All my stories come from dreams that I am placed as the main character. I write the stories from this first person perspective. Very personal to me.
I was out for my morning run at 7:00am. After my first turn, there was a stranger ahead me. We were keeping pace for the first mile. Then I notice the distance between us was closing. As I approached him, he slowed even more. He asked for a phone as I passed him. There was an ache in his eyes and I had stopped to help. I did have my phone on me and asked whom shall I call? He said, “911, this is my end.”
He sat on a knee wall that lined the sidewalk and told me his name was Tim. We talked as we waited for the ambulance. Tim wanted to complete a mission, but no longer has the strength. He mentioned the is a notebook in his backpack. If I return it, there is a $5000.00 reward. I helped Tim get the backpack off his shoulders and found the notebook. He explained he had been fighting Leukemia for several years. His latest remission ended and the Doctors gave him two weeks to live. The notebook chronicles his last two weeks for friends and he would like to have it returned to them. I assured him it would be returned.
The ambulance appeared and whisked him to the hospital. I called my boss and explained the bizarre happenings of the morning. I asked for the day off to be with Tim at least until family could arrive. I got to the hospital about half hour after Tim. The doctors could not tell me anything about his condition since I was not family, but they did allow me to see him.
Tim was resting comfortably when I entered his room. I had his notebook and Tim insisted I return the notebook and the instructions are tape to the inside. He then encouraged me to read his diary from the past two weeks. He hopes it inspires others in their life. I did not like taking the reward but again he insisted for me to take the money. He instructed me to use money for a vacation, down payment or save for retirement, but he wanted me to have it. I agreed to receive the money in exchange for returning the notebook.
With the notebook in hand, I left his room. In the visitor waiting area, I called the number on the paper note taped to the inside of the notebook. It was his business partner, Bob, who answer the phone. I tried to explain my call and the voice urgently asked if Tim was alive. Just barely was my reply. I asked about the reward and the partner explained it was true . The cash was available if the notebook was in working order. I introduced myself and Bob was glad he found a friend at the end of his life. We talked about fifteen minutes about Tim when the nurse showed up and told me I better come. By the time I entered the room, Tim was gone.
Devastated, they took me to a grieving room where I could have some privacy. There I opened the notebook. There was but one icon on the touch screen. It was a word document with the title “Doc1”. It read:
Day One of 2 weeks. I just left the doctor’s office knowing I have two weeks to live. I am going on a road trip and I do not know where. Thank God for these last two weeks.
Day Two, I found myself in the town of my old friend from high school, Chuck. Decided to stop for a visit. He offered me a place to stay the night. I told him about my condition and he said Betty my high school sweet heart will be glad to hear about my condition. She never got over me leaving without saying goodbye. Chuck and I talked until midnight and we turn in. Thank God for Chuck and this day.
Day Three, I said goodbye to Chuck and found Betty’s address. Betty said it was mere chance she ended up in this town. She was not doing well in her life. I was sorry about leaving without saying goodbye and told her of my condition. Chuck was wrong, she started crying when she heard the news. I signed my car to Betty and return home on foot. If I can run 20 miles a day, I should be home in 12 days. With the late start I only got 15 miles today. Thank God for Day three and Betty.
Day Four, had breakfast at a diner in a train car. Sue, the waitress, was friendly and funny. She has two children and a cat. She works every morning to put food on table. I left her $1000.00 tip. Ran 25 miles today. Thank God for day four and Sue.
Day Five, met a retired man named Norman. We talked for about hour over lunch. He has been married to the same women for 50 years. He talked about her as if she was still a young bride. I insisted on buying his lunch. Ran 25 miles today and on schedule to make it back home on time. Thank God for Norman and day five.
Day Six, stopped for lunch and met four teenagers, Tina, Roger, Evan, and Mike. Their school has an open campus and they must get back within 20 minutes. They all have plans to go to college. I bought their lunch today. I noticed some blood in my urine today. I did 20 miles today. Thank God for Day six and teenagers.
