He wasn’t religious. But he’d read the Bible, front to back.
He wasn’t college educated. But he knew right from wrong. When he stole the motel ash tray inscribed, “Thou Shall Not Steal – 5th Commandment,” he knew it was wrong: It’s the 8th commandment, not the 5th.
He wasn’t poor. But he didn’t waste. “Proverbs 21: The wise store up food, but fools gulp theirs down.” He purchased only Acme-brand food staples, plus cheap hooch to make his favorite drink, a Noah’s Ark: Two ice cubes, two fingers of water, two fingers of spirits. Substituted OJ for water at breakfast to avoid scurvy.
He wasn’t powerful. But he won a lawsuit against his corporate employer. “Samuel 17: Goliath fell to his knees.” The conveyor belt had crushed his right hand, crunching down and gobbling up his whole palm. Doctors left him just a shiny stump, but with his winnings he could afford all the aged Jack Daniels he wanted, the only whiskey mellowed with sugar maple charcoal. “Proverbs 3: Do not whithold good.”
He wasn’t lonely. But aside from quoting the Good Book, he didn’t talk much. Spent most of his time alone with Jack. Because “Ecclesiastes 4: “By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend, you can face the worst.” Together they listened as cooing pigeons fluttered up from the pavement, sounding like angels soaring toward the heavens.
Liz deBeer is both a teacher and writer with Project Write Now, a writing cooperative based in New Jersey. Her latest flash has appeared in Switch, Lucky Jefferson, Every Day Fiction, Sad Girls Diaries, Blue Bird Word, Libre, and 10 by 10 Flash Fiction. She has written essays in various journals including Brevity Blog and New Jersey English Journal. She holds degrees from University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. Liz's website is www.ldebeerwriter.com .