m