"That's No Way to Live"

Word Count: 552
“That’s No Way to Live”
By Donna Lowich

“Look at that Henry go,” commented Fred as he paused from carving the roast beef on the large serving platter before him. He watched as his neighbor, Henry Parker, jogged by, each step making a crunching sound on the frozen sidewalk just outside the front window of Henry’s home.

“That man surely has turned his life around,” agreed Fred’s wife, Bertha. “If it weren’t for Doc Wizen, Henry would have drunk himself dead long ago.”

Bertha was right. She was best friends with Henry’s wife, Emily, although the difference in ages made it more like a mother-daughter relationship. “Emily told me that if she hadn’t gotten Henry to Doc Wizen when she did, he would have died slugging down beer after beer, watching tv.”

That visit was emblazoned on Henry’s mind, too. Every morning now, he gave his wife an extra kiss for insisting on a check up with Doc Wizen. After the physical exam was over, Doc Wizen sat Henry down and read him the riot act. “Listen to me, Henry,” he said solemnly. “You keep this up, and you won’t make it to your fortieth birthday. This is no way to live.” At thirty-eight, Henry realized his time was running out, much like the sands in an hourglass egg timer.

That was two years ago, and since that day, since that moment, Henry vowed to change his ways, which he did with a vengeance. He got a healthy diet from the wise old doctor. Before that, Henry didn’t know what lettuce looked like. Now, he was proud to show off his brand-new knowledge to dinner guests and talk on almost non-stop about the ins and outs of choosing iceberg vs romaine for a particular salad. He joined a health club, and began a running regimen that became the talk of the town. He managed to melt away fifty pounds these past two years, and now boasted a sleeker new silhouette for his neighbors to watch as he jogged past them.

Whenever anyone asked Emily how Henry was able to complete such a remarkable feat, she would smile and reply, “I don’t rightly know, but I think the same part of that man that let himself sit on the couch all those years is the same part of the man that gets himself out to run twice every day.”

It was now five o’clock, and dinnertime for most of the residents of the tiny town of Timber Brook. But not for Henry, who always chose this time for his second run of the day. Running before dinner made his appetite less sharp, and gave him a feeling of both relaxation and accomplishment before evening’s end.

Besides, today, was a special run for Henry. His life and his health were under control. Things were looking good for Henry and Emily. Tomorrow would be his fortieth birthday. He didn’t know that Emily was planning a surprise birthday party for him, but he certainly had his suspicions---and his hopes. For Henry, his goal was to run his morning run, go home, shower and call Doc Wizen to say “Forever Forty!” and laugh.

Dialing the phone in his mind’s eye, he lost his focus, and didn’t see the patch of ice as he stepped off the curb into the path of the oncoming traffic.