Section one

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Content is (c)2008 Eric Foster

Chapters:
1. The Unseen
2. Reunited
3. Good Enough
4. Obstacles
5. Going through the Motions
6. The Refusal
7. The Trial
8. Recovery
9. The Choice
10.Your Choice

The Unseen

The morning sun began to shine through the white, fluffy clouds and rainbow-colored leaves as Frank drove down the familiar country road, headed toward his favorite fishing spot.

“Can I put the worm on the hook again, Dad?” asked his nine-year old son Josh from the back seat. “I’ll try not to drop any of them,” he continued.

“Sure,” replied Frank as he glanced into the rearview mirror and smiled. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“He’s a great kid,” added Jason, Frank’s longtime friend and fishing buddy. They had been friends since grade school. They grew up three houses away from each other. Their birthdays were two days apart, and as long as they could remember, would go fishing together to celebrate. Over the last ten years, they tried to stay in touch as their lives started to drift apart. It was a hard task since Frank moved away to Fairfield to start his job. But they kept their annual fishing ritual intact, despite the physical distance that separated them.

Frank enjoyed the trips and now that his son was old enough to go with them, he enjoyed them even more. He loved spending time with his son, but was often too busy with his work schedule. He had made it a point to keep this weekend open for the fishing trip and Josh was excited to finally be “one of the guys”.

Three weeks ago they celebrated Josh’s ninth birthday. He gave Josh a new fishing pole and tackle box, with what seemed like a thousand hooks and lures in it. As they drove along Josh held tightly to his prized possession in the back seat. He couldn’t wait to finally be able to go fishing with his dad and “Uncle Jason”.

As they drove along the winding country roads, Frank and Jason were trying to decide where to park once they got to the lake. They wanted a spot where they would have the best shot at catching something, mostly for Josh’s sake. They wanted his first fishing experience to be a memorable one.

Frank’s cell phone rang and interrupted their discussion. Frank reached for the phone and saw the phone number. “It’s Mommy!” he exclaimed, looking in the rearview mirror at Josh. “Hi, honey. Is everything okay?” Josh smiled and began to wave to the phone. “Hi, Mommy!” he called as if she could see him waving.

“Yeah, everything is fine,” replied Jodi, his wife of ten years. “I just wanted to see if you would be able to stop by the store on the way home from the lake and pick up a few things.”

“Sure,” replied Frank. “What do you need?” as he reached for his pen. It slipped through his fingers and fell to the floor by his foot. He reached for the pen and took his eyes off the road for a split second.

“I need you to get something to bring for dessert tonight to Jon and Sara’s hou…” Her request was cut short by a loud screech as Frank slammed on his brakes and turned his wheel, trying to avoid hitting the oncoming car that swerved into his lane.

“Frank? Frank! Are you there?” she yelled frantically into the phone. The screech of the tires was quickly followed by a thud, as Frank’s cell phone hit the floor. He frantically gripped the steering wheel and tried to regain control as his truck slipped across the pavement. “Frank!” she cried again as she heard the two most important voices in her world scream, quickly followed by the sound of crashing metal and breaking glass.

“Frank? Josh? Are you there?” she yelled as tears burst from her eyes, desperately hoping for the best while fearing the worst. She ran to the door, grabbed her keys off the small wooden table, and ran barefoot to the driveway, getting into the car.

The dog that had run in front of the on-coming car sprinted off the road into a nearby yard. When George, the driver of the oncoming car, saw the dog leap in front of his path, he quickly jerked the wheel to the left to avoid hitting him. As he did, the morning sun’s rays shone through the colored leaves, making it impossible for him to see Frank’s truck rapidly approaching.

Before either driver could realize what was happening, the two vehicles had become a twisted mess of metal, pushing Frank’s truck off the road and onto the shoulder. As his tires hit the loose gravel, Frank lost control. His car swerved into the ditch and rolled down the steep embankment. They were jolted to a stop as they collided with a massive pine tree, throwing Jason through the windshield. He landed twenty feet from the car and was covered with glass. As the car rolled, the driver’s side was crushed, trapping Frank and Josh inside.

Josh watched in terror as Jason was propelled through the glass, covered in blood and bits of the windshield. He saw that his father was pinned between his seat and steering wheel and wrestled with the seatbelt, trying to free himself. He finally was able to get free, falling to the roof below him and fumbled to open the door. His left arm was broken and he crawled from the car, leaving his precious tackle box behind.

