I think God operates a penalty points system, which makes me wonder if the mortal points system for traffic violations is divinely inspired, or whether God copied the system operated by man, whom He created.

It started last week, my having to pay some of my dues to the Lord. I decided to polish my car, it cost me €70. We all know God is the inspiration of everything. I had my main headlamp repaired, €20. ARMS sent me a bill for €94.17, apparently I had forgotten to settle the previous month's bill, though they never send me a receipt for my payments. GO sent me a bill for €85.41, and a warning letter, though I was not in arrears, and when I asked about the anomaly I was told the bill was for December and January. January's payment was not due for a couple weeks at least.

Then another burden came out of the blue up yonder. The Lord saw it fit to create an oil leak in the left "tine" of the fork of my motorbike. I don't know if "tine" and "fork" are the proper words to use, I am not technical at all. But it was quite a job to stop the leak. I was charged for the repair, of course, the bill came to €87.

Then came the day I was cooking kusksu on my gas stove. The gas ran out. So I connected the spare cylinder to my stove. No flame came. I checked the connection, still no flame. Then I remembered that to connect the spare cylinder I had not broken any seal, which meant that my spare cylinder was empty. I had forgotten to replace it. Now why did God do that to me. I had never before forgotten to replace a gas cylinder which needed replacing.

My sister came to the rescue. She gave me her spare to use.

To cap it all I was one day that week on my way to a hospital appointment. God felt it proper to make me drive close to the driver ahead of me, who stopped, and I ran into him. My stupid ABS brakes system was not enough to stop me, and I had not kept a proper distance. The damage will cost me hundreds of euros. Divine inspiration had hinted to me to insure my car at third party fire and theft; full coverage, the advice was, was a scam. I missed the hospital appointment.

I wonder if any penalty points are left for me to make up for. I also ride a motorcycle, as I have pointed out. I shall be careful, but a banana skin can send me crashing into a wall.

And I am still paying points for offending a major political big head. After 35 years of unparalleled, unstinting service to my employer, my employer did not give me a part time job when I retired. You see, my employer was put by the political big head between a rock and a hard wall. And God gave my employer a weak resolve.

Roger Mifsud

Rabat