Chapter 9:

It was already mid November. Dan couldn’t even remember if Halloween had come and gone. The days were getting shorter and shorter. He was starting to dread this time of year. They hadn't gone anywhere since that fateful day when Ronnie nearly disappeared with the exception of short trips to the store. But the holidays would be fast approaching and there would be no avoiding a journey up north to see their parents.

It had been a year and five months since he had taken Ronnie’s ashes to the bay. Why then, had the people at the Cozy Cup Café mentioned that they hadn’t seen the two of them for only a few months? Of course it HAD only been about five months since this woman he called ‘Ronnie’ had materialized at the ocean’s edge. And why was it that Ronnie seemed to fade to a mere mist at times only to re-solidify shortly thereafter? He thought he knew part of the answer to this conundrum. Yes. Part of the riddle involved faith or belief. That perplexed him too. Could a person believe in something so strongly that they were able to make it be real or come true? He had struggled with these thoughts constantly since that day at the beach when he had found Ronnie lying there in the surf.

As Dan continued to ponder these and other thoughts it became clear that there was indeed another part of this picture that was still missing. Why was it that when he was almost without a doubt as to her existence did she began to fade? That was the chapter in this nightmarish novel that really made him allow a small morsel of disbelief to be born. He growled out loud. If he could just figure out why she had started to disappear while they were driving to town that day, then maybe he would have the rest of his answer.

His train of thought was stopped as somewhere off in the distance came the sound of the golden eagle. He looked outside through the front room screen door. It was early and the sun was just rising. The incessant buzzing sound of the humming birds against the surrealistic sunrise brought him back to his anguish.

And that was another thing that kept nagging him. Every day the light that came from the sun seemed to create a panoramic scene that was every bit as dynamic as any painting he had ever seen. It was like the world had been shot in technicolor for the wide screen. Dan could tell that the day would be sunny and mild. But, there were always some clouds in the sky. Each day there was always just enough to give the slightest hint of precipitation. But usually, there was very little rain.

Dan leaned back to listen down the hall. Good. He could hear Ronnie turning over in the bed. That comforted him. He began to wonder if he should try another experiment. What if he let her try and talk to his parents on the phone? “What a great idea!” he whispered. That way he could control the situation. If she started to become dim, he would immediately hang up the phone. But then, would that indicate that he doubted her reality? No. He could just force himself to believe and she would be herself again. Well that was the plan for today then. He would have her talk to his folks.

It was almost 10:00 AM. Dan decided to wake her and put his plan into action. He moved into the bedroom and stood there ever so silently as he drank in the miraculous vision of Ronnie lying there enjoying every breath she took. How could he dare interrupt this perfect moment by rousing her? Slowly he walked over next to her and lightly kissed her forehead. She opened her deep blue eyes and smiled at him “Morning. Is it time to get up?” she asked. “Yes, I think it is.” he cooed. “What are we going to do today, Babe?” she continued with her inquiry.

Here we go again Dan thought. That was exactly what his wife used to say when they had the whole day to themselves. She just HAD to be the real thing! Otherwise this was going to turn out to be the cruelest of jokes. And, there was always that dream scene possibility too. So then today might just decide that, one way or another.

He left Ronnie to get herself dressed and went into the kitchen to make them some oatmeal. That was one of her favorites when the weather was cool outside. She entered the livingroom dressed in her jeans and matching denim blouse. She looked gorgeous with her long flowing dark blonde hair and eyes that sparkled so that they seemed to laugh. She was totally enjoying every second she was alive. He was too.

As they sat there eating their breakfast Dan told Ronnie they should call his mom & dad and make sure they were doing OK. She nodded and waited for him to grab the phone. “Do you want to talk to them first?” he asked. “No, you go ahead. I’ll talk to them in a minute or so.” she answered. As he held the portable phone in his hand he felt it tremble a little. He took a deep breath and slowly and methodically punched in each of the digits. He let his eyes focus on the urn, that supposedly contained her ashes, still sitting there on the mantel. When was that staunch reminder of his wife’s passing going to go away? And worse yet, how long would it take for Ronnie to inquire about it’s existence?

