“Are you awake?”
Jeff posed the question to his new hospital roommate, two days after his arrival at the emergency room.
Delivered by ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital, Jeff and Abe were both admitted to the emergency room. Jeff was covered in blood and his head still hurt from the explosion. He had heard louder explosions and knew the headache would run its course.
Upon arrival Jeff explained to the Emergency Room Supervisor that he wanted a suite, not a room; and he wanted Abe in the suite with him. He said he would cover all expenses. He did not want Abe in a room by himself, though he didn’t know if Abe’s injuries were life-threatening. He learned that they weren’t. Abe was fine other than a lot of cuts, bruises and a badly broken humerus, a compound fracture. They should both be released in a few days, if they didn’t get any infections, like the MRSA virus.
“I am,” Abe replied. “You’ll do anything to get a little attention from some pretty nurses.”
Jeff tried to laugh, but it hurt.
“I know you think I just hate to be alone, but actually I thought we would have some time to finish the conversation we started at Park Place.”
“Oh. I was hoping you didn’t have a crush on me.” A chuckle escaped Abe’s airways, and the compound fracture of his upper arm reminded him of the seriousness of his injuries. “Let me sleep awhile. I feel like I’ve been through a bombing.”
A couple of hours later after a very bland lunch, their conversation drifted back to the Bible.
“OK, as I was saying before the big bang, there has to be rules. You have to assume my story is true. You have to believe the devil really exists. You have to do some research, and don’t interrupt, capiche? Try to prove me wrong.”
“You got a deal.” Jeff was skeptical but interested. Abe told a good story. The lesson began.
“What would you say if you were reading some ancient manuscripts, I am not talking ancient manuscripts like the writings of Nostradamus in the 1500s but from thousands of years earlier; and a prediction was made that had turned out to come true? One hundred percent true. Say the prediction had been made 2,500-3,000 years ago, everyone had given up on it; but suddenly it happened. Would that amaze you?”
“Example please.”
“OK, suppose the manuscript said a specifically named country that was one of the most powerful in the region at the time, before Greece and Persia and Rome, would be overrun and the capital sacked. All the buildings would be totally destroyed, burned to the ground; and the entire population would be killed or disbursed throughout the known world. Then several hundred years later it happened, exactly as predicted. Would that get your attention?”
“Absodarnlutely it would.” Jeff answered.
“Now, suppose the prediction went on to say that eventually that country would be restored in exactly the same land that once defined its borders. The ancient language that was once spoken by the original population would even be restored. The language would disappear and then be reborn as the national language. This had never happened before in the history of mankind. Would you be impressed if that prediction came true?” “Did that happen?” That would be impressive, Jeff thought, if that really did happen.
“Jeff, it did happen, exactly as predicted. The country was Israel and the language was Hebrew. The fulfillment of that prediction is what helped me become a believer in God. That would be the God of Abraham, the Jewish God. I used to be a lot like you, an unbeliever. I went to synagogue regularly as a kid, but I just didn’t buy all that stuff. The stories were too fantastic. Then I discovered the accuracy of Biblical prophecy.”
“Elaborate please.”
“Hundreds of years before the Roman Empire sacked and completely destroyed Israel and the second temple in 70 A.D., the predictors of the day, known as the ancient Prophets, said it would happen. The Jewish Prophets were very, very specific in their vision.”
“What happened to their first temple?” Jeff really knew nothing of Jewish history and sometimes wondered why Israel had been established in Palestinian territory in the first place. That just didn’t seem to be fair.
“The first temple was destroyed when Israel was sacked the first time by a Persian King named Nebuchadnezzar about 600 B.C. He took all the Jews captive, the ones who weren’t killed, and took them into exile in Persia for seventy years. After seventy years, the Israelites were allowed to go back to what had been Israel and rebuild their Temple, the second Temple, also predicted by the Prophets. Persia was present-day Iran. The Iranians, even today, do not like to be referred to as ‘Arab,’ because they are proud of their Persian heritage. Persia was a powerhouse.
“That sacking by Nebuchadnezzar had also been prophesied many years before, and it happened exactly as foretold. With me so far?”
Jeff was with him but couldn’t help but wonder why the Jewish people, supposedly God’s chosen people, had so much bad luck. He asked Abe the question.
