The Inbetween
Chapter Six
When Faith had lied to Jimmy, it had been for everyone’s benefit. She knew that Jimmy couldn’t handle the truth. If she told him that Leana would, in time, learn to forget about Jimmy, it would crush what little bit of his heart hadn’t been broken. It was true that Leana would always remember that she had loved Jimmy. And it was true, to a point, that she would never forget him. But as the days continued to pass by after he had died, her heart would grow stronger and stronger. The broken pieces would mend themselves, and she was going to learn to forget that Jimmy had once been the most important person in her heart. She would learn to move on without thinking of him every day. The tears at night would stop, and the lingering moments in the morning when she lay wrapped around his pillow would end. And Faith knew as much as anyone that it could hurt more than you could stand to see your loved ones move on while you were still so far from being okay.
She herself was far from unattached to her small piece of Earth. She knew that she shouldn’t still be attached; she had been in the Inbetween for well over a year now, and she knew she needed to let go. But like Jimmy, she found it too hard to do so. She didn’t want to know what life would be like without taking the time to make sure that her loved one was alright; that he was going through life without thinking about her.
“Faith?” Jimmy asked her softly, looking up with a small frown. The two of them were sitting underneath of a tree today; not the portal tree, but a tree that they had both decided looked good.
“Yes?” She asked him softly, pushing her hand back through her hair as she looked at him for a moment. She could see the hurt lingering on his face, but she could also see the curiosity on his face. She knew he was going to ask her questions about her life, and she knew that she couldn’t keep evading those questions. He had opened up to her; it was only right that she opened up to him as well.
“Sometimes when you’re over in your spot, you get lost looking down at Earth,” Jimmy noted, his eyebrows furrowed together slightly as he looked up at her again, letting his hand grab hers and squeeze it reassuringly. “What keeps you tied there? What’s your story?” He asked again.
Faith took a deep breath. She knew this was going to be a hard thing for her to talk about. Since she had died, she hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to someone about her earthly ties. She hadn’t told Jimmy right away because he was still in mourning over his own death and his own loved ones, but she knew that the time had come when both of them needed to let go and move on. And to do that, she knew that they needed to talk about it. Talking could diffuse the pain; it could make it easier, and that was all Faith wanted for either of them.
“He was my world,” she murmured with a small smile, brushing a few stray tears out of her eyes. “He was all I lived for when I was there, Jimmy. His name is Tyson, and he’s my son.”
She saw the shock that crossed over Jimmy’s face before he nodded, looking to be even more thoughtful as he took a few moments before speaking. “How old is he?” Jimmy asked almost hesitantly, as if he were afraid that his questions were going to push her too far over the emotional edge. She just smiled, allowing herself to think of Tyson again. This was the first time she’d had these kinds of questions asked of her since she had died, and she still loved to talk about her child.
“When I died, he was seven months old. Now, he’s almost two. His birthday is in a month,” she whispered softly. She felt the pads of Jimmy’s thumbs wiping the tears away from her eyes, and when she looked up, she saw a small smile on his face. He pulled her in for a tight hug before letting go of her, reaching to pull her hand into his.
“It’s okay, Faith,” he murmured. He hated seeing her so torn up about having to leave her child. He could tell how much she loved the little boy just by the way her eyes lit up when she was talking about him; how much it hurt her heart to be away from him. He saw how badly it hurt that she had been torn out of his life when he was so young. “You can cry about it.”
And she did. For the first time since she’d left Earth, Faith allowed herself to break down. She allowed everything to pour out of her; all the pain and the anger, all the guilt and the fear that her son would blame her someday for leaving him behind. Jimmy held her tightly against his chest. He too was allowing himself to cry. He was letting out the pent-up emotions and fears he had about Leana.
They lost track of how long they sat there, just crying in one another’s arms. Faith felt so connected to Jimmy in that moment that it was hard for her to comprehend. She felt like her heart had been trying to find him for her entire life, and it was crazy to her that she had found him here. She knew that fate had a funny way of working, and that sometimes, things didn’t happen when you expected them to. Meeting Jimmy was exactly that for her. She knew that she was supposed to have ended up here, in the Intbetween with him.
When she finally stopped crying, it was only because she felt the sense that someone needed their help. She brushed her tears out of her eyes and then looked at Jimmy, putting a look of seriousness on her face. She knew that the two of them needed to get over their earthly ties, but right now, they needed to put themselves aside to help someone who needed them.
