Greg Abernathy and Bob Simms stepped out of the National Archives research room - which was intentionally kept dim to help with viewing the microfilm records kept there - into the bright, September sunshine. The hour was just before noon on Tuesday, the same week Greg chose to bring Mr. Simms home. Both men blinked at the brightness as they emerged and Greg switched his cell phone back on. Immediately it beeped, informing him he had messages. He listened to them while waiting for his eyes to adjust to the brighter light. Mr. Simms arched a brow at him in response to his expression.

"I thought it might be Susan calling, but instead I have three separate messages from Reuben," Greg explained.

"Does he say what he wants?" Mr. Simms asked curiously.

"He has some unexpected time off today and would like to spend the afternoon with us," Greg explained.

"Only Reuben? Or Ruth too?" Mr. Simms wondered.

"From his message, I got the impression it is only Reuben who has the time this afternoon. He suggested Ruth could join us for the evening," Greg explained.

"We could do that," Mr. Simms said.

Greg nodded. "I'll call him to see what he has in mind."

Mr. Simms made his way across the parking lot to Greg's rented car while the other man was on the phone. He was stiff from sitting all morning so it took him a while to get there. Greg walked patiently by his side while talking to Reuben on the phone. At one point he paused.

Turning to Mr. Simms, he asked, "Can you wait until we get to Oakland to have lunch?"

"I can, if that's what you would like to do," Mr. Simms said.

"Reuben has suggested it. I'm not sure how much more we can learn here, but I'm willing to return tomorrow morning if you'd like, rather than this afternoon," Greg said.

"Since today is when Reuben has the time, that sounds like a very reasonable idea. To be honest, I'm not sure if we do need to come back. I think I need to review what we've already learned first," Mr. Simms said.

"I'll let him know," Greg said.

He spoke with Reuben a few minutes more while at the same time unlocking the car, allowing the two men could get in. By the time Greg ended his call, both he and Mr. Simms were in the car, he had the car started and was ready to maneuver it out of the parking lot. He drove directly to the on ramp for the freeway, entering it headed for Oakland.

c

The drive to Oakland didn't take as long at this hour of the day as it sometimes did. Thirty minutes later, they were getting off the freeway again, driving along a boulevard, away from downtown. Greg turned down a surface street running through a neighborhood in a residential area. He seemed to know where he was going, but Mr. Simms asked, just the same.

"Are we going to their house?" Mr. Simms inquired curiously.

"We are initially. I don't know as we're staying there. I think Reuben suggested a nearby restaurant for lunch," Greg said.

Greg no sooner said that when he turned down a side street and came to a stop in front of a particular house. He got out, and was in the process of helping Mr. Simms out of the car when Reuben came down the front walk to greet them.

"Hello," he called. "I'm ready to go, so we can just avoid the process of getting out of the car if you'd like."

"Yes, thank you," Mr. Simms said.

"Fine with me, Reuben," Greg said.

Reuben grinned and helped himself to the back seat.

"Where exactly are we going?" Greg asked.

"To this little sandwich shop I know with a large outdoor patio. It's more pleasant than our house is, especially as a place to visit on a day like today," Reuben remarked.

"It is beautiful out," Greg agreed.

"What my late wife would have called a perfect day, weather-wise," Mr. Simms said.

"The sandwich shop it is," Greg said.

And so, Reuben gave Greg directions for where to go. He was right, it wasn't far. Less than ten minutes later, they were parked, and Greg was once again going through the process of helping Mr. Simms from the car.

The three men went inside and were directed to a table out on the patio beside the shop, separated from the sidewalk out in front by a short wall. It was surrounded by leafy trees with branches that over hung the patio and had a fountain on one side, making it a very pleasant place. They were shown to a table away from the main traffic area of the restaurant, causing Greg to wonder if the service might be slow; but he decided it didn't matter if it was. Reuben obviously wanted to talk, and a table where they wouldn't be disturbed would serve their purpose better than one that constantly received the attention of some well-meaning waitress or waiter. They were each brought glasses of lemonade or iced tea, then left to themselves with menus and told to say something when they were ready to order.

"We will," Reuben assured the woman who seated them. Then he waited for her to walk away.

"I understand from Greg and Susan that you're here to do research," Reuben said to Mr. Simms without preamble.

"I am ... and of course, I also live here," Mr. Simms reminded him.

"Yes of course ... but Greg tells me you came home early from his house for this expressed purpose," Reuben said.

"Very true," Mr. Simms said. "Greg has told me, you are an avid student of Zohar."

"He is right. I am. He and I have had a number of frank discussions on the subject over time," Reuben said.

"I have been a student of the subject nearly my entire life – ever since being introduced to the topic as a boy by my grandfather at the time of my bar mitzvah," Mr. Simms shared. "But only recently did I understand it had the power to reach me."

