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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: General Interest
- Published: 03/17/2026
Who Cares?
Born 1929, M, from Roseville/CA, United States
2026WhoCares (Approx. 450 wds.)
Who Cares
Paul Lerner was 96 years old and, as he thought of himself since his wife Beverly had passed away, an old guy living alone in an empty house. He had stopped driving and had a bum knee so that he was pretty well housebound. The truth was, he felt, that it was physically taxing for him to go out anywhere and he felt most comfortable staying home sitting in his recliner chair.
He phoned his sister in Long Island once a week. His youngest son, who lived in Ireland, usually called him on Thursdays. His two older sons, who lived fairly close by, alternated visiting him on weekdays. He’d outlived almost all of his friends at the Northern California retirement community he’d lived in for over 25 years. Sid S---, his oldest friend in the retirement community, stopped by every now and then, probably, thought Paul, to make sure he was still alive and reasonably able to function.
On this afternoon Sid had come by with the community’s monthly magazine for Paul. Sid was an active 90-year-old. He still drove his car, including trips to San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. He took classes at the local community college and went to plays and concerts. He also went dancing with a girl friend.
Paul didn’t like talking about politics with Sid because Sid was a confirmed Trump-hater. He thought Trump was trying to be a dictator and he was automatically against anything that Trump was for. This currently included the war against Iran. Steering clear of politics was not easy to do. Sid had been to the gas station that morning and said it had cost a small fortune to fill his gas tank. This of course was due to Trump’s ill-adviced war aganst Iran.
Paul listened while Sid vented and then, to change the subject, asked about the classes Sid was currently taking. They talked about these and then about a play Sid was taking his girl friend to later in the week. Sid looked at his watch and said he had to be going. He told Paul he’d try to stop by in a couple of weeks.
When Sid had gone Paul thought about their one-sided conversation about the Iran war. He thought it would be a good thing if Iran was no longer a nuclear threat but that would depend on how things turned out. Did he really care that much? Not really. Since Beverly’s passing he really didn’t are that much about anything. What did it matter? Beverly was no longer here.
Wasn’t it Charlie Brown’s sister Sally in the Peanuts comic strip who said her philosophy was Who Cares? Maybe that was also his philosophy. It saved him a lot of worry. He leaned back in his recliner and dozed off.
Who Cares
Paul Lerner was 96 years old and, as he thought of himself since his wife Beverly had passed away, an old guy living alone in an empty house. He had stopped driving and had a bum knee so that he was pretty well housebound. The truth was, he felt, that it was physically taxing for him to go out anywhere and he felt most comfortable staying home sitting in his recliner chair.
He phoned his sister in Long Island once a week. His youngest son, who lived in Ireland, usually called him on Thursdays. His two older sons, who lived fairly close by, alternated visiting him on weekdays. He’d outlived almost all of his friends at the Northern California retirement community he’d lived in for over 25 years. Sid S---, his oldest friend in the retirement community, stopped by every now and then, probably, thought Paul, to make sure he was still alive and reasonably able to function.
On this afternoon Sid had come by with the community’s monthly magazine for Paul. Sid was an active 90-year-old. He still drove his car, including trips to San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. He took classes at the local community college and went to plays and concerts. He also went dancing with a girl friend.
Paul didn’t like talking about politics with Sid because Sid was a confirmed Trump-hater. He thought Trump was trying to be a dictator and he was automatically against anything that Trump was for. This currently included the war against Iran. Steering clear of politics was not easy to do. Sid had been to the gas station that morning and said it had cost a small fortune to fill his gas tank. This of course was due to Trump’s ill-adviced war aganst Iran.
Paul listened while Sid vented and then, to change the subject, asked about the classes Sid was currently taking. They talked about these and then about a play Sid was taking his girl friend to later in the week. Sid looked at his watch and said he had to be going. He told Paul he’d try to stop by in a couple of weeks.
When Sid had gone Paul thought about their one-sided conversation about the Iran war. He thought it would be a good thing if Iran was no longer a nuclear threat but that would depend on how things turned out. Did he really care that much? Not really. Since Beverly’s passing he really didn’t are that much about anything. What did it matter? Beverly was no longer here.
Wasn’t it Charlie Brown’s sister Sally in the Peanuts comic strip who said her philosophy was Who Cares? Maybe that was also his philosophy. It saved him a lot of worry. He leaned back in his recliner and dozed off.
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