Weak Tea and
Muffin Tops
by Jerry Guarino
Anthony had evolved during
his seven decades of life. He had experienced joy,
love, regrets, and heartache. His greatest joy
was his son and granddaughter, but he cherished
all of his extended family. Now, he only wanted
to live peacefully, in expectation of the next
life, should grace be offered to him.
Anthony sat in his
comfortable recliner, opened his iPad to a new
mystery and set the ambiance with a cup of herbal
tea and a blueberry muffin top. He started the
artificial fireplace before him, fake fire, real
heat. Above the fireplace was a big screen
television and in the corner, his desk and
computer with a large monitor. The walls were
covered with movie posters and stand-up cabinets
with 200 DVDs, although they had become
unnecessary in the age of streaming. This was
Anthony’s loft with a second-floor balcony
for sitting on warm summer days, a sanctuary from
news, politics and the dangers of the world.
Alexa,
play chamber music.
Anthony had survived all of
the trials of life and came out on top, not
wealthy but comfortable, not entirely healthy but
surviving. He used to drink black tea, but his
doctor said it could cause kidney stones. He used
to eat donuts, but his other doctor said it
caused diabetes. So herbal tea and bran muffin
tops became his morning fare. He didn’t
drink alcohol and never did drugs, so overall, he
was doing well.
Alexa,
dim the lights to 20 percent.
What more could he want at
this stage of life? An affair? No, he loved his
wife. Fame? No, that didn’t seem possible.
Was he resigning himself to a quiet, uneventful
life? Maybe, but it wasn’t melancholy. He
wasn’t sad, just nostalgic, thinking about
how he might have made different choices. There
was his first love (please read it), his
not completing a doctoral dissertation and
passing up several second wives until he found
the right one, the best love. But his first wife
gave him that perfect son, who gave him a perfect
granddaughter. He guessed that was the plan all
along. They say old age brings wisdom, but
Anthony would have traded some of his
accomplishments for some earlier insights.
Alexa,
put fresh fruit on my shopping list.
The only thing missing was
a self-driving car, but he wasn’t that lazy.
His twice- daily trip to the YMCA was only a half-mile
away. Exercise kept his diabetes in control and
he had no other health issues.
You may be thinking this is
a story about self-indulgence. You’re partly
right, but here’s the rub. Anthony wasn’t
a real person, just a fictional character in a
story. So, the author could make any and all
desired changes.
***
Tony made many bad choices
in his 70+ years. He began drinking in high
school and developed an addiction years later. He
had four failed relationships and finally married
for lust, not love. This led to financial
troubles and subsequent extramarital affairs for
both of them. Divorce followed, then legal
trouble. A drunk driving incident put him in jail.
He never experienced the joys of children or true
love. You get the point.
What is the moral of the
story? Spock said it best. “You must
learn to govern your emotions so your emotions do
not govern you.”
Now, don’t you prefer
Anthony’s story?
Weak
Tea and Muffin Tops by Jerry Guarino
Copyright November, 2024 – All Rights
Reserved
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