“Well, being God’s chosen brought a lot of responsibility and a lot of rules, more rules than anyone could ever keep. The Israelites were always breaking the rules, always. It’s referred to in the Bible as ‘backsliding.’ God’s rules were mostly laid out in Leviticus, the third book of the Torah and the Bible, and consisted of more than six hundred laws. The Torah, revered by Jews and the basis for the Old Testament, consists of only the first five books of the Bible.”
“Didn’t know that. Why did they have so many laws?””
“You’re interrupting. Before the Jews were proclaimed by God to be the chosen, there weren’t all the laws. In the beginning, in the days of the first man and woman, God had only assigned one rule. It didn’t take them long to break it. That’s another story for a later time.
“Being ‘chosen’ and then breaking the laws that God laid out, was devastating for Israel; and as a result, they often suffered God’s wrath, which wasn’t a good thing. That’s why they had the first sacking by Persia, and then the second, by Rome. God’s discipline. They were always a rebellious sort. We still are even today in modern Israel.
“Their laws told them to be sexually pure, but soon they would be partaking in all kinds of debauchery that makes today’s ‘pole dancers’ look like Sunday School girls. They weren’t to kidnap, but they were always kidnapping to get revenge on someone or some other tribe. Israel consisted of twelve tribes, ten in Israel to the north, and two in Judah.”
“Why did they have twelve tribes?” Jeff interrupted again.
“That’s a later lesson. I’m getting tired, so let’s get some sleep and continue tomorrow. Is that ok with you?”
Jeff didn’t really want to stop, he was just getting interested; but he didn’t want to inhibit Abe’s sleep and revitalization.
Within ten minutes, both Jeff and Abe were in dreamland.
“Is Jeffrey out of the hospital yet?”
Kara Mulherin and Melissa met for lunch two weeks after the suicide bomber took out Park Place Café and thirteen National Guardsmen, as well as numerous vehicles. Thirty-seven innocent people had been slaughtered, once again, by the peaceful Islamic jihadists.
“He is Kara, thankfully. He could’ve been killed but for the Grace of God.”
“I thought Jeff didn’t believe in God.” Kara’s response was of concern and not cynicism.
“He doesn’t but I pray for him every day, at least most days, so maybe that helped. And get this! Abe, the bartender at Park Place, is giving Jeff lessons about the Bible. They talk every night for at least an hour or two. That’s why Jeffrey went to Park Place that night, to get Abe’s Cliffsnotes version of the Bible. It seems kind of strange that Abe would be such a Bible junky and a bartender too.
“I guess you know two people were killed in Park Place Café that night; and Abe is still in the hospital. Jeff said that Pam was not injured, because she was in the back office. Pam’s the owner, or was.” Melissa had never met Pam but had heard nice things about her. She continued.
“And get this! Did you hear what’s going on with the Duluth Police Department? Jeff told me the whole story.”
“Nope, what’s going on? Isn’t Jeff friends with the chief?”
It was understandable that Kara didn’t know, Melissa thought, since she had been in Haiti delivering light bulbs, compliments of a local lighting company, Halco Lighting, located in Norcross. Kara contacted Halco just after the Haiti earthquake about donating light bulbs since 80% had been broken; and they did, big time. Kara had spent the last six weeks in Port-au-Prince, lighting up Haiti with state-of-the-art, energy efficient bulbs, thanks to her newly-formed relationship with Halco. That’s the way Kara was, and had been, as long as Melissa had known her.
“I guess you were in Haiti when that happened. Anyway, the Duluth police arrested some guy who shot up the American Legion Post. Everyone’s referring to him as Billy Joe Hussein, our very own homegrown convert who spoke Arabic or something. He converted to Islam in prison while serving four years for dealing cocaine. He didn’t kill anyone, but he tried his best. Some guy at the Post threw a can of beer at him, hit him in the head and almost killed him.
“Now the ACLU is suing the Duluth Police Department because the terrorist who shot up the place claimed that he had been water-boarded by the chief and that another officer hit him in the head with something.
“Now get this. UPS is paying all the legal fees for the police department to fight the ACLU and has already donated more than $ 200,000 to the Police Department Defense Fund.”
“That’s cool, but why would UPS do that?” Kara questioned. “Not really sure. You know it was UPS security that cracked the case of the Lincoln and Holland Tunnel bombings in Manhattan. UPS apparently got fed up with the pace of the FBI investigation, so their own security force tracked a group of Islamic militants down in West Virginia, after a tip from a
Christian militant group. Can you believe that?
