Been There

“Most arrivers fulfill their post-earth missions a lot sooner, Jonathan.”
Jonathan did not blink. Arrivers? Ah, yes, he had been called that long ago, when he returned from earth. His head ached and he rubbed his forehead with his thumb and fingers.
“Guardians Unlimited has had your stats on file for a long time.”
Jonathan already knew that. He had taken great care to inform anyone who looked at his file to have a clear understanding of his lack of desire to go back to earth as a guardian, after all the facilitator had said to be totally honest. He had expected that no one would ever choose him. He glanced over at Celeste who quietly studied him.
“I, uh, …” he stammered. Once chosen, he knew there was no way out of it. He knew that it was not only expected of him, but required. The only comfort to him was that in his interview those many years ago, he had requested a … he looked up at Celeste, surprised. He had specifically requested a client with an early marked death. He sighed with relief, okay, that’s right—she wouldn’t last long on earth, which meant that neither would he.