"Oh?" Reuben said.

"Greg has helped me to understand ... it is not only others who have past lives ... this also applies to me," Mr. Simms said.

"Has being associated with Greg caused you to remember something new?" Reuben wondered.

"Yes and no. It's come to me by bits and pieces, but each time it does, it feels like something I already know. This realization came to me only recently, while doing research intended to help Greg learn more about the previous owner of his antique box at the Los Angeles Public Library," Mr. Simms explained.

"We were looking for a photo of Rabbi Levi Stone's house, since it was one specific location we knew of from that time," Greg explained. "We wondered if we could find one, given we had the address from Rosalie's letters and knew approximately during what time period to look."

"Did you find one?" Reuben asked curiously.

"We did," Greg shared. "I believe for Bobby, it is that photograph which has triggered a cascade of memories."

Reuben said nothing for a time. He simply sipped his drink thoughtfully as he considered what Greg was saying.

Mr. Simms arched a brow at Greg when Reuben remained silent. "Does he know who Levi Stone was?"

"He was there," Greg reminded him.

"You have hinted at that ... and I thought so too, but I didn't want to assume he also remembered," Mr. Simms said.

"Nor do I," Reuben said. "What exactly is it you know?"

"I was Levi Stone in my last life. I lived in Los Angeles, however I moved there from New York ... via Boston, sometime in the late 1860s. I ... he ... bought the property the house was built on in 1875, the year after his daughter was born," Mr. Simms said.

"And you remember that, do you?" Reuben asked.

"Not all of it. Some of what I know has come from bits and pieces I've begun to remember, as I've said. However, as Greg was saying, these past few weeks, we have been doing research, which has told us more. Last week, while we were at the library, we learned something of Levi's life here in California and also where he came from before arriving here. Just these past two days, we've taken that a bit further. Greg and I have been combing the National Archives, searching records there which confirm and expand on what I already knew or suspected," Mr. Simms explained.

Reuben nodded. "Do you remember me?"

"Yes," Mr. Simms said. "I have a gift for recognizing individuals I have encountered before ... in any life. I know I met you as Levi ... however ... I don't know who you were."

"My name was Jonas Baker in my last life," Reuben told him. "I was an academic scholar and a professor of theology at Harvard University, as well as a minister, back in those days. I believe I may have initially encountered you then, perhaps during your brief stay in Boston. But the part I actually remember was a trip I made to California related to my position in the Theology department in the 1880s, when I visited you at your house."

"In Los Angeles?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Yes. I don't suppose you happened to bring a copy of the photograph with you?" he asked.

"It's in the car," Greg said. "Would you like to see it?"

"Please, though after lunch would be fine," Reuben said. "It would be amazing to actually see a place I've dreamt about."

"You dream about my house ... Levi's house?" Mr. Simms asked in surprise.

"Yes. It's where I met you, Anna, and Rosalie," Reuben explained. "When Greg, Susan and I discussed this with a rabbi friend of his last December, he felt it was evidence of what he calls a fulcrum. According to Rabbi Sloane, that's a point where key players in the Lord's plan intersect at a particular place and time. From what we've been able to learn, my visit to your house was such a time."

Mr. Simms cocked his head. "I suppose it might have been ... especially if Delia was also there."

"Why is that?" Greg asked.

"That would mean she has known you both from before," Mr. Simms said. "I can't help wondering if that fact had anything to do with her choice to marry each of you in this life."

Greg cocked his head. "I've never considered that point before, but you may be correct."

"Quite probably," Reuben said. "We know we've both influenced her over the course of her life. Her faith is strong."

"Yes, it is," Greg said. "Even though she didn't actually believe in past lives until she met Bobby."

"Perhaps that is his function, Greg," Reuben suggested.

"Do you think so?" Mr. Simms asked curiously.

"That is only a guess, Bob. I can't say I know," Reuben cautioned.

Mr. Simms nodded. "I've met Greg's friend, Rabbi Sloane. He and I have had a couple of discussions on this topic. He also mentioned to me the idea of a fulcrum. Greg and I have been discussing that very thing these past few days."

"Bobby thinks we may have uncovered another one," Greg remarked.

"You mean besides the one in Los Angeles," Reuben asked.

"Yes," Greg said. "It was part of that same life ... but there seem to have been more of us ... slightly earlier than that ... who may have overlapped."

"How could we?" Reuben asked in surprise.

"It turns out there were a good number of individuals who are living now, who also lived in New York, in very close proximity to one another, in 1860. I know you weren't there ... but several of us were," Greg explained.

"Who?" Reuben asked.

"Susan, who in her last life was there running a hat shop with her family as Mrs. Peabody. Bobby was there as Levi, and as we've learned recently, he was one of her customers, along with other members of his family," Greg said.

