Beyond Life, Love.

"And, when you want something,
all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist


Some days you just wish you could turn back the clock and relive your life once again. At least that's how John felt today. After getting fired from his job he went to the park across the street from his office. Usually the park would be filled at this time of the day with mothers and their children, dogs and their owners, homeless people, hotdog and donut vendors and joggers, but it was almost empty today. It was as if everyone knew he was coming to the park and emptied it. He sat on a bench near the fountain. Behind him were a few children on the swings and two dogs running around the field. The pigeons near the fountain looked at him as if to mock his already miserable day.
A man sat beside him and drank his coffee. John looked around at all the empty benches thinking to himself 'are you kidding me? This guy had to sit beside me!'. He was around his 50's and looked like a college professor.
"what are you doing?" the man asked, still looking straight ahead at the street. John wasn't going to respond, but then said politely "I'm waiting for my girlfriend, Ellie.".
"You're going to break up with her, am I right?" he asked.
John was shocked, "How do you know about that?" he asked.
"You have that look on your face, a man who has given up on love" the man said. John rudely replied "what are you, the Love God?". "No just The God, Love God's busy somewhere else." John snickered and asked "then why are you here with me? Don't you have work to do?"
"Well I do, you are my work for today. I'm here to guide you." God said.
John was silent, after a moment he asked "how can I believe you, do something...Godlike." God replied "Well I can't, you just have to believe me, but I can show you something else."
He pointed towards the hot-dog stand and said "That man's daughter is in the hospital and he needs money for the surgery. Now look at the customer, she's the Goddess of Kindness."
The woman gave the man an envelope full of money. The hot-dog vendor started crying and thanked her. She glanced towards God and nodded her head, he did the same. John was baffled. "Now close your eyes and listen carefully." John heard police sirens, people screaming from a street nearby. Tires screeched and a car crashed. "Open your eyes" he pointed at a young teenage boy across the street, "he is the God of Justice. The car that crashed was of a serial killer and rapist." The boy looked at God and nodded. John was speechless.
"Okay, I believe you, but why me? Why now? Why not help the hungry people in Africa or save the innocent in Syria or stop the wars around the world?" John asked angrily.
"Son, I don't know how I can answer that. To be honest I don't have much control over what people do." God replied, "I'm here to help you through today. Why do you want to break up?".
"I don't have a job or a house or a car, I can't even take care of myself. I need to focus on my career. She would be better off without me" he said.
"That's the most beautiful thing about love John, she doesn't need all of that. You are just 27 years of age; more than 50 years of life awaits you. You have to decide whom you want to spend those years with." God said.
John was silent for a minute, thinking about the past 5 years that he had spent with Ellie.
John's phone started ringing. "Be strong." God whispered to him. John ignored his comment. He took the call only to hear someone crying on the other end of the line, it was his sister. "John. Mom is dead!" she said. John hung up the phone, completely shook he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He looked at God, "I'm sorry" he said. It was as if someone had reached into his heart and squeezed it, his soul shredded into a million pieces. Tears streamed down his face. He put his hands over his mouth to stop himself from crying out loud.
Somebody's hand was over his head, their fingers brushing along his hair. He looked up to find his mom standing in front of him. "Don't cry" his mom said with a smile on her face. He hugged her as tightly as he could. "Don't leave me alone mom. I don't know what to do with my life, please." John cried out.
"I know you're scared but you've got her with you. Marry her, she's perfect for you" She said pointing toward Ellie who was entering the park. He looked at Ellie and knew at that moment she was the woman he'd spend all of his life with. He turned around, when God said "We have to leave now John". "I love you" his mom said and kissed him on the forehead, "Goodbye" She took off her wedding ring and gave it to her son. He wiped his tears and said, "Bye Ma." God and his mother faded away in front of him. He walked towards Ellie and kissed her. She chuckled and asked "what's wrong?".
John smiled and said "Everything."