Another completely charming tale from one of my new favorite writers.

Wallace worked at a firm where he was meticulous about monitoring his employees; any infraction must be noticed and acted upon.  Wallace saw no need to involve himself in his employees’ lives or credit them with any leeway when a mistake is made.  He was well-respected for these views, or so he thought. So, when he died he was astonished that his funeral wasn’t better attended.  Of the five people in attendance, he knew his ex-wife – who was only there to insure he was really dead and get him buried – and three of the partners in his firm.  It wasn’t clear from their conversation exactly why they were there; their opinions of the deceased weren’t substantially different from his ex-wife. The fifth person was a woman he didn’t recognize.  And no matter what histrionics he employed, no one, including the priest, seemed to be aware of him. But that woman seemed to actually hear him even though her only response were snickers from time to time. 

As it turns out, that woman, whose name is Mei, happened to be a Reaper.  His Reaper.

Reapers are there to help the deceased come to terms with their changed condition.  For most people, they only need to acknowledge it and they are ready to move into the light.  Others take a bit longer; which seemed to be the case for Wallace.  And poor Mei, it being her very first time Reaping, wasn’t quite sure what she needed to do to help the poor man.  So she brought him back to the Tea Shop at Charon’s Crossing. 

Hugo, also a Reaper, runs the Tea Shop and along with Mei who helps in the kitchen, the shop houses two ghosts.  Now three with Wallace. But Hugo isn’t there to push anyone towards a light they aren’t ready to embrace; hence, the presence of his long-deceased grandfather and Hugo’s beloved dog. So Wallace is welcomed and soothed and starts to find himself; something he never anticipated nor even realized he needed.  It seemed to him, after a period of time in the Tea Shop, that one ought to find themselves before they die, not after.  Wallace discovers that there is much to live for, Hugo for example, but now there is no time left. 

Everyone in the story still has issues; they are, of course, still human.  Hugo is still tormented by a mistake he made when he was a novice Reaper; a mistake that still shows up in the Tea Shop’s yard from time to time.  Nelson, Hugo’s grandfather, seems to be waiting for something to happen.  And Nelson is beginning to suspect that Wallace is what Hugo has been waiting for.  As for Wallace, he’s learning all sorts of new things about himself and what kind of person he used to be and what kind of person he wants to be now.  But now has a deadline.

The Reapers are managed by someone known as The Manager; someone that both Hugo and Mei have assured Wallace he does not want to meet.  The Manager is intrigued by Wallace but not very sympathetic; in fact, sympathy does not seem to be in his wheelhouse.  And Wallace now has a deadline: he has one week left and then, whether he’s ready or not, he has to cross over.  So Wallace tries to get all his living into his very last week.

This is a gentle story about last chances.  It explores one man’s journey to self-discovery and that journey’s impact on others around him.  If you’ve read this far, gentle reader, it’s time to understand this story is also about gay love.  It really could have been any kind of love; it doesn’t matter.  This time it happens to be gay.  This is how literature should reveal gay love; it’s simply a normal condition for some people.  It’s always been that way; it just hasn’t always been acceptable to write about it.

It’s not all hearts and flowers, there is conflict and danger.  Hugo is still confronted with that one failure he had but it’s possible that Wallace could fix it.  And The Manager learns that he/it can still learn new things and maybe, just maybe, show a little compassion.  But whether Wallace actually has a happy-ever-after and just what it might be, I’ll leave for you, the reader, to discover.  And I hope you do.  Klune’s stories should be required reading for everyone.  ~~ Catherine Book

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