The Sublime Seven Read online

  Johnny felt a sudden, unfamiliar surge of hatred for the new kid.

  “Mel is half-blind and usually into his second six-pack by now,” Toby continued. “Just follow my lead.”

  Two minutes later, the boys pushed open the glass door of Mel’s Grab ‘N Go. The cool air washing over them smelled like greasy hot dogs and floor wax. Mixed in was the scent of stale beer wafting from behind the cash register where Mel sat six days a week, from seven in the morning until seven at night. The old man’s bristly eyebrows merged at the sight of the boys.

  “Just restocked the penny candy.” Three empty Blatz bottles stood sentinel behind the cash register. Their contents softened Mel’s consonants: jus resocked the benny canny.

  This might not be so hard after all.

  Toby led them to the penny candy aisle.

  “Why are we here?” Timmy stage-whispered. “I thought we were going for the big ones?”

  Toby elbowed him in the arm, then in a loud voice said, “Look, there’s Red Hots this time.”

  “I’m getting a Jaw Breaker,” Frank said loudly with a wink.

  “I think I want Pixy Stix,” Johnny replied, matching Frank’s volume.

  “Hey guys, let’s check out the ball cage.” Toby took off toward the back of the store, detouring down the aisle containing the bulk candy. Johnny saw that the opening in the plaid had appeared again. He fumbled with the buttons of his own shirt. The cold air on his skin felt like a bad omen.

  Toby slowed as they walked past the huge bags available in most stores only during Halloween. Johnny watched a lithe hand reach down in passing, grab the mother lode of Fire Balls, then disappear within the madras plaid. Quicker than Johnny would have thought possible, the three lower buttons already secured the lumpish belly. The confident smirk on the tan face was a challenge now.

  Johnny grimaced as his own stomach suddenly sprouted a bumper crop of icicles. He ignored the unpleasant sensation, emulating Toby’s movements as he walked down the aisle. Seconds later, the bag of Lemonheads nestled securely in his own shirt. He didn’t turn to watch the other boys. All his attention was focused on the larceny hidden under the fabric.

  He stood next to the ball cage, forcing himself to take deep breaths. The icicles soon vanished, replaced by a mixture of relief and elation. The bulge wasn’t that noticeable, and easily hidden behind the bright red ball balancing at the top of the chicken wire.

  “They’re fifteen cents each,” Toby said. “What color does everyone want?”

  They spent the next few minutes deciding which boy would buy which ball. Next, they paid for the items, and then escaped into the now-welcome heat. Mel never raised a drunken, wiry eyebrow.

  The newly chubby boys ran the half-block back toward their bikes. When they were safely around the corner, they gathered in a tight cluster, comparing the stolen loot.

  “So we got the Fire Balls, the Lemonheads, Bazookas...nice, Frank! And for some stupid reason, Charleston Chews. What the hell, Timmy? Nobody likes those.”

  “They were the closest.”

  Toby rolled his eyes, then studied Johnny with a smug, appraising expression. “So, how did it feel, Johnny-Boy? Pretty sweet, huh?”

  The In Between

  “You enjoyed the sensation? The high, so to speak?” said the angel, or whatever she was.

  They sat facing each other in cozy chairs, illuminated by a nearby Tiffany floor lamp. No electrical cord was attached to the base, tethering it to some purgatorial outlet located within the impenetrable blackness beyond their circle of light. It was powered by either batteries or magic. Or perhaps God. Johnny noticed that the hues in the lamp’s stained-glass shade matched the color of the four rubber balls from Mel’s Grab ‘N Go. While telling the story of his recent life, he hadn’t noticed the chairs appear, nor the lamp, nor the homey braided rug, just like his grandmother’s. All these elements came into existence so unobtrusively, that it felt as if they had been there all along.

  “I wouldn’t say enjoyed. More like I had an epiphany. I could have almost anything I wanted without having to work for it. That first time was thrilling, but afterward, I realized I could apply the same concept to bigger and better stuff. I didn’t have much growing up, so you can understand the appeal.”

