Trials and Tribulations

It got towards the end of the week. I'd gone five days without coffee. I didn't know how I was going to make it. I couldn't remember why that I quit. Was it that I couldn't sleep well at night? Or maybe that I had to drink a cup an hour otherwise I'd go into a tailspin. Maybe it was because my girlfriend said she didn't like kissing me anymore because my teeth were turning brown and I smelled like mouth acid.

I laid down on my bed. I curled up into a ball. I cried without a reason.

My dog looked up from the floor and said, "Let me pour you a cup, I can't stand to see you in such a miserable state."

I folded and said, "Okay."

My dog went to the kitchen and put a spoonful of Kilsner's Instant Coffee into a cup and added hot water. He stirred the mixture and brought it to me. I tried holding the cup but my hand was shaking too badly and I spilled half the contents. My dog set the cup on the ground.

My dog said, "It's okay. Drink it like me. At least you won't burn yourself."

I got on my knees. I bent down towards the cup and the phone rang. The message machine clicked on. It was my girlfriend. She said, "Don't drink the coffee!...Brooks, if you drink it, we're through!"

I looked over at my dog. He looked at the half full cup. He looked back at me and nodded. I got down on all fours and drank the cup. I stopped shaking. My breathing went back to normal. I was smiling again.

My girlfriend hung up. The dial tone came on. The message machine clicked off.

My dog said, "Well, at least you still got me."