Steve Has Lunch
The first thing that Steve saw was a series of cafeterias, all of which indicated that they served different national cuisines. He went into one at random and similarly selected some food. He had no doubt that it would be nothing short of excellent.
Of course, there was no cashiers. Money didn’t exist in Heaven. As he left the line, he was hailed by a gray-haired man at a table.
“No, it can’t be,” Steve thought. But he went over anyway.
The man stood up and indicated that Steve should take a seat. As Steve put his tray down, the man said: “Hello, Steve, I’m Al” and he stuck out his hand.
Steve shook it and said: “I thought you might be. Nice to meet you.” As though he needed an introduction to the man who was the most famous physicist of the 20th Century. He noted that while he himself was wearing a plain white robe, Al’s robe had orange sleeves.
“It’s nice to see another physicist. I just got here a few days ago, myself,” Al said.
“A few days ago,” Steve echoed. “I thought you died sixty years ago.”
Al shrugged. “I did. But I was in a holding area. You might call it ‘purgatory’, but it was basically a processing center.”
“I didn’t know anything about any of this. How does that work,” asked Steve.
“They call it ‘Holding’. That’s where they put souls whose final disposition is in doubt. They stay there until The Powers That Be make a decision. And they aren’t in any rush. I met a Sumerian there.”
“What happens there?”
“They decide what to do with you, really. Was your life righteous enough to get into Heaven, evil enough to send you to the place that we call ‘Hell’, should you get another chance, or should you just stay there and reflect on your life’s work. And I should mention that being absolved by some religious figure for your sins counts for nothing. In point of fact, religious piety while perpetrating evil deeds gets you sent to Hell even faster.”
“I’m trying to take this all in. I didn’t believe in any of this,” Steve said. “God, Heaven, an afterlife, none of it.”
Al nodded. “By the way, we don’t use that name for Him. We refer to Him as ‘The Boss’. I understand your reaction. I didn’t believe in The Boss as a celestial judge or architect, so it was a bit of a shock to find myself in Holding.”
“Why where you there,” Steve asked.
“It was that whole atomic bomb thing. The support I lent to the Manhattan Project and that letter I sent to the President. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble thing. What one does with it is quite another.”
“And your fellow physicists on the project? What happened to them?”
“Bobbie Oppenheimer is still in Holding, what happened to him and what he did after they tested the Gadget counted for something. Ed Teller, well, he got sent down. Some others got another chance.”
Steve pondered that. “What is this ‘other chance’ that you mentioned?”
Al ate a little and then said: “You might call it reincarnation. Your soul gets wiped of all knowledge of your past and then you get to try again. Your native gifts, such as intelligence, don’t get wiped. But sometimes your past leaks through. That’s where the ‘past lives’ stuff comes from.”
It was a lot to take it. Steve hadn’t believed in a lot of what he was hearing. “But you got through.”
Al didn’t look pleased. “Not entirely. These orange stripes mean I’m on a tight probation. I do whatever they want me to do, with a smile. And there is no faking anything here. They know what’s in your mind, in your heart. You can’t fake sincerity.”
Steve looked puzzled. “You said you’ve been here for a few days. How have you learned all of this?”
“In Holding. They’re nothing if not forthright with the challenges one faces. Souls who come here directly don’t get all that information. They don’t need it. They get cured of all infirmities, all physical disabilities, they’re basically reset to their prime for mental abilities. Nothing is added, in that regard. You get a job commensurate with your abilities. If you’re a good soul, you do what you can. If not, that eventually reveals itself and down you go.”
Steve gestured towards his meal. “And this? Do we really need to eat?”
Al laughed. “No, it’s mostly for the new souls, to help them become accustomed to being here. You’ll find out that you don’t urinate or defecate, the waste products just...disappear. It’s sort of a minor miracle, I guess. It’s a tradeoff for not having to install sewage systems.”
Steve laughed. “I can’t imagine what heavenly poop would be like.”
“Me either. Anyway, go. You should find your room and then check in at your job.”
“And my tray and dishes? Where do I take them?”
Al pulled them across. “Leave them to me. It’s part of my job.”
Steve stood up and offered his hand. “It was nice to meet you.”
Al shook it. “You, too. Be good.”
“I shall.”
Steve left to find his quarters.
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