"I thought Susan said she didn't know him in that life!" Reuben said in surprise.

"I think she said it was you she didn't know, Reuben," Greg said. "But even if she did say that in regards to Levi, our discussion last December surrounded the events which took place here, in California. The events we are talking about happened approximately 15 to 20 years earlier, in New York City."

"It would be part of a different set of memories," Reuben recognized.

"Yes. As I've said, Bob was Levi Stone at that time. He visited Mrs. Peabody's shop with his father, whose name was Nathan Stone. Bobby believes Nathan may have been Neil in his last life," Greg said.

"Neil?" Reuben said in surprise.

"We do know he is Rosemary's soulmate ... so he would have apart to play in this," Greg reminded him.

"Yes, but he was missing in that life ... or I believed he was," Reuben said.

"Rosalie knew she'd missed him by the time she met me. I never questioned how she knew. I simply accepted it ... just as I accept you know you've missed your soulmate in this time, because you had the opportunity to meet her as an old woman when you were a little boy," Greg said.

Reuben nodded.

"How old were you?" Mr. Simms asked curiously.

"Ten," Reuben told him.

Mr. Simms nodded, wearing a contemplative expression.

"She could be back," Mr. Simms remarked.

"Come again?" Reuben said.

"If she died so long ago, she could be alive once again," Mr. Simms pointed out.

"After so short at time?" Reuben said in surprise.

"I came back after only eight years," Greg reminded him. "It could be, Reuben."

"I suppose that is true," Reuben said thoughtfully. "If she came back as quickly as you did, she would have been born when I was eighteen. She'd be an adult by now. Hum."

"While that is true, Reuben hasn't encountered her yet; so from that point of view, she is missing," Greg said.

"I understand," Mr. Simms said.

"Are you suggesting Rosalie met Nathan Stone in that last life, sometime around 1860, as you've said?" Reuben asked.

"Yes," Greg said.

"Then Rosemary is part of it," Reuben guessed.

"She may have been ... we know Rosalie visited New York from time to time, but she lived with her family in Boston as a child," Greg reminded him.

"What was the relationship of her family to New York, do you know?" Mr. Simms asked him.

"Our two families ran complementary businesses and had a business partnership set up between them," Greg said. "It was sometimes necessary for various members to travel back in fourth for business reasons. Since it was a family business, other family members often accompanied one another. As a matter of fact, it was through this partnership that our marriage came to be arranged."

"It was arranged?" Mr. Simms said in surprise.

"That wasn't so uncommon in those days," Greg reminded him. "Our match was proposed by my grandmother as one that would benefit the business and us personally. I don't believe we would have been forced into it had either of us objected, however that is how our pairing initially came about."

"I didn't know that," Mr. Simms said.

"I didn't either," Reuben remarked. "So you do believe Rosalie was part of this, in 1860?"

"I didn't ... but perhaps she is," Greg said.

"And, as we've said, you were also there," Reuben recognized. "Not as Isaac ..."

"No, as Max, although I was very young; I was only three at the time we were investigating today. Rosalie would have been younger, but she was alive. She could have been there," Greg told him. "I know from that point of view, this confluence between our lives doesn't qualify as a fulcrum the way Rabbi Sloane explained them to us, but I can't help thinking that with so many of us who are known to have past lives, to all be present in that same neighborhood at the same time, there was something going on."

"Nathan, Levi, Max, Rosalie, Penelope," Reuben recapped. "Am I forgetting anybody?"

"Eleanor," Mr. Simms said immediately.

"Jessie," Reuben recognized immediately.

"And Gilbert," Mr. Simms added.

"Who?" Reuben asked in confusion.

"We know from the census Gilbert was Eleanor's husband in 1860. We don't know if he was her soulmate," Greg said.

"I believe he was," Mr. Simms said.

Greg cocked his head. "Given I never met the man, I can't say. But if you believe he was, that may be so. Maybe we can confirm that if Jessie meets him again someday."

Reuben nodded. "It's interesting you should say that, Greg. Something came to me recently I wanted to share with you."

"What's that?" Greg asked.

"A memory from when I ... Jonas was a boy, growing up in Yonkers, New York, during that same time period," Reuben said.

"You grew up in New York?" Greg asked in surprise.

"In Yonkers ... not New York City," Reuben explained.

"I understand," Greg told him. "Susan told me that Penelope and her family were from Yonkers. She returned there from Manhattan after Isaac died."

"Yes. That's what I wanted to tell you. I think I remember her ... from when I was a boy. She had a little girl ... the girl was a little younger than me, but I remember her clearly," Reuben said.

"Is that something new?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Yes ... Greg ... I think she was Jessie," Reuben said.

"If she was Penelope's daughter, then she was," Greg agreed.

