Chp. 8: Larry goes to Heaven

"Oh come on!" What's taking this lady so long?" Larry said to himself aloud while beeping his horn. His cab was parked outside a small blue house on the corner of Scarifice Ave. The grass hadn't been cut in ages and the roof was in need of serious repair.He sat there impatiently waiting for his customer to appear.
The door finally opened as a blond haired female waved him away.

"Sorry Larry, she changed her mind!" The young woman yelled. Larry rolled his eyes not giving the girl another look as he revearsed and pulled out from the house. "That's the third time i've been stood up from that damn woman." He said to himself.

Unfortunately, that was the least of his worries.

He reached down to turn on the classic radio that was still surviving in his cab. He turned the knob so he'd get better reception, when he came across the channel he'd been looking for. After hearing two songs he disliked, some interesting news came on the air that sparked his interest.

"Police are still searching for clues about the hit and run accident that occured 24 hours ago near the Jumping Jacks Bridge. The victim is in critical condition and cops are saying the suspect may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you have any information please..."

Unable to hear anymore, Larry tuned the radio off.

He recieved another pick-up call and headed towards his client. As he drove, he became lost in thought. "I hope the kid pulls through." he thought. "I don't think he saw me? Even if he did, he doesn't remember... I knew I shouldn't have been smoking that crap with Celia in here. Fuck! I need to come clean." he thought to himself searching for the address of his client.

He finally noticed he'd arrived at the address when he saw an elderly woman standing outside waving at him. He pulled up in her driveway and dimmed his lights.
The night had taken over and the air became cool and crisp.He got out the car to open the door for the old lady.

"You didn't see me waving at you the four times you drove past me?" Asked the woman looking at him with a kind smile on her face. She stood at about 4'11 and wore a yellow sundress with yellow and white sneakers. Her voice was soft and it reminded him of his days in Mexico when his grandmother would bake sugar cookies for he and his siblings.

"Take me to the bar on 14th and Dance Crazy Ave." He looked at her and wanted to laugh. "Your headed to a bar?" He asked trying not to sneak in a giggle.

"Oh, it's nothing like that. I hear my daughters over there crying her poor eyes out. She's been at the hospital since last night and I know she hasn't gotten any rest." She said while accidently stepping on his worn out grey sneaker.

He closed the door for her and got in on his side.

"Sorry about your daughter ma'am." he said in a sincere tone. "I hope everything turns out alright..."

"Oh, Thank you young man. Everything will be ok, I pray." She said with hope in her voice. "I just hope the lost soul who hit my grandson, will turn himself in. I'm sure who ever it was didn't mean to do it, but they should still confess..."

Larry's red and yellow eye's became wide and his heart began to thump through his chest. He looked at the lady through the rearview, and almost passed out when he saw she was staring at him first. Their eyes crossed for only a second, but it seemed like an eternity to Larry. It was if she knew he was the culprit. He lowered the tip of his dirty baby blue University of North Carolina cap so the tip met the edge of his pizza maker mustache.

"I'm sorry about your loss ma'am." said Larry, trying to focus on the road.

"Loss? Oh, he hasn't passed yet! You don't want my grandchild to die do you?" Asked the elderly woman.

"No... No ma'am! I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." Larry said taking a deep breath and blowing out heavily.

"Oh, I know you meant nothing by it." she said in a refreshing tone.

The woman slid to the other side of the back seat.

"What's that awful smell in here?" She said rolling down the other window.

Larry knew exactly what it was.

It was the smell of the cigerettes and crack smoke that leaked into the cloth fabric of the seats. It was the smell of his debauchery that had her grandson in the hospital holding on to life.

"This is an old cab, you know how that is." He said, staring dead ahead of him.

As he continued driving, the dark sky around him suddenly turned blue than quickly switched to red. The two colors began to toggle between themselves as Larry looked behind him to find his world crashing down.

"Oh dear. I hope you have your papers ready" said the old woman jokingly as she looked back finding the cops behind the cab.

Larry took a deep breath and pulled over, turning the cab off. Pictures and memories of being locked up in prison replayed in his mind. His eyes began to water and he shook his head.

"I can't go back there. I can't." He thought, looking at his sideview as the cop proceded to his window.

Without giving it another thought, he turned the car key and started the car again. He watched the cop running towards the car as he peeled off.

"Oh Dear!" screamed the old lady as she poked her head out the window.

"Help!" She cried, looking back at the cop as he turned around to get back in his car.

Larry's heart began to beat violently. The rush of adrenaline overcame him. The lady in the back screamed louder and louder and the flashing lights of the following officer nearly blinded him.

"What am I doing!" He thought to himself out loud.

"That's what I wanna know!" Said the lady, holding tightly to her purse.

Larry looked in the rearview and noticed 2 more squad cars appear on his tail. He began to cry as he approached the Jumping Jacks Bridge.

"I can't go back! I can't!" he yelled.

With that final thought, he made a sharp right turn and drove off the bridge, killing himself and the old lady.

And with that, the angel closed the book and they both looked up at the Lord God.

"Did she accept my son?" Asked the Lord.

"No sir... Our records indicate she attended church for 37 years, but she never asked your son into her heart." replied the Angel.The woman's soul was engulfed in fear as the Lord turned to her and said "Depart from me, Ye who do iniquity!" And in the blink of an eye the old woman was gone from the presence of the Lord forever.

"Did he accept my son as Savior?" Asked the Lord.

The angel replied, "Yes father, he did at age 16. He was baptized in your son's name also." The Lord got up from his great throne and walked over to Larry. He gave him a huge hug and welcomed him in. "Welcome home son."