I could see that God was spying on me again. I looked up and there was the lens of his glass in the clouds above me. I wasn’t sure what he was hoping for, but all I was doing was going to the bank. Previously, he’d limited his spying to when there had been some sort of drama, like a breakup or at least quitting a good job that I hated. This time he must simply have been curious, though I was sure I’d be a disappointment. I hadn’t actually been in a bank for years, having always used machines instead, but the fact that I had to go in hardly seemed like a major source of drama. So, his interest was a mystery.
In the event, of course it wasn’t a mystery at all. He knew something I didn’t. That was kind of how he rolled, so I really shouldn’t have been surprised.
When I got outside, I realized that I was supposed to meet Rebecca for lunch soon. When I’d suggested it, she’d seemed hesitant about it, so I really didn’t want to push my luck. I didn’t want her to think “I knew it,” when I showed up late. So, I started running.
I had large boots on and, even though I meant to quit, I was a heavy smoker, so the running was really taking it out of me. So was the frigid air. Every breath made it feel like my lungs were being sliced and diced, but even though it hurt, I couldn’t stop panting and breathing heavily.
But I really needed to make the next train, so, despite how terrible I was feeling, I pushed myself to keep running. Then I started to cough and had a full-on fit. There were people stopping to look and wonder if I was going to be all right.
I had to stop, obviously, and I looked up at the sky, where I could see that God was still spying on me. I now figured that there was, in fact, some big event that he was anticipating. I wondered if it was just the coughing fit, but maybe he was just watching my struggle to get to lunch on time. I hoped that it wouldn’t be me missing lunch entirely, but I couldn’t be sure.
I hadn’t really got my breath back, but I started walking again anyway. It was becoming clear that I was never going to be able to catch the train that I wanted. I was beginning to wonder if I’d even be physically capable of making it to the station.
I’d missed the train, so I was kind of relaxed, but in an angry way. Things were tight, and I didn’t want to spend my limited funds on a taxi. And I didn’t even know whether a cab would get me there on time anyway. There would be another train right away, but no matter what, I was going to late for my meeting with Rebecca. I texted her to let her know, and I could almost hear the sigh of resignation in her brief response.
When I finally made it, I was about fifteen minutes late. Not terrible, but not good either. Rebecca smiled at me when I waved from the street. I looked up and God had stopped spying on me. The struggle to get there had been his main thing, obviously. Which boded well since he only seemed interested in my disasters. The actual date itself didn’t interest him at all. So I actually felt kind of confident as I finally went inside.