Heaven or Hell?

Photo Credit: Jiggs Images (Flickr.com)

“I don’t really understand this arrangement, Dad,” said Jacob as he pushed his father’s wheelchair down the hallway. “But I suppose it’s a little late to be asking questions, huh?”

Isaac said nothing. He just sort of drooled and looked ahead with a glassy stare in his eye. He’d been doing that a lot since he got here.

“I mean, you always took care of me,” Jacob continued. “So I’m really thrilled to be taking care of you, now. I mean, I am, Dad. You have no idea.”

Isaac gave a sort of grunt. Jacob wasn’t sure if it was in protest or agreement. Not that it mattered; what had happened had happened. It was a little too late to worry if Isaac was OK with it or not.

“The stroke was a little bit of a surprise, I’ll grant you,” said Jacob. “I wish it could have worked out differently. I wish Mom had been around to take care of you, still. I talked to her the other day, you know… found out what happened to her, why she disappeared when I was a kid. I really had no idea you two had gone through so much together.”

Isaac grunted again. Jacob wiped some drool off his chin.

“I mean, to think that I was at the root of all your arguments,” he said, and laughed. “They always tell kids not to blame themselves. But this is one of those crazy situations where the kid really was to blame, huh?”

“I’m not bitter or anything,” he continued. “I mean, things worked out the way they did, and I’m fine with it, Dad, really. And for what it’s worth, Mom’s happy now, too. You’ll never believe it, but she sort of turned her life around after she left. Got involved in a church, started reading the Bible, even became a Sunday School teacher for awhile.” Jacob laughed again. “I mean, can you imagine mom teaching Sunday school after all those drugs the two of you used to do? You’d think she’d have had enough of religious experiences.”

Isaac flinched a bit. Jacob wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not, but he put his hand on his father’s shoulders all the same to steady him and show support.

“You know, it’s interesting, Dad,” Jacob continued. “People spend their entire lives trying to be good and get into heaven, and all God wants is a little bit of humility… just a sliver of admitting that you’re wrong and that you want to be forgiven. That’s all He asks. Why is that so hard for people?”

They were approaching a doorway. A uniformed man stood outside of it, looking bored. There were some words written above it in chiseled print, but they were hard to read from too far back.

“I mean…” Jacob felt some tears welling up now. “Why was it so hard for you?”

Isaac said nothing. Jacob continued pushing him forward as he wiped away a tear with a white sleeve. They were nearing the door now, its simple structure belying its complex meaning. Jacob often wondered how such a small and remarkable door could be a gateway to such a place of isolation and suffering. He looked up at the words above it.

“Abandon all hope ye who enter here,” he read. “Is that what it’s like, Dad? Because I’ll tell you, when things were reversed, and you were pushing me around… I never felt that, not once. I always felt loved.”

He sighed, and turned to the man by the door. “Checking my dad back in,” he said. “I’ll be back for visiting hours tomorrow.”

The man nodded.

Jacob knelt down next to his father and stared into the man’s vacant eyes. “I never would have imagined that Heaven would be like this,” he said. “We all feel the loss, and we all want to help. It’s so empty up there, because everyone’s in Hell tending to those in need.” He sighed. “I wish I could take you up there one day, Dad. But even if I can’t, I’ll get you as close as I can every day for the rest of eternity.”

Jacob stood and walked away.”See you tomorrow,” he said to the man.

“Yep,” said the man. “See you then.”

1 Comment

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  By Collin Voyles, January 14, 2010 @ 7:37 am

  I never thought about the members of heaven leaving to tend to the denizens of hell. Nice.

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