Day Seven, a young family sat at the table next to mine for dinner. The five-year-old girl wants to be a ballerina or a fire fighter when she grows up. The three-year-old boy just wanted to eat. The father is a CPA and the mother helps in his office several times per week. Sundays, after Church is when they dine out. I bought them all dessert. Ran for just 15 miles, could not go on. Thank God for day seven and the Collards.
Day Eight, while resting in the park, I met Regina whose getting married this Saturday. She is excited and scared at the same time. She not scared of her man, just the unknown as she is facing in the coming years. I told her about Norman from day five. I am not getting very far. I pushed through for 12 miles. The red in my urine is becoming more pronounced. Thank God for day eight.
Day Nine, I woke up tired, but could not stop. I had lunch even though I was not hungry. Latisha, my waitress, was recently graduated from high school. She been working there since last summer. It is only until she figures out what she wants to do in life. She does not have time for boyfriends? I stopped by an office building to relieve myself. I did not recognize any of the words. I looked down the one hall and it appeared to have bathroom. I peeked inside and saw urinals and assumed it was the men’s room. They had fancy urinals and my urine appeared purple in the drain. Ran for just 10 miles today. Thank God for day nine and Latisha.
Day Ten, Kevin, who I thought was angry was in a rush. He missed his appointment and decided to sit and talk. He has been unemployed for two months and has two children from two different women to support. We finished our conversation when his phone rang and it was the company offering him another time to interview. Barely ran ten miles, feeling extremely slow. Thank God for day ten and Keven.
This is where the journal ended. I must have met him on day eleven. I hope he thanks God for meeting me as well. After reading his journal, I wanted to finish his trek. I got permission from my boss and my fiancé. Loaded his notebook and some clothes into a backpack aiming to finish what he started. Twenty miles a day is quite an ambitious goal. A four-day run for Tim, took me five days to finish. I returned the notebook to his partner.
I did not meet anyone while finishing of his trip. Then again, I was not seeking anyone as it appears Tim searched. Bob saw the entries for each day about meeting someone and having a conversation with them. This confused Bob because Tim had trouble meeting people. He explained Tim would not even talk with people buying our product. For Tim, what was written each day was extraordinary. Tim was very much a private person who allowed only a few friends into his circle of life.
Tim’s mother and father were both there when I arrived. They told me they wanted their son to go to college and he wanted something else. Tim did not know what he wanted, just something else. They have not spoken to him in 17 years. They kept in contact with Tim’s life through Bob who they met several years ago.
Bob is married for 12 years and is expecting his fifth child. Tim met Bob while still in high school. Bob was having trouble with a skate board and Tim fixed it. Tim started fixing other skateboards and soon had a business. Bob’s father supplied some money for some equipment and Tim and Bob went 50/50 on a new business of building skateboards. As it turns out, I owned one of Tim’s and Bob’s skateboards in junior high. Tim was the designer, builder and handled the finances. Bob was the painter and graphic arts expert and dealt with the public.
Tim was never married. Tim enjoyed running because it cleared his mind. Tim ran 10 to 20 miles every day even when sick. Bob explained they discussed Tim’s last days in length. Tim planned everything according to his life. Tim was hoping who ever received the finder’s fee, would blow it on something extravagant. It was important to him that I get the notebook back and give to someone who would write an inspirational story about him. I took the money and will splurge on an extravagant honeymoon. I hope this is inspirational enough for Tim.
I traced Tim’s final journey with the help of Bob who stayed in contact with Tim and the credit card receipts showing where he slept and ate. From one small town to another, I found the people he met and spoke with them except for Kevin, the unemployed man from Day Ten. I told them about Tim’s final days and none of them were aware of his condition. They were all sadden about the news and thought highly of Tim.
Latisha from Day Nine said the building was a futuristic building from the 1960s and used Esperanto which was to be the universal language of today. It had blue urinals in a marble like material. Regina from Day Eight is now married and settling into her new life. She takes her lunch in the park when it is not raining. The Collards from Day Seven bought me dessert upon hearing me finding the people who touch Tim before his death. The teenagers from Day Six were just a week away from finals when I met them. They are all seniors and looking forward to graduation.
