Well, it’s that day of the week. Celebrity Friday. And the secret’s out. This gorgeous man is my biggest crush. Antonio Banderas is a close second, but the bastard just won’t answer my calls. Enjoy. (But remember, the man is MINE.)

Me: Erik, what about Gregory Peck? Do you think you can get him for us? I always had such a big crush on him.

Jamie (to Erik): You’re getting all the cute guys. Come on. Go get him, Erik!

Jamie (to me): Ah, he left. What was he in? Oh, he’s here.

Jamie (to Gregory): Oh, shake hands? I don’t know.

Jamie (to me, giggling): He’s reaching out. What do I do, shake his hand?

Me: I guess so.

Jamie: Erik is laughing!

Jamie (to Erik): Are you pulling a prank on me?

Jamie (to me): He told him to shake my hand.

Me (to Gregory): Hello.

Jamie (to Gregory): Hello.

Me: What age does he look like?

Jamie: Oh, gosh, he looks about mid 40s.

Me (to Gregory): I’ve always had a big crush on you, Mr. Peck.

Gregory: Thank you for your honesty.

Me (laughing): And I’m sure I’m not alone! We have a few questions to ask you, if you don’t mind, and we’re so honored to have you here.

Gregory: Thank you so much; I’m honored to be in line. Let’s get this started!

Jamie: He’s very upbeat.

Me: Okay, well first I’d like to know what your spiritual mission was while you were on the earthly plane.

(Long pause)

Jamie: I love his voice.

Me: Oh, yes!

Jamie: He’s got a good voice, and he’s got this—it’s not an accent. He’s got a good, crisp, clean voice, but it’s just the way he talks. Maybe it’s because of that time or era.

Me: Oh, yeah. Have you ever seen him in To Kill a Mockingbird?”

Jamie: I might have, but I can’t really remember it. He’s talking to Erik. That’s why I’m hearing his voice. He’s not really talking to me yet.

Me: Okay.

Jamie: And I told Erik, “Please remind Mr. Peck that I will be translating today.”

(Pause)

Jamie: Oh, he was clarifying to—oh, you want me to call him Greg? He was clarifying to Greg what you meant by spiritual mission.

Gregory: I had a lot of heartache in my life. I really wanted to be with a big family—a family that was always together. I never really had that fulfilled, and I feel like I carried that over in the many roles that I played in my career. I had this removed intelligent character, and I don’t really feel that I was casted that way out of luck. This was who I was.

Me: Well, do you think you were here to teach anything?

(Pause)

Jamie: It’s funny; he goes to Erik to talk first. I don’t get that.

Me (in jest): Maybe he’s a male chauvinist.

Gregory: Now, that’s not true!

Me: I’m teasing.

Jamie: He’s got a rhythm to how he talks.

Gregory: I love the ladies, love the ladies.

Jamie: Oh my god, I forgot the question.

I repeat it.

Jamie (to Gregory): What were you here to teach.

(Pause)

Jamie: I feel like I’m wallpaper! Am I missing something?

Me (to Erik): Erik, can you redirect him a little bit?

Jamie (to Erik): Yeah, Erik. Are you up to something? Are you—is this a joke?

(Pause)

Jamie (to Erik): Erik, this is not funny; don’t mess around. C’mon!

Me: Mm hm.

Jamie (to Erik): Oh my god; how else are you going to find ways to screw with me? Your mom is working, Your mom is doing the thing that you guys wanna do. You have Gregory Peck right here!

Jamie: Apparently he is a good prankster as well.

Me: I bet.

Jamie (to both Erik and Gregory, giggling): That’s enough, you guys!

I laugh.

Jamie: I just see laughing faces. They’re trying to make me feel uncomfortable.

Me: Oh!

Jamie (to both Erik and Gregory): You’ve done it.

Jamie: Erik told Gregory not to speak to me.

Me: As a prank.

Jamie: Yes, as a prank. We have a prank: We have an interview, but don’t talk to the person who’s interviewing you.

I chuckle.

Jamie: Oh, he says that was a Saturday Night Live skit. He said that’s where he got it from.

Jamie (to Erik): Okay, quit. C’mon, man. Don’t waste our time.

Erik: I didn’t. I’s very funny, because he has his serious face on.

Gregory (slapping the table): What is it?

Me: Well, what were you here to learn and teach?

Gregory: In looking back on my life, I feel I was here to learn how to be part of a team. I always had the opportunity to be on my own.

Jamie (giggling): He’s laughing every now and then looking at me. He said, “I’m sorry.” He mouthed it and points to Erik.

Gregory: When it came to my career, being part of an ensemble or being a part of a group—

Jamie: Hey, he was actually on Broadway? He was in New York.

