Reapers, Inc. - Brigit's Cross (5 page)

The only person unable to speak was Brigit’s
mother, Liana. What could she say after so much adoration for her
daughter – the woman she had never allowed herself to know – had
been displayed?

When the crowd began to disperse, she was
touched by each friend’s offer to be there for Maggie as they bid
good-byes. Brigit watched her partner as she accepted the offers
with a forced smile, a nod and a hug. Even in her grief, Maggie was
still beautiful to her. They had been together ten years minus one
day. Brigit had hoped it would have been a full life spent with
Maggie. She had hoped they would have been old and grey before they
no longer looked at each other every day.

Brigit had watched her every night since the
accident. She had stood over her lover watching her sleep, noting
when she dreamed, noting when she grieved. In her sleep, Maggie had
cried and then, at other times, she had smiled. Brigit felt herself
mirroring her lover’s emotions, wishing she could reach out and
wipe away the tears or caress the smile that had spread across her
lips. She refrained, however, knowing that if she reached out, she
would not feel anything but Maggie’s warm energy under her
fingertips. That thought was some consolation; but it was not the
same as being able to touch Maggie and really feel her.

“Where are Brigit’s papers?”

It was Liana’s voice that snapped Brigit from
her thoughts. She had wondered how long it would be before her
mother would begin snooping through her life with Maggie. A sly
smile came to Brigit’s face as she watched Maggie square her
shoulders and look Liana Evans in the eye.

“They’re in the office. Why?” Maggie asked.
Mama Dee had come from the kitchen and was standing at the entrance
to the hall in silent witness to the exchange going on. Her
presence blocked the path to the office where Maggie and Brigit hid
the business side of their life together.

“I want to see them. Surely, my daughter
meant for her family to handle her affairs in the event of her
death. Now that-that has happened, her family will do so,” Liana
stated matter-of-factly.

Maggie and Mama Dee exchanged a brief glance.
Carefully, Maggie set her wine glass on the small table next to her
and returned her gaze to the woman attempting to trump her with the
ties of blood. Brigit watched intently as her partner took a deep
breath. Maggie had been drinking all afternoon and Brigit knew
better than anyone that Maggie was a force to be reckoned with when
her temper was ignited while intoxicated. Liana Evans was in for
the storm of her life if she didn’t listen carefully and heed the
warning that Maggie would give her before firing all canons.

“Brigit did mean for her family to handle her
affairs,” Maggie began. Her voice was calm and level. Brigit knew
her temper was standing ready at the door to be loosed on the woman
that had abandoned her daughter for being a lesbian. “Her family
has done just as she wished with the exception of being buried. As
for her papers,” Maggie paused. Brigit and Maggie had set
everything legally in order when they had bought the apartment
together.
Right of Survivorship
was a wonderful thing at
this moment. “They have nothing to do with you.”

“That’s impossible. I don’t believe you. I’m
her mother,” Liana spat vehemently.

“Who disowned her when she decided to follow
her heart,” Maggie pointed out. The intonation of her voice had
risen. Brigit saw the fire spark in her partner’s dark brown
eyes.

“Brigit made her family of all the people you
saw here today. You did her a favor by shunning her. She was free
to choose wonderful, loving people to call her family. You shut the
door on the blood lines, Liana. Brigit made sure that the people
who truly loved her would be taken care of. So if there’s anything
you’re looking to take away from me, you can go to hell because
Brigit made sure she would always take care of me. The house is
mine, the accounts are mine, her memory is mine,” Maggie explained.
“I think you need to leave now.”

Brigit watched her mother square her
shoulders in offense that she would be asked to leave anywhere.
Brigit could tell that Liana was considering pushing the issue
further. The idea would do no good and Brigit saw that fact
register on her mother’s face as she stared into the dark eyes of
Maggie Devon. Mama Dee made a slight movement towards Maggie, as if
to reinforce the fact that it was time for Liana Evans to leave.
Finally, Liana picked up her purse and started for the door.

“My lawyer will be calling you,” she warned
as she opened the door. Maggie made no reply as the door was
slammed shut. Instead, she picked up her wine glass and drained the
contents in one quick swallow.

