Shadow of a Life (3 page)

There’s a cushiony chair near a window
in the back of the building that I usually sat in while reading. It
had a permanent butt imprint and I was almost certain it was made
entirely by my rear end. I could always go home and read, but there
I would be alone. At the library, I could read and watch as the
world moved by around me. Occasionally I’d even see someone from
school and get invited to “hang out.” Hey, I wasn’t a complete book
nerd.

I was pulled from a story of sabotage
and blackmail by the sound and feel of my stomach growling. Smells
from Grandma’s Café and Bakery across the street drifted in through
one of the open windows of the library. I glanced at my watch,
shocked to see that it was almost one o’clock. It occurred to me
that I could read at the café just as easily as I could at the
library, except at Grandma’s I could eat a grilled cheese and
greasy fries while I read. And, who was I kidding? I was definitely
getting a milkshake, too.

CHAPTER 3

D
ad said that Grandma’s Café and Bakery already existed when he
was a kid growing up in Marion, Massachusetts. Of course, back then
“Grandma” was actually alive and running the joint. The café had
changed hands many times over the years, but it was still a
favorite local hangout. After placing my order I chose a table in
the back where I could spread out and not be in the way. There were
a few families finishing up lunch and a couple of older classmen
from my school polishing off burgers at the counter. I didn’t
recall their names, but I’d seen them around many times
before.

When my order number was called I
meandered through the maze of tables and booths to claim my food.
As I turned away from the counter, the bell above the door
signaling someone entering chimed. Instinctively, I looked up and
again found myself staring at Aphrodite. At that point I was
determined to find out her real name so that I didn’t slip and call
her by the imaginary name I’d given her. I didn’t have to wait long
for my opportunity.

After scanning the restaurant, her
eyes stopped on me and she headed straight for where I stood at the
counter. “Hi,” she said upon arrival.

I turned to make sure there wasn’t
someone behind me she was greeting before I quizzically responded,
“Uhh . . . Hi?”

“
I’ve never been here
before. What do you recommend?” she asked with a sunny
grin.

“
Everything’s great,” I
mumbled.

“
Your milkshake looks
delicious. What flavor is it?”

I looked down at my tray. Apparently
the pink color wasn’t a dead giveaway.

“
It’s strawberry,” I
answered. “And you are?”

“
Oh. Sorry. I’m Sophia. I’ve
seen you around. I think we go to the same school. You always have
a lot of books with you.”

The words coming from Aphrodite’s
mouth sounded rehearsed. I stared at her for a minute, trying to
figure out why she was talking to me, before I
responded.

“
Yeah. I’ve seen you, too.
There
is
only one
high school in the area so I guess it’s not surprising.” I didn’t
count the snobs at the prep school across town.

“
Do you mind if I sit with
you?”

I finally caught on to what I assumed
was her motive for talking to me. I’d dealt with the
blonde-cheerleader-type before.

“
Look,” I said. “I’m
flattered that you think because I carry a lot of books that I’m
smart and that I want to do everyone’s homework, but I don’t. I
know it’s the end of the year and that you’ve probably been told
you won’t graduate unless you finish a bajillion assignments before
next week, but that isn’t
my
problem.” The whole thing bubbled out of my mouth
before I had a chance to stop it. Again, I wasn’t in the world’s
best frame of mind.

The look on Sophia’s face
was one of confusion and then it quickly changed from realization
to pure enjoyment. She laughed, a beautiful, lyrical laugh.
Of course her laugh is perfect,
too
.

“
I think you’ve
misunderstood me. I do want a favor, but it doesn’t involve school
work.” Sophia paused, trying to put something into words. She
looked up and proclaimed, “I think you might be my soul
saver.”

My face burned red as I began to back
away from her, slipping over my words as I muttered, “Umm . . . I .
. . uh . . . think you got the wrong impression from me. I didn’t
know I gave off that kind of vibe, but I’m not really into those
weird super hero role-playing games.”

Sophia looked stunned and
then burst out laughing. “That’s not what it means.
Believe
me. I don’t know
how to explain it, but I just feel drawn to you. I think maybe you
can help me. Can we sit down so that I can try to explain it to
you?”

“
Sure—I guess. I have a
table in the back.” My face color returned to its normal shade, but
I was still apprehensive. I sat down and dug into my burger and
fries while I waited for Sophia to join me with a shake of her
own.

“
Sooo . . . you think I’m
your soul saver. What exactly is that supposed to mean?” I asked
rudely.
Geesh, what is my
problem?

“
Sometimes people have
predicaments that they can’t necessarily fix on their own. They
need a little push from someone else. That someone else is called a
soul saver. I didn’t think I had one, but then a few weeks ago I
saw you and your dad on the subway in New York and I felt compelled
to follow you. I’ve been watching you and the feeling hasn’t gone
away so I decided it was time to talk to you.”

Dad and I
had
been in New York a
few weekends ago. He was speaking at an educator’s conference so I
tagged along and hung out at a second-hand bookstore until he was
finished with his work commitments. He surprised me and took me to
a Broadway show afterwards.

“
Wait . . . are you
stalking
me?” I asked in
horror as Sophia’s words sunk in. “That is
really
creepy.” Apparently I’d found
the source of my so-called anxiety.

“
Listen. I’m going to tell
you something and you’re going to flip out, but you can’t. Okay? I
mean, you really need to just hear me out. It’s hard for normal
people to understand all of this.”

“
Understand
what?
”
I was getting frustrated.

Sophia leaned in over our trays and
whispered seriously, “I’m a ghost.”

