Chapter Nine: Jeff's Decisions

Working In The Twilight Zone

Chapter Nine: Jeff’s Decisions

         Jeff squeezed Annie with everything he had. Annie could hardly breathe, but this time she liked it that way. She hadn’t felt Jeff’s arms around her this tight since the night she died, and it felt absolutely wonderful.

         “Darling, I still can’t believe it’s you,” Jeff said warmly, and with so much love that Annie started to cry. “Even tough I’m holding you I still can’t believe it!”

         “It’s really me, sweetheart,” Annie said lovingly. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to say those words to you, darling!”

         “You have no idea how I’ve longed to hold you, the real you, knowing it’s you, in my arms, my love!” Jeff responded. As if it were planned with a stopwatch, they squeezed each other even tighter, if that was possible, at the exact same moment.

         “Look at me, darling,” Jeff said softly.

         Annie sensed what was coming That meant that she and Jeff had not lost their wonderful ability to communicate without words, but it also meant that she knew she was about to hear the one question that she had not yet figured out how to answer in a way that she knew Jeff would be able to fully understand. She could only hope.

         “Yes, darling?” she asked, hoping her nervousness wouldn’t show, but knowing that Jeff knew her as well as she knew him.

         “Relax, darling, it’s okay,” he said warmly. “I’m just wondering why you didn’t tell me it was you the first time we met.”

         “Jeff, I… couldn’t. I… needed to find out for myself if… anything had changed your feelings in the eight years since I died. I mean... if you thought I was… gone, would anything have changed? I…needed to know that. And the only way I… could know for sure was to see if… you’d come back to me because you… wanted to, and not because of anything I would say or do. Can you… understand?” Terrified, she waited.

         “Darling, I don’t blame you one bit,” he said, with as much love in his voice as she’d ever heard. Her relief was obvious to them both. He squeezed her. “Honey, that sounds like the best way in the world for you to prove, to your own satisfaction, that literally nothing has changed in my feelings for you. And I’d be a fool to ever consider holding that against you. I love you!”

         “This time Annie was the one squeezing him with all she could muster. “Thank you, my love! You have no idea how relieved I feel now!”

         “Oh, yes I do, darling!” he chuckled.

         “Yes, sweetheart, come to think of it, I’ll bet you do. After all, we’ve been with each other since we were ten,” she said reflectively.

         “Look at me again, sweetheart. I… have another question for you.”

         That brought out Annie’s curiosity now that her fear was gone. “What is it, my love?” she asked warmly.

         “Annie, my love, will you marry me?” he asked, with the widest grin on his face that she’d ever seen.

         “I thought you were never going to ask, darling!” she shouted. “Yes, you handsome, wonderful, devoted, caring guy. I’ll marry you as soon as you want!” Then, her tone changed. “But, Jeff,” she said, hesitantly, “before that can happen, you have a decision to make.”

         “What is it, my love?” he asked, concerned. “I know I’m in the Twilight Zone. I’ve known that virtually all along. It doesn’t change my love for you, or my need to be with you any more than anything else has the last eight years.”

         “I know, darling, but… please listen carefully, my love, and think before you respond. You only get one chance to answer. It’s… not my idea, honey, it’s just the… way things are done… here.”

         Jeff knew his Annie so well he had no doubt that she was in earnest here. “Go ahead, honey. I’m listening.”

         “Um… okay, Mr. Zone,” she said, trying a smile. “You’ve been able to see me and your family all this time because you’ve been crossing over between dimensions. It’s not noticeable, but you changed dimensions every time you left your family and went home. But now, since you know the truth about where you are, and it’s been proven to you because you know I’m alive here, you must choose which dimension you want to stay in forever. If you choose to be with your family, you will be in the world we used to know, and I will be gone. Because I died in that world. If you choose to stay here, with me, you must know, and understand, that right now, you and I are the only people from that dimension that are here. Your family will always wonder what happened to you because you will have just “disappeared”. My family doesn’t wonder, because I died in that world. They have closure. Yours will not. Others that we know may come here later, we don’t know, and we have no control over how it happens or who comes. That’s why I’ve said I’ve been hoping and praying that whatever force determines who inhabits this world would be kind, and wonderful, and bring you to me. We’ll have to see if anyone else we knew before ever comes. That’s it, my love, and your decision must be made now.”

         Jeff could tell Annie was shaking with fear for his decision. But there was no decision, for him. “Darling, look me right in the eye. Please,” he said, warmly smiling. Mystified, and hopeful, Annie looked deeply into Jeff’s eyes, as he once again stared willingly into those deep, deep blue pools of hers. “My love, there is no decision to make. You have always been my life, and you still are. I must stay with you if I am to have a life. Marry me, Annie!” he shouted as he watched her face light up and her whole body relax.

         “I love you, Jeff!” she screamed as she squeezed him breathless. “And yes, my darling, I will marry you. But I have another surprise for you, my love! We can renew our vows, which I would love to do, of course, but our marriage is intact, my darling. As of this moment in time we have been married eight years, 15 weeks, and 3 days!” she squealed.

         ”How?” Jeff asked as that wonderful thought started to sink in.

         “We’ve both been alive, darling, just not in the same dimension. Since we’ve both been alive, the marriage is intact.”

         “God, that’s great!” Jeff shouted. “But I still want to renew our vows, darling. Then we will have a new start together, and we will be a one-of-a-kind couple - one with two wedding anniversaries to celebrate every year,” he grinned.

         “God I love you, Jeff!” Annie said as they finally relaxed and just held each other.

         “Um… Annie?”

         “Yes, darling?”