“Hard to believe that Brigit came from that,”
Mama Dee sighed as she reached out and took Maggie’s empty wine
glass and disappeared back to the kitchen.

Brigit watched as Maggie walked over to the
sofa and sank down on it. It had been a rough day for her even
though she had kept a brave face and, on occasion, forced a smile
to show everyone that she was doing all right. Brigit had left her
side only once to confront John Blackwick at the cemetery. Even
though she was dead, she was not about to let Maggie go through all
this by herself.

Maggie ran a tired hand through her hair and
sighed heavily. Her anger was keeping her from breaking down again.
Brigit watched as her partner’s eyes roved around the room.
Everything that had been theirs as a couple was now solely
Maggie’s. She had told the truth to Liana. Brigit had made sure
that Maggie would always be taken care of. It was a decision she
had been made the day they had first met, when their souls had
recognized one another and realized they were immediately
whole.

It had been a warm day despite the fact that
fall had already made its announcement of arrival. Brigit had
accepted an invitation from her friend, Parker James, to hit the
beach for the last party of the season. Usually, Brigit avoided the
beach parties. She preferred to spend her weekends hiking or
cycling through the mountains surrounding the small college she had
spent the last four years at. They were more accessible to her than
the beach, which was a two hour train ride away.

Parker had been adamant, however. They were
best friends and Brigit had used up all the declining passes to a
beach party. Soon, Parker had pointed out, they would be going
their separate ways and though their friendship would always
remain, time spent together would become a rarity. Hoping to avoid
any more of the guilt trip, Brigit gave in and packed her beach
towel and flip-flops for a day by the ocean.

Maggie Devon had been a regular at the beach
parties. She had seen her share of bonfires and hook-ups between
the campus lesbians that were exploring their sexualities now that
they were free from the confines of their upbringings and the
watchful eyes of strict parents. She had managed to refrain from
becoming involved. None of the group moved her to the idea that
they might be ‘the one’. Instead, she had become the group
counselor, the group mediator when a fight broke out and the
occasional matchmaker. She had never thought she would find her
soul mate on the beach.

Yet, there they were. Brigit had followed
Parker across the sand, wondering if it had been such a good idea
to come after all. Parker was filling her brain with all the drama
that had been going on lately, warning her who to avoid and giving
her tips on who it was okay to talk to with no strings attached.
Brigit was getting lost in all the names.

Then, she saw her.

She was walking toward them with a slight
bounce to her step. The ocean breeze was blowing the ends of her
sarong away from her tanned legs. Her close cropped sandy brown
hair gave her face a pixie’s appearance as she smiled at the two
women who here approaching her. Brigit was stunned into silence as
she something deep inside her began wanting to rush to the
beautiful woman.

“Hey you guys!” Maggie had called to them
with a wave of her arm. “They’re setting up around the cliff.
There’s supposed to be bigger winds when the sun goes down,” she
said. Her smile seemed to freeze as she stopped walking and looked
into Brigit’s dark brown eyes.

“Maggie Devon, this is my friend Brigit
Malone,” Parker introduced when the silence became too much. “Bree,
this is Maggie.”

“Hello,” Brigit managed to say, hoping there
was some confidence in her voice as she extended her hand. Maggie
gently slipped her own hand into Brigit’s and they both
acknowledged the energy that began to run between their palms by
locking gazes again.

“Where are you headed?” Parker asked, hoping
to break the mushiness of the moment she was witnessing. Maggie
glanced briefly at Parker before returning her gaze to the dark
woman who was still holding her hand softly. She suddenly wondered
how she and Brigit had managed to never cross paths before this
moment in time.

“Oh, I, uh, I left a few things in the car. I
was just headed back to get them,” Maggie answered.

“Do you need a hand?” Brigit asked, suddenly
not wanting to leave the smaller woman’s side ever.

