This Could be It

Now this is an interesting sensation. He registered this thought carefully as with caution he eased into his second favorite chair. He wasn't in paradise yet so this couldn't be his first favorite. The thing he felt and was analyzing just now was a stinging bruise, that would never turn anything more dramatic than yellow. This had been delivered to his left forearm by a tall skinny guy in a hurry. Accidentally, we must assume, as he had never met the guy before nor would he know him again.

This punch in the arm came at a fortunate time. It got him to think of something other than Maggie. To remember that he wasn't in paradise and he should look around him more. The baroness of the clutter surrounding him surprised him. "When did I get all this junk?" he wondered aloud. But the piles of news papers and magazines only sat still not daring to answer because really he already knew.

His new obsession would be diet and exercise. He would meet a hot young thing at the gym. Quit smoking, finally. Move to L.A., why not? It made little difference. An electronic thing went off in his pocket. He groaned. No one ever called just to say, hi. He had an impulse to slam the phone into the wall. But checked it remembering that this one was expensive and it wasn't fair to shoot the messenger, even if it was an annoying brainless little thing. He would not do well around small dogs. This thought pleased him. The phone went off again. Who was calling him? He didn't recognize the number.

Something new occurred to him then. This could be it. The call that would change his life.

"Hello?"
"Hello, have I reached the office of Dr. Johnson?" piped back a frail voice.
"Oh. No."