32. Overcoming
Myrmecophobia
Mikey and
Jeff’s mom sat on the teacher’s desk, eating cake. They watched the kids laugh and hug
Jeff. Mikey said, “With all he’s been
through, you’d think he’d be sad, or worried about the cancer coming back, but
he’s just so happy. Nothing seems to
bother him. I wish we had two hundred
more just like him.”
“Thanks,”
Jeff’s mother said. “He really has been
through the mill. While he was in the hospital a girl with lymphoma on his
floor died. He lost his hair and his
bones got brittle. He was poked,
irradiated, and what he called ‘chemoflaged’.
We worried he’d get really anxious or depressed, but he’s completely
calm. It’s like he accepts whatever life
might throw at him. Nothing scares him.”
Jeff’s mom laughed. “Except
ants. Can you believe it? He’s afraid of ants.”
Mikey said,
“My dad is the toughest guy I know. He was an Army Ranger and a fireman. He’d never admit it, but he fears drains. The
bigger the drain, the less comfortable he is. I’ve seen him cross the street to avoid
walking past a storm drain. ”
“I’m afraid
of public speaking. You?”
‘Life
without booze,’ Mikey thought. “Flying,”
he said.
Today
I will accept denying my fears keeps me from facing them.
Mikey,
Repulsive, and Repugnant (c) 2016 by Ken Montrose
Mikey,
Repulsive, and Repugnant is a work of fiction. Any
resemblance between the characters and anyone you might know is purely
coincidental.
Other works by Ken
Montrose are available at:
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