  “One could say you were rich in love. Your parents adored you.”

  “That’s absolutely right. And I see that now.”

  “So the stolen candy led to the catcher’s mitt, then eventually in your early twenties, to armed robbery. Thus your demise at the hands of an understandably perturbed convenience store clerk.”

  “That pretty much sums it up. Why am I wearing flannel pajamas?”

  “Because the goal is to make you comfortable.”

  “If I’m comfortable, I’m more willing to talk about how I screwed up my life?”

  “Comfort is one of the pleasures of being human. It even beat out sex in one of our surveys.”

  “Not sure I believe that.”

  “That’s because in this past incarnation you never experienced true discomfort. You slept in a bed every night, had plenty of food to eat, and were rarely too cold or too hot. Not everyone’s life is so abundant in comfort.”

  Johnny nodded. “What’s your name? I don’t even know how to address you.”

  “You may call me Sarah.”

  “That’s a pretty name. It suits you.”

  “Thank you. Let’s proceed. You said your Pivotal Moment occurred when Toby taught you how to shoplift. Your life then took a very Bad Turn. Looking back, do you regret it?”

  “Oh, yes. If I had stood up to him that day, done the right thing, I never would have learned how to steal. If I hadn’t learned to steal, I wouldn’t have transitioned to armed robbery. Which means I wouldn’t be here now. Shoplifting is a gateway crime, you know.”

  Sarah’s laughter reminded him of his mother’s wind chimes – musical, somewhat discordant, soothing.

  “I remember just before the guy pulled the shotgun on me, I was thinking, What the hell am I about to do? This is so wrong. My mother would be so disappointed. I should know better. It was one of those paradigm shifts. A moment of pure clarity when I saw the situation in a completely different way. From that new perspective, I realized I was a total jerk. Everything my mom and dad had been teaching me finally kicked in. If I hadn’t gotten a chest full of lead a half-second later, I would have turned my life around.”

  “I see. What are your thoughts concerning the act of theft itself, untethered to its potential consequences?”

  “You’re asking if I think stealing is wrong even if I don’t get caught.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Of course it’s wrong. Looking back on my life now and seeing how messed up it got because of that one day...I think I’ve seen the light.”

  “That’s not what I’m looking for.”

  “Give me a minute. These are complex thoughts I’m trying to articulate. Yeah, there’s more to it than that. The actual act of taking something from someone, whether by force or through cunning, subtracts from your character. Yes, that ‘thing’ is in your possession – the bag of candy or the thick wad of cash – but having it diminishes you as a human being. Makes you less of a person. Makes you smaller. Does that make sense? I’m not sure if I’m getting the words right.”

  “You got them just right.” Sarah smiled.

  A cup of hot chocolate appeared in his hand. The aroma of Swiss Miss with Mini Marshmallows wafted up from the armrest. He wasn’t surprised. That had been his favorite brand growing up.

  He took a sip, then said, “Are you going to tell me who you are now? What all this means?”

  The beautiful woman tilted her head. Her blond hair cascaded to a shoulder cloaked in lavender polyester-knit. She was wearing a tracksuit. They had been all the rage with his mom’s generation back in Hutchinson.

  “For now, let’s just say I am your Spiritual Guide.”

  “Like one of those ladies with a crystal ba
ll?”

  “No, of course not. You’d be amazed how often I hear that. My job is to mentor you during your development. Advise and instruct you through your evolution.”

  “Evolution? As in Darwin?”

  “Similar, but applied to your soul rather than to a physical incarnation. We want you – your consciousness – that unique spark of the Divine within you, to reach the apex of sublimity. That’s always the goal, but we sometimes have a few hiccups along the way.”

  “You’re trying to make me perfect?”

  “Perfection is unattainable.”

  A Marlboro Red had appeared in the hand that wasn’t holding the hot chocolate and was already half-smoked by the time he noticed it smoldering between his fingers. In addition to shoplifting, Toby Malone had taught him how to smoke cigarettes. He figured out on his own how to enjoy them.

