Weighty Meaning

He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

In the confessional with Father O’Dwyer, Saturday, 5:00 p.m. his weekly ritual.

“ Bless me father for I have sinned in thought, word and deed. It has been one week since my last confession”.

Please continue my son.

“ In my thoughts I have sinned with my best friend’s wife. I know she likes me because of the way she looks at me, her knowing glances, her attentiveness to my words, and I have sexual fantasies which I deeply regret”.

Please continue my son.

“ In my words I regret my responses on social media. But users are so pathetic in their attempt to justify their state of being that I can’t hold back in condemning them”.

Please continue my son

“ In my deeds I don’t do enough to call out the injustices of this world because it may affect my status and hurt my lifestyle”.

I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For your penance say three decades of the rosary. Go in peace my son to love and revere the Lord.

Feeling refreshed and high in spirit he drove his car towards home and entered the highway. Here was that difficult merge, he sped up to pass the car driving parallel to him, but the other car also sped up and passed him as he was trying to merge. Enraged he swerved to the left and cut in front of the car. He braked and watched in satisfaction as the car behind him adjusted accordingly. He sped up and braked again, and again, and again. Stupid bloody, drivers they need to be taught a lesson in courtesy on the road.

He remembered his wife had asked him to pick up diapers for their new born. Pulling into the pharmacy he searched for a parking spot. The parking lot was crowded but he managed to squeeze his car into a tight space. Upon returning from his errand a livid woman was cursing him for parking so close to her car that she could not open her door. He ranted at her for not parking equally between the yellow parking lines and what else did she expect for her thoughtlessness.

Upon returning home he deposited the diapers in the bathroom and proceeded to the fridge for a beer. His wife, the mother of six children, greeted him in the kitchen. “ I really need your help, the kids have been a handful all day, I just need a minute to myself”. He replied “ What about me, I’ve had a rough week at work, I know my boss hates me, and is angling to get me fired. I’m trying to put food on the table for you and the kids. I need my downtime too.”

He took his beer to the garage for peace and quiet and to get away from the family.

He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.