When Lights Collide Chapter 36

Daniel stood staring at Cara, as though somehow staring at her would somehow help him understand everything that was spinning on around and within him.

Cara just stood with him, staring back at him, yet, still with him.

He began shaking his head, “Cara, I don’t - I can’t - what is going on? I feel like I’ve missed a whole chunk of time or life or something…”

His voice trailed off and Cara could feel his confusion, she could feel his frustration and yet, this time, she wasn’t afraid of him or the way he felt. 

She smiled at him, “you mean you kinda feel like maybe you fell asleep in one version of your life and somehow a few hours later woke up in a whole other version?” Cara asked while tipping her head to one side.

Daniel’s eyes widened and he  gripped her shoulders “Yes!!  Yes!  Just like that!”

Then he released his grip on Cara as the understanding left him and he said “but I don’t understand how and why I feel this way or what it means that I feel this way.” He shook his head again, “If not for you, I’d be certain that I have a screw loose.” he raised his hands to his face and rubbed as though somehow this would all make sense once it was smoothed out.

Cara placed her hand on Daniel’s heart and was about to speak when Estelle popped into both their minds, “Come on you two, soups getting cold.” 

Cara shrugged at Daniel “I guess its time to eat.” She began to step away from Daniel when his stomach growled loudly in response to the offering of food, causing them both to surrender into a fit of laughter.

As they turned and headed for the house and the promise of food, Cara remembered the bread rolls that she was bringing to have with the soup, and wondered to herself where they had gotten to, when Brutus’ gravelly voice popped into her mind “don't worry about the rolls, I got them.”

As she shook her head and mentally replied “Thank you” Daniel spoke aloud, “Do we ever get used to the fact that people can do that?”

Cara smiled, “We get SO used to it that we begin to worry when we come across others who can’t.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Hmm, I can see that.” he nodded as they walked side by side to the back yard to join their friends.

As they rounded the corner, Cara noticed the two men who had grabbed her earlier, now standing off to the side, watching nervously, as though awaiting a punishement.

Cara whispered to Daniel, “are they in trouble?”

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, that’s up to Prez, they overstepped a line and were not supposed to go as far as they did.”

Cara grabbed his arm “true, they scared me, but they didn’t hurt me.  I don’t want them to be hurt because of me.”

“And they won't be.” Buruts answered from across the yard. “As long as they make right, or semi right, what they did.”

Cara looked confused, “Semi-right?” she asked.

Brutus nodded, “Yes, since they cannot go back in time and undo what they did, they can only make it semi-right in this moment by apologizing for the foolishness of their actions and offering to make some form of restitution.”

Cara eye-balled Brutus, “Wow, you take this pretty seriously.” She giggled.

He smiled, “Yes ma’am, being careful with the lives of others is pretty serious business.”

Cara nodded and replied |Good point.”

But again, Daniel stopped moving and just stared at the people who he believed were his friends, “Ok, so these look like the people I know, they sort of talk like the people I know, but it's like…weird somehow.” Daniel thought to himself.

Estelle stepped out the back door with a tray of soup bowls and utensils and smiled at Daniel, 

“Yes honey, its weird and yes, its us, no, you are not losing your mind, no, you are not asleep, you are fully awake, on many levels both within yourself and in this reality, somewhere between being angry at your inner child and letting go of all the anger when the shock of Cara being grabbed hit you, you opened yourself up to a new reality, a new moment in time.”  She set the tray down on the picnic table and turned to go back inside, but stopped and looked at the boys, still standing feeling ashamed of themselves.

When they noticed Estelle staring at them, they gave her their full attention, “You two come with me, I’ve got a job for you.” She tipped her head to let them know to follow her.

“Yes ma’am” they said in unison before following her into the house.

Daniel stood, watching the events unfold around him, still waiting for someone to turn purple or sprout extra heads, when Brutus spoke “Come sit down son, I think we have some talking to do.” he said as he patted the seat next to him.

Daniel nodded and made his way to sit next to his Prez, and realized, just for a brief moment, that this man may not be who Daniel thought he was. He plopped his butt down onto the chair and sighed deeply “what a day man.” he said to Brutus.

“I know it son, but do you understand what has happened and why you're here?” he asked, eyes glistening and ready with answers.

“I’m going to go help Estelle,” Cara shared before she ducked into the house, leaving the men alone to talk things over. 

