The Time Keeper

by Mitch Albom

“It is too late.” The old man shook his head. “It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be.” He smiled. “There is a plan, Dor.”

He nearly called her back. But a wave of dizziness came over him, his head drooped, and he rolled to the side. Everything he had planned for, all these weeks and months, really all his adult life, was to culminate in the next few hours. It was no time to deviate. Stick to the plan. Still … He called for Roger, who approached, and he whispered something to his lowered ear. “Do you understand?” Victor gasped. “No hesitation if that happens?” “I understand,” Roger said. Victor inhaled weakly. “Let’s go, then.”

He= victor Her= wife… Grace

Her final thought as she’d sunk into death was that Ethan would be sorry, that his inner torture would somehow equal hers. But hurting ourselves to inflict pain on others is just another cry to be loved.

Her death was as insignificant as her life.

“Ends are for yesterdays, not tomorrows.”

“Everything man does today to be efficient, to fill the hour?” Dor said. “It does not satisfy. It only makes him hungry to do more. Man wants to own his existence. But no one owns time.”

“When you are measuring life, you are not living it. I know.” He looked down. “I was the first to do it.”

“Who is he?” Victor asked the old man. “His name is Dor.” “He was sent here for us?” “And for himself.” “Is he dying?” “Yes.” “Are we dying?” “Yes.” The old man saw the fear on their faces. His expression softened. “All who are born are always dying.”

“Where did you go?” He tried to answer, but he could no longer see his thoughts. Images were fading. An old man? A girl? He was back on his own path, and the memory of his eternal life was fading away. “I tried to stop your suffering,” he said. “We cannot stop what Heaven chooses.” She smiled weakly. “Stay with me.” “Forever.”

Victor had instructed Roger, in the whispered conversation earlier that evening, that if for some reason, any reason, he changed his mind about this idea, he would signal it by saying a single word, and Roger would abort the plan. Do you understand? No hesitation if that happens? I understand. It happened. A word was spoken. Upon hearing it, Roger screamed, “Hold it right now!” He forced the coroner and doctor to back away, then immediately called for an ambulance. He followed his boss’s orders, as he always did, because he’d listened for the word and the word was clear: “Grace.”