Not so with my dream car. My hands grasped the cool stitched leather steering wheel. The fresh new car scent enlivened my senses. Pressing the gas pedal, my body felt a sensation like the first drop on a roller coaster as I smashed into the Italian leather seat. Control and power surged through my body giving me a feeling of omnipotence.
As I continued to accelerate I noticed I had a passenger. It was my broker, a beefy man wearing a charcoal gray suit with a maroon tie. His thinning black hair spread in stringy ribbons across the wrinkled crown of his head. He smiled weakly through a thin film of perspiration on his lip. Fumbling with his IPad he opened a link, showing my enormous fortune. Despite market volatility my equity value soared.
"As of today, Mr. Evans, you will never have to work again!", he said, patting his sweaty face with a dingy white handkerchief.
"Just the way I planned it!" I cheered.
Slapping the steering wheel I focused back on the road. Just in time, for right then an old homeless lady with a shopping cart appeared in my path. It all happened in the fraction of a second, but I could see every detail of her face; the deep carved lines of age surrounding her hollow, hopeless eyes.
Swerving just in time I cursed her. "Get a job old woman!"
I felt a strange mixture of pride and indignation. Pride at my success. Pride for my driving ability. Indignant for people too lazy to apply themselves to work. Indignant that I would have to fund the rest of their miserable lives.
"What about your wife and kids?", a small, barely audible voice drifted from the back seat.
I adjusted the rear view mirror. A dirty, waif of a child sat in my back seat. Her sandy brown hair, knotted and unkempt, looked more like a tumbleweed than hair. I could faintly detect freckles on her nose and cheeks beneath the dirt and grime. She said nothing more, but just sat motionless, her penetrating gaze boring a hole into my soul.
"Never mind about her, sir," It was my broker. "Keep your eyes on the prize."
His fat sausage like fingers tapped rapidly on the IPad. Pointing to a legal document he went on, "You have created a great deal of wealth for yourself, sir. This document protects you from losing any of it. I just need your authorization,"
As I reached over to sign the document another voice came from the back seat. Strong yet calm, I faintly recognized it, but couldn't place it.
"What will you do with me?" he said.
Again I glanced in the review mirror. For a moment, I saw the eyes of the old homeless woman, then the face of the child. A cold chill shot up my spine. Just as I was about to ask, "Who are you?" I thought I recognized him. His thick beard and strong jaw gave him the rough hewn look of a man who had overcome his share of trouble and more. His eyes, deep brown, shown like the sun. I could see his gentleness and felt an overpowering urge to know him more.
"Sir! Sir! These documents are time sensitive," It was my broker again. He frantically wiped his face as it sweated more profusely. I noticed he had a slight nosebleed. "Just sign these documents now. You can deal with him later," he said.
Looking back to the road I suddenly found it had become treacherous. Hairpin turns and drastic elevation changes put my driving skills to the test. I felt confident, though. I had faith in my abilities.
"Sir, the document," My broker looked impatiently at me.
Glancing in the rear view mirror I again saw the man.
"This will take just a second," I said. Reaching over I quickly signed the document.
I looked back up to an empty car. The broker, the child and the man had vanished. My heart raced. Panic set in. That's when the front driver side tire blew out. The leather stitched steering wheel ripped from my fingers as the car careened toward the guardrail. The deafening sounds of crashing glass and crumpling metal filled my ears. I felt the sensation of a free fall. Everything went black.
When I awoke, I found myself clothed in dirty rags. On my hands and knees I found myself on a surface like glass reflecting light for as far as I could see. Glancing down, my reflection shocked me. My face once smooth now resembled a leather mask, covered with deep intersecting wrinkles. To my horror, my eyes reminded me of the old homeless lady I almost hit.
That's when I heard my name spoken strong and clear. Looking up I saw the man from the back seat, standing strong and tall. Earlier when he was in my car, I wanted to engage him, to learn from him. Now I felt terror. I felt exposed. I could only drop to the ground.
"Lord! Lord!" were the only words I could say.
"I never knew you," was his only reply.
"But Lord, wait! I was going to speak to you that day. I had so many things I was doing. I..." I couldn't finish.
His reply cut me to the core. "During your life you pursued all of the pleasures of your temporary world. In doing so, you rejected the greater things. You rejected me. Tell me, was it worth it to gain the whole world, yet lose your soul in the process?"
"Lord! Lord! Wait!" I cried.
"I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreaker," was his final reply.
I awoke the next morning in a cold sweat. Everyone was still asleep. Creeping to the bookshelf, I pulled down the old bible. I just picked a place and opened it.
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13.
I dropped to my knees and called.
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