All the Little Children Need to Come Home

Chapter Eight Haley

Todd found comfort in Heaven. His distress at the suddenness of his death, and the angst of missing life on Earth, was slowly being replaced by one of peace and the finality of acceptance. His contentment increased each day as he shared stories of his time on Earth, realizing that except for the year of his depression and accident, he had a happy life.

Little angels would float gently on billowy beds, or sit at his feet, listening wistfully as he told story after story the events of his life. For longer actions, the Sky Screen would shine upon a cluster of clouds, and everyone would nestle around him, entranced as the scenes unfolded into a movie. Funny events played out, enhancing Todd's stories. The little ones would giggle at what they saw on the screen. There were several episodes which the little ones wanted to see over again, laughing harder each time, some falling over into the fluffy clouds. They cheered as one of their favorite stories danced on the screen.

The one playing now was one of their favorites. It showed a time after Todd's accident when he was working for a company miles from his home. It was the evening shift and he was not yet medically cleared to drive. His mom and dad were out of town, but were going to pick him up on their way back home. He had walked a mile to a local sports bar and was listening to a rap band, enjoying the company of folks he came to know.

When the restaurant closed around midnight, his parents were still over an hour away. The music group offered to take him home if he would join them at their next gig in Washington, DC. Without a second thought, he agreed and texted his parents. They dropped him off around four the next morning, and he had gone into the kitchen to grab bottles of water. Someone needed to use the restroom. He waved goodbye and shut the door. His mom was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Hey," he said, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey," she responded. "So, you got a ride home with a rap group?"

He nodded, grinning.

"You went to DC with the group?"

He started up the stairs, grinning.

"Cool. Did you have fun?"

"Yes."

She hugged him, said, "I'm sorry we were so late. Next time, we'll be on time."

He nodded and smiled. 'They said I can get a ride anytime. They just finished early last night."

Todd noticed the wistful looks on the faces of the angels as they watched his interaction with his mother and the friendship that began in a van traveling into DC. singing, joking and having fun. They were pleased he knew all the lyrics to most of their songs.

Needles dabbed in his chest when he realized how much his life had mattered. He blinked several times as Haley whispered in his ear, "Tell about the lady who snorted, just like your mommy. I like that one so much!"

"Yeah, like when the mom started laughing so hard, she snorted!" someone shouted. Giggles surrounded Todd as a cacophony of snorts and grunts came out of little mouths, which made them all laugh even harder.

"We pretty much laughed the whole time," Todd nodded. "We were going to a wedding in North Carolina with my friend and his mom. She was laughing so hard; she started snorting. We all started laughing and the more she snorted, the more we laughed. That was a great trip," his voice trailed, wistfully.

Memories of that time just this past spring gave a melancholy ache to his sense of peace It was a happy time, a healing time. Todd smiled, knowing that last year had been one of the happiest times since he had left college so many years before.