“And hopefully bring Daniel some understanding” she thought to Brutus and smiled when she heard his rough voice reply “I’ll give it my best.”

Daniel sat watching Cara smile as she left the backyard and entered the house, he gave his head a shake and then looked to Brutus, “So, lets have it, what is going on? And who are you really?”

Brutus smiled, “Oh, so you're getting it now are you?  Are you understanding that the things you believed as truth before this moment were only a version of the truth that you could see and feel?  That you could only see into your life as far as the fear would allow you?”

Daniel let the questions settle in around his mind, he knew, after all that in just a few short moments of surprise and shock, that something had changed within him and somehow that change had made everything else in his reality change too.

“I’m beginning to understand some of it, but not all of it, but can we start from the beginning, just to make sure I’m sure.” he asked.

Brutus smiled, “Of course son, which beginning do you want to start at?”  Daniel tipped his head, aware that there was a larger question at play than the one that he had originally asked, then said “I want to start at the beginning - beginning, with who you are and why you are not now who I thought you were for my whole life.”

Brutus chuckled 

“Now you're getting it!  My name is Brutus, and I am the Prez of your club, only not in the way you’ve believed.  When your Grams became ill, she invoked me as your here on Earth Guardian, to watch over you and protect you until you came into full understanding of who you are, which just happened to be the same moment that you met Cara.” Brutus paused and allowed Daniel space to hear and understand all that he had just shared.

Daniel looked at Brutus, concern and confusion blinking in his eyes, “You mean that meeting Cara was some kind of set up?”

“No” Brutus replied swiftly,  “I didn’t know who Cara was until the moment that I met her here in this yard with you.  Until that moment, she was someone who needed to be checked out to ensure the safety of the club.”

“So, is the club real then?” Daniel asked, trying to sort out all the here and there’s of his existence.

Brutus nodded, “The club is the club, some of us, like me, and now you, know the truth about our club being a safe space for lost souls who need love and support but are not yet emotionally ready to be able to handle the feeling of being loved and cared for. For people who can’t yet allow themselves to feel vulnerable.  We hold space for everyone to feel loved and supported in whatever way they can accept and need to help them along their way.”

Daniel snickered, “So, what, you and the club are like a rescue center for angels who have not yet found out that they are angels?”

“Hhmm, that's an interesting way of looking at it, but yes, I suppose, that's exactly what we are.” 

Brutus shrugged as he considered Daniel’s explanation of the club, “Huh,” Brutus nodded, “I quite like that explanation, a rescue center for Angels.”

Daniel shook his head, “I wasn’t meaning to give you any ideas” he said flatly, “I was just looking for answers as to what is going on.”

Brutus clapped Daniel on the shoulder, “You already know what is going on, you just need to decide, are you accepting of the truth that you are now aware of, or are you going to choose to return to the way things were before you met Cara and Estelle?”

Daniel snapped upright in his chair “Go back?  What do you mean ‘go back’ like I can undo time and make it so that I never meet Cara?”

Brutus raised his hands in surrender, “If that's what you want, yes, it can happen, but understand, once you undo the bridge that got you here, there is no bridge to return to her either.”

“I’m getting a headache.” Daniel muttered as he rubbed his forehead.

“Let go of the confusion,” Brutus suggested, “Just look at what you know feels right, let the rest of it go.  This helps you to gain clarity of right here and right now.”

Daniel sat staring at Brutus, “I think I liked you better when you were a crusty ol club prez.” and as he spoke, laughter began to wiggle out of him until both men were engulfed in their laughter.

Cara and Estelle stood at the kitchen window peeking out at the men in the backyard, now holding their stomachs as they laughed so hard that their laughter echoed through the house.

They stepped back from the window and looked at each other and smiled, everything was going to be ok.

Cara breathed a sigh of relief and as she exhaled a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, and at once Estelle understood and felt the waves of relief that rolled from her friend,

Her dear sweet beautiful friend, who had never in her life felt so happy as she had right now, was about to embark upon a whole new adventure, 

With their new Angel friend, Daniel.

And with Brutus by their side, these four beautiful souls would never again be the same as they were right here in this moment.

For love had found them, forgiveness had washed over them, and a new day was on their horizon.

~*~*~*~ The End ~*~*~*~