It took a few days to find Norman from Day Five. I met him and his wife. I hope this is me and my love in fifty years. We ate some ice cream from a street vendor. Sue from Day Four gets up early six days a week. The $1000.00 paid for some needed repairs to her car. She is every bit the character Tim described. Day Two Betty, the old girlfriend, was not happy to hear of Tim’s demise. She blamed Tim for many years as to the outcome in her life, but realized it was her the whole time. She has entered rehab and is determined to defeat the demons in her life. Chuck from Day Two, told me about Tim in high school. He was smart and only kept a couple of close friends. Chuck loss contact with Tim a week after graduation.
I met the doctor from Day One. He was hesitant to talk with me and was careful not to divulge any medical history regarding Tim. He did advise a different approach to the last two weeks of life. I told him about Tim’s trek and the doctor said “or you could do that.” Then admitted, there are worse way to end a life. The doctor opened up a little and stated it is hard not to become friend with his patients. It is hard to see them end the relationship because so many times it ends with the death of the patient.
I only knew Tim for a couple hours before his death. As a runner, I manage 5 miles, three times a week when I am healthy. To hear about a man in his dying days run the miles he did is inspirational. Then to find out how he reached out to people in those days instead of passing them by uncaringly, serves me a notice to be more open to new experiences. Finally, to know he was thanking God every day as death approached, makes me thanked God every day for the life whether it is favorable or not, I count it all good.
A remarkable story. I dream many of my stories, too. But the detail you write about usually doesn't come to me… I have to fill that in. As a runner in my early life, and then a walker. Finally, an electric wheelchair explorer, your story clicked with me right away. The few typos don't get in the way.
I can see Tim opening up and approaching people that he normally never did when he saw the end of his life and not doing that. It was callous of him to leave Betty without any explanation. Perhaps he was gay and that was why he had trouble making friends except with Bob who was definitely heterosexual.
You, perhaps, was playing yourself as a good Samaritan narrator. I am like that… Have been my entire life. But no one ever entrusted me with the last days of their life in writing. Some want me to write their life. But we all contemplate that. Your story also shows the narrator’s willingness to track down all of those people. One thing is for certain, if I were running through many small towns, when I stopped to eat during the day, I would join single people at the table and strike up a conversation. Have done that very thing many times. Perhaps you do, too.
While riding MetroLift for three years between quitting driving an unmodified car and starting up again driving a highly modified van to and from work in my electric wheelchair, I had a regular ride home with a psychiatrist we picked up at the county hospital. Psychiatrists are generally not open about their lives and this guy was sometimes annoyed with my wanting to chat with him. He had spinal atrophy and was disabled similar to me. He had apparently married late in life to a woman who had a son. She may have been his first caregiver. About three times, we stopped at MD Anderson (foremost cancer center in the United States) to pick up his adopted eight-year-old son who was getting his chemo for leukemia.
One day, after I hadn't seen his son for some time. The psychiatrist told me and another regular rider that his son had died. He had been monitoring his white blood cell count and it dropped too low. His wife got so depressed she was in a hospital for six months.
My grandmother spent her last days at my parent's house from lung cancer after recovering from kidney tumor surgery three years before. I was away teaching college, so I don't know how her last few days went. She road tripped with me twice across the western United States. Since I wasn't alone, I don't recall encountering any strangers along the way. We did stop to see friends and relatives of the family. I'll always did that. Especially the elders.
In this eccentric tale set in a small town in northern India, Pawan Mishra masterfully weaves ingenuity and sarcasm in a manner that’s simultaneously hilarious and tragic.
Determined to confront the hazy memories of his troubled youth, Oliver Matthews, a retired detective and confirmed bachelor, returns to the picturesque town of Henley-on-Thames for the first time in years.
The bulk of the collection is eight short stories that are set in yesteryear. The compilation is filled out with four entertaining fantasy pieces and three poems.