“Uh, I, no, I think I can manage it. It won’t
take long,” Maggie promised. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Okay, then,” Parker said quickly. She was
getting bored with the moment. “Bree, give Maggie her hand back,”
she instructed, punching her best friend in the shoulder. Brigit
looked at her in surprise before realizing what she had been told
to do. Reluctantly, she released Maggie’s hand.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Maggie promised.
She hadn’t wanted the dark woman to let her hand go; but she was on
an errand and she was suddenly sure it was somewhat awkward for
Parker to be in the middle of a meeting of souls.

“We’ll see you then,” Parker interjected
before Brigit could say anything. She pulled on Brigit’s arm, but
Brigit remained where she stood. Instead, Brigit turned to watch
Maggie Devon continue on her way, a devilish smile coming to her
face.

“What’s so funny?” Parker asked when she
finally noticed Brigit’s smile.

“That’s the woman I’m going to grow old
with,” Brigit announced.

Parker looked down the beach at the
retreating form of Maggie Devon. She had hung out with Maggie on
many occasions and she had seen nothing special about her; but
then, Parker had a certain taste in women and Maggie Devon had
never fit that criteria.

“What ever you say, pal,” Parker said. She
clapped Brigit on the shoulder and pulled her toward the party that
was waiting to begin on the other side of the cliff.

They had never been apart since that day.
Maggie had returned as quickly as she had promised and found her
place beside Brigit. Before the night was done, they had kissed and
known for sure where their hearts belonged. Before the week was
out, their passions had been ignited and their love unleashed.
Before the month was over, they were living together happily
knowing they would outlast any of the relationships that had been
formed that year. They had been right in their thinking for ten
years minus one day.

Brigit had made a promise to always take care
of Maggie. She had kept that promise.

As she sat watching Maggie, Brigit’s thoughts
turned to her brief conversation with John Blackwick. What had he
said? He had a job offer. What kind of job could a ghost do? And,
what was
an opportunity to remain
? Brigit couldn’t imagine
leaving Maggie’s side. She was a ghost now. She could stay with
Maggie every minute of every day if she wanted to – and she did.
What other option could there be?

“Everything is all cleaned up.”

Maggie and Brigit looked to the hall and saw
Mama Dee emerging. There was a weary look on her aged face. Brigit
thought she had never seen the woman suddenly looking her age of
sixty-three. Mama Dee had been with Maggie almost every minute for
the last week. Her grief over the loss had etched itself into her
black eyes and the dark circles underneath looked purple on her
black skin. She had lost one of her babies, one of the children she
was proud to claim.

“Thank you, Mama,” Maggie sighed.

“You want me to stay with you tonight?” Mama
Dee offered.

“No, that’s okay. I’ll be okay,” Maggie
replied as she stood. She wrapped her arms around the little old
woman that had been her rock during the last week. “I think we both
need to get some rest.”

“Okay then,” Mama Dee said as she patted the
younger woman’s back. “You holler if you need anything.”

“I will,” Maggie promised. She opened the
door for her friend and watched as the woman shuffled out.

“I’m proud of you, Maggie,” Mama Dee said
suddenly when she was out in the hall.

“Why?” Maggie asked, confused by the
comment.

“You were Brigit’s family. That woman had no
business even showing up today; but you showed her kindness and
patience. I just hope she recognizes that somewhere down the road.
I’m proud of you for keeping your claim on Brigit.”

“Thank you, Mama,” Maggie said quietly. She
watched Mama Dee continue her shuffle across the hall to her own
apartment and open the door. The little old woman didn’t look back
as she entered and closed the door behind her.

Maggie returned to the sofa and sighed again.
The apartment was still filled with Brigit’s energy. Everything in
it contained some piece of her essence and Maggie found it to be a
double-edged sword. She was alone with it. Part of it comforted her
and the other part broke her heart even more. She hoped that
eventually, she would come to terms with both sides of it and be
able to breathe again.

Brigit watched as Maggie turned and lifted
her feet up onto the sofa. She had been sleeping there all week. It
was a defense against the memories that flooded their bedroom
during the darkness of night. Brigit didn’t blame her. She didn’t
think she could return there so soon either. She had refrained from
entering that room herself since the accident. She knew there were
just as many memories there for her as there were for Maggie. She
would wait for Maggie to go there and they would face those
memories together, just as they had faced everything in their life
together.