A Dreary Day(Martin Green) 2023DrearyDay

A Dreary Day

Paul Lerner cleared away the few dishes he’d used for his lunch and earlier for his breakfast. Outside it was a dreary day. The house seemed emptier than usual after Christmas when his two sons, two daughters-in-laws and two teenage grandsons had been there. Now it was the week between Christmas and New Years and also his next birthday on the 30th, a week to be gotten through.

He looked at his watch. Time to watch the TV news program he recorded each weekday, then his daily lie down and nap. He looked at his iPad first, checked the day’s stock and bond markets and then his most recent e-mails. There was one from his college class secretary Bill F---. It said: I know it’s late in the game and we aren’t doing much. I can barely break 100 at a game I once played well. But how about a line or two to let us know you’re still around. Bill must be doing pretty well, Paul thought, if he could still walk around a golf course. He himself could barely hobble around the house with his bum right knee.

He watched the news program. War in Israel. Idiots in the United States still staging pro-Palestine protests. Congress doing nothing. The usual stuff. He leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.

Paul woke up with a start. For a moment he thought he was in his bed and had had his afternoon nap, but no, he was still in his chair and the TV was still on. He’d had a dream. He couldn’t remember it well but he’d been at the handball courts and was very thirsty. His throat felt dry now. He got up, painfully, and got a glass of water. It tasted good but not as good as the water from the fountain at the handball courts.

Paul sat back in his chair. He found Bill’s e-mail and wrote: I’m still around, will be 94 in a few days, days pretty much the same. All the best for the new year.

At least Bill could still play at his sport, Paul thought. My handball days are long gone. He wondered what he would do the rest of the day.

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