Someone Else’s Story

I’m not afraid to die. I’m tired. I’ve had a long life. Sometimes I hope for it—on the days when I can’t take it any longer. I didn’t ask for all this, but, well, that’s the way it is. I must be paying for something I did wrong. I can think of a few things I’ve done. That might be why. Oh well.

I still find things to do that I like. I like to sing. I sing karaoke every Friday night. They like to hear me sing there, which feels good, yanno. And I sing with a barbershop group a’ guys. We get together and practice our songs. And once in a while we go out and sing for people. They hire us. We know a lot of songs. And we sing at the pizza shop on Monday nights. That’s nice.

And I have these new grandsons. Boy are they neat. They are a lot of fun. I get to push them around the grocery store and show them off to everyone. And boy are they good lookin’. And good babies, both of them. They come around sometimes, one more than the other. Yeah, they’re neat. I play with them and talk to them. And they talk back but only they know what they’re saying, yanno. Little Dougie and Mateo. They’re somethin’.

So I just work around the house, fixing what needs to be fixed, which is always something. And I mow the lawn and fill the pool with water when it needs it. And I make stuff in the garage sometimes. Furniture or small things made out of wood. I’m a car-pen-ter. Though it’s getting harder to work out there because my eyes aren’t so good. It’s hard to see when I have to measure. Sometimes I cut a board too small and that’s not good. Then I have to start over.

It’s a lot of work to keep this house up. We really need to live in a house with a smaller lot and no pool. We don’t need a pool. And I don’t want to mow such a big yard anymore. It takes me two days just to mow. And by the time I’m done I have to start over again. Especially come summertime. And if I’m out of gas I have to call someone to take me to go get gas. That can take a couple days. It’s hard to keep up. The grass gets really long sometimes. And then it’s harder to cut, yanno.

I think I’ll make a pot of beans. I make some good beans. Come back tomorrow and I’ll have some for you. All they need is a little salt and a ham hock and boy are they good. You can take some with you, but you have to bring my Tupperware back. My name is on all my Tupperware. That way you have to give it back.

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