"And ... she wasn't alone. There was a boy she met. He was a little older than she was but still younger than me. The three of us used to be playmates. We spent a lot of time together when the weather was good. I am beginning to think they are part of this," Reuben said.

"Who is part of this, Reuben," Greg asked in confusion.

"Jessie ... and whoever this boy was," Reuben said.

"Her name was Eleanor in those days," Greg reminded him.

"I remember," Reuben said. "And the boy ...I think his name was Gilbert. But I didn't remember that until Bob mentioned the name just now."

"She married him," Mr. Simms told him.

"She did?" Reuben asked in surprise.

"She did. We found them both in the census records today," Greg told him.

"From what I know of them from my dreams, I believe they were soulmates," Reuben said.

"That may well be," Greg said. "Is that the part which recently came to you?"

"I wish it was ... but I think there was something more. There was a man who came to meet with Eleanor's mother from time to time. I don't know who he was. I remember wondering at the time if he was a business associate of Mrs. Peabody's father's ... but we never saw him speaking to Mr. Van den Cort, only to her. Also, he avoided the factories and those parts of town, which seemed odd to us for a grown up," Reuben explained.

"Where did you see them?" Greg asked curiously.

"We saw them together at the edge of the wood. I think he may have been a friend or colleague of yours ... of Isaac's I mean," Reuben said.

"Why do you think that?" Greg asked.

"Because ... he was Jewish ... he was older than Mrs. Peabody, but always anxious to know if she was getting on alright. He asked about Eleanor repeatedly and seemed more concerned for her welfare than a stranger would be. I think I even remember him offering Mrs. Peabody money a time or two," Reuben said somewhat anxiously. "Knowing what I do now, I can't help wondering if he might have been a relative of yours ... of Isaac's I mean."

"That seems unlikely," Greg told him. "If I recall correctly, Isaac's family never accepted Penelope. She was an outsider, Christian, and much too young to be taken seriously. They simply did not understand what she was to me. I can't see them offering money to her because of me, and I seriously doubt she told any of them about Eleanor."

"Then who could it have been?" Reuben wondered.

Greg sat back and thought. He was fairly certain Penelope wouldn't have inherited anything from Isaac's estate ... and yet, somebody was apparently looking out for her.

"A friend, perhaps?" he suggested after a time.

"You did mention dreaming about a friend last night," Mr. Simms remarked.

"So I did," Greg said.

"Is this something new?" Reuben asked.

"Yes, actually. I prayed on the significance of what we might find through our search before I turned in last night ... then this new dream, one about a friend I didn't remember before, came to me," Greg said.

"Tell me," Reuben prompted.

And so Greg related the tale of watching his children play on the street in the winter after a fresh snow, while sipping coffee and standing side by side with his neighbor and friend, Nehemiah Randall, and a few other men.

"Could it have been him?" Reuben asked curiously.

"In addition to being my friend, Nehemiah was also my brother-in-law. We did find records of him today while examining the census records. From what we've been able to make out, it looks like he passed away between 1790 and 1800," Greg said.

"And Isaac died in 1832, which means what I remember happened after that ... so it couldn't have been him, if the man I remember was asking about Eleanor," Reuben said.

"Agreed," Greg said.

Reuben nodded thoughtfully. "You said it was you, your neighbor, and a collection of men gathered on the street watching the children play. Do you remember who else was with you? Perhaps there was another friend amongst the men?"

Greg closed his eyes with the effort of remembering while his companions sipped their iced tea.

"Nehemiah's son-in-law was with us. The young man was newly married, and he and Nehemiah's daughter, lived on the same street. I remember his wife, Nieve, was expecting and they were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child," Greg related. "There was must have been another younger man with us, because I remember there were four of us watching the children. I'm not certain I can remember any further details aside from that."

"You may, if you pray on it," Reuben suggested.

"Possibly," Greg agreed.

"Is that really necessary?" Mr. Simms wondered. "You have already remembered quite a lot. Isn't it possible it was your friend's son-in-law who came to see Penelope? As you say, he was younger. Families tended to be close in those days, not just for one generation, but often across generations, provided they didn't move."

"That is also true," Reuben agreed.

Greg shrugged. "I suppose it's a good a suggestion as any. It is possible I might have confided in the son-in-law of my close friend about Penelope, provided he was a friend too ... which as I think about it, seems likely."

"And if you did, then she might have also confided in him about Eleanor," Reuben suggested.

Mr. Simms cocked his head. "You know ... my grandfather, Simeon, was extraordinarily interested in the welfare of Mrs. Peabody after she moved to New York, especially after her second husband died ... around the time her daughter and her family came to live with her."

Greg cocked his head. "Simeon," he said. "I did know him ... I'm trying to remember ... how or why."

"Susan did say last summer he was the one who married Isaac and Penelope in the first place," Mr. Simms reminded him.

