Week Eight

Divine Providence

Jason's ever-expanding gut overlapped the counter by less than an inch. Still, he made a note that - if he found the time - he'd start running again. He looked down at the microwave in his office's kitchen, and noticed that his colleague who'd used it previously didn't "cancel" off the remaining seconds on the screen. Jason sighed, pressed "cancel," and placed his frozen lasagna into the machine. 

"Jay, how was the weekend man?" Ted asked, knowing full well how Jason's weekend went. Jason didn't even bother to look up from his rapidly cooking meat and cheese to acknowledge Ted's presence in the kitchen.

"Good. Can't complain. Went to the-"

"Listen," Ted being more important Ted, "Do you have the latest sales sheets for the northwest region? I want to get those in front of some of our distributors."

"Yeah, I'll send them once I'm done with lunch."

"See man, the thing is, I kinda need them now."

Jason looked at the remaining minutes on the microwave. 4:32. His shoulders fell in defeat and resignation.

"Yep," and he walked back to his cubicle to send Ted the Bastard his sales sheets.

Once back in the kitchen, Jason saw Judy standing in front of the microwave. Jason's partially-heated lasagna sat on top of it.

"Oh, sorry Jason. Was this yours?" Judy pointed to the quickly-cooling lunch, "I didn't know if this was someone's or whatever. Another minute or two and it'll be cooked."

Jason didn't even bother answering or fighting. He was rapidly losing all control in his life, and he had neither the strength nor the energy to try and take the wheel back. 

---

Jason's head was pressed into the pillow. He could hear Marie somewhere back in the distance crashing clothes into the bottom of her bag in attempt to make sure he was both awake and aware of her displeasure. 

"...and the thing is," an audible continuation on Marie's internal thoughts, "you just don't care anymore. You have no ambition. You don't even try anymore."

Jason closed his eyes and found comfort in the back of his eyelids. 

"So that's it?" Marie again, "You have nothing to say?"

Jason remained motionless.

"Have a nice fucking life!" And Marie slammed the door to his bedroom. She heard her stomp down the stairs.

Out loud, Jason said, "Wait for it..."

And while she stood directly in front of the front door, Marie said, "I'm really leaving!"

"There it is" said Jason in a whisper. Another slammed door, followed by a car peeling out. Jason pulled the covers up to his neck, and, for the first time in a long time, found some relief.

---

The phone said "Mom" and Jason prepared himself. She only called with bad news. Usually, it was the death of an obscure relative or someone from her mall walkers group. Jason hoped it wasn't the dog. Not only did he genuinely like his mom's pet bijon, but without Ralphie to talk to, Jason knew his mom would call him more frequently. 

"Hi, mom," Jason wondered if she could detect the subtle annoyance in his voice, "what's up?"

"Jason, there are people outside my house," she said without proper introduction.

"What kind of people? Salesmen? Religious people?"

"No. People. People people."

Jason had heard stories about people who live alone. How they begin to invent stories and draw connections that don't exist.

"Tell me about these people, mom."

"They're just standing there."

"Well, are they lost?"

"No. Well, I don't know. Maybe they're lost. But I think they're government spies."

"Government spies. Right. And why is the government spying on you, mom?"

"I bought something from Amazon. I think the government thinks I'm a terrorist. You know they're watching, right?"

"Uh, what did you buy on Amazon, mom?"

"I bought a new spade for my garden. I bet they think it's a weapon."

"Mom, I seriously doubt the government thinks a 70 year-old divorcee in suburbia with a mahjongg hobby is going to bring down society with a garden shovel."

"You never know honey. Oh wait, now they're taking pictures of each other. Why are they taking pictures of my house?"

"Maybe they like your roses. Maybe, and hear me out on this, maybe they're taking pictures of themselves and using your house as a backdrop."

"You could be right."

"Do me a favor, let me know if they come back."

"I will. Thanks honey. Oh, by the way, do you and Marie want to come by for Sunday dinner?"

