Old, old old.

I’m pretty sure I’m dead, because I walked into this diner three weeks ago and my side order of mashed potatoes still hasn’t come. They keep giving me coffee though. Except I don’t think it’s regular coffee. It smells like coffee, but it’s teal and tastes like mango and lets me see into peoples’ souls when I stir it.

“Hey, where are my potatoes? I ordered them like three weeks ago.”

“You’ll get them in another 4,563 years. In the meantime, do you want a paper?”

“Why does everything take so long here?”

“This is Purgatory. Things aren’t supposed to be efficient here.”

“Purgatory is a 50’s diner?”

“Purgatory is the world in which you died as seen through your eyes.”

“So if I looked through the eyes of someone else…”

“That’s why we give you the coffee. Drink up.”

All the busboys have wings. I’m not sure why I didn’t notice that before.

“Why can’t I go outside?”

“You can’t just walk out of purgatory. Sorry.”

“But what’s outside, then?”

“You see that fancy restaurant across the street?”

“The one with the glowing valets?”

“Yes. That is hell.”

“Oh. So where is heaven?”

“I’m not really supposed to show you, but-- follow me.”

The busboy had to fold his wings to get through the doorway labeled “Employees Only”. We were in the parking lot behind the diner. It smelled like grease and incense.

“There it is.” The busboy gestured to two young people kissing in a car. They morphed into new people every few seconds.

“That’s heaven?”

“They wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. Neither would you.”

“Where is god?”

“He died a while back. 1972 on the Christian calendar. We still miss him very, very much.”

“Things don’t just fall apart without him?”

“What is there to fall apart?”

“How do prayers get answered now?”

“They weren’t answered before either.”

“Elijah, what are you doing out there?”

“I was showing this man heaven.”

“Oh. Well, tell him his potatoes are ready.”

“Looks like your time’s up. Eat your food and talk to me.”

The potatoes were kind of cold. I couldn’t feel myself swallowing.

“Welcome to heaven” said Elijah, holding open the door of a 1959 Chevrolet.

She was sitting on the seat.

…………..

……………….. …….

“Catherine?”