George unhooked his seatbelt and ran to where Jason had landed and saw his bloody, broken body. He frantically called 911 and told the operator of the accident. As he gave the details and location of the crash and Jason’s condition, he saw Josh crawling out of the car, yelling, “Dad, Dad! Wake up!” George ran to the boy’s side, scooping him into his arms as the boy cried “You need to send 3 ambulances!” yelled George in a panic. Please hurry!”

It was only four minutes later and George could hear the sound of the ambulances drawing near, but it seemed like an eternity. The screaming sirens of the responding paramedics were a relief to George as he held the little boy, trying to comfort him. George looked at one stranger on the ground, and one in the truck, hoping that they would survive.

By the time the ambulances and police arrived, four other drivers had stopped and were directing traffic around the scattered glass and twisted bumper of George’s car, now lying in the middle of the road. One woman had taken Josh away from the scene, trying to comfort the scared boy.

As the rescue teams worked, George stood in shock, watching the two strangers, with whom he would now have an eternal bond. Jason struggled to take each breath; and Frank was being pulled from his truck, unconscious.

“Sir,” the technician declared, “You have to move back. We need room to work here!” In a daze, George took a step back, feeling the heaviness of guilt weighing on his heart. “I didn’t see him. I didn’t even see him,” George repeated to the questioning officer as tears welled up in his eyes.

He turned to see the crying boy in the arms of a stranger and thought about his own children. “We’re losing him!” yelled one of the technicians working on Jason. George’s eyes flew from Josh to the bloody stranger as he was sharply brought back from his thoughts. As they worked on Frank, George quietly wept, seeing both men slip farther from this world.

Frank slipped in and out of consciousness several times, each time opening his eyes to see a different face above him, hooking him up to equipment, getting ready to transfer him to the ambulance. “Hold on, buddy,” consoled Jim, a red-haired paramedic in his thirties. “You’re not going anywhere yet!”
“Ready, one, two, lift,” yelled Jim as they hoisted him onto the stretcher and rushed to the ambulance.

“I found a cell phone!” Frank faintly heard from one of the officers searching through the crumpled car. “Jodi!” Frank said in desperation, in a whisper soft voice. “Tell Jodi.” He once again slipped into unconsciousness.

“Call someone named Jodi, probably his wife,” the paramedic yelled to the officer as they closed the door to the ambulance. The loud roar of the ambulance and flashing lights didn’t wake him this time.

As the second ambulance sped away, a white Toyota Camry screeched to a halt. Jodi jumped out, crying and yelling, “What’s going on? Where’s Frank? Where’s Josh?” she sobbed. “Ma’am, is this your son?” asked the officer who was with the paramedics who had been working on Josh, trying to console the young boy. “Mommy! Mommy!” yelled Josh as he pushed his way from the officer and ran into his mother’s arms.

“Where’s my husband?” she demanded as she kissed and hugged her bruised, broken son. “Are you okay?” she asked Josh as she hugged him tightly as he sobbed.

“Your son is going to be fine. He is banged up and his arm looks broken, but he looks okay,” replied the paramedic who had checked him over. “We need to take him to the hospital to get checked out. You can ride with us in the ambulance. Your husband is already on the way.”

“Ma’am, we also need some information about your husband.” He gently put his arm around Jodi, who was dazed by all that was going on in front of her.

They passed by the crumpled, overturned truck as they walked toward the ambulance. “Oh my God!” gaspped Jodi as she burst into tears. “Oh my God!” She couldn’t help but stare at the crumpled truck still lay in the ditch, wondering if she would ever see her husband again.

“We need to go now, Ma’am. Please follow me,” insisted the paramedic as he led her toward the ambulance.

Jason remained unconscious in the back of his ambulance as it rushed to the hospital. The paramedics worked on him, but he continued to lose more blood and slip further from this world. One paramedic was keeping him alive while the other two tried to stop him from bleeding to death.

Twelve minutes after the car rolled down the hill, their valiant attempts failed. He simply lost too much blood from the massive gashes in his neck and head – results of his encounter with the windshield. The ambulance pulled into the emergency entrance and the paramedics slowly opened the back door to the ambulance in defeat. They lowered his lifeless body onto the dolly and wheeled him inside.

