Best Part of Waking Up...

I woke up tired the next morning. So tired and yet unable to sleep any further. I dragged myself up and stumbled back to the house.

My aunt was politely honest. “You either had a really good night or a really bad one. You look terrible.”

“Both probably.”


I slid into a chair at the kitchen table. This allowed me to prop up my head with my hands, leaning my elbows on the table. “Would you like some coffee?” she asked.

“Yes, please.”

“If I remember correctly you take your coffee like you take your whiskey; straight.”

If this was a sarcastic comment, I let it pass by. “That is correct.” Sarcastic or not, this response got me coffee. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

Before she could get away, I continued speaking. “For everything, Aunt Linda. For letting me visit, for putting up with me being just a pill. And for the coffee. Thanks. I needed all this.”

For a moment, she just smiled at me. From my perspective, it was one of those moments when I'm not quite sure what I've done or if it was for the best or all that. I mean the smile seemed like a good thing but the silence...silence can confuse me. It gives me too much time to think about what I may have just done wrong.

“You are very welcome Patrick,” she finally said. “Very welcome indeed. I am glad to have been able to assist you in some way.” She gave me a look, nothing harsh, just checking me over. “How are you feeling?”

What a simple question and yet, under certain circumstances, it's the most difficult one to answer. I settled on “Different” as my response.

“Different good or different bad?”

“Different.”

“I suppose that's a start.”

“That it is.”