"So she did," Greg said his brow lifting.

"And didn't you tell me then he was your nephew, as well as a friend?" Mr. Simms asked.

"I may have," Greg said, trying to remember the conversation they'd had on the subject in their kitchen at home the month before, trying to figure out how what they'd remembered then fit into what he'd learned today. His brow rose as he considered their conversation, trying to pull in the elements from it, which seemed to fit the picture they were building. "But if he was the same man, he would have been Isaac's nephew-in-law rather than his nephew in the usual sense."

"Still, that would fit, Greg. If he was married to Isaac's niece, making him family as well as a friend, and it was he who married Isaac and Penelope, then he would have known about their marriage. As someone you trusted, he was also someone Penelope might have confided in about her pregnancy," Reuben suggested. "He could be the man I remember."

"That could be," Greg said thoughtfully.

"That also means your family ... your original family and his were related," Mr. Simms pointed out.

"Through marriage, as we've said before, that is true. Reuben, I don't suppose you heard a name or anything else that might confirm our theory?"

Reuben bent his head in thought. "I'm not sure, Greg. When I think of the name 'Simeon', all that comes to mind is the game."

"Simeon Says?" Greg suggested.

"Yes. He used to play it with us to get us to go way," Reuben related. "I'm not sure it was his actual name."

"But it could have been," Mr. Simms pointed out. "From Greg's memory, we know he liked spending time with children. I can see him doing that, even if he was visiting with someone."

"That does speak to his character, I suppose," Greg said.

"And we did find a Simeon Stone living in New York in the census," Mr. Simms reminded him.

"You discovered a man named Simeon?" Reuben asked Greg.

"Yes. Simeon Stone was Levi Stone's grandfather, as we've said. We discovered him living in New York, very close to where Max, Penelope, and Levi were all living in 1860," Greg said. "From what we could tell, he was the same man."

Reuben cocked his head. "I don't know who he was, but I'd say Simeon Stone is our fulcrum. He ties us all together, making sure all the pieces were in place for whatever would come next."

Greg arched his brow. "He served his purpose throughout his life, from the time he was a young man, until his death in that time ... by interacting with all of us in such a way that when we met later, we would recognize one another and could eventually see the connection."

"Really?" Mr. Simms said.

"From what we've been saying, I expect so," Greg said.

"So what would that mean?" Mr. Simms asked.

"It means he wouldn't need to come back," Reuben said. "His part in the Lord's plan is done ... it is probable he succeeded."

"He can't possibly have known what he'd done," Mr. Simms said doubtfully.

"We usually can't at the time," Greg told him seriously. "This is why it is necessary to go forward on faith ... to trust the Lord to cause things to come about as they should, if only we do our part."

Reuben nodded. He knew his old friend was absolutely right. As a matter of fact, he could see Rabbi Sloane serving that same purpose in this life.

"That's an interesting idea, Greg," Reuben said thoughtfully.

"What is?" Greg asked.

"That there is a person who is the hinge point for a fulcrum. That depending on what they do or don't do well, it can affect the confluence of things which come afterwards," Reuben said.

Greg arched his brow. "Are you thinking there might have been one before this one?"

"No, I was thinking there might be one now ... perhaps more than one," Reuben said.

"Who?" Greg asked.

"David Sloane," Reuben said.

"That is of course possible," Greg said.

"And possibly ... Ruth?" Reuben questioned.

"Why would Ruth be?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Think about it. She has been married to all three of us at different points in her existence. You say she was married to you in this life, before she died in her previous life," Reuben said.

"Yes, she was. She was Ada. I am sure of it," Mr. Simms said.

Reuben nodded. "So Ada died and came back, marrying Greg next. Greg, who seems to be at the center of all things currently connected with past lives. People with those experiences seem to collect around him ... and Susan, of course. But I think it's mostly him, as Susan initially didn't believe."

"But then Ruth and I divorced, and now she is married to you ... who curiously enough, is also involved with this," Greg said. "Are you wondering if she could have a role in whatever purpose the Lord has in bringing us together?"

"The thought did occur to me," Reuben admitted. He turned back to Mr. Simms. "What about your life in 1860? Were you married?"

"You were wondering if Ruth was there," Mr. Simms realized.

"Yes. I know she'll deny it ... but I was wondering that. You say you've confirmed you've had this past life in 1860, and your name then was Levi Stone ... and we know Ruth came back as Ada ... but was she there then too?" Reuben wondered.

"She was. We also found Delia in the records we saw today," Mr. Simms said. "But I don't think she had anything to do with Simeon Stone or Isaac Stein's family, old or new."

"But she was there," Reuben repeated.

"Yes. Along with a lot of other people, as we've been saying," Mr. Simms said.