It was my turn to burst out laughing.
“A ghost? That’s the best excuse for stalking that you can come up
with? Come on, tell me something believable. How about ‘I’m a
princess from the planet Jupiter,’ or how about ‘I raise pink
elephants in my garden.’”

Sophia just sat there without smiling.
“Are you through?”

I thought about it. I couldn’t think
of any more good comebacks so I told her she could
continue.

“
Believe me, when I was
alive I thought that ghost stories were strictly to scare little
kids . . . and then I became one.”

“
And when exactly was this?”
I asked.

“
When was what?”

“
When did you become a
ghost?”

“
After I died.”

I rolled my eyes. “When were
you
living?
”

“
Oh. I was born in 1870. On
Halloween, actually. Pretty funny that I became a ghost, isn’t it?
Of course, back then people didn’t celebrate Halloween like they do
now. I certainly never did anything for it.”

“
So if you were born in
1870, when did you die?”

“
In 1888, a few days after
my 18
^th
birthday.”

“
Okay, but if you’re a
ghost, why can I see you?” I asked skeptically.

“
Have you ever heard the
saying that behind every myth or legend there’s some truth? Well,
that
is
true, but
legends rarely have
all
the facts straight.”

Sophia reached across the table and
rested the palm of her hand on my face. My body tensed. I wasn’t a
fan of being touched by people I didn’t know.

“
Is something supposed to be
happening?” I asked as I pulled my face away.

“
I was trying to show you
that even though I’m a ghost you can still feel me.”

“
Oh wow. That’s impressive,”
I mocked, “but I have news for you. I could
feel
any one of the other people in
this restaurant right now. That doesn’t prove anything. Look, I’m
not sure why you decided to follow me, but this is all just a
little weird, don’t you think? You should probably be careful what
you walk around blabbing to people or you’re going to end up in an
institution. I need to leave.” I grabbed my tray and stood to go,
but Sophia reached out one of her perfectly formed hands and gently
laid it on my arm.

“
Please
,” she pleaded softly, a desperate look in her bright eyes.
“That’s why more ghosts aren’t known. We don’t like to be rejected.
Everyone threatens to put us in institutions—as if they could
actually hold us there. Very few people really believe in ghosts
and even fewer take the time to actually listen. I know it sounds
dramatic and cliché, but you really are my only hope. I’ve been
waiting around for more than a hundred and twenty years to find my
soul saver and I don’t want to lose the only chance I might have.
Is there somewhere we can go where I can prove to you that I am
what I say I am? Somewhere that is void of people? If you still
don’t believe me, I promise I’ll stop following you and you’ll
never see me again.”

I sighed. “Fine, but I can only talk
for a few minutes. I have plans later.”

She looked at me doubtfully. “No you
don’t. Tonight is the school prom and no one asked you. Your dad is
working all weekend and the only plans you have involve those
library books you just stuffed in your bag.”

Wow. That was blunt. Most people who
knew me even a little could probably figure out that I didn’t date
much. It wasn’t for lack of desire; it just all boiled down to
supply and demand. Why date the friend when they could date
Camille? I had guy friends, but that’s all they were . . . friends.
When we were in elementary school I often played sports with the
boys at recess. Sometimes I was even better than they were at
whatever game we were playing. I think they still thought of me as
one of them even though many years had passed and I hadn’t played
baseball or soccer in years. I’d been on exactly two dates in my
life. One with a nephew of one of Dad’s coworkers whom he owed a
favor. The kid was so vain that he spent the entire date talking
about himself. The other date was when Camille set me up with a
friend of the guy she was dating. Again, I was the sidekick. He was
weird and kept picking at the bottoms of his shoes and then chewing
on his nails. It was really gross.

“
Alright.” I gave in. “I
know a place where we won’t be seen. Come on.”

As we exited the building I
wondered if I’d made a huge mistake. I felt for my cell phone in
the pocket of my jacket. Dad had given me pepper spray to carry,
but that was safely zipped away in an inside pouch of my backpack.
If Sophia turned on me, I didn’t think I’d be able to get it out
fast enough. Like I mentioned before, I was pretty tough, but
Sophia was a good three or four inches taller than me, and
obviously a little psychotic. I wouldn’t have gone with her except
I thought that it might be a way to pull myself out of the
doldrums. I
had
hoped for adventure. Besides, odd as it may sound, I felt
strangely drawn to her, too.

I took Sophia to a favorite spot of
mine by the Sippican River. There’s a small grove of sycamores that
I used to hide in while I lost myself in a book. I went there often
during the warm summer months.

I led Sophia underneath the branches
of the tall trees to my “secret hideout.” Inside the cluster of
trees the ground was still moist from melted winter snow, the air
musty and damp. The branches of the trees shaded the area from the
view of outsiders and made it an ideal place to pass a few hours on
a long summer day. I removed my backpack and sat on it so that I
wouldn’t have a muddy butt when I stood up. Sophia looked around
expectantly and then awkwardly sat on her hands.

After taking a deep breath and
exhaling it loudly she plunged forward with the story she’d started
back at Grandma’s Café.

“
Jamie, I know this is odd
and it’s a lot to take in, but I really want you to hear me out.
I’m thinking the only way to convince you is to just show you. I’ve
never shown anyone that I was a ghost before so don’t freak out,
okay?”

I didn’t respond.

She stood up again, breathed in and
out a couple of times, and said in a sing-song voice, “Now you see
me . . .”

With her words she vanished before my
eyes and the world around me was completely silent, except for the
sound of my heart that pounded so hard it threatened to burst
through my chest. I sat motionless, not knowing what to do, until I
heard a whisper in my ear, “ . . . now you don’t.”