Purgatory

This is the second time I've written something after comments. This is what happened to Julia from "You've Been Served" after she died. I stole quite a bit from The Good Place because I think it works here and makes it a little more light-hearted. If you have seen the show, you will know what I'm talking about.

If you have issues with the gay pastor in "Breaking the Delusion" on religious grounds, then you are going to hate this story.

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Julia's eyes opened abruptly, and she gasped with surprise when she found herself sitting on a metal chair. She surveyed her surroundings. She was in what looked like a drab waiting room. The chair that she was sitting on was one of many lined up against a wall. The walls were beige, and the floor was lined with worn carpet tiles. One or two ceiling tiles were missing and one of the overhead lights flickered so badly, that it irritated the eyes. There wasn't a single window.

An elderly lady sat behind a desk and was typing away on a keyboard which was attached to a computer that judging by the size of the monitor was almost thirty years old.

"Hello, dear," the lady said with a friendly smile when she looked up and saw Julia.

"Where am I?" Julia asked with confusion.

"Purgatory, dear," she replied. Before Julia could say anything, the lady told her, "Peter will see you now," and she indicated the door to the left of her desk.

Julia made her way to the door and gave the lady an uneasy smile as she passed her. Something about the lady made Julia nervous.

When Julia tentatively passed through the door, her breath was taken away. In contrast to the drab waiting room, the office she entered was sleek, bright, and modern. The walls were white and modern art hung on the walls and the floors were laminated wood. Modern and stylish lights hung down from the white plastered ceiling. To one side a sofa and armchair surrounded a glass coffee table. There were shelves with books and pot plants. Dominating the office was a desk made from maple wood. On the desk was a modern, curved computer monitor and a wireless keyboard and mouse. At the far end was another door. Again, there were no windows.

"Julia, welcome! Come and take a seat," the friendly-looking man with the greying hair from behind the desk said indicating the chair in front of his desk.

"Where am I?" Julia asked again, still looking confused. "The lady outside said this was purgatory."

"That is right," the man smiled.

"And that your name was Peter."

The man nodded sensing that Julia was about to realize what had happened to her, "You probably know me better as St Peter."

"That must mean-," a look of horror came over Julia's now ashen face. "That must mean I'm dead."

"That is right," Peter said gently, "you are dead."

This was always a difficult time for the recently deceased. If they died of old age, then normally, they were prepared for it and even welcomed it. For those who died from unnatural circumstances, the process was a lot harder.

"Please, no! Don't make it true!" she said as she began to sob.

"I'm afraid it is," Peter said sympathetically. "The first moments after death are always the hardest. You will get plenty of therapy to help you adjust. I always find that it helps if we just crack on and figure out why you are here. Can you tell me what you remember before you got here?"

Julia's brow furrowed as she tried to recall what happened, "I was at home with Quentin. He was angry with me. He became always angry and jealous after I left Tony and moved in with him. I remember that we had a big argument. He was crazy and I was frightened. I ran and hid. I tried to send Tony a message for help, but Quentin found me before I could send it. He punched me and punched me again and again then I found myself here."

"When you say Quentin, you mean Quentin Chalfont and Tony is your husband, Tony Mikelsen?"

Julia nodded her head.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you didn't die from the punches. Quentin smothered you with a pillow after he punched you unconscious and you died from suffocation."

"Oh, no!" Julia gasped as she realized the true brutal horror of her death, but she was surprised that she wasn't crying.

"Now, then," Peter said smiling as he turned to his monitor and put on a pair of glasses, "Let's look at why you are here in purgatory. Normally, most deceased go straight to either Heaven or Hell depending on how they lived their lives. Those who are on the borderline, come and see me. Let's see, Julia Mickelsen nee Taylor, you were born on the May 15^th 1976 and you died on the December 3^rd 2023. You are survived by your husband Tony Mikelsen, as you are yet to be divorced, and your three children Hayley, Kelly and Jack."

"How are they?" Julia asked worriedly. "How are Tony and my children?"

"Your children are very upset. They miss you terribly. Tony misses you less."

Julia looked crushed and tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Peter looked at her sympathetically before he continued, "You worked as a defence attorney for which you did some very good work. You worked pro bono to prevent a child from getting tried as an adult for a crime he didn't commit, and successfully defended an abused woman who nearly killed her abusive husband, I believe most thought she was going to jail for the rest of her life, and successfully defended a young man falsely accused of rape when he had already been judged by society amongst other good work."

"I am very proud of that. I made no money from any of those cases," Julia said with a smile.

Peter returned her smile, "You did a lot of work for charity. You donated a lot of money, but you gave something more precious, your time to those in need. Well done. You were until recently a good and loving mother and wife." Peter's face then darkened, "Now the not-so-good, you successfully defended a guilty rapist who went on to rape again, destroying the reputation of the victim in the process. You refused to defend a man who was wrongly convicted of murder and who is now spending the rest of his life behind bars."

