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Finally, he replies, “You’ve been thinking about this for a while, huh?”

I nod. “Yeah, I just chalked it up to you being upset with me for saying ‘no’ to being your attorney, and maybe my personality. I’m not sure. There’s been a lot of mixed signals.”

He presses his lips together, as if he is debating on whether to tell me. Fortunately, he decides to share. “I don’t dislike you. Well, at least I don’t dislike you now. Maybe I never disliked you. I may have misunderstood you.” He pauses. “My parents were immigrants. They came to the states when I was around seven. But they were murdered when I was eight and the people that killed them were never caught. I was placed in the system like you. I was so angry with the world that I kept getting into fights, and moved from one home to another. Finally, a teacher told me to take that anger and make a change. To fight for people. I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a prosecutor to ensure that the victims of crimes got the justice they deserve. Because I never got justice. When I was on my way from taking the entrance exam for law school, a drunk driver hit me and I died on impact. He was hammered at noon on a Tuesday. Director Taevian was the one who collected my soul. I was devastated, and he brought me a type of comfort that I haven’t felt since my parents died. He is the reason I joined the Collections department. Being a reaper gives me purpose. There’s nothing more important to me than my position. When I collect souls, I bring them back to Eden where they go to Heaven, because they lived a life of kindness, or to Hell, to suffer the consequences of their actions.”

We had the same goals as kids. Only I got the chance to get there, while he didn’t even get the chance to start.

He continues, “You achieved so much during your life, but you decided to live as if you were dead already. I was hostile to you because you had everything I was fighting for when I was alive, so I thought you were ungrateful. But the more I got to know you, the more I realized you are caring, funny, and full of life. I just don’t understand why you hated being a lawyer enough that when I gave you the opportunity to just represent me, you chose Hell.”

I forgot that reapers don’t know everything about every soul. Each department only knows enough to complete their duties. The Collection department only knows enough about a soul to assign them a death before collecting them. I contemplate whether I should tell Aiden. Usually, I could care less about what people think of me, but now I care about what Aiden thinks.

I turn to look up at the sky. I’ve never really talked about this before. I kept it in because when I tried to tell Richard about it, he told me to get over it, that it is the job we signed up for. So, I shut down, holding in all my emotions.

I let out a deep breath, and finally open up about the thing that causes my recurring nightmares. “I used to love being a lawyer. I wanted to fight for people the way no one fought for me growing up. It’s cliché, but it’s my ‘why’. After I graduated law school, I became a prosecutor. Everyone talks about becoming a defense attorney to represent those who are innocent. But not everyone who is charged with a crime is innocent. I wanted to amplify the voices of the victims who suffered at the hands of a bad person. There was this one case I was assigned to—a sexual assault case. She was nineteen years old and had nobody. Her name was Sam and she worked at a strip joint to get money for her education. She had this big dream of one day being a pediatrician.” I shake my head in defeat. “One late night, her boss attacked her and ruined her life. She didn’t report it until a month later but by then most of the evidence was gone. She took pictures of herself, but she didn’t have a rape kit. A lot of evidence was circumstantial, but I was set on getting her justice.”

I pause to allow myself a second to pull it together enough to finish the story. “We brought charges against him, and I was the lead prosecutor. My supervisor told me I wouldn’t win, but I didn’t listen. I went in headstrong, and fought tooth and nail. But it wasn’t enough. He was found not guilty. After he was let go, he…he killed Sam. He was finally locked up after that. But it was too late for Sam.” My chest tightens, and I feel a tear fall from my eye.

Aiden looks at me with sympathetic eyes. “Oh Joyce, I didn’t know. I’m sorry for assuming.”

I don’t reply immediately, because it felt good to say all of that out loud. I finally reply, “It’s okay. It’s human nature for people to assume. But now you know. That is why I was not in the mood earlier today—it’s the day she died. I think about it every year.”

His eyes are gentle. “Lawyers can suffer from trauma too, you know. Did you try to see a therapist? Take time off? Even reapers need a day or two off sometimes.”

“No. I wasn’t the real victim. The victim was who I was supposed to get justice for, and she died. If I had gotten the court to lock him up the first time, then—"

Aiden cuts me off, “Joyce, do you know what is the most common way that humans get bad karma?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Regret. It weighs so heavily on the soul that it affects the choices you make, which leads to more bad karma. I finally understand why you almost went to Hell. It wasn’t who you represented that almost got you to Hell, it was the pain that you held on to.” He takes my hand. “It’s time to let it go, Joyce.”

I sigh. “I don’t know how.”

He uses his thumb to rub circles on my hand he is holding, comforting me. “One day, you will.”

He smiles at me. I smile back, my throat tight with emotion. Maybe he isn’t that bad, after all. We lay in silence for five more minutes, both of us staring at the sky, with him still drawing circles on my hand.

Aiden lets go, then stands and holds his hand out to me again. I take it and he pulls me up with ease. He doesn’t let go of my hand, and I don’t move away either.

He grins at me and asks, “Shall we end the night with a bang?”

I tilt my head back to look up at him, “What do you have in mind?” I know exactly how we can end the night with a bang. But his idea is way different than mine.

He winks at me, then teleports us to a karaoke bar where we get a private room. We spend the rest of the night drinking and singing our hearts out. By the time he takes us back to his place, I feel better than I’ve ever felt on this day.

15

NO OFFENSE, OF COURSE

“Hey, wake up,” someone softly whispers.

My shoulder is gently pushed against. I yawn, stretching out my arms. I drop them on the blanket and open my eyes. The hint of light coming from the living room shines on Aiden’s face. He is looking down at me, his hair disheveled.

I blink my eyes, attempting to shake off sleep. I turn my head to the bedside table and glance at the clock. It’s one in the morning, two days after our impromptu trip. Aiden and I have been spending more time together. We even did a movie night yesterday with Yirah and Joey. Aiden had never seen the movie ‘Poetic Justice’, which is almost criminal. We rectified that issue and I got to introduce him to the love of my life—Tupac. But, let’s not forget about the amazing Janet Jackson. Those two have my heart.

“Get dressed in something, quickly. I want to show you something.” The first time he showed me something, he sent me to Hell.

I give him a look. “Can you show me something during normal business hours?”