“I need a coffee break.”
“Oh! You!”
Harry snapped.
“I’m going for coffee.”
Harry stormed out of the room, leaving Mary dumbfounded. She shouted at his retreating form, “Why don’t you listen, Harry? You know I’m right.”
She retreated to the bedroom and had a quiet cry. “Oh God,” she pleaded, “can’t you make him better?”
She heard Harry rattling around in the kitchen, the squeal of the kettle, a door slam shut, heard Harry’s voice. “Come in here,” it said. “Let’s have coffee. I need a break.”
Curious, Mary tip-toed out to the kitchen. She tried to make out the muffled voices, but could not make out the words.
The words were Harry saying, “So good of you to come over, Joe.”
And Joe saying, “Any time, Harry old boy. Glad to lend an ear.”
“An ear is fine, but can you lend me patience?”
“Well, if I can Harry. What brings this on?”
Harry tried to explain. “Well it’s Mary—“
“Isn’t it always?”
“Yes it is. This time she’s tryin’ to tell me I’m suppoze to take a pink pill. A pink pill! At eleven o’clock, she says. Doctor’s orders, she says. Who is she to tell me that?”
And Joe says, “Well, what do doctors know these day, eh?”
“Yeah, what do doctors know. I ask you, a PINK pill. For a guy. Whatever next?”
“Makes you wonder, don’t it, what kinda training they get these days.”
“Yeah, what kinda training? Makes you wonder.”
“Yes, it does.”
There was a pause, and Mary, still in the kitchen straining to hear, asked herself, “Who is this Joe guy? We don’t know any Joe.”
On the other side of the door, Joe’s voice was saying, “Good coffee, Harry.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
This was followed by a longish silence. Finally, Joe’s voice: “What was it you wanted Harry?”
“Can you lend me fifteen bucks Joe?”
“Sure Harry, no problem….What’s it for?”
“Bus fare.”
“Oh? Goin’ somewheres?”
“Over to Plainswood.”
“Yeah? Who you know over there?”
“Old Pete. You recall old Pete? They’re holding his funeral over there.”
“Old Pete, eh? Didn’t he die? Some ten year ago, I believe.”
“Yeah. But I got word he’s dying’ again.”
“That so?”
“That’s what they say.”
“Well I’ll be darned.”
Harry was having a hard time.
A loud knocking on the door distracted the conversation. Harry looked around, stared at the door. The knocking was repeated.
“Who’s there?” Harry shouted. He was annoyed at being disturbed during his coffee break.
“It’s me, Harry. Mary.”
“Oh. What d you want?”
“You’ve been in there for hours. Who are you talking to?”
“Huh What? Uh—nobody.”
“Well you were talking to somebody.”
“No I wasn’t.”
“I heard voices.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Well it’s time to come out. It’s time for your pill.”
Silence.
“Oh, yeah,” came Harry’s voice. “I forgot.”
The door opened.
“Is it that pink one?”
“Yes Harry. It’s the pink one.”
“Oh good. Tastes like cherry.”
“What about your friend?”
“What friend?”
“The one you were talking to.”
“I wasn’t talking to anybody.”
Mary peered into the room. She saw no one. “Well! I’ll be darned.”
“That’s what Joe said.”
Mary shrugged and gave him his pink pill, which he swallowed willingly.
“Can I have a cuppa coffee now? It’s time for my coffee break.”
Mary bit her tongue, sighed. “Yes, of course, dear.”
CREDITS: Coffee break squirrel by KomankK, found in ClipArt; could track no further.
Coffee break for two, the logo in the photo by Jorgen Grotdal of Norway, out of Pinterest: https://www.behance.net/gallery/Lookbook-2013/11205133You can find Jorgen at https://www.facebook.com/Grotdal
or at http://instagram.com/jorgengrotdal