“UPS offered a one million dollar reward, so I guess that was the enticement. Who really knows? Several of the Christian group members have recently died from whatever that disease is that’s going around.”
“I didn’t even know UPS had a security force.” Kara learned more everyday it seemed. “When was the last time you saw Jeff?”
“Last night. I went over to Sugarloaf and cooked him dinner. He has so many stitches in his back and shoulders from the glass. He looks sort of pitiful, I must say.”
Kara thought about that for a few minutes, noting Melissa’s concern, and wondered if Melissa and Jeff might reconcile their marriage after the sudden chain of events. That would certainly please Jeff, she knew.
“Well honey, you’ve had a heck of a summer so far; and it’s been mostly bad. I guess they still haven’t found Rob’s body; so maybe he really was raptured, you know what I mean? There are thousands who just disappeared at the same time.”
“Kara, if there had been a rapture, you would’ve surely been raptured with them. I feel like I would’ve too. No, I just don’t feel it was the rapture going on. I think they just never found his body.”
“Then how do you explain all the people who disappeared at almost the same time? They’re still trying to track down all those missing Jews for Jesus. ”
“That’s pretty odd, I must agree.”
Melissa didn’t feel comforted by their conversation. Almost all the Christians she knew were still around. That was a bad sign, if the rapture occurred without them, and her.
“I wanted to mention something Melissa. I don’t want to stir up bad memories; but the last time we had lunch you mentioned that sometimes Rob was a little rough, you know, in bed.”
“Especially if he drank champagne, which wasn’t very often” Melissa replied. “Why do you ask? What’s on your mind Kara? You knew Rob longer than I did.”
“He told me that in his previous marriage his wife would not have sexual relations with him, hardly ever. He said that even in the beginning of their marriage his wife had so many ‘religious issues’ with sex that it was never enjoyable. I think you were correct that he never sewed any oats. I don’t think he sewed much of anything, actually.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think he truly loved her; but he didn’t like her. When she suddenly died, in many ways he became free again. Know what I’m saying?”
They paused while the skinny waitress in the light-blue apron delivered their fish tacos and sweet tea. Melissa asked her what the “Coming Soon” button that she was wearing meant. The waitress glanced around to make sure no one overheard her and whispered, “Jesus is coming soon.”
“Why are you whispering?” Melissa asked.
“Well, because it isn’t politically correct. Some people really get offended. If you need anything else, just let me know. My name is April.” The waitress turned and left.
Melissa and Kara exchanged a quizzical glance.
“Do you think there’s any way you would ever go back to Jeff? You guys, at least at one time, had a lot in common. You were really good friends.”
“Divine Intervention might work, maybe.” They both laughed at the comeback. “He asked me last night if I would go with him to Grand Cayman, just as friends, no expectations. He has some kind of problem going on with his dive shop.”
“Are you going?” Kara tried to muffle her surprise and her excitement about the possibility.
“Maybe. I’m thinking. Gray and Andi Dorey are going to be there for two weeks and asked me to go with them. I guess we could all rendezvous. Cheers.”
Melissa and Kara clicked tea glasses. Kara had wondered if Gray and Andi would remain friends with Jeff and Melissa after their divorce, but they had. Their friendship covered decades.
“I haven’t heard you mention them in a while. Are they still volunteering at the food kitchen, what’s the name of it?” Kara’s mind went blank.
“They are. They are so financially blessed, and they share their time and money with Dine for Dollars. It’s a great operation. The people who are having trouble feeding themselves in this God-forsaken economy, and their families, can go there and feed the whole family for a dollar. It makes them not feel so helpless, plus they don’t feel so much like moochers. Many of the struggling are embarrassed to need help, so paying a dollar gives them a little pride.”
“What if they don’t have a dollar?”
“That’s the neat thing. They have a money-jar, so some of the people who have a little extra will put a dollar or two in the jar to help those even needier than themselves. Jesus said to help your neighbor, and that’s exactly what they are doing. Gray and Andi always make sure there are some dollars in the jar.”
Kara and Melissa finished lunch and agreed to meet again in two weeks for lunch at the newly opened disco/restaurant, The Divide, on Towne Square in Duluth.
As they hugged and exited the parking lot, neither had a clue of the shenanigans going on south of the Mexican border. Ricky, a.k.a. Vinny, was delivering a new shipment of briefcase nuclear explosives. Christmas would be soon, another Christian holiday that Ricky considered pagan. Ricky had plans for a different sort of fireworks display this Christmas, a spectacular performance.