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I DON'T STOP AT LEIGH Riley, in fact, I don't even start at Leigh Riley. Taishi's advice resonates so deeply, I decide to apologize to every woman I've wronged in the last century, starting with Cosette. I never quite got her into my bed, but I did lie to her. That alone is worth an apology.
I stand in her doorway and let the LightTab translate for me.
“I'm sorry, Cosette. I do like you, and I think you're really lovely, but everything I said about being celibate was a lie. I haven't actually been single for three thousand years.”
The LightTab translates her beautiful French into an ugly robot voice.
“I know. I did my research on you. The rumors are everywhere.”
Her reply makes me wince. Ever since I was put on probation, there have been crazy stories circulating about me, and most make me sound even worse than I am. Hopefully she's not referring to those rumors.
“I suppose it's good that we didn't go further than we did,” I say. “However, I want you to know that any man would be lucky to have you.”
“I know.”
Either Cosette is a very confident young lady, or the LightTab didn't translate properly.
I say goodbye to Cosette and visit the next girls: Elodie and Rose. They're a pair of twins I flirted with a few years ago, and while I didn't sleep with either, I did kiss both. Neither seems too bitter, so I excuse myself and move down the list.
I search for a young woman named Jane Brown, but there are quite a few Jane Browns who died in 2005, so I can't locate her. I look for a forty-something mother named Christine Kowalski who I dated in the late 1990's, but she's reincarnated since then. I usually prefer younger women, but as I recall, Christine was exquisite. Her freckles and thighs were too much to resist.
I speak to Lauren Winston, Rachel Creed, Dorothy Stratten and Xiao Chan, begging for forgiveness from all of them. I speak to a 1920's flapper who's still angry after all these years, but she eventually accepts my apology. The list seems long, but when you consider the fact that it covers a hundred-year period, it's really not so atrocious.
Finally, it's time to visit Leigh Riley. For some reason, visiting Leigh makes me more nervous than all the other young ladies combined. I don't know if it's because I liked her more, or because it was more recent.
Leigh doesn't look thrilled to see me, but at least she doesn't slam her door in my face.
“Good afternoon, Miss Riley,” I greet her with a smile, but the pleasant gesture isn't returned.
“Jophiel.” Her nose wrinkles as she utters my name, as if it's a filthy word she would rather not repeat. “What are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to greet an old boyfriend?” I push past her and enter her apartment, which is as clean and ordinary as I anticipated. Leigh always seemed like a perfectionist.
“You were only my boyfriend for a few days. I don't know if that qualifies you for ex-boyfriend status.”
“Of course it does!” I object. “And I was your first boyfriend, as I recall.”
Her nose stays wrinkled as she replies, “I would rather think of Taishi as my first and only boyfriend, thank you very much.”
“In that case, you'd be denying the truth.” I flop down on her couch and spread my arms across the back of it, making myself comfortable. “This is a nice place you have. And it's only a block or two from Nakamura's house. That must be convenient.”
“Yeah. It's been nice,” she agrees.
“What happened to that old roommate of yours? What was her name...?” It takes me a moment to recall it, and when I do, my eyes light up. “Alyx!”
“She's got her own place now.”
“And she's with... Phineas, is it?”
Leigh gives me a nod. “That's right. How did you know that?”
“Archangels know everything Leigh. Haven't you figured that out by now?”
Leigh sits across from me and crosses her arms. I assume she's striking that pose to let me know she's less than happy about my company. “Why are you here, Jophiel?”
“I was on a mission with Taishi the other day. Didn't he tell you?” When she shakes her head, I add, “I'm surprised. I figured he would tell you everything.”
Leigh says, “He's had Archangel training for the last two days. I haven't seen him as much as I'd like.”
“Well, anyway, I ran into him,” I continue. “He told me I probably owe you an apology... so... here I am.”
Leigh shakes her head. “You don't owe me an apology. What's done is done.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
“No.”
“Then I owe you an apology,” I deduce. “Leigh... I'm sorry I lied to you. I am genuinely, one hundred percent, completely sorry for the way I treated you. You were one of the few girls I actually liked. I shouldn't have lied to you about being celibate for... how long did I say? Three thousand years?”
“Something like that,” Leigh answers with a sigh.
“I had real feelings for you,” I tell her. “Not all of it was a lie. When Taishi took you away from me, I... regretted it.”
“And I had real feelings for you too,” she admits. “That's why I was so upset, but... I'm glad it worked out the way it did.”
“Does Taishi make you happy?” I ask.
“Of course.” A few seconds later, she asks, “Do you want me to get you a drink or something?”
That's rather a silly question. If I wanted to, I could manifest any beverage in the world. Nevertheless, I smile at her offer. “No. Thank you, Leigh, but I shouldn't stay long.”
“I don't mind,” Leigh says. “I don't have guests too often. Alyx and Taishi are the only ones who come here.”
“Well, more people should come. You keep it spotless,” I commend her. “Of course... everything is cleaner in the afterlife, isn't it? There's a lot less dust and hair fall.” If I'm taking about dust, the conversation probably needs to end. Sighing, I spring from the couch and return to the door. “For what it's worth, it was good to see you again.”
“For what it's worth...” Leigh mimics me, “it wasn't totally awful to see you again either.”
Weak as the sentiment may be, I accept it with a nod and warp to my final destination: Anna Donaldson's house.
Of all the women I've wronged, there's no one who deserves an apology more than she does—and there's no one I ever cared about more.
She's in bed when I arrive, possibly dreaming a dream without me. She's probably wondering where I am, but I can't come back. I've indulged myself for too long.
I sit at the end of her bed, and even though she can't hear me, I whisper a tearful apology.
“I'm so sorry, Anna. Whatever we were to each other... whatever we had... I always knew it had to end. We come from two different worlds, and I shouldn't keep breaking the rules to cross from my world to yours. I'm sorry.”
She'll probably wake up depressed tomorrow, confused about her feelings. Anna has a teddy bear on her bed, so I move him closer to her, thinking she might need a comforting friend. It's difficult to move objects in the physical world, but I can do it when I try.
“You're special. I've known it since the first time I saw you.” I touch her hair, knowing it will be the last time. “Even if we can't be together, I'll keep watching over you... and if any man hurts you, I'll be there to put him in his place.”
It breaks my heart to think of Anna with another man, but this is the way it has to be. I can't let her cling to dreams for the rest of her life. That would be cruel.
Leaning close to her, I whisper, “I wish there was a way we could be together. I really do.” When my thumb brushes her cheek, her eyelashes flutter, so I quickly pull back my hand. “Goodbye, my love. One day, we'll meet in another world, when you're old and gray and you have children of your own. I'll hug you, kiss your forehead, and tell you how much I've missed you. And I will miss you. But until then... farewell.”