"I was just doing my job. I did what I was told," Julia said trying to defend herself.

Peter gave a small chuckle, "If I had a dollar for the number of people who come before me and say I was just doing my job or I was just following orders. You always have a choice. Anyway, despite it all your good outweighed the bad as far as your job is concerned. The reason you've been sent to me is because of your marriage."

"My marriage?" Julia asked sounding confused.

"Yes, in particular, your infidelity," Peter said, his voice laced with disapproval.

"Oh," Julia said sounding disappointed.

"You made a vow before God, saying you would forsake all others and you didn't. We take infidelity very seriously. It is mentioned twice in the Ten Commandments."

"But I'm not Jewish," Julia said still sounding confused.

Peter pinched the part of his nose between his eyes like he had heard that many times, "I wish God had been clearer to Moses that the Ten Commandments applied to everyone and not just the Jewish people. You are bound by the Ten Commandments, as is everyone, and you broke clause 7, "You must not commit adultery," and clause 3, you took the Lord's name in vain a few too many times but we tend to look over that these days. God is a bit more tolerant these days. But clause 7 is why you are here."

Julia became wide-eyed with panic, "Am I going to Hell?" she asked starting to hyperventilate.

"Not necessarily," Peter told her. "Tell me why did you do it? Why did you betray your husband? Tony is a good man; did he deserve your betrayal."

Julia's eyes burned with indignation before the flames were extinguished by guilt and she looked away from Peter, "No he didn't," she admitted. "I don't know why I did what I did. Tony wasn't just a good man. He was an excellent husband and lover, and he gifted me three beautiful children. I was very lucky to be married to him."

"So, what prompted you to leave him for someone like Quentin Chalfont?" Peter asked.

"I don't know what you want me to say?" Julia shrugged with resignation. "Does it matter? I screwed up and I will pay the ultimate price, and I will go to Hell for it."

"It does matter," Peter countered, "because where you are going hasn't been decided yet, that is why you have come to purgatory. All I am asking for is the truth and what is in your heart."

Julia's shoulders sagged, "Tony is wonderful. I felt safe and happy from the first day we were exclusive together. For such a tough guy he is so gentle but also could be a little rough in the bedroom which made sex with him exciting. I loved that about him. He is an incredible father. I betrayed him because I felt too safe, and I craved a taste of the high life. It is stupid and selfish I know. It wasn't as if we couldn't afford a taste now and again. I earned very good money and Tony earned very good money as a police detective. The funny thing was that most women would cheat for the danger and excitement, but Tony already gave me that. What I wanted was a bit of glamour in my life."

"And Quentin Chalfont gave you that?" Peter asked with a reproachful tone.

Julia nodded, "I met him at a charity fundraiser. Tony couldn't go because he was working nights. Quentin was very charming, well-dressed, and rich. I don't know why but he chased me that evening. It was very flattering. I danced with him; I knew it was wrong and I knew Tony would have been angry if he found out but the last person to chase after me was Tony. It felt good to be desired by someone who wasn't my husband, especially by someone younger than me. Imagine someone my age with three children being chased by a younger man. I stupidly gave him my cell phone number that night. Quentin began to message me, and I met him for dinner. I told myself it wasn't a date, but it was. It wasn't long before I slept with him. It was at his house. I lied to Tony that it was a business dinner. I bought new lingerie and a new dress for the occasion. I felt so sexy. I hadn't felt like that for a long time. Quentin's house was huge with a swimming pool. He had servants. He lived a life of luxury. When I went out with him, nothing appeared unattainable to him. He would whisper compliments to me. It was so intoxicating. Before long I developed feelings for him. I decided that I wanted to be with Quentin all the time. I convinced myself I deserved the life of luxury that Quentin would give me as his significant other, so I decided to leave Tony."

"Were you aware of Quentin's reputation?"

Julia nodded, "I knew he was a womanizer and had broken up marriages, but I didn't care, I was infatuated with him. Tony didn't compare anymore. The sex felt better with Quentin. I'm now not so sure, I think was just different."

"Were you aware of Quentin's other reputation?"

Julia shook her head, looking confounded.

"That he is a violet womanizer. He hated women and he was probably just using you."

"No, that isn't true. I admit he wasn't the nicest of men, but he isn't like that," Julia objected.

"Yet you died at his hand. You tried to send a message to Tony to rescue you. But as an attorney, I am surprised that you had no idea. He faced several court cases where he abused his former partners. Tony even warned you."

"No, he didn't!" Julia insisted forcefully.

"Yes, he did," Peter corrected. "The day you left Tony warned you," Peter looked at his monitor and said in a flat voice as he read, "'Please, stay away from that crazy mother fucker, he will be the death of you. For our children's sake, I'm begging you, stay away from him,' it was kind of prophetic, don't you think?"

The colour drained from Julia's face, "I thought he was being melodramatic, so I called him pathetic," she said in a distraught voice. "What have I done?" and she began to sob again.

"How do you feel about your infidelity now?" Peter asked thoughtfully.