"No mom. Marie and I broke up."

"What? Why? What did you do this time?"

Jason rubbed his eyes. He needed to get off the phone. "Mom, I didn't want to tell you this, but Marie used to kill drifters."

---

The bar was lit by one-too-many neon signs, creating a white glow that lit the dirty corners a bit too well. Jason sat at the bar with a tall glass of beer. Next to him sat his best friend Matt, who, if it were possible, was even less ambitious than Jason. 

"Marie was so obsessed with changing you that," Matt struggled to use the right words, "you know, she was just a bitch man."

"Don't say that," Jason twisted the beer in front of him, "she's not a bitch."

"She wanted you to be her ideal man. But you know what I think? I think what she really wanted was for you to save her."

The front door opened in the distance. Jason didn't lift his head to see who walked into the bar. Matt hit him on the shoulder and casually pointed his chin to the door. "Two smoke shows just walked in. The best way to get over a breakup is to make really bad decisions. And these girls look like the best worst decisions."

"OK. We'll, I've got to piss. Try not to end up on a watch list while I'm gone."

As Jason walked to the restroom, Matt yelled over his shoulder, "Hey Jason, if you're American before you go into the bathroom and you're American when you come out of the bathroom, what are you while you're in the bathroom?"

Jason didn't even bother to answer.

"European!"

Jason cracked a smile.

---

Matt was deep in conversation with the two girls when Jason came out of the bathroom. Jason looked around to make sure he was in the right place. Matt, after all, decorated his apartment with vintage G.I. Joes, hadn't had a girlfriend since ever, and would list the last time he showered as "questionable."

"Jason! Come here, I'd like you to meet-" and before Matt could finish, the girls came running over to Jason and hugged him tightly, "uh... this is Kate and Nova."

Jason pried them off of him, and saw one of the girls crying. 

"Hey, uh... what's uh... what's up? Did I hear that right? Nova?" Jason studied the girls. The one who wasn't crying said, "Yeah, it's like Supernova, and trust me, I'm just as hot."

Jason looked at Matt as Matt happily mouthed, "What. The Fuck." with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on his friend. Kate was still crying, while Nova asked them what they were up to.

"I was just heading out," said Jason, pulling out his wallet. 

"You can't go!" cried Kate, "Please! Please don't go! We've come so far to see you!"

Jason gave her an odd and confused glance. "Yeah, I'm out." 

He put a 20 on the bar, gulped down the remainder of his beer, and bid Matt and the ladies a good night. Kate tried to grab his hand, almost to the point of obsession, but he quickly pulled it away, tucked it in his pocket, and walked briskly out of the bar.

---

First voicemail, "Jason, holy shit dude. These chicks are insane. You should have stayed. Things got amazing. It's like they just wanted to ... be near me. I don't know. It was weird. But the really crazy part was, they kept talking like they knew us. They knew too much about us. They could've boiled my rabbit for all I care, they were hot as fuck! Oh yeah, it's Matt. Call me back. They want to see you again."

Second voicemail, "Jason, it's Marie. I don't know if you think you're funny or what, but that was uncool. You don't have the motivation to clean up your life, but you do have the motivation to hire actors to follow me around and spit on me? Fuck you."

Marie was losing it. Matt might have been losing it too. Jason shrugged both of them off, got out of bed, and walked down to his kitchen. He caught a brief glimpse of them out his window. Four... no, five people standing on the sidewalk outside of his house. Some were taking pictures, others were genuflecting toward his house. He pulled the slats of his blinds down and peered out to get a better look. There was something odd about them - outside of the fact that they set up shop on a sidewalk and were taking pictures of his house while seemingly praying. 

Jason thought he may have been too hard on his mom.

He quickly assembled breakfast, took a quick shower, and opened his front door to head out to work. But instead of being greeted with his front porch, he was hit with an avalanche of items falling on him. There were baked good, candles, pictures of children, and a symbol of three interlocking rings in the shape of a triangle on pieces of wood and paper.

