86. What’s Eating You?

I went to an AA meeting that night and sat next to Derek the Dying Man.  He nodded, but didn’t say anything. I asked him what was wrong.

“I just got back from Florida yesterday,” he said. “I cut my calf on a car door. That’s how a sheriff down there got infected with Vibrio vulnificus.”

I had read an article a week earlier or I wouldn’t have known what he was talking about. “So,” I said, “It’s fleshing eating bacteria and not the cat that got your tongue.” Not even a smile from Derek. He stared miserably at his coffee cup.  I saw his hands were shaking.

People, including me, joked with Derek, reasoned with him, even yelled at him about being a hypochondriac. Not many of us took his worries seriously. People told him he should be grateful he didn’t have any real problems.

He tried to drink his coffee and spilled it on both hands and the table.

“Sit still, I’ll get some napkins,” I said.

Today I will remember some people travel a tougher road than I’ll ever know.

Time for a Change ©2017 by Ken Montrose

Time for a Change is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com