Salvatore smiled down at the little guy walking with him along the riverbank with a fishing pole twice his height slung over his shoulder. They hadn’t caught much of anything, but it had been a wonderful day. Sal loved that kid more than he thought was possible; they were buddies in the warmest of ways, being a grandpa was great! They stowed the poles in the bed of the truck, popped open a couple of sodas from the ice chest and sat on the tailgate.
Sal sat quietly and listened as Josh told him all about Ms. Rose, his home room teacher. She was so pretty, and her lips were always so red,” how come ladies have different colored lips grandpa”? Sal chuckled and was going to explain lipstick when Josh went on, saying that he had seen ladies with pink lips, red lips, brown lips, and even one time at the mall he had seen one with black lips, and she was dressed all in black too. And how come all us guys lips are the same color grandpa? Sal was laughing inside as he chuckled again and told his grandson all about lipstick. If everyone has kinda pink lips to begin with grandpa, then why do the ladies all want to change the color of their lips, do they not like them? Before Sal could answer, Josh also said that he had also seen her hair color change, that sometimes it was lighter than others. Sal chuckled and said “Josh, we best save some of those mysteries for when you are older”; just know that the ladies will always be a mystery to some degree. Sal raised the tailgate and felt a sharp pain in his chest, but it left as soon as it came and he wrote it off to the jalapeno pepper he had eaten with his sandwich at lunch.
That night as Sal and Karen sat at the dinner table, he told her all about Josh and the questions he had asked. Sal became as animated as Josh had been as he did his best to recount everything. Karen laughed at the wonder in Josh, and the newfound wonder in her husband’s eyes. He had come alive again when Josh had arrived, and he was anxiously awaiting their daughter Tara to bring Josh’s sister into the world, but she still had two months to go, life was good. As Sal brushed his teeth before bed he had another stitch in his chest and thought “that darn pepper”. He took two Prilosec and headed for bed.
Sal woke abruptly, that stitch in his chest now a fire, but as soon as it came it also went and no longer hurt. He lay back down on his pillow and tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use, so he threw his feet over the side and stood up. No since in waking Karen up he thought, looking over at her sleeping quietly on her side, but what Sal saw next took his breath away. There on the bed next to her, with his head on the pillow was Sal; He was looking down on himself. Fear and dread flooded his soul as he did a double take and tried to figure out what was going on when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around and saw a man bathed in white standing behind him. The man extended his hand and said “hello, I am Carson, and I am here to escort you Sal, you have passed on.”
For lack of anything else to do, Sal cautiously took the proffered hand and walked through the bright doorway that now stood where Karen and his bathroom used to be. It was just like the accounts he had heard about, bright light and long hallway, I guess that’s good he thought as he followed the thing that called itself Carson down the hallway. Was it an angel he wondered, it didn’t seem to have any wings? As if in response, it turned and said “no, I am not an angel, but merely a resident of the kingdom of God. I help out with the transitions; it makes things easier if you have a guide. Sal lit up inside, “this is it, I have made it and I am actually about to see Heaven, he thought.” Sensing, no “knowing” his thoughts, Carson turned around and said “I’m sorry, but not yet Sal, first you must stand in judgment.”
But what about the white light, I thought that indicated I was in he asked? Everyone sees the light Sal, but everyone then needs to stand judgment before God before they are allowed to enter Heaven, that is the way of things here. Terrified, Sal resigned himself to the idea that he was no longer calling the shots, he hung his head and followed Carson down the hallway.
To be Continued.
Good to read your post again, Mr. Jim! 🙂 Thanks and God bless you!
Hiya Deb,
Thanks, it has been almost a year since I have written, many miles since then. It does feel nice to write once more. I hope you and oll of my other old pals are doing good! I have often thought of you and wondered how you were doing. God bless you too, take care,
Jim