Reminders

"All the ones I've loved and lost are with me still," Brian said, raising his glass. "I can hear their voices and know that they are near me in some way." Many of the others were moved and nodded; when Brian sat down, several approached to thank him for the reminder that they are not alone. "So ... Bethany is saying that you still owe her $50," Brian said to Charlene, who came over for a hug. "Wha - what?" she asked, surprised. "Something about an emergency Target run." Charlene grew pale and wandered off. "No, Stephen doesn't forgive you," Brian said to Warren (whose eyes grew wide), "and he says you know why, so stop being a douchebag." There were messages for a couple of the others before people wised to it and stopped coming over. "I always warn them," Brian had told his partner before heading to happy hour, "but they think I'm kidding about the voices."