In the brief seconds before the number began to ring Dan thought about disconnecting the call. But, he held fast and let the call go through. With each ring on the other end he became more and more filled with apprehension. Just as he was about to hang up and give a sigh of relief he heard his dad say “Hello there.” His heart gave a few noticeable thumps and his breathing came erratically. He almost couldn’t get his voice to work. Finally, he replied “Hi Dad. It’s me. How are you and Mom doing?” He wasn’t even listening for an answer because he had again turned his vision toward the mantel. He realized that he had never made himself look inside to see if there were any ashes. In fact, he recalled that he was even afraid to lift it.

Now Dan was pushing it. Making the phone call and concentrating on the decorative vessel at the same time. That was too much. “Are you OK son?” came the voice on the other end of the line. This snapped him out of his conflicting thoughts. “Yeah. Everything is just great.” he stated sarcastically. His dad picked up on it right away. “Now don’t be so negative.” he returned. “I’m trying not to be.” he said. All the while he was enjoying the sight of his new and yet oh so familiar companion smiling back at him as he continued the conversation with his dad. He was trying to gather up his reserve and ask his dad if he wanted to talk to his new found 'girlfriend'. But, the golden rectangular container, that should be filled with ashes, was preventing him from going any further with the idea. And that idea was to have his dad talk to Ronnie.

Without further thought Dan asked his dad if he would like to talk to someone. “Who would that be?” his dad asked. “Uh, just a friend.” he managed. “A girlfriend.” he added. “What’s her name?” came the obvious question from his dad. Dan turned toward Ronnie and said “He wants to know your name.” Ronnie came back with an unexpected answer. “I think my name is Babe.” she replied. And so with that he reiterated her answer back into the mouthpiece. “Uh, her name is Babe.” he whispered. “Did you say her name was Babe?” his dad asked. “Yes. Here she is.” he said as he handed the phone to Ronnie. As he did so, he watched intently for any signs that she might fade away again. As she took hold of the phone all was normal. “Hello. This is Babe.” she ventured. “Are you Dan’s girlfriend?” his dad asked. “Yes, I think so.” she returned. “Well, we’ll have to have you two come up and see us. Maybe for Thanksgiving.” his dad continued. “Yes, I would like to meet you guys.” she replied. “Dan’s mom is outside in the garden. I’ll have her talk with you later. OK?” his dad stated. “That sounds like fun. I would enjoy the trip. Here’s Dan again” Ronnie finished.

And with that Ronnie handed the phone back to Dan. “So everything is OK with you two, right?” he asked again. “Yeah, were doing alright. I’m sure your mom and I can’t wait to meet Babe.” his dad said. “And I can’t wait for you to meet her.” he lied. “I’d better let you go for now. Take care.” he finished. “We will. Bye for now.” his dad ended. “Bye” he echoed. He heard the receiver click as his dad hung up the phone. Ronnie smiled and turned on the TV with the remote.

It continued to astound him how she was remembering how to do all these things that she used to do. And yet she never mentioned that her name was 'Ronnie'. So that part was still unfamiliar to her. He knew he should get them something to eat but the bloody urn had captured his attention again and he couldn’t ignore it any longer. He wondered how he could approach the haunting container without Ronnie becoming curious.

Dan helped Ronnie find ‘Murder She Wrote’ and hoped that would keep her occupied while he forced himself to investigate the ash laden vase once and for all. “Once and for all.” he mumbled. Did that make any sense in this new universe he was in? He tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as he moved over by the mantel. Why was it so important to do this now? he pondered. He knew he should wait but he needed to see if there would be any effect to Ronnie’s existence at the time he touched the burial urn. Just as an important scene was unfolding on the TV he slowly reached out and lifted the urn keeping his eyes in her direction all the while.
Dan quickly placed the damn thing back down on the mantel almost dropping it. “What was that noise?” Ronnie asked. He moved so as to block her vision from the vessel as he said “I think I bumped one of the pictures.” “Oh, well be careful.” she implored. He wasn’t very careful that was for sure. But more to the point was what new knowledge was beginning to catch fire in his throbbing head. The - urn - was..... Empty!