The Way Up to Heaven by Roald Dahl

            "The Way Up To Heaven," by Roald Dahl, is a short story about an elderly couple living in New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Foster live in a six-story house in the "Big Apple." Mrs. Foster is a like a volcano waiting to erupt. She lives in a constant state of worrying. Mrs. Foster fears for her life about missing, " a train, a plan, a boat, or even a theatre curtain." Mrs. Foster is about to depart on a six-week vacation to visit her only child in Paris. She fears she's going to miss her flight and continually asks her butler the time. To make matters worse, her husband likes to irritate her and make it seem like she won't make it on time. Almost half an hour passes by when finally Mr. Foster is ready to take his wife to the airport for her flight to Paris. On the way a heavy fog appears and Mr. Foster tells his wife her flight will be cancelled. Panic stricken, she finally arrives at the airport only to wait a few hours and have her flight delayed till the morning. She finds a cab and drives back to her house to wait for her next flight. The next morning, Mr. Foster insists they drive a little earlier to Mrs. Foster can drop off her husband at the club before she takes off to Paris. As they are leaving, Mr. Foster, again, irritates his wife by making it seem as if she were going to be late. He gets into the car only to have forgotten something in the house. With her patience completely gone, Mrs. Foster insists the driver take off without Mr. Foster. After her six-week vacation in Paris, she comes back home to her house in New York. Entering the house, she notices an awful odor lingering in the air. As if she knew what had happened, she sits in her husband's office and calls a repairman for the elevator. The central idea to The Way Up to Heaven is never underestimate the weak and frail. Mr. Foster deliberately made his wife anxious about being late to her flight. He continued to torment her frequently and in return got what he deserved.