The Best Day

 

“Do you remember how we met, Jim,” Vicky asked her husband of 22 years. Jim smiled fondly, remembering.

 

Jim remembers the day, June 24, that they met. It started out terrible and then got worse. He awoke from a restless sleep with a headache and nausea. "Need some meds," he muttered to himself. After a futile ten minute search in the medicine cabinet, he realized with dismay that he had not even an aspirin to his name.

 

He threw some clothes on as quickly as his ill body could manage, and walked out the front door. He looked around in dismay at the chaos that surrounded him. "Well," he thought, "this explains why I didn't get much sleep last night."

 

Water was everywhere. Clearly, his town had been hit by a flash flood overnight. Tree limbs lay haphazourdly in all the yards and water ran like a river down the street. "That's alright," thought he, "my truck can handle this. No problem."

 

His first clue was when he opened the door and was not greeted with the welcoming light from the overhead. Grimly determined, he turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. No response from his beloved automobile. As the water soaked into his jeans, he realized why. Clearly, his door had been left slightly ajar. Not only was his seat wet, but also, the battery was dead.

 

"Alright, that's it!" He hit the steering wheel in anger, and whimpered as his hand suffered the consequences. Holding his hand close to his body, he half-fell out of the truck. "Okay...that's fine...I have legs," he muttered to himself bitterly.

 

The gas station was only a few blocks away and he felt certain that he could wade through the rapids and successfully buy a bottle of aspirin. Off he went at a lurching trot. Soon enough, he reached the corner of the block, where he would be forced to cross the street.

 

He looked at the water doubtfully. Too often, he had heard of people being swept away by what appeared to be innocent streams. Something about undercurrents and such. Finally, he decided to risk it. No risk, no reward.

 

He plunged in doggedly. About halfway across, he realized that there was, in fact, an undercurrent, and it was much stronger than he had anticipated. In his weakened state, it was a struggle to remain upright.

 

So involved was he that by the time he registered the sound, it was far too late. A Jeep came barreling around the corner, unsuspecting. If there was any attempt to stop, it was a useless one. As Jim flew threw the air, his last conscious thought was "Maybe the water will break my fall."

 

He woke up on a stretcher, every piece of himself screaming in silent agony. As he was wheeled into the emergency room, he saw the name tag on the attending nurse. It said “Victoria.”

 

“Do you remember,” Vicky persisted.

 

“I remember,” Jim replied. “It was the best day of my life.”

Reviews

Can you give more description please?? Other than that it is good.

[Oz in Exile]

Simple but nice. I'd actually like a bit more (I'm greedy like that). Tell us how his day was bad. Sure, things can always go from bad to worse and a visit to the hospital ER can usually top the list of crappo days, but how did he get there, what happened? Flex that imagination and give me a scenario that makes me shudder for this poor b*****d...then he meets the love of his life. Now that would be better.