Heaven or Hell Read Online Free PDF

TERESA while she sat with the two women. She hadn’t known Teresa’d had a sister or that her father was still alive. All of these years and no mention of either in the presence of Angel.
    “Sometimes I think Mom is around,” Teresa said.
    “I have to believe she is,” Teresa’s aunt answered.
    “I can feel something, though I can’t really explain it.”
    “I have an idea, Teresita. Why don’t you go with me to see Father Benjamin? No commitment to anything else.” Teresa’s aunt looked hopeful.
    Angel nodded at this idea and wished Teresa could see her sitting right here. She’d encourage Teresa to deal with this unfinished business, which she’d always sensed around the woman. How Angel wanted to be heard by these two women who had no knowledge of her existence.
    “For some odd reason I’m open to that,” answered Teresa. “It’s like something Mom and Angela would’ve wanted. At least test the waters, so to speak. I’ll go with you.”
    Teresa’s aunt jumped up. “I’ll get ready now, and call Father Benjamin.”
    Angel sat with Teresa as she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the store. “Kelly? Good. I’m glad you made it in. Thank you.”
    Teresa smoothed out her left eyebrow while she spoke. “I might be gone the rest of the day. Call me if you need me. I’m not sure what happened in that back room but I know you’ll take care of it.” Teresa paused for a moment, “All right, we’ll talk later. Thank you, again.”
    Angel had little understanding of her purpose in the living, breathing lives of Teresa and her son, or Teresa’s Aunt Jessie. What she did know was that she’d been watching Teresa and her family for many years. At first, she tried to speak to Teresa and anyone who’d listen. Why she continually came back to see Teresa, with no interaction, day after day, was a mystery she hadn’t resolved. Of course, she’d simply been drawn to do what she did.
    Not a single one of them heard Angel or responded to her. Still, Angel did feel some comfort from being around Teresa, and for a while, she’d prepared to be born into this family. Teresa went through the pregnancy by herself, after Greg had left. Angel believed she’d been sent early to be around her new mother, and she was looking forward to being in the flesh again. Then, JJ arrived.
    After his birth, Angel had no explanation for her way of life. She thought she was some type of ghost or something else non-worldly, since occasionally, when she wasn’t watching over Teresa, but staying up in the clouds, some folks could actually see her. She preferred to keep to herself though, and her only means of back and forth communication continued to be her two pups.
    The pups were a godsend, and perhaps literally. Belle came first. If they’d been alive and breathing, and not the doggie ghosts Angel thought they were, Belle would weigh in at about three pounds and Kail would be about five pounds, tops. Neither looked real, yet both seemed more real than all of Angel’s other surroundings.
    The talking part of her pups’ existence had at first seemed difficult for Angel to accept. The day she met Belle she’d stopped at the park to enjoy the grass. Angel was flat on her back, basking in the sun, when she heard someone speak. Because rarely did anyone talk to her, she ignored the voice. Angel understood at this point she was ‘see through’; she didn’t exist in the world, although some part of her knew that she used to be a part of it all. The longer she remained in this ‘limbo’ state, she realized, the more she forgot about what it was like to be in the flesh. Angel hadn’t determined yet if this was heaven or hell, though she hoped it was neither.
    “Why do you think they make the dogs stay on leashes?” Angel saw Belle and saw her mouth move, but she dismissed it because she thought the words weren’t meant for her ears.
    “I said, why do you think they make the dogs wear leashes?” Angel heard the