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Another Night and Day Alliance 221
#
anada "Ten Dollar #
221 Temptations" +### +### +#### +###
# # # # # # # # # #
by # # # ## # # # # # #
28 Oregano # .# ## # # .# # .# # .#
nov *### * # * *### * *### * *### *
2000 .+#################################################################.net
I write now in the silence of my bunker. Home, alone, safe. There
were dangers I was not aware of facing me today, last night, tomorrow.
Ten dollars in my pocket, my wallet, really, and a credit card. But
Pizza Hut does not take credit cards and if I were to survive to Saturday I
would need the ten dollars to buy a Pizza Hut pizza. Pizza Hut pizzas are
two meals, dinner and the next day lunch. I had to put off shopping on
Saturday for the weeks groceries (on the credit card) and my meals would
run out Friday afernoon. With no money I could not eat Friday night, I
could not eat Saturday morning. I needed that ten dollars the way a cancer
patient needs chemo -- it would allow me to survive, if just for a short
while.
No big deal. Right? Hold onto the money. Where is there a problem?
Ahh, but this was Thursday night, and between Thursday night and Friday
night come so many temptations that holding onto ten dollars is a great
challenge that plumbs the depths of ones soul. My soul, my ten dollars, my
spending habits.
The first temptation was books. I had not gotten any new books in
two weeks and I went to one bookstore and then the other and they only had
the book I wanted in hardcover, much more than ten dollars and plus the book
came out so long ago I was outraged it would not be in paperback.
Only when I was on my way home, disappointed, did I realize that I
almost lost my chance to eat, that I would have been stuck Friday night and
Saturday morning without meals.
I rested, as I am allowed to do. I sat on a bench and as I waited
for nothing in particular, a cab pulled up and stopped in front of me. I
looked up and saw the cab there and thought that hey, I have ten dollars in
my pocket and I could go for a cab ride. Maybe go to the theatre and then
back home, that would be kind of fun. Ten dollars could be used to
entertain me. But then I remembered the pizza and I took a pass. I prolly
would have taken a pass anyay, but I liked the image of me as big spender
riding a cab on a lark. Me the king of transportation, onward driver, get
me to the theare, and take the slow way, I have nothing but time and money
to kill.
The third temptation made me doubt my memory. How could I keep
forgetting that the ten dollars is reserved for pizza?
Kim offered to get me anything I wanted from Whole Foods market. I
considered asking her for mozerella cheese, so fresh and handmade. I almost
reached for my wallet when once again I recalled I would not be able to eat
tonight or tomorrow and all hope would be lost if I gave into farm-fresh
cheese.
But now the fears are over, all the temptations are aside and I am in
the bunker, hunkered down for the night, I have the ten dollars on my desk
here. I will point to it as I type...there, I just pointed, and tonight, in
about an hour I will order my pizza and I will live another day and have
plenty of money in the future to go for cab rides, or eat cheese or buy
books. Soon enough that door will open to a hot pizza.
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anada221 by Oregano (c) 2000
###################################################################anada.net
