Untitled

Chapter Nine

It was wearing into the afternoon and Ben had asked Vivian to track down Louise and have some lunch brought in. As Vivian led Louise into the room, to Ben's surprise, Bernice followed behind.
"Hi, Daddy," chirped Louise, as she walked over and pecked him on the cheek.
"Hi, honey, I feel bad about leaving you like this, but..."
"No buts, Mr. O'Reilly," exclaimed Louise. "You're doing what you have to do and don't think I'm not used to it by now."
Ben quickly recalled that while on the force, it was not unusual for him to work late into the night and on weekends. Louise flashed an understanding smile at Bernice, erasing a temporary reflection of guilt on the older woman's face.
"And, besides, Bernice and I are having a wonderful time. We played Bingo, went to the horse races. You know, Ben, that betting game that uses wooden horses and dice. We even got to meet that lovely young singer, Lisa."
Bernice interrupted, "She was running the horse racing game. We liked her and I believe the feeling was mutual. Such a pretty girl and yet, she seemed so sad."
"Daddy," said Louise. "If I was that young and could sing like her, I wouldn't have a care in the world. Oh, you know," she said, responding to Ben's grimace, "some people are just hard to understand. They appear to have it all and still aren't satisfied. There are so many people living in poverty. Don't you think people like Lisa should be happy and grateful?" Ben nodded affirmatively. He knew differently though.

Bernice's mind wandered for a minute while Ben and Louise engaged in a short, private discussion. Throughout most of her sixty years, she had enjoyed security and a diluted sense of happiness. Her latent observations of the less fortunate during her and John's travels left her with accumulated knowledge and insight that few people have the opportunity to get first hand.
She had not only witnessed pain and suffering in the midst of poverty, but also happiness. She remembered watching Mexican Indian women washing their clothes in the streams on the outskirts of Acapulco. They laughed and chatted as their children played in the streams, screaming joyously at the top of their little voices. The children waved at the tour bus as it passed by, and she waved back.
She also remembered some of those of whom Lisa provided the perfect stereotype-beauty, talent, intelligence, yet miserable.
Just as sure as a large segment of people living in so-called poverty will choose to be unhappy, many of them will choose happiness. Bernice had observed that the middle class, and even the wealthy, made similar choices. She had finally concluded, after over a half century of life, that material things alone were no criteria upon which to seek or base a joyful life.
Generally speaking, she felt her circle of friends were basically materialistic and lacked humility. Her growing awareness was allowing her to see through their eyes into the empty void of their hearts. She was learning that when we think the things in life are life itself, we think that without those things, we have no value. It was John, not she, who always understood that, and that knowledge was what made the difference in their relationship and the family. It took this great loss and seven years of mourning for her to finally begin to perceive the truth. She would give anything and everything to have him back.

As Louise talked on, Ben noticed that Bernice was drifting away. "Bernice, are you OK?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about Lisa and wondering what her true feelings are. Odds are, something is missing in her life. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times, 'If you don't have love, you don't have anything."
Louise smiled affectionately at Ben. He remained expressionless, as though he had not read his wives gesture, but the bond was mutual and they both knew it.
"We really are having a good time, Ben. It's been a long time since I have enjoyed myself so."
Ben noted that Bernice's expression was sincere and grateful.
"Want some lunch, girls?"
"No, thanks," replied Louise. "We had a wonderful lunch in the dining room."
"Well, then, can I escort you ladies to dinner, about seven?"
They both nodded in agreement.
The door swung open.
"Toot-a-loo," said Louise, as she wiggled her fingers goodbye.
Bernice and Louise went to Bernice's first class stateroom where they could relax in private.