Jimmy knew what she was trying to say, and they made their way quickly over to the portal tree before Faith grabbed his hand firmly in hers. He still wasn’t used to the spinning sensations that took over his body when they made their way down to Earth, and he knew it would take awhile to get used to it.
When Jimmy opened his eyes, they were standing in front of a fairly large home somewhere in southern California. There was an ocean view, and a nice car parked in front of the garage. He was confused as to why they were here; he knew that money didn’t always buy happiness, but he found it hard to understand how someone who lived in a place like this could think suicide was the only way out. Faith too was slightly confused, although she had gotten over the initial shock. She didn’t care where the people she helped lived, just so long as she could help them.
Jimmy didn’t move until Faith had nodded, and they started making their way inside of the home. Faith led him up the stairs and towards a bedroom that looked as though it belonged to a teenager. There were clothes all over the floor, and the curtains were drawn shut. Loud music that Jimmy couldn’t understand was blaring throughout the room.
The person they were helping didn’t appear to be the person who lived in the room. Curled up in a tight ball in the corner, knees pulled up and head resting on them, was a man who looked to be about Jimmy’s father’s age. He was crying just as bad as Jimmy had ever seen someone cry, and the overwhelming grief, anger, and hurt that surrounded the room was almost too much to stand.
“This man lost his son a few weeks ago,” Faith said as she looked up at him. He didn’t know where she got her information; he wasn’t going to ask. He would simply take it on her good word that it was what happened.
He wasn’t going to ask how the son had died, either. He could tell the man was within moments of taking his own life, and he didn’t want that. He knew what to do by this point, and he leaned beside the man before saying kind things; things that would hopefully stop him from going through with his thoughts.
Faith stood there, watching Jimmy. He knew why she wasn’t interacting, even if she wouldn’t say the words. This situation was hard for her to handle. He could tell that she was having a hard time understanding this ‘case.’ And he didn’t want her to feel even more hurt.
It took him a little over three hours to get the man calmed down. By the time he had seen the man put down the gun he’d had in his hand, and had talked him down from suicide, someone else had come home, and Jimmy knew that, for now, the man was safe. Faith touched his shoulder, and he knew that it was time to return back to the Inbetween. He grabbed her hand in his as they walked out of the house, both of them satisfied that the man’s life had been saved. But as they returned to their place, Jimmy looked over at her face and saw a small frown on her lips. And it was then that he knew she needed to talk again.
She herself was far from unattached to her small piece of Earth. She knew that she shouldn’t still be attached; she had been in the Inbetween for well over a year now, and she knew she needed to let go. But like Jimmy, she found it too hard to do so. She didn’t want to know what life would be like without taking the time to make sure that her loved one was alright; that he was going through life without thinking about her.
“Faith?” Jimmy asked her softly, looking up with a small frown. The two of them were sitting underneath of a tree today; not the portal tree, but a tree that they had both decided looked good.
“Yes?” She asked him softly, pushing her hand back through her hair as she looked at him for a moment. She could see the hurt lingering on his face, but she could also see the curiosity on his face. She knew he was going to ask her questions about her life, and she knew that she couldn’t keep evading those questions. He had opened up to her; it was only right that she opened up to him as well.
“Sometimes when you’re over in your spot, you get lost looking down at Earth,” Jimmy noted, his eyebrows furrowed together slightly as he looked up at her again, letting his hand grab hers and squeeze it reassuringly. “What keeps you tied there? What’s your story?” He asked again.
Faith took a deep breath. She knew this was going to be a hard thing for her to talk about. Since she had died, she hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to someone about her earthly ties. She hadn’t told Jimmy right away because he was still in mourning over his own death and his own loved ones, but she knew that the time had come when both of them needed to let go and move on. And to do that, she knew that they needed to talk about it. Talking could diffuse the pain; it could make it easier, and that was all Faith wanted for either of them.
“He was my world,” she murmured with a small smile, brushing a few stray tears out of her eyes. “He was all I lived for when I was there, Jimmy. His name is Tyson, and he’s my son.”
