To Do List

To Do List

At precisely 11:30 p.m., Denise brought up the guide screen on her television and compared its time to that on her watch.  Satisfied by their agreement she set down the remote and walked to the kitchen where she charged her electric toothbrush.  The timer on the brush ensured that she would brush for exactly two minutes, giving her teeth the thorough cleaning they needed.  When she finished, she replaced the brush on its charger, and returned to the bathroom to pat her mouth dry, twice on the left, twice on the right, once from left to right, once from right to left.

With that done, Denise returned to the kitchen and opened a fresh sixteen ounce bottle of Poland Spring.  Out of a jar near her toothbrush, she took out two white pills and swallowed one with a sip of water and the second with another sip and then finished the bottle there at the counter, tipping her head back to ensure that every drop emptied into her mouth.  She placed the bottle in the recycling bin and closed the pill jar.

With that done, Denise walked to the front door.  It had two key locks and a dead bolt on top that could only be locked and unlocked from the inside.  She unlocked them all, opening and closing the door to be sure she had succeeded, and then locked them again starting with the dead bolt and making her way down.

Denise walked to her bedroom and inspected her blanket.  She looked at the left side of the bed and then the right and one more time at the left.  The blanket looked askew, so she pulled the left down until it was as close as her eyes could tell to being midway between the floor and the bed top.  She walked back to the right side and gave it a similar tug before returning to the left to be sure her prior adjustment remained in tact.  All was well.

It was nearly time for bed and Denise was exhausted.  Her medicine had started to take effect and made her eyes glossy with fatigue.  She sat down on her bedside, her feet touching the ground, removed her slippers one by one, and swung her legs up onto the bed in a single motion, making sure not to allow her bare feet to make contact with the floor.  Once in bed she tucked her knees to her chest and pulled the blanket from under her backside and spread it up over her, straightening her legs underneath.

After getting into bed, Denise had an urge to check the blanket again, knowing that it must have shifted a bit when she climbed underneath.  But realizing the futility of getting it to hang with the precision she desired, she was able to fight off the compulsion.  It wasn’t long before Denise fell asleep, and that was a relief for her exhausted mind.  But the relief was temporary.  Deep into the night, she was jolted awake nearly in a sweat.  She looked at her bedside clock, it was after four in the morning.  She’d forgotten to check the blinds in the living room.