A Word With God
Sergio was the type of guy who always had the worst luck. He was stuck in a dead end job and hated pretty much everyone that he worked with. Except her, Charlene.
Everyday at the office was the same old routine, get to the desk, take some calls, go to lunch, take even more calls and then finally go home. Everyday was a working day, even holidays and weekends.
As a young child Sergio attended church with the family every Sunday, so he was a firm believer in the Christian faith. Even now, he still attends church, even though he doesn’t live with his folks any more. More out of habit than anything. Just like smoking.
He started smoking at a young age, around 16. Many times he was caught by his parents and each time it was the same. He would wait outside the house until he was called in. He would look to the sky and say “God, I need a word.” He would explain the story to God and hope that there was something that He could do to make the situation better. God never did anything.
Sergio lived on his own in a small flat on the shadier side of the city. The flat was often burglarised, so much so that he contemplated moving many a time. The small flat was the only thing that his budget would allow though. It was funny in a sense, he was the only one that was ever robbed in that area. He just attributed this his to bad luck. Each time he was robbed he would look up to the sky and say “God, I need a word”. He would explain the situation to God, hoping that something would come of it. God never did anything.
Sergio tried many times to quit smoking. He might have succeeded too, were it not for his luck. Each time he was almost sure that he would never need another cigarette again, something bad would happen. He would pull out his orange Zippo lighter from his right pocket and his packet of Camel Lights from his left and light up.
Each couple of days he would go home, to his mother’s house. Just to see how the family was doing. Each visit was always the same. Walk in the door, have some tea and talk about how he could have been doing much better with his life if only he had tried harder to achieve academically in school. Throughout his schooling career, Sergio was simply an average student. His parents wanted him to be getting straight A’s, like his older sister, not C’s.
School had never been a good time for him. He never had any interest in what was being taught. He was more of a dreamer. He wanted to be outside talking with friends, or just relaxing. Not being taught in parrot-fashion out of a text book. Sergio was in constant trouble due to his pre-occupied mind. When he would sit outside of the headmaster’s office, he would say “God, I need a word”. He would explain the situation to God, hoping that something would come of it. Nothing ever did.
Sergio would think of all the times he had spoken to God, asking for some assistance. He worked out that on average, he would speak to God more that twice a day. Calculating in this way, he slowly began to lose his faith.
Driving to work, Sergio would always take the quickest way he could find. He always wanted to be at work on time. Driving down the quiet suburban roads, he heard a loud bang. Getting out of the car to inspect, he saw that he had a puncture. Waiting for the AA to arrive, he reached into his right pocket and pulled out his orange Zippo lighter, then reached into his left and pull out his Camels. Lighting up his smoke, he took a deep drag. Smoking always relaxed him.
An hour and eight cigarettes later, the AA arrived to tow his car and gave him a lift to work. On his arrival he was notified that his boss wanted to see him. He stood in the middle of the lobby, took a deep, weary breath and said “God, I need a word.”
His boss had let him off with a stern warning. If it ever happened again, he would be out of a job. Getting fired didn’t sound like such a bad thing just then, he despised everything about the place. The thought played through his mind almost constantly while he was at work. He had it all planned out.
He would be at work early as usual, unlock his boss’s office and take a seat on his chair. When his boss walked into his office, Sergio would offer him a seat. He would raise his hand to Kim, the secretary that she may close the office doors, so the two of them could have some privacy. He would explain how much he hated almost everyone at work and how much he despised his boss with his the high-class Armani suit. He would then spit on his boss and pull out the 9mm from under the desk and shoot the bastard in the chest. Every time he had this thought, he would smile a cold, evil smile. “Nah, I’m not a murderer” he thought, and with that he would carry on with his work.
Friday night he was invited to a party at one of the scumbags from work’s house. He decided he would go, just to see what went on at such work socials. Standing at the bar, he noticed that Charlene was looking at him.
She was everything he could ever ask for in a girl. She was smart and very beautiful. Her body was shaped like a soda-pop bottle, and her eyes were a light baby-blue colour. She was amazing. She called him over for a chat. He wished that he could go over there and whisper sweet nothings into her ear, but he knew he was hopeless at that type of thing. So he downed what was left of his brandy to steel his nerves before proceeding towards her.
The conversation couldn’t have had gone any better. They were a perfect match. They liked the same music, movies, everything. She suggested that they leave the party early, and make their way to her place. So they did.
Waking up in the morning with Charlene in his arms was the best moment of his life. He leaned over to see the time on the bedside clock. It read 7:59am. He closed his eyes then looked up at the ceiling and said “God, I need a word”. He told God how Charlene was everything he had ever wanted, and now would be the best time for Him to step in and do something. “God, please make this moment last, even if it’s only for one second.”
After talking to God, Sergio look over at the bedside clock. It read 7:58am.