She saw the shock that crossed over Jimmy’s face before he nodded, looking to be even more thoughtful as he took a few moments before speaking. “How old is he?” Jimmy asked almost hesitantly, as if he were afraid that his questions were going to push her too far over the emotional edge. She just smiled, allowing herself to think of Tyson again. This was the first time she’d had these kinds of questions asked of her since she had died, and she still loved to talk about her child.
“When I died, he was seven months old. Now, he’s almost two. His birthday is in a month,” she whispered softly. She felt the pads of Jimmy’s thumbs wiping the tears away from her eyes, and when she looked up, she saw a small smile on his face. He pulled her in for a tight hug before letting go of her, reaching to pull her hand into his.
“It’s okay, Faith,” he murmured. He hated seeing her so torn up about having to leave her child. He could tell how much she loved the little boy just by the way her eyes lit up when she was talking about him; how much it hurt her heart to be away from him. He saw how badly it hurt that she had been torn out of his life when he was so young. “You can cry about it.”
And she did. For the first time since she’d left Earth, Faith allowed herself to break down. She allowed everything to pour out of her; all the pain and the anger, all the guilt and the fear that her son would blame her someday for leaving him behind. Jimmy held her tightly against his chest. He too was allowing himself to cry. He was letting out the pent-up emotions and fears he had about Leana.
They lost track of how long they sat there, just crying in one another’s arms. Faith felt so connected to Jimmy in that moment that it was hard for her to comprehend. She felt like her heart had been trying to find him for her entire life, and it was crazy to her that she had found him here. She knew that fate had a funny way of working, and that sometimes, things didn’t happen when you expected them to. Meeting Jimmy was exactly that for her. She knew that she was supposed to have ended up here, in the Intbetween with him.
When she finally stopped crying, it was only because she felt the sense that someone needed their help. She brushed her tears out of her eyes and then looked at Jimmy, putting a look of seriousness on her face. She knew that the two of them needed to get over their earthly ties, but right now, they needed to put themselves aside to help someone who needed them.
Jimmy knew what she was trying to say, and they made their way quickly over to the portal tree before Faith grabbed his hand firmly in hers. He still wasn’t used to the spinning sensations that took over his body when they made their way down to Earth, and he knew it would take awhile to get used to it.
When Jimmy opened his eyes, they were standing in front of a fairly large home somewhere in southern California. There was an ocean view, and a nice car parked in front of the garage. He was confused as to why they were here; he knew that money didn’t always buy happiness, but he found it hard to understand how someone who lived in a place like this could think suicide was the only way out. Faith too was slightly confused, although she had gotten over the initial shock. She didn’t care where the people she helped lived, just so long as she could help them.
Jimmy didn’t move until Faith had nodded, and they started making their way inside of the home. Faith led him up the stairs and towards a bedroom that looked as though it belonged to a teenager. There were clothes all over the floor, and the curtains were drawn shut. Loud music that Jimmy couldn’t understand was blaring throughout the room.
The person they were helping didn’t appear to be the person who lived in the room. Curled up in a tight ball in the corner, knees pulled up and head resting on them, was a man who looked to be about Jimmy’s father’s age. He was crying just as bad as Jimmy had ever seen someone cry, and the overwhelming grief, anger, and hurt that surrounded the room was almost too much to stand.
“This man lost his son a few weeks ago,” Faith said as she looked up at him. He didn’t know where she got her information; he wasn’t going to ask. He would simply take it on her good word that it was what happened.
He wasn’t going to ask how the son had died, either. He could tell the man was within moments of taking his own life, and he didn’t want that. He knew what to do by this point, and he leaned beside the man before saying kind things; things that would hopefully stop him from going through with his thoughts.
Faith stood there, watching Jimmy. He knew why she wasn’t interacting, even if she wouldn’t say the words. This situation was hard for her to handle. He could tell that she was having a hard time understanding this ‘case.’ And he didn’t want her to feel even more hurt.
It took him a little over three hours to get the man calmed down. By the time he had seen the man put down the gun he’d had in his hand, and had talked him down from suicide, someone else had come home, and Jimmy knew that, for now, the man was safe. Faith touched his shoulder, and he knew that it was time to return back to the Inbetween. He grabbed her hand in his as they walked out of the house, both of them satisfied that the man’s life had been saved. But as they returned to their place, Jimmy looked over at her face and saw a small frown on her lips. And it was then that he knew she needed to talk again.