The Medium Kid

Chapter 33

"The time... is going... so slow," Alfie groaned, staring at his upside wall clock. He was lying on his back on a beanbag in his office, too comfortable to turn around. "If your wife is late, I'll kill her so you'll have to deal with her."

Mister Dorinto shifted uncomfortably. "Alfie my boy, if you do that, I will haunt you for eternity."

Alfie muttered something under his breath and closed his eyes. "You know when you said that you'd find whoever sent the flowers, what happened? We found her before you did, and you're a ghost."

"Funny thing about us ghosts, our memories are more vivid and important because I don't want to cross over. I got distracted by a memory of my daughter. If only she had waited for me in the afterlife, then I would've been able to see her again."

Alfie looked up. The sad smile on Dorinto's face ached his heart. "I don't know where your soul goes after you've moved on, but I'm almost certain that it's not a bad place."

Mister Dorinto sat up and stretched. "I hope you're right because if all goes well with my wife, I might be leaving this world behind for good."

"A scary thought," Alfie said, sitting up. "Are you ready?"

"I'm not sure, but I have an opportunity to find an answer to life's most curious question. I want to know where the light goes. If I can't have my life back, I may as well find the answer to that."

"If it's heaven, send me a postcard." Alfie flopped back down, glaring at the clock again.

"If it's reincarnation, I want to be a parrot. Intelligent creatures you know."

"A parrot?" Alfie scoffed.

Dorinto nodded. "I will learn to say all the swear words."

"Of course." Alfie closed his eyes again and thought about Koda and his jeans that fit so perfectly. Koda smiled a lot in their art class, and Alfie was glad. Koda was usually always happy and calm and free. The Grim Reaper stuff was weighing Koda down and Alfie didn't like to see him drowning in worry.

"Your doorbell rang."

"My dad will get it." Alfie hauled himself onto his feet. He usually looked forward to arguing with difficult clients, but he was too tired to yell at Miss Dorinto because she would yell back twice as loud.

Almost a minute of silence passed until a loud knock on Alfie's door shattered it into a million pieces.

"Yes?" Alfie asked, moodier than his intentions.

Tom opened the door with a sympathetic smile. "You have a client." He knew how much trouble Miss Dorinto caused with her last visit.

"Thanks," Alfie sighed, glaring at Dorinto's wife when she stepped into his office and looked around with a disgusted frown.

"I hate the smell of lavender," she said harshly before wiping the leather chair with a cloth from her bag.

Tom stood close to his son and leaned down. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," he whispered and patted Alfie's shoulder. "Let me know if she needs kicking out."

"I will." Alfie was glad his father had visited tonight. When Tom left, Alfie and his client sat at the table with tension clouding the air. "The last time I saw you, you said you were going to ruin my career. How's that working out for you?"

Miss Dorinto's upper lip twitched. "Is he here? My late husband?"

"Yes." Alfie looked towards the couch where Mister Dorinto sat. There was no dint in the cushions or a shadow to indicate he was there, but Alfie could see him. "He's flipping you off."