Page 81 of The Man with a Treasure

She touched her chest. “Faith.”

“It may take some time to study and learn all the different religions there are to believe in, but once you do, then you will have a better understanding of where you could go after passing.”

Scarlett, not so much for my benefit as much for her own, moved her hand in front of her as if picturing herself passing grapes to Sal. I watched her gentle fingers grab an imaginary cluster of grapes and reach out to hand them to me. “Passing.” She touched her arms, her chest, her head and face… “Something leaves my bowl, isn’t that right, Angel?”

Stunned. I was completely stunned at how bright she was. I could barely talk. “Y-Yes. That is absolutely correct. Your soul leaves your human bowl.”

As if already touching a sliver of Heaven, her eyes slid shut again. “Who carries my soul like I carried the grapes?”

Maybe it was I who was seeing a sliver of Heaven on Earth. Scarlett was finding Faith right in front of me. It was immensely humbling. “God. I believe God would carry your soul.”

“She sounds wonderful.”

My face lit up with the biggest smile I may have ever experienced. Scarlett referred to God as a female. I, for one, had no desire to change her Faith. “She is. Just wonderful.” I held my chest as Scarlett consumed it whole. “And She is with me, all the time.”

Without opening her eyes, Scarlett’s head leaned back as if feeling God’s embrace. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

Seeing Scarlett like this reminded me of her watching her very first sunrise after being rescued. Light. I may have rescued Scarlett, but I now understood it was she who was rescuing me. Life. My eyes watered. “It is. God is everywhere. Always.”

Her body melted back in such a relaxed manner it was stealing my breath. “Then… I am never really alone.”

A tear fell… “No. Never.”

I will love you until the end of time.

Leaving the bathroom behind, I was as tranquil as Scarlett had become. Witnessing that miracle had my skin tingling with peace.

Sal observed me walking past the kitchen. “Wow. That was some bath.” His body jolted. “Where’s Scarlett?”

“Bathing in something we can’t see.”

Stupefied, he looked down the hallway toward the bathroom. “What kind of candles did Mae bring us?”

In my room, I was lying in my bed, holding my cross, when Scarlett knocked on my door. I knew it was her because Sal never gave me an option of granting him permission to enter. He just did. So, I answered, “Come in.”

Surprisingly, Scarlett was in a robe, her hair now dry. Her fingers nervously twirled around the robe’s belt. “Angel, could I please ask you more questions about God?”

Since I was just in my boxers, I pulled the blanket up to my waist and sat against my headboard. “Of course.”

She approached my bed then sat, curling a leg underneath. “Your necklace is beautiful.”

“Thank you. It was actually a gift from your mother.” I touched it again. “It is a symbol of the religion she and I agree on.”

She stared at it, then the most serene smile appeared as she held her chest. “My mother and you close with the same Faith makes my heart thump. It feels good.”

Her eyes met mine. “It makes me feel even closer to you.”

That had me looking down to my lap because she was right. I felt it. And it scared me. “Umm,” I coughed, “what was your question?”

“Oh, yes.” She resettled on the curled leg under her. “It’s where the grapes came from that is making me wonder more about passing.”

Even though I was a little confused, I stayed quiet and waited for her to process her question.

“Mae brings them from a store. Before I entered,” she gestured to her body, “this bowl, was I at some sort of similar place?”

“A store?”

She nodded, almost as if worried that her theory was farfetched.