Reuben arched his brow. "I am beginning to understand why you thought this might be a fulcrum."

"But if the fulcrum is centered around Simeon Stone as you originally suggested, it wouldn't involve Ruth, if he didn't know her," Mr. Simms pointed out.

"He might have, if he was an active rabbi in the neighborhood. It is possible he knew her in that capacity ... especially if he was also Levi's grandfather," Greg said. "He would have been family. It is also possible he married the two of you."

Mr. Simms pursed his lips together but didn't immediately say anything.

"What are you thinking, Bobby?" Greg asked.

"The focal point you and Reuben identified with Simeon at its center ... even if he did know Delia and me ... that focal point seems to me to have happened a good deal earlier than the one I was talking about. It involved people from an earlier period of time, some from another place. And from what you are saying, he was actively involved," Mr. Simms said.

"Go on," Reuben said.

"Couldn't there be another, slightly overlapping fulcrum that happened later?" Mr. Simms wondered. "One that involved my father, Nathan, Delia, the McFinleys, and me?

"That would be a fulcrum you and I were not involved with, Greg," Reuben remarked.

"I did know these people, although I knew them as Max rather than Isaac," Greg pointed out.

"You may have, but you would have been incredibly young at the time," Reuben reminded him.

"I was," Greg said. He considered what the other two men were proposing.

Greg cocked his head. "You are suggesting we may have been on the periphery of a fulcrum being experienced by other people."

"Isn't that possible?" Reuben asked.

"Perhaps," Greg said. He leaned back in his chair, thinking of that possibility. He picked up the menu and began to look through it for something to do while considering Reuben's idea.

"Reuben ... were you matched at any point in that life?" Greg wondered as he set it aside again.

"Yes and no. I knew a girl when I was very young who I thought at the time was her ... but she died the year we started school. I remember it clearly because we were in the same class, and I'd never known anyone who'd died before. In retrospect, I'm not sure she was," Reuben shared. "I wasn't sure of anyone I met until I encountered Anna."

"I see. I don't suppose you know what her name was?" Greg asked.

"Aggie comes to mind," Reuben said.

Greg nodded thoughtfully. "It is possible the little girl you knew was her. Tragedy is how we become mismatched sometimes," Greg said. "Remember what happened with Rebecca."

"And Ada," Mr. Simms added.

Reuben cocked his head as he considered the examples of the other men. "I see what you mean. I don't suppose life is ever as straight forward as we were originally led to believe."

"I expect not," Greg said. "So if you are correct in your theory ... who would the 1860s be a fulcrum for?"

"Those who are younger ... celestially speaking," Reuben proposed.

"How do you mean?" Greg asked.

"Of all the people we are coming to know of with repeat lives, it seems to me that you and Susan are the oldest," Reuben said.

"That is more than likely true," Greg agreed.

"From what I've heard you say, Jessie may not be far behind ... she and this boy I knew, whatever his name might currently be," Reuben said.

"Also true," Greg said.

"I don't know if there are any more people who would their peers, when it comes to reincarnation," Reuben said.

"Not that I know of," Greg said.

Reuben thought for a moment. "What about Zack? Didn't you tell me once he was born to you and Susan in your very first life?" Reuben asked.

"He was. He's been born to us twice, but both times, he died as an infant. He lived only a matter of hours or days each time," Greg said.

"You don't think he could have other lives you don't necessarily know about?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Why do you say that, Bobby?" Greg asked.

Mr. Simms shrugged slightly. "No particular reason, except for the fact you can trace his lives going back so far. I can't help thinking that somewhere in there, he and his soulmate have experienced at least one in which they lived long enough to know each other and had the opportunity to do what the Lord has in mind for them to do."

Greg stared at him.

"That is strictly conjecture, of course," Mr. Simms added, "except for how he talks about this new girl at school ... Kelly ... whom he just met, but seems to know very well. I can't help wondering if she might be her ... and ... would he recognize her the way he does if he didn't know her from before?"

"I have no idea," Greg said.

"It is a reasonable guess," Reuben told him. "If you are right, then Zackary and his soulmate would be peers with Jessie and her mate."

"Based on what?" Greg asked Reuben.

"Based on what we know of how these things go," Reuben told him. "Given we know both he and Jessie were born to you in your first life, that does put them celestially as being approximately the same age."

"That much of course, would be true," Greg agreed. "However I feel it is pointless to speculate about any unknown lives he may have had."

"But you agree with the concept?" Reuben asked.

"Possibly," Greg said. "So Susan and I are one group; Jessie and her soulmate, Zack and his soulmate, according to your theory, would be the next."

"Yes," Reuben said. "Then comes Anna, me, Neil and Rosemary."

"Possibly," Greg said again, but with more certainty in his voice this time than he had in response to Reuben's theory about Zack. "I haven't spoken to Neil about this directly, but from what we know of it, you are probably right. It is likely the four of you would be of that particular generation."

