“Well … there’s a lot to cover, Nana! We want to come visit you. I have a wife now—I want you to meet her!”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Wonderful. It will be so wonderful to see you both!”
“When’s good?” said Tim.
“When? Oh. Hm.” Nana paused. “I have a bunch of stuff next week. I’m seeing some friends, and there’s a couple concerts I want to see … How about next weekend? The weekend after this coming weekend, I mean.”
“We would love that. How about Sunday, for dinner? Like old times?”
“Huh?”
“Like the Sunday dinners you used to make us, when we were kids.”
“Oh. Sure, we could do that. Or we could order in. Lot of options. Let’s decide closer to then, okay?”
“Okay, Nana. I love you. I’m so happy I’m going to get to see you!”
“Me, too. I love you, too. See you next Sunday. But not this one—the next one. Bye now.”
“Nana sounded odd,” Tim said after he hung up. “Or something.”
“Maybe she’s upset that you didn’t get in touch with her before?”
“I don’t know,” said Tim. “It’s hard to tell that stuff over the phone. And also, there’s a lot to do here, you know? I hadn’t seen you, I hadn’t explored heaven—it’s not like anyone’s going anywhere …”
“It’ll all be better on Sunday,” said Lynn. “When we see her.”
“You’re right,” Tim agreed.
On Sunday, Tim called to confirm.
“Nana! It’s Tim. Just confirming we’ll see you tonight? I’m bringing my wife, Lynn.”
“Who?”
“Lynn, my wife. You’re going to love her.”
“Who’s this?”
“Tim, your grandson. Timmy.”
“Timmy! Oh, Tim, gosh, tonight? I’m so sorry, tonight won’t work. Can we do next weekend?”
“Sure,” said Tim. “I guess.”
“Let me look here … . There’s something I have to be at on Saturday. And then I’m actually checking out some shows next week—actually, is two weeks okay? A week from next Friday? Can you pencil that in?”
“Sure,” said Tim.
“Perfect. I’ll see you next Friday! A week from, I mean.”
“Okay, Nana. I love you.”
“I love you, too!”
A week from Friday, Tim and Lynn showed up at the door of Nana’s house. On the door there was a note:
Tim: Tried to call you last minute but no one picked up. So sorry but there’s a concert I just had to see with some friends. Won’t be back till very late. So sorry. Must reschedule. Talk soon. I love you! Nana
Tim turned to Lynn.
“Am I crazy to take this a little personally, at this point?”
“This is weird,” Lynn agreed.
“A concert? Again?”
“Weren’t you two close?”
“I thought so. Maybe you’re right—maybe she’s mad that I didn’t contact her before.”
“But then why wouldn’t she just say it?”
“I don’t know. I guess she would have.”
“Well, what should we do tonight?” asked Lynn, trying on a smile and finding it fit perfectly. “We’re all dressed up, it’s a Friday night in heaven …”
“Yeah. We can go out ourselves, can’t we?”
“Want to check out one of those concerts?”
“Sure!” said Tim. “Why should Nana have all the fun?”
Tim and Lynn walked through the streets of heaven at sunset. A breeze blew through the pink-and-purple air. Dogs barked, birds sang. Children with old souls finally laughed lightly. Horses, bicycles, and vintage convertible cars shared the wide streets.
As Tim and Lynn got closer to the center of town, they started walking past posters: TONIGHT! BO DIDDLEY! FREE!
TONIGHT! BING CROSBY! FREE!
TONIGHT! NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV! FREE!
“Look at this!” said Lynn. “No wonder your nana’s out at concerts every night.”
“Ritchie Valens!”
“The Big Bopper!”
“Curtis Mayfield!”
“Sid Vicious?!”
“Debussy!”
“Is this all really free?” asked Lynn.
“Roy Orbison!” Tim pointed to a sign. “Want to check this one out?”
It was transcendent: a private concert and an arena show at the same time. None of the things that had kept them away from live-music events before had made it into heaven. No sweat or aggression in their row. No songs from the new album that the musician was overly sincere about now but would be embarrassed by in a few years. No confusion or pressure as to whether they should sit or stand or dance or put their hands in the air. The sound was impeccable. So was the stage design. They could eat, drink, smoke, make out. They had front-row seats. There were no crowds. They were literally the only people there.
After a few hits, but still at the height of the show, Tim turned to Lynn with an indulgent idea.
“Wanna just check out the next one?”
“Why not?”
They went to the stadium next door. It was also a private concert in a giant arena. Just as they walked in, John Denver launched into a blasting rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” When he finished, Tim and Lynn gave a standing ovation.
“Hello, Heaven!”