A Road to Nowhere. Bradleigh Munk
I haven’t said a word,” he responded.
“Well, here it is. The other night when you were asleep, I came over to visit Richard, and he brought me in to see you. Of course, I knew you were out in some far-off galaxy, but I felt the need to see you even if you were sleeping. You looked so innocent and vulnerable, lying there, holding on to your pillow.”
I should probably feel a little violated, but I don’t, I thought to myself. “Having the two of you check on me was very caring,” I said, “something I haven’t had a lot in the past.”
She continued, “And then I heard about the nightmares that night. Do you have any idea what caused them?”
“I’m not exactly sure, probably reliving the beating I took in London a few weeks back.”
“Richard told me about what happened to you in London. I hope that doesn’t change your feelings towards the city. It really is very charming and has so much culture.” Moving toward her back door, stopping and looking over her shoulder, she said, “Come on in, boys.” It sounded a little too much like Mae West.
Once we settled into her makeshift banquette, I was able to get a better look at our host; her eyes were amazing, so deep and full of wisdom. I could tell she had a higher purpose in life. I was speechless, listening to her calming voice, and found myself drawn into her ageless energy.
Smiling, she asked, “Where are you right now? You seem to be miles away. Please share.”
I have never felt comfortable around women. There always seemed to be sexual tension which kept me from developing any close relationships. I was afraid that if I got close with any female, she would want to be physical; this could never be. Grace was different. I could tell at once that sex between anyone was not high on her list of priorities. Reaching across the table, she gently covered my hands with hers and spoke directly into my soul. I couldn’t help the tears that were welling up in my eyes. Before I knew it, I was slowly rocking myself in a fetal position. Richard was sitting on my right and put his arm around my shoulder. Grace then slid in next to me, completing the bond, and held me tight, allowing the trapped emotions to finally give up their prisoner—no judgments or expectations.
After they released the hold on me, all I could say was, “Oh my god, where did that come from?”
“Trapped emotions can stay with us our entire life,” she said. “At some point, they need to be released, or they could lead to physical problems or even death.” We sat there for about five minutes; this allowed me to settle my mind after they both stepped into my private emotional world. Finally, she asked, “Would anyone like some strong coffee? I’m not like my staunch, hippie parents who only drank herbal teas and such. I need my caffeine if I want to make it through the day. I know that sounds awful. However, it’s my only vice—well, except for my glass of red merlot every night. Coffee anyone?”
“Yes, please,” I said.
“How do you take it?”
“Hot and undressed,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.
Joining in, Richard said, “Like your dates?”
Embarrassed, I said, “Yes, what else is there?”
They both laughed, and she prepared our cups of strong brew. A couple of hours went by, and before we knew it, noontime was barking at her back door. (No, really! A dog named Noontime was barking at her back door.) Stepping out on the back porch, Noontime came barreling up to give us all a greeting, first poking Richard in his crown jewels, then moving on to better treasures. I, however, was too quick for him, moving down to his level. I gave him a good rub under his chin.
“How about we run to the store to get some lunch fixings?” said Grace. “We can set up in the back and have a quaint little picnic.” We all agreed and drove to the nearest Ralph’s to pick up lunch. As we were turning into the parking lot, all of us, on cue, turned to look at a homeless person signing for money. Without comment, we drove past and parked.
Grace noticed that I was sitting with my eyes closed. “Are you afraid of the invisible public?” she asked, referring to our man standing at the entrance.
“No, I’m sending blue-and-white energy to ease his way.”
“Interesting. How long have you been practicing this religion?”
“It’s not a religion, just positive energy work. It has more meaning if you do it incognito. No promotion or advertising.”
“I like this guy,” she said to Richard. “I think this is the start of a new and beautiful friendship.”
On the ride back, she noticed that I was doing the same thing, only this time there were no souls to share in the energy. Not saying anything and arriving home quickly, Richard and Grace realized that they had not hit any red lights or traffic. As we got out of the car, she asked, “What was that all about?”
“Oh, nothing, just rearranging the traffic.”
“You are able to change the stoplights?” she asked, becoming more intrigued as the moments passed.
“Not always, only about 85 percent of the time. The other fifteen, we’re not supposed to change our destiny. If you work within the natural forces, they let you effect a change when it’s available. Today it was available. No one else needed the force. It’s all a matter of sharing and working within the universal ether.”
“I know what you mean,” she said. “Society has it all backwards. They think hoarding is everything. In reality, it’s always best to share.”
We settled into her backyard, shaded by tall green trees blocking us from the sun. A light breeze kept the flies at bay as we devoured a multitude of culinary delights.
“This is wonderful,” I said. “Tell me again, what is this?”
“Caviarrrrr,” she said, stretching out the word for emphasis.
Laughing, I said, “I can’t say that I have ever had this thing you call caviarrrrr. It complements the sardines and oysters.”
We sat for a couple of hours pretending we were bohemian artists, enjoying small tins of canned meats with tiny, little imported crackers. The skies advertised afternoon showers, so we packed up the remaining tins of goodness and headed back into the small house just before the heavens burst wide open.
“So, Mr. Munk, what is your take on the meaning of life?” said Grace, expressing her interest on the subject.
“I think that we are all here to help others,” I said. “There are those in society who are like sheep, just moving through life unaware of their surroundings. The ones lucky enough to be in the know are required to help those in need of emotional support. We really have no other option. We could choose to hide ourselves away from the public. However, this would be a lost opportunity to clear stuck karma for ourselves and the ones we are here to help. If we stand back, unwilling to lend a hand, we would be required to return and do it all over again. In these cases, there are no guarantees upon returning that we would have the same knowledge as before. We could end up being one of those lost sheep. As I said earlier, we don’t always need to assist in person. We can focus healing energy and allow them to continue living their lives, eventually realizing the change in themselves. It’s best to do this anonymously, of course, and not advertise to the public. The clearing of karma is then from a deeper place within us and not from the ego.”
Richard was sitting back, enjoying the interaction between his old friend and the new one that just joined the group. “I hate to break up this assignment of the minds—however, we need to head over to the studio. It looks like it will be another late night.”
The sun peaked its soft rays through dark stormy clouds when Grace walked us out to the car. As we were settling into our seats, she said, “Let’s meet later this week when you get settled and up to speed with your band. It was definitely a pleasure to finally meet you,” saying to me as we pulled out of her driveway.
“The