Me: I don’t know.

Jamie: Yeah, it’s Broadway. I can see it in my head.

Gregory: So, being a part of an ensemble and being a part of a family, that is what I was here to learn. Did I achieve it? Of course I did. Now, ask me if I loved it.

Me: Did you love it?

Gregory: Of course I did! I enjoyed every second of it. I loved people. It took me a long time to learn that.

Jamie: They’re just playing back and forth.

Me: Okay. Now, were you here to teach anything?

Gregory: I feel that what I was here to teach was through the roles that I was offered, especially in the film industry, because those roles represented so much of the man’s struggle to understand intimate relationships with a woman or the difficulties of a family or hard times. My ability to act was a way that I was able to teach people that they are not alone.

Me: Ah! Okay. Did you have any insights after you passed? Any “aha” moments?

Jamie: He’s got one hand over his mouth. He doesn’t have any facial hair. He’s clean-shaven. Darker hair.

Gregory: Maybe my “aha” moment was that I wanted to spend more time with my family. I know “aha” moments should be a positive thing but I realized that I could have saved my marriage. I could have done more for my intimate family. I always felt a little bit of disconnect.

Me: Are you with your son who passed away?

Gregory: Yes.

Me: Oh, good. I know he died from suicide in 1975, so I know the heartache you went through.

(Long pause)

Jamie: Wow, he got really quiet. He has really pretty eyes, and when he blinks, he’s got really thick eyelashes, you know, when they’re closed.

Gregory: I do know that you understand. What a blessing that you have a chance to stay in contact with Erik, and that he actually saw the opportunity to reconnect people.

Me (sadly) Yeah, exactly.

Gregory: I don’t think my son would have seen that as an opportunity. He would have seen it as work.

Me: Aw! Now, can you share another life that influenced your one as Gregory Peck?

Jamie: Oh, he’s showing me that he was in England. He’s got a wooden cart with wheels on it.

(Pause)

Jamie (to Gregory): Are those people?

Me: Hm.

Jamie: He’s collecting dead bodies.

Me: Oh! Was that during The Plague?

Gregory: Yes.

Jamie: I really can’t see him. He’s covered. He even has this old hat on and his nose and face is covered. Like a bandana or scarf. Everything is covered on him.

Gregory: I didn’t want to catch death.

Jamie (to Gregory): Did you in that lifetime?

Gregory: No.

Me: Good.

Gregory: The dead were safer to be with than the living. How did it affect me in this last life? Being so close to death—a sick death where masses of people were letting go together—I was not married; I didn’t have children. That’s why I had that job. Low risk. I wanted to come into a life where I would have a family—have a big family and be married. I wanted to be born into a family that had parents and grandparents.

Me: Ah, a big family man. That all makes sense.

Gregory: Now, ask me if I achieve it.

Me: Did you achieve that? Wait, you already said.

Gregory: No, I didn’t. My parents divorced; I divorced. I lost sight of how important it was to me, and that was my aha moment when I let go.

Me: That’s right. Do you have any messages or advice for us?

Jamie (giggling): He and Erik are talking and laughing. Apparently they think that’s very funny.

Me (laughing): Share with the rest of the class, boys.

Jamie (to both): Make this serious, guys.

(Pause)

Jamie (to Erik): Anything he would like to share.

Gregory: You can hand pick the people you want around you in your life. They all know this to be true. I want to remind you that you hand pick your family as well—good relationships or bad relationships—you wanted to be a part of it, so make it the best you can.

Me: Yeah. Well said. Erik, do you have any questions or have you all covered it?

Erik, Yeah, no.

Jamie: They’re—you know how you hit another guy’s shoulder and shake their hand? You kind of like halfway hug, like a demi-hug?

Me: Yeah, a man hug.

Jamie: Yeah, they’re man hugging.

Me: Aw!

Jamie (to Erik): So, was this planned? (Pause) It was?

Me: Hm.

Jamie: Do you pick out the names in advance? Does Erik get to see them?

Me: Well, I kind of do. I look at my list and think, “Hmm, I’d love to interview him or her today,” so yeah, and I circle them the day before.

Jamie: So, Erik could have found out through you.

Me: Yes.

Jamie: Gregory is really an actor—a character actor.

Me: Yes, he was an awesome actor.

Jamie: He’s so playing it. He’s playing it well. Okay, Mr. Peck. Thank you so much for coming, today.

Gregory (waving): Thank you so much for today.

Jamie (giggling): He reaches out to shake my hand again!

Me: Oh, how funny. That’s not going to work, Gregory.

Gregory laughs hard.

Jamie (to both): You guys are horrible!

They both laugh and Gregory disappears.