He gathered all of the items together, placed them in a neat pile on his porch, and began walking to his car. One of the people who were still on the sidewalk taking pictures shouted, "There he is!"

All five people began running toward Jason. He, in turn, began running at full sprint toward his car. Fumbling for his keys, he made it just inside his car before the mob caught up with him. Some pressed their hands up to the windows, others made an attempt to open his doors. Jason honked his horn and managed to reverse his car into the street and drive away. In his rearview mirror, he saw all of the people on their knees, praying in a circle while looking up at the sky.

---

Still shaking from being attacked, Jason walked into his job at Smithson Prefabricated Homes with an uneasy edge. He was greeted by Judy who informed him that several people had already stopped by to see him, but none left their names.

Strange, he didn't have any appointments today. 

Opening up his laptop, his emails began flooding in. 

Dude, call me. Women are showing up at my doorstep. Ok, there are some dudes in the mix too. But all of them want to talk with me. Some asked me to preach to them. One woman said she wanted me to impregnate her. They won't stop talking about you. What the hell is going on? Did you sign up for a Russian bride?
-Matt

 Jason,
I'm calling the cops. This isn't funny. Call off your hounds.
-Marie

Jason,
It's your neighbor Andrew from across the street. There are like 30 or 40 people gathered on your front lawn. I don't know if you're having a BBQ or something, but at this point it's becoming a disturbance. Our HOA doesn't allow more than 20 people on a lawn at the same time.

Jason sat back in his chair. His life had officially gone off the rails. He expected to either wake up, or find a camera crew hiding around the corner ready to unveil that he'd been on a prank show. Neither happened. 

"Jason, this is Judy at the front desk." Jason's phone sprang to life, "There's about 8 or 9 people here who want to talk with you."

Jason peered over his cubicle and saw a group of people in the lobby. Some held signs. Others had gifts. One had a painted picture of Jason, albeit one that removed his gut, his wrinkles, his bald spot, and the grey hair on his temples. And there, amid the chaos, was that same triangle made up of three rings.

"Thanks Judy. Tell them I'll be right out."

Jason didn't even bother hanging up the phone. He ducked behind his row of cubicles, and sprinted for the back stairway. He ran into the parking lot and saw a line of people 100 bodies deep waiting to get into the building. He ducked behind a bush and spotted his car in the distance. It, too, was covered with candles, gifts, and the symbol. 

Instead, Jason ran in the opposite direction, away from the line of people and no where near his car. Hopping a fence, he found himself in a line of woods that separated the residential part of town from the commercial corridor. 

"Matt!" Jason whisper yelled into his phone, "I need to meet up with you."

"Jason, am I glad you called," Jason could hear a party happening in the background, "these people are saying some wild shit about you. Like, crazy shit. I think they're part of a sex cult or something."

"Great. I need you to meet me at the Bethel Motor Inn. Come alone and don't tell anyone where you're going."

"Yeah. You got it."

Jason rang his mother, "Mom, it's Jason."

"Jason! I was just having a brunch with some people who say they know you."

"Mom. Get them out of your house. Lock your doors. Close your windows. Don't answer the phone unless it's me."

"But they're really nice people. And, they brought gifts!"

"Mom. I'll call you later. Get them out of the house."

The last call was going to be the hardest to make. "Marie. Hey, it's Ja-"

"Fuck you. Fuck you! Jason, someone threw a rock at me. A goddamned rock! And once it slammed into my arm, they came over and said I was evil incarnate and you were a being of light. What the hell is going on with you, Jason?"

"I... I don't know. I really don't. I'm trying to figure it out. But do me a favor..."

"You want me to do you a favor? How about you kiss my ass?"

"Marie. Please. It's important. I don't know who these people are, but I think you're in danger."

"You think I'm in danger? Oh, having a rock tossed at me didn't convince you? Being spit on my strangers didn't convince you?"

"OK. I know you're in danger. I'm headed to the Bethel Motor Inn. Matt is meeting me there. We're going to figure this out. I think it'd be best if you met us there."

Click.

"Shit."

---

The Bethel Motor Inn was a representation of a better time; a time when motels weren't looked upon as havens for druggies, prostitutes and near-homeless families. Built with the intention of offering travelers a place to rest en route to their final destinations, the Bethel Motor Inn, sadly, now represented the final destination for too many people. 

Jason, still sweaty from his run to the Inn, grabbed his room key and walked into his room. Immediately, he drew the shades, sat on the bed, and rubbed his temples. What the hell was going on? 

His phone beeped with a text message from Matt. "Which room, homey?"

"202"

30 seconds later, Matt was at the door, and Matt had brought Nova.

"Dude. I told you. Come alone," Jason said, while glaring at Nova.

"Yeah, but Nova is cool."

Jason peered around, and grabbed both Matt and Nova and brought them inside. 

"Nova," Jason said, desperately trying to grasp at sanity, "can you please tell me what's happening. Why are people following me? Are you part of this? And what is ... this?"

Nova's eyes grew wide, "Holy shit. Holy shit! I'm the harbinger. I'm the motherfucking harbinger! I mean, you read about these people, but you never expect the stories to be about you."

"What are you talking about?" 

"Yeah, what does 'harbinger' mean?" Matt asked.

Tears were forming in Nova's eyes. "I can't believe this. I'm the one."

"The one what!?" Jason's voice wavered between confusion and annoyance.

"I'm the one who gets to tell you about your destiny."

"Ok. Leave. Get out. Go." Jason walked to the hotel room door and opened it up. Standing in the doorway was Marie. "Marie, uh... I didn't think you'd show up. Get in." He pulled her inside the room and she sat down on the bed opposite Matt and Nova. Jason paced the room. Nova glared at Marie.

"Jason. What is going on. And who is Matt's girlfriend? Oh, quick follow-up, why does Matt's girlfriend look like she's about to stab me in the eye with a hotel pen?" asked Marie, clearly sick of all that was happening to her.

"Funny enough, Nova-"

"Nova?" interjected Marie.

"Yes, Nova was about to tell us. Turns out, she's the harbinger."

"Well why the fuck not? Come Nova, tell us what the hell is going on," 

"Oh my god! Ok, well first," Nova quickly looked around the room, "I need to make this more formal." She walked into the bathroom and came out with a cheap motel bathrobe draped over her shoulders like a cape. Next, she gestured for Matt to sit down. Standing in front of all three of them, she began to talk.

"I'm from the year 2348-"

Marie stood up to walk out the door. 

"Please. Sit. Please. I'll explain everything," Nova pleaded. This concerns you too. "In the future, we've developed a means of time travel. We can go forward and back through time, but because it takes so much power to travel back and forth, we can only go so far."

"And why did you choose to come back to 2018?" asked Jason.

"This was the earliest time we could travel to," Nova the harbinger said.

"OK, but what's with all the people following me? Who are they? What do they want with me?"

"Jason, you are our savior. You create a religion that brings peace and harmony to the world. You are a divine being who sheds light on the darkness."

"Lady, you've got the wrong guy," Marie interrupted. "Jason can't even remember to do the dishes in his sink." 

"No. We've come all this way to help Jason start his church," Nova turned to Jason, "To show you the way."

"I'm sorry, and please forgive me if this is off-base, but are you part of a cult?" Jason asked, "You know... brainwashed?" 

"No. I'm a follower, like millions of others across the world, of the Fellowship of Man. A religion started by you, Jason, in the year 2018."

"Get the fuck out of here!" said Matt, finally. Jason was trying to process all of this, while Marie was still filled with disbelief. "So if Jason is some magical god, who the hell am I?"

"You, Matt, are his apostle. You spread Jason's message throughout the world. You preach the word of the one true god to all who will listen."