Three miles behind them, Frank’s ambulance sped along the streets, racing against time. Frank lay in the back of his ambulance, limp and attached to multiple tubes and monitors. Many of his bones were broken when his vehicle bent around him.

“We’re losing him!” yelled Jim in the back of the speeding ambulance, seeing the heart monitor quickly move from a faint beat to a solid, flat line. “Get the paddles!” he continued, as he prepared to bring him back to life. “Ready…Clear!”

Reunited

“He’s back,” Frank faintly heard as he came back into consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, but could only make out faint images of the paramedics and the back of the ambulance. “What’s going on?” he thought as he tried to wrap his mind around the events of the morning. He suddenly remembered his son. What happened to him? he thought. What have I done? Will I ever see Jodi again?

His thoughts drifted back to the day when he and Jodi were reunited. Their separate lives once again headed toward each other until they permanently collided on that special day. It was fate, they both were convinced of that.

It was 9:20 on a cloudy Tuesday morning as he pulled into the parking lot of Baker and Dunn. Frank was one of the newest executives with the small but growing marketing firm situated on the outskirts of Fairfield. He was a talented finance manager who began working there three years ago. He quickly worked his way into his current position and was well respected by the rest of the leadership team. The firm had a great reputation and was growing fast. Two months ago, it acquired a smaller firm and was in the process of integrating the two staffs into one team.

“There’s heavy congestion on the interstate. I’d try an alternate route as you make your way into work today,” announced the morning DJ, as he once again read the traffic report and Frank searched for a parking spot in the overcrowded lot. “Thanks a lot for telling me now! It’s a little late, don’t you think?” he barked, a bit frustrated that he didn’t take an alternate route.

Finding a spot in the seventh row of the lot, he got out, slammed the door and marched into the building. As he walked toward the tall glass building he looked at his watch, hoping that somehow the time had changed. He growled to himself, knowing that he would be late for “the” weekly staff meeting.

After the meeting, he walked to his office and checked his email, hoping to find good news about at least one of the proposals he had sent out. All he found was an inbox full of ads and junk mail. He hoped that his day would turn around soon. Nothing seemed to go his way.

He worked quietly at his desk until 11:30 then walked to the break room to meet his friend, Tim. As was their tradition, the two men were having their Tuesday sports lunch, discussing the results of last night’s football game. They were diehard fans and last night’s game was a disappointment.

Frank and Tim had met in college, joined the same fraternity and became great friends. After college, they both applied to Baker and Dunn. Frank began working there right after graduation and Tim took a job with a competitor. After a year of disappointing work and Frank’s encouragement, Tim joined their staff and they began to work together.

“Hey, it’s great to have you back. How was your trip?” Frank asked as he filled his mug.

“It was great. I wish I could have stayed longer. I’ll have to show you pictures sometime,” offered Tim.

“That would be great. Where exactly in India did you visit?” asked Frank as he sipped his coffee. “I’ve got to tell you, I don’t think I would have picked India for a vacation.”

“Well, it wasn’t really just a vacation. I went with a group of people from a church to help people out. It was more of a…” Tim lost his train of thought as he noticed an attractive woman walk past the door, carrying a stack of paperwork. “Wow! Who was that?” asked Tim.

“Her name is Jodi,” replied Frank, as he waved to the woman walking by the doorway. “She was here for a few months when I first started, then got an offer to work in Europe with another company. We really hit it off, though. She was great to work with.” The smile on his face as he remembered working with Jodi told Tim that there was a lot more to the story.

“I don’t remember you talking about her. What is she going to do here?” Tim asked, looking out the door to the break room.
“I’m not exactly sure. I think she is going to work in our international ad department. Do you want me to introduce you? Maybe she has a friend for you,” asked Frank and snickered, as he got up and walked toward the coffeepot. “Hey, do you want a refill on your coffee?”

“No, thanks,” Tim replied, as he took another sip, “I’ve already had about four cups. And Pam and I,” he continued, “are doing just fine.”

Tim was curious about the look in Frank’s eye when he saw Jodi and wanted more information. “So, how well do you know her?”

“Not that well. We worked together a bit on a few projects and had a few drinks together. That’s about it. She just moved back to the States and sent in her resume. I recommended her to Gabe and he took her back.” He stared into his coffee as his thoughts drifted back to working with her. “She is brilliant. And she is a great person. Really nice, you know? Not fake. It was great to work with her.”

