Just Call Me Lou

 

“Cupid always says love is what we live for, love is what keeps everything going. I know it's what keeps me going, even after death. Yeah it's true, I died a long time ago. But you could tell just by looking at me couldn’t you? It's the suit. This suit's a dead giveaway.

I can change clothes. It's not like I'm stuck with the thing, I've looked around. They don't make clothes like this anymore. So here I am still wearing it.” I said admiring the cut of my coat sleeve. “Not too tight in the shoulder but a perfect fit along the sleeve. Not too tight and not too loose. This suit’s a classic just like me.” Finding a bucket nearby I turn it over and take a seat. “Dead? Yeah I'm dead.” I look around. “Yeah. This is home when I'm not on a job. You want to know something that no one ever tells you? It's one of the truest things I know. You never remember where you were on the day you were born but you never forget what's going on around you when you die. Unless you have a strong tie to some other place...a family home, a city you love, a person you can't imagine being without…see, what's left of you will get tethered to something...and unless you already have a place in mind what you're tethered to is going to be where you died. That special bond can also tether you to where you were murdered, it's where you took your exit. Like it or not, I made my exit here. Not here, here. But in this alley. Behind us, over in the corner, the one with the lamp post and the broken light? My killer shot the bulb out on that lamp in 1938. You know what? It never comes back on, no matter how many times they change the bulb. Yeah, I was a mobster. A real bad guy. Young, quick, smart, and most importantly an orphan. Unattached. No wife, no kids, no siblings, or parents to look for me. No one to care. It made me the first person hired for the most dangerous jobs because if something went wrong and I died no one would miss me.

At least no one they knew about.

The only thing was I did have someone. They just didn't know about her. Marion, a showgirl with beautiful eyes, legs that went on forever, and a sharp tongue. She was a girl who could take care of herself and I loved her for it. I watched her for quite a while after I bought it,” I look at the newcomer, “then one day in 1965 she disappeared. I couldn't find her anywhere, which is the day Cupid made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He gave me a promotion to Fairy Godfather and now I help people. It's nice to meet you." I said offering my hand. "Do me a favor? Don't call me Fairy Godfather or even Godfather just call me Lou. Like I was saying I help people fall in love. A guy like me. I know, right? I really wondered what Cupid was thinkin’ at first. I've always had a knack for sizing people up. It doesn't usually take me long. It turns out my talent works on non-mortals too. So here's what I've learned. As you probably know Cupid is a big deal. He has been for a long time. Bringing couples together and helping them fall in love kind of does that for a guy. What I figured out is at this point he only wants to work the easy cases. The ones that give him lots of good press. If I’d been doing this as long as he's been, I might go about it the same way. The more challenging cases, women stuck in towers, women closely guarded by fathers or uncles or dragons etc... he gives them to the Fairy Godmothers. Then there are the tough cases. Okay, the really tough ones. The cynics. The people who are so fed up and frustrated by not finding love they stubbornly refuse to look anymore. The truly heartbroken people. The deeply lonely ones. Those are the cases I get. Cupid told me when he offered me this job that if I took it he'd help me find Marion. He'd help me find my girl. I think I might have already told you that. To be honest, for something I always thought this was for wimps, this is really satisfying work. There are some really stubborn, lonely people out there. We're about to meet two of ‘em.”