         “Can we live in our apartment, or is that in the other world?”

         “Honey, we can live there as long as we want. It’s part of this dimension, because I was there when I made the transition to this world. I can’t wait to go home,” she smiled.

         “Tonight?” Jeff asked.

         “Tonight, my love.”

         “There’s one thing I must tell you, sweetheart,” Jeff said, “before we’ll be completely free to live our life,” he said nervously.

         “What’s that, dearest?” she asked, visibly concerned.

         But their bond of love was telling her not to worry. She sensed it again.

         “I… got pretty involved with… Ellen, I’m afraid. Can you forgive me? And I still need to tell her about us.”

         Annie laughed. “I... um... know about Ellen, honey.”

         “WHAT?” he asked, surprised.

         “Yes, darling. I… have a confession to make. I… enlisted Ellen’s help to see for myself how strong you love still was for me, and you didn’t disappoint me. I knew we’d be together in the end from the first time we made love in my apartment. But I had to let it play out for you to see it for yourself. Let’s go see Ellen. She’s still here. She’ll tell you,” Annie laughed again.

         “You’re unbelievable, you know that?” Jeff shrieked. “Just as unbelievable as you were eight years, 15 weeks and 3 days ago when we said ‘I do’. I love you, Annie!” he laughed as he squeezed her again. “C’mon. Let’s go see Ellen,” he grinned as they walked out of the conference room. Moments later, they knocked on Ellen’s door.

         “Come in,” Ellen said, wondering who else was still here past closing time. That didn’t happen very often.

         “Hi, Ellen,” Annie said as they walked in.

         “Oh! Hi, Annie, Jeff,” Ellen said. “”Oh-oh, I… think I… just lost the battle,” Ellen thought silently. “What’s up?”

         “I um… just wanted to thank you for your wonderful and gracious help in proving that Jeff’s love for me was still there as strong as ever, Ellen.” Annie said, smiling. “He finally took a good look in my eyes. I hadn’t expected him to take this long to do that, but he did, and we’re wonderfully together again. Thank you so very much, my friend!” Annie said, smiling broadly.

         “Um… Annie, I… have a confession to make. I agreed to help you because you’re my friend, and because I thought it might be fun. I hope you still think of me as a friend after I tell you… something. Um… sit down, please. You too, Jeff.”

         With concern on their faces, Annie and Jeff sat in the visitors’ chairs in Ellen’s office.

         “Um… not long after I met Jeff, I found myself falling deeply in love with him. I… pulled out all the stops to win him for myself, and you still won. That… shows how deep his love for you really is, Annie.

         “Thank you for telling me, Ellen,” Annie said as she looked at Jeff, took his hand and held it to her heart.

         “But… you should know… that I got him to… go to bed with me.”

         “I know, Ellen.”

         “You do?! Jeff, did you tell her?” Ellen asked, totally surprised.

         “No, he didn’t tell me, Ellen. Not in those words. He just said, ‘I got pretty involved with Ellen.’ But I know my Jeff, and I knew that meant you two had been to bed. But I don’t hold that against either of you. I… almost expected it when I asked you to help me, Ellen.”

         “Thanks, Annie,” said Ellen, obviously relieved. “Um… Jeff?”

         “Yes, Ellen?”

         “I… meant everything I told you while we… were seeing each other. I… want you to… know that. And I want to thank you again for being there for me and… getting me out of hiding. That part was for real, too. And I needed it very much. Thank you!”

         “You’re very welcome, Ellen. “And I want you to know that I meant everything I said to you, too,” he said, smiling.

         “I know you did, Jeff, and I thank you for that, too. I’m still nervous, but I think I can handle it. I guess you’re… not going to keep ownership of my body, are you?”

         “No, Ellen, I’m not. But you don’t need me to now, either. You’re doing just fine.”

         “Um… Annie, would you allow Jeff to do me one last favor?”

         “Sure, Ellen, after all - we’re all friends here.’

         “Thanks, Annie. I needed to hear that, too. Um... Jeff, I’m going to let my hair grow to my waist as you told me to do. Watch as it grows, and when it’s the length you would like, tell me. And that’s the length I’ll keep it. You’ve been right with everything else you told me to do. I want to use even your last direct order to me to improve myself, too. Okay?”

         “I’d be glad to, Ellen.”

         “Thank you. Both of you. God… I have no idea what I’ll tell dad about losing you, Jeff,” she laughed.

         “Just be honest with him, Ellen,” Jeff said as he winked at her. “After all, you just told Annie that she won fair and square. You can be proud of your efforts, Ellen. I know I am. I really mean that, boss! You’re something special.”

         “I’ll second that,” said Annie. “Because you’re a special friend to me, too.”

         “Thank you, Annie. Um… you guys have any dinner plans yet?”

         Annie and Jeff looked at each other. “Um… no, we don’t, boss,” said Jeff.

         “My treat if you two would like to join me,” Ellen said as she stood up from her desk. “May I… hug your husband, Annie?” Ellen asked, smiling.

         “Sure, Ellen. I think he’d like that, too,” Annie laughed. She watched as Ellen and Jeff hugged and shared a quick, grade school-type kiss. And she just smiled. “C’mon, my friend. Lets you, my husband and I go get something to eat and spend some time together for a change.,” she laughed.

         Ellen and Jeff laughed with her as the three of them left Ellen’s office. Annie and Jeff, arms around each other’s waist, squeezed each other one-handed as the three of them walked down the hall. They both knew, now, that they would be together forever. They planned on enjoying, and cherishing, each and every moment. And they were going to start by making up for those eight long, painful, lost years. In a lot of ways.