Heat
A fictional short-short story
No, I didn’t see any white light, but the doctor said I was lucky to survive my heart attack and need to take it easy. Scared, I retired from my job as church custodian.
My wife had to at least fake being glad I was retiring, although I know she’d rather I wasn’t around the apartment 24/7/365. While we are married, for decades now, we interact minimally. We’re less soulmates, more annoyances.
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Our living in parallel was part of my routine, to which I had become ever more addicted. At the end of the day, my wife and I briefly recount our day or the news, and then do what we call “parallel play.” I usually read or watch TV. She cleans and cleans, always finding something to clean or organize.
My routine, ever more rigid, goes far beyond that. I wear the same thing most days: one of my few t-shirts — especially Plant Parenthood — which is among the few printed t-shirts that won’t offend the intolerant here in the Bay Area. I take the same route on my morning walk with the dog, including telling her where it’s okay to pee and poop. I even bag the poop in a routine way: in winter, compressing it in the bag so it’s maximally warm — It’s a good handwarmer. Of course, I always buy the thick 13–14 mil bags, so no smell comes through. When I get back, I have the same breakfast most days: oatmeal or scrambled eggs when it’s cold, yogurt when it’s warm. The day continues like that. I need my routine. It keeps me calm — I sure don’t want another heart attack.
Of course, some things force me from my routine, like when my water heater broke. As a former custodian, I used to be able to replace one but, after my heart attack, it’s too much. So, I swallowed and agreed to pay to have a guy do it.
Trouble is, he’s a big liberal and I’m a moderate. And he’s a talker. And the more we talked, the angrier we both got. And yes, I got chest pains — So much for my routine. I’m writing to you from the hospital.
I read this aloud on YouTube.
Marty Nemko is a career and personal coach, and author of 35 books including A Dose of Reality. You can reach him at mnemko@gmail.com
