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“Eventually all things fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know everything happens for a reason.”
—Albert Schweitzer
“Ma’am, the library closes in thirty minutes.”
Distantly, Seventh Sister perceived the droning of an annoying voice as if the speaker was above water and she lay at the bottom of a pool.
“Ma’am, you should wake up. These books need to be put back in the right shelves.”
This particular warbled speech was accompanied by a none-too-gentle nudge on her shoulder. Perhaps the speaker had tried to rouse her earlier with no success.
“Ma’am…”
Another nudge, practically a shove.
Seventh Sister came to with a start, sputtering mid-snore.
“Wh-what—”
As she straightened her spine too quickly sitting up, a twinge of pain pinged in her back. Thankfully, she’d get to wear her young man form soon after this.
How did humans cope with growing old? So many things started to break down.
She enjoyed the wisdom that came with age (somehow, in her old woman’s form of sixty-some years, she felt wiser than as an Immortal who had existed for tens of thousands of years). But she wished that the equanimity and insight also came with physical impunity.
“Ma’am, please clear the table before you leave. The library will close soon.”
She stared up bleary-eyed at the bespectacled middle-aged woman with a sour-looking mouth who was currently harassing her.
“Right,” she said, wetting her lips and patting down her frizzy gray hair.
“I’ll get to it. Thanks for letting me know.”
The woman sniffed with equal parts satisfaction and annoyance, turned heel and walked away.
Seventh Sister rolled her eyes and flopped back into her designated armchair.
None of the residents of the Celestial Realm (apart from crazed dragons like Red when he’d been incarcerated on his mountain) interacted with her like this.
First, because she was one of the Jade Emperor’s daughters, and therefore, equivalent to Celestial Royalty and treated with due respect and reverence. Second, because Celestial beings were eternally joyful, pleasant, and charming. After all, there were no worries there, no desire, need, or lack for anything.
And time had no meaning.
Humans, on the other hand, came in all kinds. With endless permutations of emotions, good, bad and ugly.
Their finite lifespan and infinite ambition made some terribly impatient, and therefore abrasive to others. Yet there were also plenty of humans who were strangely satisfied with mediocrity, just lazying around, even so far as to burden society at large for their upkeep.
And everything in between and beyond.
It took Seventh Sister quite a long time to understand and appreciate the value of time in the human world. When she started working atDrink of Me, she was never on time, and she never seemed to realize when her shift was over. Sometimes, she came too late and left too early. Other times, the reverse.
It wasn’t until Mike got her the second-hand phone that she learned to keep time with any precision. But then, she’d forget to charge her phone or bring it with her wherever she went.
Thankfully, Maddie was a lenient boss, and Mike always gave her useful tips and advice. They probably thought she had a mental condition before she got the hang of things.
She might not be a fan of human interactions, namely the unpleasant ones, but she was starting to get used to them. She tried to put herself in other people’s shoes and puzzle out why they would behave a certain way.
Case in point, the sullen librarian disturbing her impromptu afternoon nap might have an important event to attend right after closing. Hence, she couldn’t afford a moment’s delay. Maybe she had one of those conditions where rules must be abided by, and messes on tables were not to be borne.