“It’s nice to hear that I made such a good impression on you,” responded Jodi with a smile, who had walked into the break room while Frank was talking.

“Jodi!” He put down his coffee mug and quickly walked over to meet her. “I was just telling Tim about you.” he continued as they gave each other a hug. She was anything but slow-paced. She walked across the room with speed and purpose, speaking as if she had just washed down an energy bar with a pot of coffee.

“I heard,” she replied with a smile. “I’m glad that we are working together again.” Feeling the awkward tension as their eyes locked for what seemed an eternity, Tim stood up and walked over to greet her.

“Jodi,” Frank stepped back and smiled, “this is Tim Riley.”
“Nice to meet you Tim,” as she shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you too. Welcome back to the team.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a smile. “I look forward to getting to know you. Any friend of Frank’s must be a nice guy.” She had a southern accent that Frank adored. Realizing as she was speaking that she had derailed their conversation, she continued, “Was I interrupting a meeting, or were you two just taking a break?”

You weren’t interrupting anything.” Tim replied, glancing from Jodi to Frank and back to Jodi, realizing that Frank’s eyes never left her face. “From what Frank is telling me, you are going to be a huge asset to the company.”

“I hope so. I am excited about where we’re going. I was just happy that there was a position open when I got back here.” Jodi glanced back at Frank and noticed the clock hanging on the wall behind him.
“Oh! Hey, I hate to run, but I need to meet with Gabe. I just wanted to stop in and say hello.” She walked toward the door and turned again, pausing to glance toward Frank, softly smiling. “It’s really good to see you again, Frank. We really need to catch up soon. What are you doing Friday night?”

“Nothing,” Frank answered. “Let’s have dinner and catch up.”
“Great. We can leave right after work if you’d like,” Jodi replied. “I’ll stop by your office tomorrow and say hi and make sure that you’re still free.” Turning and again walking toward the door, she added, “And it was really nice to meet you, Tim.” She was gone.

Good enough

The memory of meeting Jodi slowly faded from Frank’s mind as he felt the poking and prodding of the paramedics. He saw them bandaging his leg and arm, but felt nothing. He began to wonder if he was paralyzed or if they had given him enough drugs to dull the pain that much.

He listened to the paramedics talk as they tried desperately to save him. He slowly glanced around the ambulance, watching the monitors and listening to the beeps of the equipment keeping him alive. Slowly, the images he saw faded to a blurry haze. The conversation of the paramedics became a distant echo as he slipped into unconsciousness and the heart monitor’s steady beep slowed. “He’s leaving us again!” yelled Jim as he grabbed the paddles once again. “Clear!”

“Frank,” he heard in a soothing voice calling to him from a distance. “Frank, come with me.” He felt himself approaching the deep voice but couldn’t explain how he was moving. He had forgotten about his bloody body, his pain and his fears. He began to sense someone approaching from his left. He turned to see who or what was there.

As he turned, he saw a figure like a man, but he was unable to see his face. He desperately wanted to ask, “Who are you?” but didn’t ask. Frank watched the man as he followed him, looking to his left and right, taking in the scenery as they walked along. The sounds, scents and views were like nothing he had ever seen before. The peace that filled him was indescribable.

Frank was led into a large room, decorated with bright, colorful stones. The stones were brilliant, with colors that he had never known before. In the center of the room was a pool of what looked like liquid silver. The room was surrounded by what Frank believed to be angels, each with many wings. On the right, about 50 feet away, was a large marble platform.

“Come here, Frank,” he heard yet another voice call to him. He looked up and saw a man in brilliant clothes, even brighter than the others he had seen, standing between him and the platform. “Do you know where you are?” he asked Frank in a loud, booming voice. Frank shook his head “no” slowly as he watched the figure approach him.

Frank looked around in amazement. He had never seen the colors and smelled the amazing fragrances that he was experiencing. “Do you know who I am?” the man asked.

“Jesus?” he replied with reverence and fear in his voice. “No, Frank. I am not even worthy to look into His face. My name is Jadon. I am one of His,” responded the powerful-looking being. “Do you know why I have brought you to this room?” he asked.