"I've been so stupid. I can't believe what I've done. I had everything and I threw it all away even my life, for money, for a life I couldn't afford, for a psychopath," Julia wailed morosely between sobs.

"Yes, they do say money is the root of all evil. What about Tony and your children? What about the hurt you caused them?"

Julia hung her head, "I am so ashamed. I hoped the children would come to accept Quentin. I never wanted to hurt them. I never thought they would be hurt. It was just between Tony and I."

"Your children tried to contact you, but you never replied," Peter said accusingly.

"Quentin took away my phone as soon as I moved in. The day I died, was just before Jack's birthday. I wanted to see him, but Quentin told me I wasn't allowed to go, so I found my phone where Quentin hid it, but he caught me. That is why he did what he did. I miss my children so much!"

"And Tony?"

"I wish I did things differently. He never deserved to be treated the way I treated him at the end."

"Would it be fair to say you are remorseful?"

Julia nodded between sobs.

"Remorseful for how it turned out considering you could spend eternity in Hell or remorseful for the hurt you caused?"

"For the hurt I caused," Julia told him with a great deal of pain in her voice.

Peter stared at Julia deep in thought, tapping a pen on his teeth irritatingly as he did so.

"Please," Julia sobbed in fear, finally realizing her eternal fate was about to be decided, "I don't want to go to Hell. Please don't send me there. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for hurting Tony and the children. I don't think I've been such a bad person. Please don't send me there. If I could, I would undo all the hurt I caused. I love them all. I promise you I am sorry." Julia began shaking uncontrollably.

Peter's eyebrows rose at Julia's words, "Are you prepared to repent?" he asked seriously. Before Julia could reply, Peter's phone rang, "Yes, Amaal. How many? I see. Let me finish here then send the first one in," he said on the phone. "I do apologise, Julia. A religious cult has just arrived. A mass suicide. There will be a lot of disappointed souls there, I can tell you. Always are with religious cults."

Julia smiled weakly, "Who is Amaal?"

"The receptionist. She is a demon." Seeing Julia's shocked face, he explained with a shrug, "This is purgatory. Representatives from Heaven and Hell need to be here but because everyone wants to go to Heaven, we get to decide who is allowed in Heaven and the rest go to Hell. Amaal was working in reception before I started if you could believe that. Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, repenting." Peter's expression became very serious, "Are you prepared to repent all your sins? Think very carefully before you answer. False repenting will condemn you to hell."

"Can I ask some questions first?" Julia said with a great deal of trepidation.

"Of course," Peter replied encouragingly.

"How does Tony feel about me?"

Peter looked at his monitor and made some clicks with his mouse, "He is torn between love and hate but is searching for indifference. He is still mourning you leaving him."

Julia covered her mouth with her hand as pangs of sadness swept over her, "Oh, no!" she despaired. "Can you arrange it so he will be happy again and forget me? Can you arrange it so he will go to heaven one day?"

Peter looked back at Julia and smiled sympathetically, "Despite what you are taught, only people can make themselves happy, not God. They are solely responsible for their decisions and actions in life that will affect what happens to them in eternity but if Tony continues to do what he is doing then he will be assured to be going to Heaven."

"And Haley, Kelly, and Jack? Do they hate me? Do they know that I love them? Will they live happy lives?" Julia asked worriedly.

Peter again looked at his monitor and made some more clicks with his mouse, "They don't hate you. They are just disappointed in you. They do hate what you did to Tony, and they are unsure if you loved them or not. Again, they will be responsible for their actions and decisions that will determine their happiness."

"And Quentin?" Julia asked fearfully.

Peter didn't look at his monitor. Instead, he just pointed downward, "I believe they are looking forward to meeting him."

Julia composed herself and took a deep breath, "I am ready," she told Peter. "I repent it all. I repent all the bad choices and actions I made in my life. I repent all the pain and hurt I gave Tony, Haley, Kelly, and Jack. I repent my infidelity. I am sorry for what I did to my family. I was so caught up in my selfish desires that I never thought about what it was doing to those closest to me. I don't think I deserved to die for it though. I am not going to ask for forgiveness though. Only Tony and my children can give me any meaningful forgiveness, not God. Whether I go to Heaven or Hell, it doesn't matter. My children not knowing that I love them and my guilt for what I did to Tony is my hell to live with for eternity. Nothing that they would do to me in Hell can be more painful than that."

Peter looked at Julia with pursed lips. A flicker of an impressed expression was threatening to break his passive exterior, "Huh, I wasn't expecting that," he said. Peter turned to his monitor and made some more clicks with his mouse and a printer began to print behind him. Peter theatrically spun his chair around and took the paper from the printer before theatrically spinning back, and giving it to Julia. "Julia Mickelsen nee Taylor you have been judged," he smiled. "Take this form and walk through that door over there and you will discover your fate."

"Thank you," Julia smiled appreciatively. She stood up and walked towards the door and opened it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and passed through.

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