Vito Bonafacci

Synopsis

Vito has a fatal heart attack as he is exiting the front gate of his stately home. Upon death his mom confronts him, making it clear, via a lengthy diatribe, that his existence was one of the material realm of sensual gratification - money, power, status and pleasure seeking- rather than that which is transcendent, thus he has been condemned to eternal death. Eventually we discover that this death experience was a dream, which greatly unsettled Vito, precipitating him to seek the truth relative to life's purpose, and the afterlife. Vto has periods of contemplation and dialogue with the housekeeper, barber, gardener, and his wife in search of answers - Is there such a place as heaven? Does Hell exist? Am I a good person? etc. Vito's soul searching includes a flashback to his youth listening to his grandfather speaking to him about eternity. In the midst of this quest for truth, as Vito is driving down the driveway about to exit the front gate, it occurs to him that his day is repeating itself as in the dream. Certain events of the morning...such as him making a demeaning comment to Mike, who is washing Vito's Porsche, were precisely as they were in the dream - "his dream was becoming his realty." Frightened that if he continued to go through the gate he would, like the dream, have a fatal heart attack, and be condemned to eternal death. Frantically he returns to his house, prays and has an edifying flashback to his youth, in which death, which is currently crippling with fear, is being discussed. In a state of angst he calls for his friend, Father Dellos, asking him to come to his home. Upon arrival the the priest counsels him about the events of this "strange" morning, and hears his confession. Finally, Vito makes a third and final journey down the driveway.