A short short sad tale

HEARTBEAT

He reckoned he was in the prime of life and very fit for his age. Always taking care of his physical well being, eating well but moderately, exercising sufficiently, to keep his weight in check and in general being a picture of health, Every year he had a physical check up by his local doctor.

He practiced a regular routine each day, rising at the same time each morning, showering, shaving , dressing, getting breakfast and so on. One could count on him exiting his apartment within minutes of the same time each morning. A short brisk walk to the station, catching the same train each morning, set his circulation going just nicely.

Never having married he counted himself fortunate in not having the stresses and strains of married life. No children to raise with all the trials and tribulations that went along with that sort of thing.. He rather pitied his workmates who talked about the rigours of raising a family, educating their chidren, , teen age problems and sibling rivalies.

Not for him the worries of mortgages, loans, rent payments and all the other incumbeances that most peole have to endure. As he was an only child of doting parents who were successful business oeople, when they passed on he inherited enough money to exist comfortably, His apartment was paid for with enough money put aside to meet his needs.

His employment was middle level, basically routine, without any hard decision making . Not being ambitious there was no struggling for promotion or worry about competion from underlings. Yes he was most comfortable and existed without strain or worry

Likewise in his well ordered day his evening routine was as regular as his morning one. On arriving home from work changing into casual attire, was first done. The night’s meal was prepared and consumed while watching the news, The evening was spent mostly watching television, varied rarely by reading a book or listening to music. No visitors came as there were no relatives and he remained aloof from his fellow workers.

Maybe once or twice a year he would attend a concert or a film if it was exceptional. It took a lot to encourage him to leave the comfort of his surroundings. After watching the late news it was time to retire. Another routinely performed task done in strict sequence before getting between the sheets. Sometimes reading for a short time but mostly turning out the light and settling down

This was his favorite time, total darkness, the warm feeling of complete comfort not a sound to be heard. In the the silence of these moments. He could even hear his heart beat. That steady thump, thump, thump was of great comfort to him. He couldn’t help but think about this wonderful organ inside his body, pumping blood through his system, day after day, year after year. He pondered upon this matter before drifting off to sleep. Trying in his mind to work out how many millions of beats his heart had done in his life of over forty odd years. He never got to the stage of any sort of an answer.


So life went on. One night he felt a little more weary than usual. Not taking much notice of the feeling he went through the usual routinesof retiring. Settling down into a comfortable position after turning off the light.
Silence reigned except for that steady thump thump thump, complete and utter silence. Nothing!!! In that fraction of a second he realised his heart had stopped. Panic stricken he drew a breath………………

JW 29/07/03.