"Which would put Bob here ... and Ruth ... last. As far as I know, they are the most recent repeat lifers I know of," Reuben said.

Greg thought about that for a moment. "Curious," he said. "With the possible exception of Alan and Cindy, I think you are correct."

"Why is that?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Because, you four have lived fewer lives than Anna, Reuben, Neil and Rosemary; and they've lived fewer lives than Jessie and Zack, who as far as we know, have lived fewer lives than Susan and I," Greg explained.

"You make it sound like a generational thing," Mr. Simms remarked.

"It may well be," Greg said. "Not a physical one, but perhaps it is a good way to think of this sort of grouping of spirits."

Mr. Simms thought about that.

"How do you know?" Mr. Simms wanted to know. "How can you know for certain how many lives you've lived?"

"We remember them ... and each other from before," Reuben explained.

"Similar to the way you've begun to," Greg said. "In the case of those four people Reuben has identified, we believe their first lives began quite some time ago," Greg said.

"And you overlapped with them then," Mr. Simms guessed.

"Yes, we did," Reuben said.

"When exactly? Do you know?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Not exactly, but our best guess is sometime in the 1600s," Reuben said.

"The same time period your box is from," Mr. Simms recognized immediately.

"Do you know that?" Reuben asked.

"We recently took it to the curator at a museum to have it dated," Greg explained. "They dated it to the mid-1600s. That was a rough estimate. They expect to be able to tell us more precisely it's age and more about it, eventually."

"That would be good to know," Reuben said looking oddly encouraged.

Mr. Simms arched a brow at the two men. "Is this why your box is so important to you?"

"Yes. The box connects us all ... six of us, at least, to a particular point in time, to a particular event, which we each remember indistinctly. We have yet to discuss it openly with one another, as we are not all yet present. However Reuben and I have been doing what we can to prepare for that eventuality," Greg said.

"Do you expect that to happen?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Yes, we do," Reuben told him.

"Then what?" Mr. Simms asked.

"Then, depending on what we do and how we handle things ... we may or may not succeed," Greg said.

"And that is more vital for him and Susan than it is for you and me," Reuben told Mr. Simms.

"Why would that be?"

"This their seventh life. There are no more chances for them, after this," Reuben shared.

It was Mr. Simms's turn to sit back and stare at the other two men. The man he'd known as his grandfather in Greg's previous life had been spending the past two days helping him unravel his relatively minor mystery of who his neighbors were in New York in the 1860s. Meanwhile he, himself, had a much more significant and much older mystery to solve, the impact of which would affect the other man for all eternity. The significance of that wasn't lost on him and his thoughts turned inward, wondering within himself what, if anything, he could do to help this man who'd given him so much.

Greg picked up the impact of Reuben's statement on the old man relatively easily, and he could see him turning things over in his head. Thinking to give him time to do that, Greg picked up his menu again and began to consider his choices for lunch.

Mr. Simms glanced at him gratefully, realizing not for the first time, just how well this man ... this spirit ... this being, who was once his grandfather, Maxwell Tabor, and was now Greg Abernathy ... could read him.

"I think I'll have the roast beef," Mr. Simms said after taking time to look at the menu.

"Turkey for me," Reuben said.

"Pesto chicken for me," Greg said.

With their menu choices decided, they summoned the waiter. He came to take their order and at the same time, refilled their iced tea.

Greg and Mr. Simms spent the whole of their lunch and most of the afternoon with Reuben at the restaurant. As they ate and visited, each man shared his memories, the various forms of research he'd done, and the things he'd come to know in relationship to the lives they'd lived during the 1800s and what it all might mean. Their intent was to help one another understand what they'd learned, although finding the vocabulary necessary to talk across lives was sometimes challenging. Consequently, they also spent a lot of time ensuring they understood what each other meant, and ultimately how it all might fit together as part of the Lord's plan.

The mental energy it involved was enormous and Mr. Simms found he was mentally exhausted by the time they decided to leave. He'd learned so much, from talking to Reuben and Greg together, and also from his visit with Greg to the National Archives that he'd begun to pull together a rather thorough story of his own past life. While on the surface that was enormously satisfying, on another, deeper level he was beginning to understand what Rabbi Sloane meant when he said there was more going on here than the average man could see. By the end of their conversation, Mr. Simms could also see that this was something both Greg and Reuben already knew.

c

That evening, Greg, Mr. Simms, and Reuben did spend the time with Ruth. However, they ate such a late lunch while they were at the café, most weren't all that hungry. And so Ruth made them all a light supper and the four visited well into the evening. Even so, all three of the men refrained from sharing the details of those things they spent the afternoon discussing.