  “Sublime instead of perfect. Got it.”

  “Did you go to Sunday school in your past life?”

  “Until I was fifteen. I have to say, the whole Christian thing, Jesus being the son of God, then coming back from the dead, heaven and hell...all that didn’t make much sense to me when I got older.”

  “That’s because those devices were no longer meant for you. They work to a certain point, which varies from person to person. Then they’re relinquished, for reasons that will be made clear to you eventually.”

  “Are you saying Jesus isn’t real?”

  “Not at all. I’m saying iconic religious figures serve a purpose for a while. Then, when the soul has transcended to a certain level, other methods must be utilized to achieve the ultimate goal of sublimity.”

  “So this is like a reincarnation thing?”

  “That word is frowned upon. It trivializes the process.”

  “Sorry.”

  “No problem. It is something like that, however. As I mentioned earlier, you are in the In Between. We are here not only to discuss your most recent life, but also to work out the details of your next one, and the lessons to be learned while living it.”

  “So I guess in my past life I learned a lesson about not taking what doesn’t belong to me?”

  “Your lesson was about integrity. You actually lived many lifetimes before you finally, truly, understood that concept during that moment you experienced in the Kwik Shop. The one of pure clarity.”

  “But I don’t remember any other life besides the last one.”

  “That’s how this works up to now. From this point on, you will remember your previous lives while you are in the In Between. This is where things get interesting. We’ll decide what your next lesson is to be and the optimal conditions under which to learn it. When we meet again, you’ll recall your life in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1963, as well as the new life upon which you’re about to embark. And that brings us to my next subject: What would you say are the most crucial human qualities a person should possess to be the best he or she can be? The order doesn’t matter. Just say them when you think of them.”

  “You mean after integrity?”

  “Yes. You’ve done that one.”

  “I see where you’re going with this. Okay, I’ll say courage or bravery. Then compassion, which I guess is kind of like empathy, right?”

  “This is your list.”

  “Kindness has to be on there. Also tolerance for others who are different from me, although that could be part of kindness too. Kindness may be a catch-all that many sublime characteristics fall into, like patience and benevolence. Am I right about that?”

  Sarah smiled, but didn’t respond.

  “Okay. I think being responsible is important. Being accountable for my own actions and owning up to mistakes I make, with the ultimate goal of not screwing up to begin with. Maybe that part could come in at the end of one of my lives. What else? Oh, I know. Creativity. I think that’s one of the things that sets us apart from the animals.”

  “You don’t think animals can be creative?”

  “I wouldn’t think so.”

  “Did you know that dolphins surf the big waves off Western Australia just for the fun of it?”

  “I had no idea. That’s cool. So I guess the more intelligent ones can be creative.”

  “Perhaps they weren’t always so intelligent.”

  “You’re saying they go through this process too?”

  “We’ll get to that later.”

  “Sure. Like whether you’re an angel.”

  “All in good time.”

  Johnny sighed. “I have the feeling I’ll be hearing that a lot in the In Between. All right, back to the list. I think we have to love one another. Unconditional love, like dogs give their owners. Now that I think about it, dogs are probably better at being sublime than us humans.”

  “Dogs are among the most enlightened of all creatures.”

  “I believe it. So we’ll add unconditional love. What else? Oh, I have one. Leadership. Leadership tied to a solid work ethic. A sublime human wouldn’t be lazy, and being an effective, hard-working leader sets the right example for others. So it’s kind of a two-fer.”

  “You’re getting the hang of this.”

  “I think so too. What about moral restraint? Resisting temptation, I mean? Although we could attach that to responsibility-accountability, I suppose. There’s humility, curiosity, gratitude, a sense of humor. Oh, and forgiveness. And I mean genuine forgiveness, not just lip service.”

  “That’s a toughie.”

  “It sure is. We’ll put it on the list. I like the notion of combining some of these, if that’s okay. Will that make my evolution take less time?”

