Another Day

“Mr. Gagne, time to get up!”
Frightened, my eyes shot open.
Nobody was there.

I had been having these early morning dreams lately where somebody talks to me and frankly, I’m kind of worried about it. But I have to go to work at three and there are bills to pay, so I get up and flip on CNBC, first thing. I don’t have any money to invest but I love watching that program. All the commentators are like friends to me now, after having watched them for years. While the show’s on, I begin to write. I want to be a writer for my retirement years but most of what I write is babble, …trash.

“You only get one shot at getting the world’s attention” I thought, “don’t bore them”.
I write about my experience and memories mostly, I even have a “Myspace” to post my stuff. I notice a bagel and coffee and my pills at my bedside, my wife must have left them for me, “she’s so good to me!” I thought.
So, I go to the bathroom, freshen up a bit and eat while I write and watch TV. This particular morning The phone starts ringing and doesn’t stop. Both of my daughters call,
“ they probably need money” I thought, but I didn’t mention it to them and they didn’t ask.
I guess they’re doing alright now-a-days. I miss them a lot since they moved out and it makes my day when they call or visit (you know, … just show they remember me).

It seems as though I haven’t seen my wife in a long time, but she works days and I work evenings and we usually don’t cross paths until the weekend. We’re used it now. She jokingly tells me that, not seeing each other much is the secret to a successful marriage. She’s such a hot one! She make me laugh. What would I do without her? My mind wonders here and there as I write one essay after another. I reread them and …they are trash— but I keep writing, keep trying to fix them. Then a thought occurs to me,

“Did I take my pills today?”
“Oh yeah, that’s right I did.”
So, I continue to write. I want to try to pay the bills before I go to work too. I look in the usual place but I can’t find them,
“Where the heck did she put the bills?” I thought.
How does she expect me to keep up with things if she keeps moving them around. She’s done that all our lives! When she puts something away it’s gone for good!

People think I just sit around doing nothing all day but I feel as busy as a beaver, and that’s even before I go to work! If these young people don’t see you doing laps around the room they think your doing nothing. These neighbor ladies come by every now and then and they always ask me “were you sleeping?”. Yeah right, like I got time to sleep! Well, it’s 2:00 pm,… time to get dressed and head out, …another day in the salt mines! I wonder what drama they got for me today.
“All the good people I used to work with are gone, for one reason or another, ..the place is run by a bunch of kids who wouldn’t know a day’s work if it kicked them in the ass”.
“Well, all I got to do it make it another day!” I thought.

As I head for the door I hear that voice again,
“Mr. Gagne, where are you going?”
I thought it was my wife and said, “What are you doing home?” but then I saw it was the neighbor lady, “I don’t have time for this!” I thought.
“I’m going to work!” I said.
“Mr. Gagne you don’t have a job” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked..
“You don’t have a job, you live here at the nursing home!”, she said.
“I do?” I replied “but how will I pay the bills?”
“Your wife’s insurance takes care of that, you don’t have to worry”, she went on.
“My wife’s insurance? I asked.
“Yes, her life insurance, remember?”
I covered my mouth and took a few congested breaths,
“You mean….she’s… and I’m….”
(There’s that bad dream again.)
“No, I don’t remember that.” I moaned.
“I’m sorry you don’t remember, but I tell you everyday!” she said.