.
“I still can’t believe he’s gone,” said Lance.
Julia remembered something, smirked a little, then realized that it was inappropriate. But the irony was too juicy not to share. “He always liked the song Don’t Fear the Reaper,” she said, “but I’m sure he wasn’t intending to die in a stupid convenience store robbery gone awry. It’s just so senseless.”
“So what happened?” asked Lance, turning to Eric’s now-widow.
Rose knew she would have to explain what she knew of the events many times more, and dreaded it. She would skip the details: “Eric went into the store at around 11:00 to get who-knows-what. It was him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Apparently there was a scuffle between the clerk and the would-be robber and the gun went off. The bullet hit him in the neck and he bled to death before the paramedics arrived.”
All three looked somberly at the empty table.
The silence was broken a few seconds later by Julia. “Eric’s in a better place.”
“How do you know?” asked Rose. “You know Eric wasn’t particularly religious.”
“I don’t. It’s just something you say.”
“It sounds comforting, but I’m not sure it is.”
“But what if he did happen to have a conversion experience right before he went into the store?” Lance piped in.
“Do you need a conversion experience to go to heaven—assuming that’s what you meant by ‘a better place’?” asked Rose, turning to Julia.
“I suppose not,” Julia responded. “It’s just such a huge unknown. It makes you wonder how fragile life is and what it all means—spiritually. Does life just end or does the spirit live on?”
Lance reached over and gently squeezed Julia’s hand.
“Anyway, now is probably not the time to speculate about Eric’s spiritual condition and eternal resting place,” remarked Rose. “I’m just…I can’t believe he’s gone.”
They returned to staring at the table. Julia said a little prayer for Eric.
.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment