Intercession at the Intersection

    Joshua, being of a superstitious nature, was consumed in his daily life by fear and ritualistic tendencies. He somehow managed to reach the age of forty-five without being irreversibly affected.

    Shortly after his birthday, he was scheduled to see a physician under the advisement of his loving wife, Darlene. He had his appointment scheduled for midday, knowing the inordinate amount of time needed to finish his rituals and get out of his driveway.  

    On his predetermined route (familiar and routine of course) he encountered an impassable obstacle. The traffic light at a four-way intersection was flashing reds, because of a power outtage. The power was out because a car clipped the pole.  

    Assessing the scene, Joshua figured out the entire chain of events. At that moment, he decided he should have been a traffic cop instead of an I.T. desk jockey. As far as he could determine, the cause was a no brainer. 

    The window cleaner on the adjacent corner was carefully carrying an open six foot ladder over his head. The sports' store whereupon the windows were being cleaned had open umbrellas being displayed inside the building in full view. Bricks from the pet store wall were knocked out by the car, allowing an entire litter of black kittens to escape and wreak havoc by daring to bathe in a sunny spot on the crosswalk.  

    Yes, Joshua knew exactly who to blame. The weatherman, of course, was the guilty party.

   The weatherman was predicting a deluge of rain in the coming days. The sports' store, which sells rain gear, decided to capitalize on the prediction and wanted their consumers to have a clear view so they would panic buy their gear. The window cleaner under the ladder distracted the driver of the car causing the car to hit the pole knocking out power, then hitting the pet shop releasing the cats. The weatherman was, obviously, to blame.

     Satisfied, Joshua carefully turned into a parking lot, reversed course, and returned home. There, he called the doctor's office and explained, "I cannot make my appointment today because the weatherman said it's going to rain tomorrow".

    This was a perfectly legitimate reason in Joshua's mind. He worked it all out. "So what ", he thought, "if they all think I'm crazy.

    His wife, returning from working a double that evening, was none too amused by the excuse. She vowed to call and schedule another appointment first thing the next morning.

    This routine repeated for several weeks, with varying degrees of reason, preventing Joshua from making his appointments. All we're justified in his mind.

   During his fifth attempt to arrive at his appointment, his cellphone rang just one block from the troublesome intersection. This was odd and startling because Joshua always turned his phone off when driving.

    He found a place to pull off the road and carefully checked his call log. Not recognizing the number, he was about to turn the phone off when, again, it rang.

    "Hello,"?

    "Mr. Plackman, this is Metro Police."

     "Yes, what is it, what the matter"? Joshua asked feeling annoyed.

     "Well, sir, we regret to tell you that your wife, Darlene, has been in an accident. She's at University Hospital in critical condition. It's advised that you get there as soon as possible."

     Of a sudden, Joshua dropped the phone on the seat, jerked the shifter into drive, and laid rubber on asphalt to get to the hospital and to his wife Darlene.

    Without thought as to what he was missing, Joshua drove right through the intersection. The umbrellas we're still open in the store, the one remaining black kitten was given free 'mousser reign ' over the sidewalk, and a brick Mason was sitting under a tarp draped open ladder taking a water break in the shade. Joshua was unaware of it all.

     In little time, he arrived at the hospital and after a frantic search, was at his wife's bedside in intensive care.

    "Darling, Darlene, I'm here. I'm here. Oh, please be okay. God, please let her be okay.". Joshua implored of both his wife and God.  

    Between barely moving lips, and not much above a whisper, Darlene answered. "I'm okay Josh. I hurt, but I'm okay."

    For the next five weeks, Joshua was able to do all of his I.T. work remotely. He went home at night, took over all of Darlene's chores and ran the household errands. Not one moment's thought was wasted on rituals and superstition.

   Darlene spent her five weeks going through numerous surgeries and procedures. She was doing well, and set to return home the fifth week. She had noticed that Josh wasn't doing his usual rituals. She dared not mention her observation, that it might cause a relapse.

   On Darlene's first night home, Joshua hustled about waiting on his wife's every need. Darlene watched in amazement as her husband walked in the front door and out the back, didn't knock on anything, and broke a mirror and just cleaned it up. So happy she was to see her husband seemingly healed, she began to cry.

   Seeing this, Joshua rushed to her side. " Darlene, what's wrong? Are you hurting?" He pleaded.

   "No. Not at all. I feel better than I have in years, actually."

    Confused, he asked, "but how can that be, your accident was just five weeks ago"?

    "Yes, I know, but the greater pain was being unable to help you heal from your compulsions. So you see, my body hurts, but my heart is healed."

   At that moment, realization hit Joshua that he had indeed lost his compulsion. After a long silence, he let out a breath he had not realized was bated, and he, too, began to cry. With that, they knew he was healed.

   Joshua never knew that Darlene had spoken to God, who asked her to make the way for her husband easier. She'd taken that to mean trying to get folks to change things at the intersection. She left, but never made it. She was t-boned by a garbage truck as she was pulling out of her parking lot at work six miles away. Darlene knew then, listening to God healed Joshua, healed their marriage, and would heal her body in time.

  "God is great!". They both said in unison.

   "All the time. Amen."