Chapter Twenty One

I awoke the next morning after an arduous trip to Hell, with my left arm asleep. It felt like a distant piece of lifeless meat that couldn't be part of my own body. I imagined that it must be how Louis feels about his missing arm sometimes.

Hell is nothing like I've had it described to me in the past. My Mother had told me when I was younger that Hell was a big ocean of poop and the sinners were constantly, exhaustingly, swimming while trying to keep their heads above water... Or above feces. When you would reach a calm place to float and rest, the Devil would come by in a motor boat and either run you over or push you under with an oar. What I saw, that night, was what most people might describe as Purgatory. It was in a building that looked like an old fashioned Roller Rink. The walls were crazy and uneven and painted yellow on one side and green on the other. There were black pipes for a ceiling and lint and dirt was everywhere. I walked into a large open room that seemed to be very much like a Automobile License Facility, filled with blue and orange plastic chairs in front of a large TV set. The room was longer than the eye can see and everyone was sitting there, silently, watching the TV. If someone tried to speak, the person next to them would hold their index finger up to their lips and tell them to be quiet. Not to insult anyone, but the entire time I was there the TV was only showing the FOX network. I was there for about 5 hours and found it uncomfortable at best. The reason I was there had everything to do with what happened after my living room meeting adjourned the night before.

I turned over in the bed, away from the naked body of my ex wife Cynthia, to discover my arm was asleep because my late father was gripping it at the wrist and squeezing with all of his might. He was squeezing so hard that it was hurting him more than me. His face was bright red and the veins in his bald head were enlarged. He was looking at me but not seeing me, somehow I could tell that his sight was somewhere distant. His teeth would clench and unclench giving the appearance of pain and some kind of unnatural happiness. "I can't let go!" he shouted. "I can't let go!" I was so shocked and frightened I couldn't speak. You have to understand that after all that I had experienced up to this point , it wasn't easy to scare me anymore, but this had a feeling that surpassed everything to date.

"I can't let go, I can't let go!" I will hear his words for eternity.

After what seemed like forever, choking back tears, I opened my mouth and said the magic word. "Dad?" I coughed.

His look of pain changed to a wide grin and he let go of my arm. As he retreated from the edge of the bed his old frame straightened up and he appeared to get taller. Then he became younger looking. His bald head filled with thick brown hair. His stained teeth whitened, like a one of those commercials for tooth bleaching. His yellow, bloodshot eyes cleared to become white, glowing orbs, his irises a deep, ocean blue. He was gone.

After the meeting, most of my guests departed, talking among themselves. Louis followed me as I went to the back porch to smoke a cigarette.

"You know I don't really believe much of this other world stuff Marty." Louis didn't smoke, but he never let it come between us. "I think it's all Kentucky Fried Bullshit. Some of the people here tonight think you're nuts."

"How do you know that Louis?" I was fumbling through my pockets looking for a light.

"I could hear them talking among themselves. You know my hearing is pretty good. I can hear a rat piss on a ball of cotton from twenty miles!" He stared at me intently.

"Why would a rat piss on a ball of cotton?" I found the gold lighter and momentarily held it so I could read the inscription again."

Louis became somber. "If it is true Marty, I need to know." He paused and licked his lips, shot a glance to the ground and then back into my eyes."I need to know if on one of your trips to Heaven or Hell, if you've seen my wife."

I read the inscription to myself..."Marty, Love you always....."

"I need to know if you've spoken to Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth." I finished reading the inscription in my head. I gripped my fingers tightly around the lighter and pushed the ignition. My hands trembled almost comically as I lit the coffin nail in my mouth. I tried to push the lighter back into my coat pocket with my fist swelling from the death grip I had around it and tore the seam that hems the opening.

"I am terribly exhausted Louis, you have to go!" My voice quivering as I spoke.

"Just tell me yes or no, we'll discuss the details later."

"No!" I took a two letter word and somehow made it shorter. I ran into the house and into my room and locked the door. Getting undressed was easy, all I had on was my coat. I let it drop to the floor and I slid into bed

Cynthia was already there.