Life's a Drag | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Life's a Drag | Previous Challenge Entry
By william price
06/22/06
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Life was beautiful, at least in a dark and smoky bar.

She was young, in her upper twenties. This woman had brilliant blue eyes and soft, long, full brown hair. Her white bright smile contrasted nicely with her bronzed skin. This vision, sat next to me at the tavern and nodded hello. Her perfume arrived after she did, subtly, the way I like it.

I hadn’t been in a drinking establishment for twenty years. My wife was at home in her granny pajamas thinking I was at my brother’s house. I was bored, suffering through a mid-forties crisis.

“My name’s Henry.” I tried to smile.

“Pleased to meet you Henry. My name’s Life.”

“Beg your pardon? That's a unique name.”

“Thank you.” She flashed another delicate smile.

“I bet you hear some creative comments from the guys about your name.” I was still nervous so I took a drink of beer.

“Not really, most guys don’t usually come on to me.”

I laughed. “What, do you hang around blind bars?”

She looked puzzled.

“You know, bars for people that cannot see how attractive you are. Get it?”

“Yes, I get it.” Life turned towards me. “I like your smile.”

I blushed. As I looked around the bar other patrons were smiling and raising their drinks at me. I thought I must have been doing pretty well. I was starting to enjoy Life more with each drink, until…

“Was Life the name your parents gave you?” I thought it was a good question.

“No, I came up with it.”

“Was it something weird, or just plain like Sue, Kim or Geraldine?” I laughed. I thought it was funny.

“Henry, my parents named me Jim.”

My face went flush. “Beg your pardon?”

Life’s voice got a little deeper.

“I said Jim, Henry.” She, he, she batted her eyebrows at me.

Everybody at the bar laughed. I felt ill. Not knowing what to do or say, I left,

I was standing in the bedroom doorway at my house. My wife lay in the bed, covers up to her chin. She had a blue moisturizing mask on her face. I felt terrible. Resting on her chest was an open Bible. I picked it up to see she had been reading Proverbs. One scripture jumped out at me.

“She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are those who retain her.”

I knew the passage was referring to wisdom, but I looked at my wife again and saw her as my tree of life. Her roots ran deep into what she believed. She could not be moved. I knew she prayed for me and was probably tired of it. She never gave up though. I felt lousy.

I walked into the living and lay down on my back and looked up through the ceiling.

“Take me please God. I don't deserve to live.”

Nothing happened.

“Okay God, if your not going to beam me up, then what are you going to do?”

A bright light from above suddenly blinded me. My wife was standing by the living room light switch.

“Henry, what are you doing?” She tilted her nose up. “Have you been smoking? You were at a bar, weren’t you?”

“Just for a minute Dear. Not my kind of lifestyle.” I wished I could have avoided her disgusted look.

“What are you doing on the floor?”

“Repenting. After I read the Proverb you were reading about wisdom being a tree of life and holding on to her, I thought of you. I’m tired of letting you down.”

My wife’s mind was spinning. “Oh, Proverbs Chapter Two. Actually I was reading a few verses before that, about the house of the immoral woman that leads down to death. None who go to her return. Nor do they regain the paths of life.”

“Of coarse you were.” I knew God told on me.

“Now Henry let me help you up. Look at me. I love you.”

“I know.”

I held her close and she held me even though I smelled like a bar.

“Honey, I want you to know I love you more than life.” I gave her a kiss and I would have smiled at the double meaning, but I rediscovered, I really did love her. And through her realized, there might still be hope for my life.

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