Negotiating Karma (P.5 of 5)

 

This was certainly a “groundhog” moment. I was repeating a scene in the past for the third time. George, the younger, sat at the barstool next to me, nursing his scotch neat. In a few seconds, he would turn to me and say:

“I'm sorry, but do I know you. Sorry if that sounds weird, but really, you do look familiar.”

As this is the third repetition of this short moment in a long life; instinctively, I knew that something needed to change to set the future straight or in the right direction. At that time, I really didn't have the slightest idea. I replied:

“No, I don't believe we have ever met before. But I must say, you look a bit familiar as well.”

George the younger turned away, sipping his drink.

As the silence between my younger self and I continued, the beautiful woman, like the past two times, entered the bar. George the younger peered longingly back at the lady sitting alone at the seat next to the open windows. It dawned on me that perhaps by running interference between them, the adulterous encounter would never happen. It was then I thought, 'I'll initiate the encounter!'

“Excuse me, bartender.” I said.

“Yes sir.”

“You see the young lady by the window. Please give her a glass of your best champagne.”

“Certainly, sir.”

George the younger gave me a disapproving look. “She's a bit young for you. Don't you think?”

This statement had taken me off guard. I looked down at his sparkling gold wedding ring. “Well, George, is it? I'm currently single, and by what I saw on the beach today, your new bride is quite attractive.” He saw me peering at his ring, shrugged, remained silent, and continued to sip his scotch.

The bartender served the woman the champagne and told her who it was from. I raised my glass to her, and she did the same. It was then she beckoned me over to her table.

Our conversation touched on the banal, telling her that I was a heart surgeon practicing in Los Angeles. She told me she was a model, meeting a fashion crew over the next few days to shoot for some sports company. Over the years in my medical practice, I always know when someone is lying to me. This beautiful woman was not a fashion model, but the hotel's resident escorted anyone she deemed appropriate for her special services. Our conversation was coming to a close when she handed me a card with her room number. George, the younger, walked out of the bar with a noticeable scowl. I accepted the card and whispered in her ear.

“How much for an hour of your services?”

Rather than verbally respond, she grabbed the card out of my hands and wrote down something, and promptly exited the bar. I looked down at the writing, and it said: $1000 for the hour. The original memory of the scene returned, and I remembered the woman only charged George the younger a mere $500 for the hour. This didn't upset me because I was old and an established professional. This beautiful woman knew her business and understood her mark. But my next thought was filled with anxiety; did I change the course of my life?

Again, Jasper is sitting outside in one of the lounge chairs on the deck.

Jasper never offered his thoughts but offered his right paw instead.

Jasper and I am now standing at the rear of a huge church. At a younger age, I see myself sitting beside two boys I know to be my sons. I know this is a funeral because I can see a huge portrait of Christine at the front of the church. I can barely make out what the pastor is saying:

“Christine was taken from us by a freak accident, hit by a speeding car as she was crossing the street to a movie theatre to see a film. Going to the movies was her greatest passion...”

I turned to Jasper and thought, “What is this?”

Jasper lifted his paw, and now I see Christine and I standing in a park, watching children play. We are much older, in our late 70's, and the children we are seeing are our grandchildren. So, I thought, we did grow old together and enjoying the fruits of our hard work with our grandchildren. I can see and feel that we are delighted at this point in our lives.

The scene changes again. Jasper and I are back in my office. The old cat is sitting by the window, sunning himself. I'm sitting on a visitor's chair facing the window. And it occurs to me that without a doubt, I'm dead.

“This may sound really corny, George, but you had the opportunity to see what your life could have been like if you had made the right decision back at the time of your honeymoon. What is promising is the fact that you witnessed your terrible decision and attempted to fix it. This, in turn, allowed you to see how your life could have been by rectifying that decision. But the fact remains you decided to have sex with that escort on your honeymoon, and your wife witnessed it. That choice has led us to here and now.”

“So you're saying all this moving through time has not changed a single thing. I'm still dead, and that's it. Right?

Jasper jumped off the window sill onto the desk and stared me straight in the eyes. “You saw what you did and knowing it was wrong, changed it. That's good enough for me.”

“But what about Christine and Saul? What will happen to them.”

Jasper replied, “At this stage, it's none of your concern. But there will come a time when you souls, together, can work this all out.”

“So George, you need to move on. And let me say it was a pleasure knowing you. And don't worry about Christine and Saul. They'll negotiate their own karma.”

My perceptions changed, and I felt myself moving...