The Dinner Guest

The Dinner Guest  (E) December 2016 Entry for Distorted Minds Contest #2106356 by Chris Breva

533 words

It was close to dinner time on Christmas Eve. My wife and I had just sat down with the family to eat Christmas dinner. It had been a tradition in our family to eat Christmas dinner the night before Christmas since I could remember. So we sat down to follow tradition. Just as I sat down however the doorbell rang. I got up and went to answer the door. When i opened the door there was a vagabond standing there. "Sir," he asked. "I'm hungry. Could you spare a few dollars so I can get a bite to eat?"

"No," I answered him, 'you'd probably just buy a bottle of liquor with it anyway. The mission is just across town. If you go there they'll feed you and give you a place to sleep."

The vagabond started to say something, presumably in protest. I wanted no part of it. Instead I shut the door in his face and went back to my dinner. "Who was there." my wife asked..

"Oh it was just a wino," I answered. "He was begging for money. I turned him away. I should have called the police."

As i was speaking the doorbell rang again. I got up to answer it. When I opened it there was a bag lady standing there. "Can you spare a lady a sandwich," she asked. "After all,it's Christmas and I'm hungry."

"No! I can't," I answered. "You'd probably use anything I give you for drugs anyway. If i give you food you'd feed it to the birds. The mission is just across town. I donate money there all the time and I know they'll feed you."

She too started to protest but I closed the door in her face and walked away. I sat down at my table and my wife again asked who it was. "Some bag lady," I answered. "She wanted a sandwich but I knew she'd waste it by feeding it to the birds and feral cats.anyway so I turned her away. She's lucky i didn't call the authorities to lock her in an asylum. She's obviously insane."

As i was speaking the doorbell rang again. "Can't a family even eat in peace," I asked as I went to the door. I was angry as I jerked the door open. My anger immediately gave way though when I saw an angel standing there, complete with the halo surrounding his head. "Come inside," i said. "Warm yourself by the fire. Pull up a chair at the table. We were just having our Christmas dinner. We'd love for you to join us!"

The angel pulled up a chair at the table and we did our best to make him feel welcomed. How often is it that one is visited by the messengers of God anyway? "So," the angel spoke "it looks like you've done well in your lifetime. The lord has blessed you very much."

"Yes He has," I said. "I can't thank Him enough."

"What do you mean you can't thank Him enough," the angel asked. "You've already had two chances to have dinner with Him personally tonight and you turned Him away both times so he sent me instead!"