by Domenic Luciani

Created on: August 15, 2009   Last Updated: March 10, 2012

It was a week ago that my wife left me.

I sat alone on my la-zy boy recliner eating chips and wasting my life away on garbage T.V. I felt like my life was in the toilet. I barely slept, and I was on my final day of vacation from work at the Ford plant. I got up to go get another drink. All my movements were in slow motion as I made my way over to the kitchen. The thought that I would be alone for the rest of my life had crippled my mind, leaving it weak and depressed. I walked by the phone. I had unplugged it a few days ago, and it now remained dormant on the kitchen counter. I didn't know what time it was. I had stopped all the clocks in my house; a fool's attempt to stop time. It was dark out, and that was all I cared to know.

The refrigerator made a tiny squeak as I opened it. I looked inside and fell another step down. One beer left. It was way in the back and had probably already expired, but I didn't care. I opened it the same as the other fifty empty bottles that adorned every inch of counter space. I drank it quick, hoping that my troubles would go down with it. No luck, I still felt like someone had taken a sledge hammer to my heart

I moved to go sit back on the couch, but then I noticed the black V-tech phone, and for the hundredth time, I pondered what to do with it. I started to walk away, but turned back. No. I couldn't run from this forever.

I plugged the phone back in and saw the light pop on. Good, at least I managed to accomplish something in a week. I was turning away when I heard a familiar voice.

"You have one new message."

Fantastic, I was gone from the world for a week, and all I had was one lousy message. A little miffed, but nonetheless curious, I hit the red button, a voice chimed on and I recognized it immediately; it was my wife.

"Hey, I heard how you were feeling. Look, I know it's hard for you, trust me, it was hard for me too, but you can't just sit on your butt all day. Go out, meet new people, or better yet, start a garden, it'll take your mind off things and it'll give you a hobby. My friend Terry did it when she and her husband divorced, and she's a new person. Anyways, take care."

"No new messages."

I slammed my fist on the counter, I gave her ten of the best years of her life and she tells me to start a garden? No way!

So the next day, I started a garden. nothing fancy, just something to do. I called work the next day in order call in sick, when I was told that the plant was laying people off, and I was one of the first choices.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>