"You won't even give me a hint?" Ruth asked Mr. Simms when Greg and Reuben stepped out onto the balcony off the living room to watch the sunset.

"We were discussing our place in the Lord's plan, Ruth," Mr. Simms told her seriously.

"Oh? Have you figured out yet what that is?" Ruth asked.

"I think I'm beginning to," Mr. Simms told her.

"I don't suppose you could give me a clue," she said.

Mr. Simms looked at her thoughtfully before pulling their copy of the photograph of the Stone's old house from a folder and placing it on the coffee table. Ruth looked at it and gasped.

"I know this place," she murmured softly.

"I thought you would," Mr. Simms told her gently.

"We lived there ...," Ruth continued. "That's home."

"It was," Mr. Simms agreed.

Ruth nodded as she turned to look at him. "Does this have something to do with our place in the Lord's plan?"

"Yes and no. What it does for me is, it confirms that we actually have a place in that plan. We are not passive bystanders, Ruth. We are part of it," Mr. Simms told her quietly.

Ruth nodded. "But how? What is it we're supposed to do? Do you know?"

"Maybe," Mr. Simms answered.

"Tell me?" Ruth pleaded.

"Think. What is your talent? What is the thing you are able to do which stands out to you?" Mr. Simms asked. He stretched his arm out, gesturing to the entire room, including Reuben and Greg in his comment, even though he was fairly certain they couldn't hear them.

"I don't know, Bobby. I know I try to live according to faith ... Greg taught me that. Reuben has taught me to be tolerant and open, not to assume that the Lord's purpose for another's life is the same as it is for you and mine ... you've taught me to have an open mind. And I've tried to do that ... since we met last spring, I mean," Ruth told him.

"Did you encourage Greg in the growth of his faith?" Mr. Simms asked. "Or Reuben in his?"

"I don't know ... did I? Or was it them who encouraged me?" she asked.

"Only you know the answer to that," Mr. Simms told her. "I suggest you pray on it. It may come to you."

Ruth nodded. "I will," she promised.

The two abruptly ended their conversation when Greg and Reuben stepped back into the room.

It wasn't long afterwards when the four friends decided to call it a night. It had been a long day, and both Ruth and Reuben had to work the next day.

"Good night, Greg. We'll talk again soon," Reuben promised.

"I look forward to it," Greg told him.

"Us too, Bobby," Ruth hurriedly added. "I'll be over to visit with you on the Sabbath."

Mr. Simms grinned. "Thank you ... and thank you for dinner. It's been lovely. I'll see you on Saturday, Ruth."

"Yes, thank you," Greg said. "Perhaps we'll see you at Thanksgiving?"

"One way or another, I'm sure you will," Reuben told him.

Greg and Mr. Simms smiled, and the two men made their way out to the car together while Ruth waved goodbye.

c

Greg and Mr. Simms rode back to the retirement home in silence, with each man alone with his own thoughts. Greg pulled up in front of the home in Menlo Park and set about helping Mr. Simms out of the car with hardly a word passed between them.

"Good night, Bobby," Greg said as he left him at his apartment door.

"Good night, Greg," Mr. Simms told him.

"Do you need to go back to the Archives tomorrow?" Greg wondered.

"No, thank you. After listening to you and Reuben, I'm beginning to realize that although facts can help, the real work when it comes to past lives, takes place through faith," Mr. Simms said.

"That is most definitely true," Greg told him.

"Do you think you'll go back to look for your parents and their families?" Mr. Simms wondered.

"No. Those records would be too recent," Greg said. "I don't think they have anything there that could help me. I do hope to look into it some when I visit New York though."

Mr. Simms arched a brow at him. "Then perhaps you should consider going home, Greg. Susan needs you there. She's going to be here two days next week, which means the children will be without one or the other of you for two weeks in a row."

"And you are certain there isn't anything else I could help you with?" Greg wondered.

"I don't think so. I need to pray, of course, but I am beginning to suspect that my role in all of this is to support you. If I can do that best by sending you home ... by doing what I can to prepare for an even more lengthy visit beginning in November, then that is what I should do," Mr. Simms insisted.

Greg looked at him in surprise.

"I won't be alone here," Mr. Simms insisted. "I suspect Reuben, Ruth, and I will talk often between now and then."

Greg nodded. "I think Reuben can tell you a lot. In some ways, he is much more open about what he knows than I am."

"I think you might be right," Mr. Simms agreed.

"As for going home ... I'm going to visit Alan and Cindy tomorrow, after they get off work. They are family too, and they also need me. I understand from Alan, he has wallpaper they've been trying to put up. I've done some of that in my time. I though perhaps I could give him a hand," Greg told him.

Mr. Simms smiled. "Of course. Good night, Greg. Enjoy the rest of your visit. I know I'll see you soon."

"You too, Bobby. Good night."

c