Adam stood with his head in the shower letting the warm water run down his neck. Small bits of the conversation on the bluff came back to him as he tried to piece together what God meant when they said it was possible to return to Eden. The question was one he desperately sought an answer to his whole life in vain. As he turned the water off while stepping out he wondered when his next opportunity to get answers would be. It was as he was wiping steam off the mirror with his hand that he found out.
“Well hey Pal!” God said with a grin.
Adam grabbed the shower curtain to slow his fall as his feet slipped out beneath him, only ripping the cheap plastic from its rings. In the mirror Adam’s own reflection was replaced with the image of God.
“Uh, do you mind covering that up? Where’s your shame?” God said with a finger pointing down. Adam wrapped a towel around his waist as he stood up.
“Uh, yeah, let me just, I’m Sorry.”
“Yes, I know you are. I came to tell you I changed my mind” God said.
“About what?” Adam asked.
“Eden. It’s just not possible. I know you’re disappointed. It’s so sad. But it just can’t be done.” God said.
“But last night… you said you would help.”
“Help you? I mean, have you seen yourself?” God said with a sneer. “Out of all the people in the world, why would I help you?”
“You said we had a real connection.”
“Oh Jesus, you sound like a clingy ex-girlfriend. Do you think you’re some contestant on a TV game show? Connection. If you want a connection, catch a train. Like I said, I knew you would be disappointed, which is why I came up here to tell you personally. You know, you really should work out more.”
Adam fought the temptation to slam his first through the mirror as he stood there still. “How could you change your mind?”
“I… said some things I shouldn’t have. Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. I really have to get back to doing God stuff. Very important. Busy busy busy.”
“But…”
“Tell you what, I’ll come by the bluff tonight, we’ll talk about it then. Busy, busy, busy!” God said with a wave as Adam’s reflection slowly comes into view through the frosty mirror.
Adam continued to just stand there and stare. The thing is, he wasn’t disappointed. He had come to expect disappointment, which in its own way eliminates the feeling, or at least softens it by giving you the disappointment you expect. The more you want something, the more it hurts when you realize it’s not meant to be. But he did want answers.