Chapter Four - Jesus and I Get a Taco

I kissed my wife and girls goodbye, and walked out to my truck, to embark on my weekly trip from Ohio, back to Michigan. As I walked up to the driver’s side door, it unlocked by itself. That’s when I saw my bearded friend, sitting in the passenger seat.

I got in. “Thanks for unlocking my door. I assume you will be traveling with me today? It is good to see you Josuha.”

“Yes Ted, it has been awhile and we need to talk,” he sayith unto me.

The last time I had seen my friend, it was over four months ago and he was ascending from the demon-Corona incident. The world had gone crazier, or I had become more aware.

Maybe both.

As I started the long drive back to Michigan, his graciousness piped up. “Let’s talk about your dream.”

“My dream? What dream? Which dream? If it's about the one last night, I mean, you know, a man does dream such things.”

I tend to have very vivid dreams about very vivid people. I found the thought of anyone, let alone the Son of Man peering into them, I found disquieting, to say the least.

“No, not the one from last night. That was just your regular guy dream-dream. I am talking about the dream that was real.”

“Oh, that one. You know about that? That was over five years ago! I didn’t know anyone else, not even you, were privy to that. I have tried my best to forget it, or at least put it away somewhere. Do you want a latte? I was going to stop at Starbucks,” I offered he.

“No, the caffeine makes me edgy. You Wouldn't want an edgey God running around, would you? Zeus was big on coffee, and you see how he used to mess with Jason and the Argonauts!" The Lord was tickled by his own sense of humor.

"You know, Jesus, you shouldn't laugh at your own jokes." I cautioned.

"Heck, I laugh at you! You are one of my favorite jokes!" he howled.

"Alright, alright. That's enough. Sheesh, how do you treat the people you don't like?" I was stinging from that last jab.

"Look it up!" he replied.

"Back to your dream….what was different about that dream, Ted? What made it different from all the other dreams you have had?” There was a tone of seriousness in voice.

My stomach dropped, as the dream back to me. “The realness of it. It wasn’t like a floating, mind just bouncing around dream. It felt real. It looked real. It smelled real, and it scared the hell out of me.”

“Why did it scare you?” (I thought this a stupid question.)

“Probably because I am a human. You know, we humans are funny about those things.” I joked. I was trying to lighten the conversation, hopelessly.

“Tell me the dream. The best you can.” Joshua was genuinely concerned. I know it’s his job to be concerned, but this concern was purposeful. He was leading me somewhere, and I knew where.

“The dream was short. I imagine it occurred in the blink of an eye, had my eyes been open to blink.

All I remember was being somewhere, I don’t know where. I don’t remember if I was standing up or sitting down. Standing, talking to some others, I think. Then I heard the loud bang. The sound of a shot being fired.

I did not feel any pain, but my legs buckled under me and I crumbled to the ground. Someone caught me as I was falling.

I felt warmth on the back of my head, and on my neck. I reached back with my right hand and felt something wet, warm and sticky. I pulled my hand in front of my face and it was covered in blood. I realized then I had been shot.

Shot in the back of the head. Everything went black. Then I was dead.

I knew I was dead.”

“So, what do you think it meant?” askith the Lord.

“Meant? It meant that it was a dream about me getting shot in the back of the head.” My heart was pounding. I was scared. Terrified.

“You know what I mean. What do you think it meant for you?” Joshua was pressing me, making me look somewhere I didn’t want to. But, I knew. I knew, I knew where we were going. I did not want to go there.

“Come on Ted, you know it. You know it, don’t you?” The lord was getting actually pissed.

Then I exploded. “Okay! I know, I know. I think I am more than “normal” for not wanting to acknowledge I saw my own death. Who the fuck wants to know exactly how they are going to die? Sure, a lot of people say the would like to know, but that is pure bullshit! Hell, everyone knows they are going to die someday, but do they lived their live's like that? Fuck no! Me, I get to be special, again. I lived my own death. I died my own death. Thanks a whole bunch. Good Lord, Lord, like you don’t know that?!” I screamed.

“Yeah, I know it. I just wanted you to acknowledge it. Let’s get a taco.” I heard Joshua’s stomach growl.

“And some Coronas.” I added.

“Of course.” said the King of Kings who loved Coronas.

We drove on down the road looking for a place with good Mexican,that served beer.

The conversation was just beginning.

copyright 2007 Ted Sky All rights reserved.