The Five People You Meet In Heaven

Eddie is in a room with multiple doors. Each door opens onto a different wedding, each with different languages and traditions. After stumbling through many weddings, he finds himself in an Italian village where a wedding is taking place. A woman is giving out candies. He recognizes her quickly as his wife, Marguerite.

Eddie and Marguerite’s wedding took place in an upstairs room at a Chinese restaurant. Eddie spent the last of his pay from the army to get an accordion player and a proper dinner. Afterward, he and Marguerite walked to their new home in the rain. Marguerite would joke years later that the only thing missing from the wedding was “the bingo cards” (155).

Eddie tells Marguerite about his life after she died, focusing mostly on Ruby Pier. He cries and tells her how much he missed her.

Due to the accident, Marguerite and Eddie miss out on a child they’d been set to adopt. Marguerite gives up on being a mother and a ghost of blame begins to live between them. Over time, they find their way back to each other. When Marguerite is 47, she is diagnosed with a brain tumor.