Frank shook his head again, still speechless and dazed with amazement. “Do you see that book?” Jadon asked as he pointed to the marble platform and walked toward it. He stood next to the massive book and opened its cover. The book looked three feet wide and seven feet tall. The thickness of the book was astounding. It was almost as tall as the angel. “Do you know what this book is?”

Frank had never really believed that Heaven existed, and even if it did, he thought it was a state of being, not a physical place. “Frank, I need to show you something.” Jadon continued, as he pointed to the book. “This is the Lamb’s Book of Life. Do you know what that means?”

Frank again slowly shook his head.

“If your name is in this book you may stay here. If it is not in this book, you may not stay.”

Frank was frozen with a mixture of fear and awe. He was puzzled and stared at the large book, admiring the beauty of it but hoping and wondering if his name was in it.

“Frank, I’m afraid that your name is not listed here.” Frank had never before experienced the overwhelming dread that filled his soul as the words came from Jadon.

“What? There must be a mistake! How can that be?” He felt weak as the weight of these words sank in. “I was a good person! I did good things. You must know that!” he exclaimed in panic. “I went to church with my wife, I helped people. I gave to the needy. What happened? This must be a mistake!”

He frantically ran onto the platform. Jadon stepped aside and watched as Frank tried to turn the pages of the massive book, but was unable to even lift a page. “It is not a mistake, Frank.” Jadon replied softly.

Frank fell on top of the book and began to sob, as the cold reality of his fate slowly sank in. “Frank, you are right. You did many good things during your life.”

Frank quickly raised his head and begged, “Give me another chance! I’ll do better. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Frank!” interrupted Jadon, in an earth-shaking voice. Frank froze in fear. Jadon pointed to the book and softly asked, “Why do you think these names are written here? They aren’t good people. Some were murderers, thieves and prostitutes. They are from every tribe and tongue among the earth. Some were rich and some were poor. They weren’t good, but they are all forgiven.

Frank looked puzzled and confused as he heard these words.
“They received the gift and were forgiven,” continued Jadon as he looked toward the book and effortlessly flipped the massive pages. “Let me show you,” he continued. “Paul the Apostle,” he read aloud. “Have you heard of him?”

“Sure,” replied Frank. “But didn’t he write a lot of the Bible?”
“Right,” continued Jadon, with a smile. “He was used to write down God’s Word.”

“Well, how can I compete with that?” retorted Frank.

Jadon smiled. “But he was also a hard, cruel man. He killed many followers of Jesus. He tortured and executed them. He ordered others to do the same. You never did any of those things, Frank. By your standards, he wasn’t even as good as you. But he was forgiven.” A deeply puzzled look overtook Frank’s face.

Turning the massive pages again, Jadon read another name. “King David. He was appointed by God to be the king of Israel. He wrote much of the book of Psalms. He is called ‘a man after God’s own heart.’”

“But David also killed many people. Once, out of lust, he had a man killed so he could have his wife as his own. Not exactly a good person, right?” asked Jadon.

“Right?” Frank asked with confusion.

“But he was forgiven,” continued Jadon.

Frank’s knees gave way as he felt the heaviness of his looming potential sentence.

Jadon read forty names from the Book of Life. Each time, he described the sinfulness, deceit and corrupted heart that each had. Some were well known and some were simple people from every tribe around the world. And each time he ended their list of wrongs with, “but they were forgiven.”

“Frank, so many people, just like you, think that they are good people. The truth is that no one is really good. God told you in His Word that all people have fallen short, they are all sinners, just by nature.”

“What do you mean?” asked Frank, with bewilderment in his voice.
“The times you do things that are against God’s will don’t make you a sinner,” answered Jadon. “You are a sinner, just by your human nature. And this sinful, human nature is why you do sinful things.”

He paused and let this truth sink into Frank’s heart. “Frank, let me show you something.” He walked off the platform and across the room. Frank followed closely, wondering what to expect next. He led Frank to the shining, silver lake and peered in. He pointed to the lake saying, “Look. I will show you your life – the good and the bad.”

It seemed as though they stood at the edge of the lake for days, reviewing his life, scene by scene. Everything from a time he stole a candy bar when he was ten to the church picnic he worked at last week was laid before him in an instant. Frank was in awe, embarrassed at his cruelty at many times throughout his life, and proud of his accomplishments and times he had donated his time or money to do wonderful things for others in need.