He Drive's Me Crazy

Epilouge

Braden and Charlie grew up in a small blue house on the corner of Maple Ave and Johnson St. Pots of smiling marigolds, and perky tulips grew under the windowsills, and there was an adorable white picket fence that encased the property. A huge oak in the back yard stood erect in the corner with a tire swing hanging from a sturdy branch. Next door lived a young couple and their daughter, Azul who had died from Leukemia. Down the road a bit further resided a young boy by the name of Jesse who had drowned three years previously. It was a quaint neighborhood filled with happy families, and love.

But that life wasn't for me.

Colin and I moved to the city a month after my arrival in Heaven. The city lacked the vast amount of youngsters and retired folks that the suburbs had. The city was filled with people like me- restless souls that had been taken away too soon, and still wanted to have fun. Heaven cities were safer. Heaven had alcohol ( but you couldn't get drunk), but there was no crime. Tall buildings extended into the sky, and sleek cars drove through the streets accident free. Pedestrians mingled on the sidewalks, smiling and waving at people as they passed by. The city was much like New York, but there was no smog or pollution. Every night the city offered new opportunities, and fun new things to do. And every night Colin and I went and did something.

It was perfect. It was fun. It was whatever I wanted it to be. Each day was different, and I loved it. Seeing family members get reunited was my favorite thing about Heaven. I had never actually seen someone cry out of happiness until I was in Heaven. I can very clearly remember the first time it happened. I was actually in the suburbs at this time, and I had just dropped Charlie and Braden off with their foster parents. I was solemnly walking down the sidewalk when an elderly man came stumbling out of his house. For a moment he stood in complete disbelief on his porch, and then his face broke out into the most wonderful smile I had ever seen. He yelled a name- Margaret, I believe, and raced down his driveway as though he was still 25. The woman whom he had called to turned around and froze across the street. Her face was impassive, and for a moment I was worried the elderly gentleman would be rejected. He ran across the street and stopped a foot from her. He asked her if she remembered him. Then the lady began to cry because she did. She must have had alzheimer's when she was on Earth. He gathered the woman up in his arms and held her like she was the most delicate, and precious thing in the whole wide world. Then he started crying too, and it was beautiful.

Looking back on everything now, I can remember some moments here better than others. I can remember Charlies graduation, and then Bradens. I remember my first Christmas, and my first birthday here. I can remember the time I went down to Earth and saw Tessa get engaged- my presence there was totally random. His name was Zac, and he was a Poet. But out of everything, there is one moment that I can recall just like it was yesterday. Though it has been many years since the actual event.

I made that particular Sunday to be a gloriously sunny afternoon. Colin and I had returned from Church hours ago, all though neither of us had the energy to change out of our nice clothes. I had been gone from Earth for many years at this point. Long enough that Braden was graduating this year. 13 years?

I was lounging on the couch in my dress when the doorbell rang. Colin and I lived in an apartment, 13 years and we were nothing more than friends. He was waiting for someone, and so was I.

Colin's fiance was named Annabelle, and had died a week before him when her apartment had caught fire in her sleep. Colin died in a car accident because e was drunk and drove off a bridge. He said that was in 2007, and he's been searching Heaven for her ever since.

Anyways, on that particular day, the doorbell rang. No one ever rang the doorbell. I had gotten up off the couch to answer it, but Colin beat me to it. He flung open the door, and because we both had been lying around in our easily-wrinkleable church clothes, we looked like a disheveled mess.

"Elle?" the person standing in the doorway questioned. They peeked their head around Colin, and gave me the most breath-taking smile. "May I come in?"

"Yeah," I murmur, my eyes wide with disbelief. "Louis?" I ask, stepping towards him as Colin moves aside. "Is it really you?" He looked exactly like the Louis I remembered, even though so much time had passed.

All he had to do was nod his head, and I leaped right into his arms.

"I missed you so much," I confess into the crook of his neck as he holds me close. His arms were wrapped around my torso, and it felt so good. I had forgotten what it felt like to be hugged by him. As embarrassing as it is for me to admit looking back on that moment, I cried. He was the first loved one I had seen since I left.

"I missed you too," he whispers in my ear, pulling me just a little closer.

"I'll leave you two alone..." Colin says, slipping out the door as he closes it behind him.

Through my tears I lead Louis to the couch, and we sit down. It takes me a minute to compose myself, but when I do, I snuggled up right next to him.

"What happened?" I quietly ask him. I had stopped watching people on Earth a long time ago. It began to hurt more than it helped.

"The lads and I were doing a ten year anniversary tour in Amsterdam when we were mobbed...I got trampled." Louis seemed as though he had come to terms with this, rather than he was still upset about it. This thought process led me to my next question.

"How long ago was that?" I question.

"6 months ago? I'm not sure..." he pauses and glances at me. "When I got here, I met a guy named Roger who had died in a fishing accident. He explained to me how things worked. As soon as I found out that I could change myself to look any age younger than what I was, but older than 18, I changed myself back to 22, so you would recognize me. Roger explained that a lot of people stay the same age, but some people change depending on certain circumstances." He was right, and had obviously been told the same information that I had. "I've spent every moment since I got here looking for you."

I smile, my gaze focused on the potted plant in the corner as he continues with his story.

"Somehow, I ended up in Bonnavilla where I ran into Braden. It was quite the lucky coincidence. That was three days ago. He gave me your address, and I ended up here. Heaven is a lot bigger than I originally thought."

We both stay quite for a very long while, just soaking in each other.

"Hey Elle?" Louis suddenly says.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

That particular memory always made me smile. The sound of a crying baby shook me out of my thoughts as I stumbled into the living room. I reached into the play pen and pulled out the squirming toddler. At two years old Inez was quite tiny, but extremely adorable. My wedding ring glinted in the sunlight, and captivated Inez's attention long enough for her to stop crying. I let out a sigh of relief as I cradled the child in my arms. There is no baby making in Heaven- I mean, there's sex, but you can't get pregnant. There's enough children that die everyday and need homes, besides- Heavens for the dead, not the living. Though there is a policy that has been in place for a couple centuries now, and that policy is that any aborted baby can be born in Heaven. But there is a catch. The aborted babies aren't just transported to Heaven and made into babies right away. No, they have to be selected by a couple, and then they can be made into real babies.

Louis and I went to the Baby Center, and asked to have an aborted baby. It didn't cross my mind until we were designing the baby (that's how it works, so many babies are aborted every year that there are enough babies that a couple can go there and literally put together their perfect baby) that Vanessa had an abortion. Immediately I asked for her baby, and when we got her, I named her Inez. Just like she would have wanted.

The three of us are a family, and family is forever.