"Please, make yourself comfortable, Louise. I'll get us some refreshments." Bernice motioned for her to sit in one of three finely upholstered chairs that adorned the luxury stateroom.
As Louise settled into her chair, she wondered why her new friend's voice had suddenly taken on a formal tone.
Bernice handed Louise a glass of 7-UP and sat down in the chair facing her. "Louise," she said seriously. "May I ask you a question?"
"Yes, of course," she replied, hesitatingly.
"During my discussion with Ben this morning, he said he was sure he would get my necklace back. He sounded so sincere. How can he promise a thing like that?"
Louise fidgeted nervously.
"I'm sorry, Louise," said Bernice, apologetically, recognizing she had placed her in an awkward position. "I know your husband will do his best."
"That's OK. I guess I can tell you. You may not understand this, because, to be honest, I don't think I do. When my Ben says that to people, his message is that he has confidence and will do everything possible.
"More importantly, he believes it is essential he 'plant a positive seed,' as he puts it, in his mind and in his client's. He says you need to have faith and a strong desire first, and then imagine being successful. Some nights, he comes home late, sits in front of the fireplace, and stares at the fire for awhile. He says that doing this and visualizing the outcome he expects, helps.
"Ben's been convinced for a long time that he gets information from a higher power outside of himself. And I have to admit, he does come up with a lot of clues that way. And there's more. Now and then, he will see a future event. Like when he was a little boy, he knew his grandfather was going to die before it happened and ran over there. He said he had a chance to visit his grandfather one last time before he died the next day. Even now-a-days he gets dreams of certain events before they happen. And often he will get a flash of an image of something that pertains to a case he is working on.
"I am Jewish, and because of my religion, this stuff used to bother me. One day, when I was at the synagogue, I talked to the Rabbi about Ben. Our Rabbi was a young man then, and although he was trusted and well liked, he was considered by some to be a bit of a maverick because of his ideas.
"It was his opinion that Ben had a psychic gift. In fact, he told me that in Europe, the police regularly use what they refer to as psychic detectives in solving crimes. They had a good record, he said, and he didn't understand why we didn't do it in this country. The Rabbi didn't see anything wrong with it, as long as it served a good and noble purpose. He said seeing into the future was nothing new, that gifted or chosen ones have been doing it for thousands of years.
"That night, I finally asked Ben to talk about it. Boy, what a surprise. He said there was one guy in his department that he thought had the ability, but wouldn't admit it or try to develop the gift. He said some police departments use psychic detectives as a last resort. He didn't think he was that good, compared to others.
"I was astounded by his prediction that someday, as more people who have the gift surface and gain a reputation, police departments will employ staffs of psychic detectives whose jobs will be to collectively review open cases. Their contribution will aid law enforcement greatly.
"He also believes that eventually most crime will become a thing of the past because criminals won't be able to get away with it-largely because of psychic detectives.
"God gives special gifts to good intentioned people for a reason. And I believe that, Bernice. What do you think?"
There was a time when Bernice would judge a scenario such as this as utter nonsense. Now, it was different. A spiritual awakening, still in its infant stages, coupled with her own supernatural experiences, was consciously starting to manifest.
"I don't understand it either, Louise, but you have said nothing that I cannot accept as truth. I, too, have been given a gift. May I share it with you?"
"Yes, I would like that." Louise was humbled at the idea of a woman of Bernice Chandler's prominence sharing intimate aspects of her life with the likes of her.
Bernice, however, as a result of her ongoing transformation, considered them as equals. "I am absolutely positive my husband, John, communicated with me at the time he died." Contradicting an earlier promise to herself, she found herself relaying to Louise the entire episode of John's death, beginning with his leaving for the fishing trip in Alaska.
As Bernice explained her experience with John's presence in the hotel room, Louise's eyes opened wide, excitedly, which was in conflict with the compassion she was also feeling.
"Oh...my gosh," she said. "And I thought I was going crazy. There have been times when I truly felt I wasn't alone. One night, I was in the house alone, sitting in my chair knitting, when I felt a hand lightly touch my shoulder from behind. I turned around and no one was there. This was right after Ben got shot and was in the hospital. It happened another time when our son was sick with scarlet fever and I thought he might die. I got the same comforting feeling I used to get when I was a young girl and my father would come up to me when he suspected something was troubling me. I felt my father's presence and now I am convinced he was really there. Now I know he still watches over me."
Louise's eyes watered and her voice choked with emotion. Bernice reached over and placed a hand over her friend's. "Yes, I believe he does," she said with a gentle squeeze of the hand. "And believe me, when I tell you that we're not alone. I have heard others tell similar stories over the past few years. And because of a growing number of accounts, the fact that there is another side, or spirit world, is getting increased attention in TV programs and in books and magazines."

Louise left Bernice's stateroom with a greater hope for the hereafter, confirmation that she would one day be reunited with deceased loved ones, and a reinforced faith in her religion.
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