Benjamin was instructed to go to The
Book to begin his search. It was pretty cool, actually. This book was about 1.5
feet by 3 feet, and one inch thick. The cover was made of wood from the Tree of
Life. It seemed appropriate seeing as this is the Book of Life. It is sometimes
kind of creepy to look at because if you look at it long enough you notice that
the grain of the wood actually moves.
Weird, right? I think so. And when you open it, the pages are interactive, like
a touch screen tablet. It saves on
space. You can look anyone up, alive or dead by family, geographic location,
era, or… name. Alphabetical is usually how I go. Be aware, however, that those
who have yet to be born are not in the Book.
That is a different category all together. There’s a Book for that too,
though.
Anyway, back to Benjamin. He entered
the cubicle sized room and went directly to the Book. He really had nowhere else
to go seeing as in the middle of the tight space was an ornate table with the
Book atop it and overstuffed chair for perusing. The chair was another nice
touch from my Boss. It changes to fit the desire of the person in the room.
Benjamin likes overstuffed chairs apparently. And he likes flopping into them
and pulling the Book into his lap, because that’s exactly what he did. Being a
technologically savvy man before death he quickly caught onto the cataloging
system in the Book. But where do you start when looking for your wife’s next
husband? Obviously with the living. He quickly found the button that applied a
living filter to his search. Next-- maybe location would be a good idea. Hmmm,
no, he thought. She’ll probably move to be closer to family, especially once
she discovers she’s pregnant. But will
it be her sister in France? Or the brother in California? He didn’t know what
to expect, so he decided to leave the geo filter off. What to look for next… oh
yes, an easy one. Age. He gave her a fifteen year window. He didn’t want
someone too young raising his daughter (he didn’t actually know if the baby
would be a girl, he just liked to think of a little mini Alice), nor someone
too old that wouldn’t want to have any more kids. Baby should have siblings. Then again, if
he’s older, maybe he already has kids.
“No. I’ll set the limit at fifteen
years older,” he muttered as he set the filter. “I mean, look at David Tennant
and Georgia Moffat. It’s working out for them.”
Finally he decided just to stop
there and see if any names or faces spoke to him. He was tired of trying to
think of characteristics that he wanted, dare he say it, to replace him.
“Oh, Alice. I love you so much," he whispered to the empthy room. The familiar lump started to form right behind his adam's apple. "Please." The word slipped out of his mouth without permission, like a puppy escaping from the backyard. It was both freeing and scary as it ran away from him into his hearts deepest more selfish request: "Don’t love him more than me.”