"OK. This has been fun. Little Miss Hippy Chick has apparently taken one too many hits of Molly at the last Phish concert she went to." Marie got up to leave.

"And she," Nova pointed at Marie, "Is the disbeliever. The darkness. The one who tries to thwart Jason's lightness."

"Well, I hope in whatever bible they write about all of this, they get this next part right," and Marie extended her middle finger to Nova. "I'm out!" Marie opened the door and stopped suddenly. 

The parking lot of the Bethel Motor Inn was filled with thousands and thousands of people. All stared intently at the door to room 202, waiting for Jason to appear. Marie slowly stepped back inside.

"Jason," Marie said, slightly astonished, "Your people await."

"Everyone stop! This is fucking ridiculous. You," he pointed a finger at Nova, "and this... cult or whatever, are full of shit. I'm not religious. I haven't been to church since I chugged all that communion wine in eighth grade. Plus, and hear me out on this, time travel doesn't exist."

"Yet," Nova interjected.

"You know," Matt said, "You don't need to believe in anything to lead a religion. You just need to make others believe that you believe. All great religious leaders know they're peddling snake oil."

Marie sat back down. The chanting outside grew louder. Jason turned to Nova. 

"So tell me future girl, why me? What makes me so divine?"

"Well, as our texts have taught us, you have always helped the needy."

"I volunteered at a homeless shelter once because the girl who organized it was hot."

"It is said that you have the ability to resurrect man and animal alike."

"Ha!" Matt suddenly chimed in, "She said 'erect!'"

"Resurrect? Sorry Nova, I've never resurrected anything."

"Our texts speak of the time you brought life to that child at Currituck Beach."

"Currituck? No, that was... that was CPR. I was a lifeguard."

"Congrats Jason, you're just a normal lifeguard," Marie tapped him on the shoulder. Outside, a chorus began singing. 

"Most importantly, you were visited by an angel of light on your 10th birthday who recognized your divinity."

"My 10th birthday? Nova, I'm sorry, but your 'texts' are just exaggerations. These are embellishments to make me seem more important."

"Why? What happened on your 10th birthday?" Marie, suddenly curious.

"It was nothing. My parents had already split up. My mom left me with my dad, and my dad's new girlfriend gave me a copy of Led Zeppelin's fourth album. I only remember it because it was the only gift I got that year."

"She was an angel," Nova said reverently. 

"No, she was a prostitute he met in Vegas."

The sun was falling deeper and deeper in the sky. The streetlights turned on, and the parking lot of the Bethel Motor Inn was filled with swaying constellations from the candles held by Jason's followers. 

Defeated, resigned, but intrigued, Jason realized he couldn't escape. There was only one door out of the room, and the crowd outside grew more and more energized the longer he waited. 

"What the hell am I supposed to say to these people?"

"You are a divine being of light. Speak from your heart." Nova said.

"This better not end with me nailed to a cross." Jason let out a sigh and stood up.

"Say something about how I'm a sex god and all hot chicks should procreate with me," Matt said, way too seriously.

Jason straightened his hair in the mirror and noticed for the first time today a design on his t-shirt. He was wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt with the four "runes" featured on the band's fourth album. Seeing the three circles in the triangle formation used by drummer John Bonham, Jason let out a laugh. He turned to Marie.

"How do I look?"

"Like a guy who has absolutely no idea idea what he's doing."

"So... normal. Got it."

---

Jason slowly made his way out, and stood in front of the mass of people. It took him a few moments to calm his nerves and find the appropriate cadence. But once he kicked into gear, the people were enthralled. He welcomed them, thanked them, and talked about his desire to find control in a world quickly spinning into chaos. Still inside the room and still filled with incredulity, Marie watched as Jason commanded the crowd. He was kind, warm, and important. And despite what she'd thought of him in the past, she had to admit that this was the most ambitious thing she'd ever seen Jason do.