  “Time is meaningless here. It is also non-linear, which you’ll soon understand. However, some of these qualities you’ve chosen could be more effectively accomplished as riders. Two-fers, or even three-fers.”

  The beauty of Sarah’s smile nearly blinded him

  “You love your job, don’t you, Sarah?”

  She nodded. “I do. It’s taken me a long time to qualify for it. I worked on my resume for millennia.”

  “Angels have resumes?”

  “Not an angel. Spiritual Guide.”

  “I know, but I can’t stop thinking of crystal balls when you say that.”

  The tinkling wind chimes again. He could listen to that sound all day.

  “Are you finished? Shall we recap now?”

  Johnny nodded. “I’ve done the integrity thing, which I think was important.”

  “It was. That’s why you’re here now.”

  “Cool. Here we go, then, in no particular order. Courage, Bravery, and Leadership with a strong Work Ethic – that’s one lifetime. We’ll combine Kindness with Compassion and Empathy, and add Patience, Benevolence, and Tolerance too...they all seem to go together. That will take seventy or eighty years, I bet. Responsibility and Accountability with a Moral Restraint rider. Creativity with a bit of Humility thrown in. Unconditional Love. And Forgiveness. What do you think?”

  “What matters is what you think. Are you pleased with your list?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “What about curiosity and a sense of humor?”

  “Oh, right. Then let’s combine Unconditional Love and Forgiveness, and we’ll put Curiosity and Sense of Humor together.”

  “What about gratitude?”

  “Dang. How could I have overlooked that? That’s a really important one. How about Curiosity and Sense of Humor with a side helping of Gratitude.”

  “You could do Gratitude by itself. You realize we set no deadline, nor prescribe a specific number of lives in which to complete your journey.”

  “I’ve set my own. It just came to me, like the hot chocolate and the cigarette. I want to get this done in seven lifetimes, and I already have one under my belt. Six more to go.”

  “Why seven? It could be any number.”

  It was Johnny’s turn to smile. “Because I like the sound of The Sublime Seven. It has a nice ring.”

  “Very well. It’s your decision. It’s always you
r decision. You’ve completed Integrity, so what do you want to tackle next?”

  “How about Unconditional Love and Forgiveness?”

  “Excellent. Now comes the fun part.”

  Chapter 2 – Unconditional Love and Forgiveness

  Giza, Egypt – 2573 BCE

  “Jamila, where is my dinner?” her father said, stooping low to get through the opening of their small mud-brick apartment.

  “Sorry, Papa. There was a long line today at the food complex.” Jamila scurried to set the bowl containing fish and lentils on a reed mat, freshly shaken and cleaned for the evening meal. With care, she placed two cups of beer next to it, along with a small basin of water.

  “Is the water clean?”

  “Yes, Papa. I boiled it this morning.”

  “Very good,” he replied, dipping his fingertips into the water, then selecting the choicest fish morsels. “No bread?”

  “Right here,” she said, removing a scrap of linen and showing him the fine loaf displayed in her basket.

  His tired gaze shifted to the basket. A dust-covered eyebrow arched in mild surprise.

  “You made this?” he said, between bites.

  “I did.”

  “Well done, child. You’ll be an expert baker in no time.” He tore off a section of the flat bread and swiped it along the edge of the bowl. “Go ahead, eat. You’re working now, so you need to keep your strength up.”

  “Thank you, Papa.” She tore off a piece now, too, dipped it in the broth, and analyzed the texture and flavor. Some said bread was just bread. There’s nothing special about it. Its purpose was to fill one’s belly. But those people didn’t work in the most esteemed bakery of the most esteemed neighborhood within the village of the pyramid builders. This was her first year to become a full-fledged baker in the service of Khafre, Pharaoh of Egypt, whose pyramid would be the second largest in Giza. It was now only half-built, yet its silhouette blotted out the sunrise each morning. It filled Jamila with awe to know her small contribution of feeding the builders would secure her place in the Afterlife.