Hugs & Blows

Reading

Odette hasn't done a reading in quite some time, but on this particular Tuesday she decided she had to do one. She mentioned it at the staff meeting, everyone was excited.

Drew, Ethan, and Lindsay among countless others sit in the dimly lit cafe waiting for Odette to begin.

"My current lover believes in God. He's a Catholic, of sorts. Now I can say I have slept with a Godly man, as Godly as one can be and have premarital sex of course. I have also slept with an Atheist. I myself am an Atheist.

Ethan, my lover who believes in God, prays every night for my eternal soul to go to heaven. I don't believe in Heaven, every time I touch him, look at him, speak to him, I do so with the knowledge that it may be the last time, and if it is the last time, there is nothing after that. Nothing but memories and decomposition.

Ethan believes that he will get a second chance with him, up in the skies above. He believes this with all his heart and I do not fault him for that. In fact, I hope I'm wrong, I hope that he's right. I hope that Heaven and God and all of that biblical nonsense is real.

Because my love, He deserves it. I hope he gets to experience eternal bliss. But I know no matter what, I won't. If heaven is real, I am damned to Hell. But that's okay, because I could never appreciate Heaven knowing that so many others were suffering, deserving or not.

I have suffered through this existence and I have savored my life. I would never wish suffering on anyone. Especially not Ethan. This is my way of telling him that minutes, days, months or years from now when we're deceased, and if you're in Heaven which I hope you are, and I'm in Hell whatever that my be. Enjoy yourself. Live your afterlife."

She gets a standing ovation, and she isn't entirely sure why.

Ethan hugs and kisses her. He says "Tonight when I pray I'll make a deal with God, either take you to Heaven with me or damn me to Hell."

She giggles.

Odette looks at him and says "Do you remember that night I danced on your table?"

"Yes, you said the most beautiful thing about immortality."

"Exactly. You're immortal too you know. I've written a lot about you. Poems, that I may never show anyone. You live forever in my heart, and in my writing. You are the ink the stains the papers littering my bedroom floor."

They kiss and Drew spills his coffee on Lindsay, an intentional accident.