Not You Again...

Not You Again…

Jerry Pritchett knelt at his bedside, hoping to summon his Higher Power. It wasn’t the first time he’d gone through this ritual; the fact was that he'd done this more times than he could remember.

“Oh Almighty One, please have mercy on me for what I’m about to do tomorrow,” he asked.

A deep loud voice suddenly boomed from above, rattling the windows of his bedroom and startling the small man.

“Oh, no. Not you again, Jerry,” said the voice. “You can’t be serious!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I wanted to know that I’ll have your forgiveness.”

“Does it really matter, Jerry? You’re just going to keep on punishing yourself, regardless if you have my forgiveness or not. And you of all people should know that I don’t look at this type of behavior very lightly.”

Jerry took a deep breath, then continued his plea. “I know you don’t, sir, I know you don’t. But I promise this is the last time.”

“That’s what you said the last time, Jerry. And the time before that, and the time before that. Even I’ve lost track of how many times you’ve said it. Look, Jerry, you’re almost thirty years old. You’d think you would have learned your lesson by now.”

“Sir, I promise you…”

The Higher Power drew a heavy sigh. “Alright, Jerry, I’ll forgive you. But I better not hear from you again.”

~ ~ ~

The very next morning Jerry prepared himself for what he hoped would be the last time he ever committed this act. He showered, shaved, put on his best suit and tie, and walked out his door to face his destiny. And when the organ music started to play in the small chapel, the timid little man strolled down the aisle to marry his seventeenth wife.



(298 Words)