Chapter twenty-eight

“If something attracts us so strongly enough to draw our attention, our soul is indeed finding resonance with the frequency of it. It is pulling those experiences in and showing us the way,” Zeke had once read. Just as he thought about it, another shocking truth was about to reveal itself.

A few days later, he went back to the shop. He asked Noah about the things he had seen in the dream, about the people he hugged, about his tears, and about the cat woman who had guided him. That was when Noah finally had the chance to share the recent tragic turn of events in his life with someone for the very first time.

“I recently lost my wife, my only son, my daughter-in-law, and my grandson in a freak building collapse. That’s why I went back to Wisconsin. That’s where I’m from, where my son lives — uh, well, used to live.” He let out probably the deepest sigh of his life. “Oh, God. This is hard. It’s going to take some time to talk about everyone in the past tense. My wife loved visiting my son’s family, and that’s why she was with them when it happened. I lost everyone I truly cared about in a single moment.”

Zeke immediately froze upon hearing the news. Accidents and deaths had been a constant recurrence in his life. First, it was Nora. Then, it was Nigel Copeland. Now, it was Noah Leitner’s entire family. Tears burned in his eyes. He hugged the old man tight and said, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Leitner. I promise you, you’re not alone. I’ll be right here. I will always be here for you. I’ll be your family. I know I could never replace your son or his son, but I promise I’ll do my best.”

He took Noah to his favorite spot by the lake, and they spent the rest of the evening talking about everything under the sun. These were two beautiful souls from two different generations. They had very different backgrounds and upbringings, and yet, they were pleasantly surprised to discover they had much in common. They both loved books, and they both longed for meaningful company. They were both drawn to higher truths, and both were in Mackinaw City at the same time, not by coincidence but by divine guidance. They even had a strange and unique connection with the theme of facing accidental deaths in their lives.

The more time Zeke spent with Noah, the more Noah opened up to him. For the first time since the accident, Noah had someone to talk to, someone to help him grieve. He could share all his grief and cry like a child on someone’s shoulder. Once Noah shared his emotional pain with Zeke, he felt much lighter. It was dark by then, and Zeke and Noah, two lonely people of unequal ages, walked home together and became the best of friends.

As the two began to spend more time together, Noah told Zeke more about the fascinating life he had lived. He told him that he had grown up, along with his four siblings, in a large farmhouse in the Wisconsin countryside. It was a beautiful, serene little homestead in New Glarus with cows, horses, goats, chickens, and just about every other animal you could think of. The children ran around the fields and explored the surrounding countryside all day.

“We didn’t have a single care in the world. Life was good.” he told Zeke. “I was the eldest son in my family, and I lived like those cowboys you’d see in some old western movie or TV show. I grew up riding horses with my father, milking cows, chopping wood, and building fires to keep the farmhouse warm in the winter months. Life was simple back then, Zeke, but I didn’t know what actual happiness was until…”

He saw a single tear roll down Noah’s cheek. “Until what?”

“Until I met my wife. We were both teenagers then. She was a beautiful young girl who came to live with her relatives in New Glarus. Her family, like mine, were Swiss farmers, so she loved farming and raising animals as much as I did. We both grew up together, and eventually, we fell in love. We had a beautiful little wedding at the local church and built a lovely house together on a little plot of land my father left me.”

“What was her name?”

“Her name was Estelle, my shining star, the most beautiful girl ever.” Zeke could feel the love Noah had for his wife bottled up inside. “My life was perfect there, in that little town.”

“Then why’d you leave?” Zeke didn’t want to ask that question, and he immediately regretted it. He could see the pain it brought to Noah’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“No, no, it’s okay. Eventually I had to leave New Glarus after my son was born in search of a better job. I had a family to feed, and I wanted to give them every joy under the sun. I was forced to choose the life of a wanderer, a nomad, changing jobs, cities, and even countries. As a seeker, I met so many different people, had so many wonderful experiences, and gained so much wisdom through my travels, but it was never enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“No matter how much I learned, Zeke, I always wanted to know more. I kept collecting and curating antiques, books, and other spiritual bits and bobs from wherever I went, all over the world. Every time I came back to the States, I went home to Wisconsin, and every time I wanted to stay, but I always thought I’d do it the next time. The thing about next time is, kid, it never happens. I always had a sense of wanderlust that just wouldn’t allow me to stop moving. I was always restless, always in search of more knowledge. Maybe it’s a guy thing. I don’t know.”

Noah’s words made Zeke realize how similar they were, for he too was often consumed by his thirst to know more. “When I finally managed to open this little store, a dream I’d cherished all my life, I thought of inviting my wife, my son, and his family to this beautiful little town called Mackinaw City where we could all live happily ever after. But I guess happily ever after just wasn’t in the cards for me.”

As Noah and Zeke grew closer, Zeke began to learn about life and other wonderful little secrets from him. One day, Noah shared a beautiful anecdote from his life which helped Zeke change his own understanding of life itself. It was a simple story about his wife and something she had once said to him. He loved collecting clocks and watches from around the world. He had many antique ones. Once, when his grandchild was born, he went back to visit his family in New Glarus. When he was about to leave again, he looked at his wife.

“Stellie, you know I love collecting watches, well here,” and he handed her a beautiful antique watch. “I got this one especially for you. It’s an antique. I want you to keep it with you. Look at it whenever you miss me. It’s a token of my love.”

Estelle had always known about Noah’s wanderlust and never stopped him from traveling and living away from her for most of his life. Yet, with a lot of sadness in her eyes, she said, “Noah, when we got married, we promised each other that we’d grow old together. We’ve grown old enough now. Don’t give me a watch. Give me your time!”

It was that night that Noah was so moved by her words that he realized he had lost all the precious time he could have spent with her by leaving her behind and chasing his own dreams. It was the night he finally decided to settle down and eventually call his family to live with him. He was so deeply in love with his wife, yet he took her for granted. Despite all his wisdom, he never realized that the universe doesn’t operate according to whims and fancies. It has its own laws.

So, when he lost his family forever, he was not only struck by an immense sense of grief, but also an immense sense of guilt. He was gripped by the glaring realization of depriving his beloved wife of all the time and attention she deserved, and the regret of not expressing in enough words what and how he exactly felt for her. Zeke saw through his pain, and he learned from it. Noah told him everything he had been through and everything he had felt for the sole purpose of helping him evolve as a person.

Noah’s story made Zeke look at his own life in a new light. He always enjoyed the little things, but now he was even more aware of them. He consciously paid attention to everything around him, and much of that credit went to Noah. He was going to play an even greater part in Zeke’s life, even if they weren’t aware of it just yet.