What should it mean The Story

A week ago Wednesday I had been sitting in this diner waiting for a ride. I was thinking "I guess this rain is never going to end. But, at least it was warm and dry." I saw an elderly man walk in and shuffle back to the corner booth. I wondered what his story was and why he would venture out on a day like today, not fit for man nor beast would be stating it mildly.

Well, since my ride is running late for what ever reason, I guess I'm just stuck here. I picked up my coffee and walked down to where the old man was and asked if he cared if I joined him. " Have a seat young man, I would enjoy the company." We ended up talking for over a hour before I even realized it. He told me all about his life, the things he had loved and the things he had lost, and what he would do different if he had the chance.

"The thing I would most take back if I could would be my youth," he told me, and I was thinking, not me, not a chance. Of course, I am only 36, which would seem young I suppose if I was 72 years old like my new friend here. I was thinking about what he had said when I heard a horn blowing and looked out the window and noticed my ride had finally arrived. I shook the mans hand and told him it was nice meeting him, and said goodbye.

"What took you so long?" I asked George when I got in the car. "What are you talking about, you have only been waiting for about fifteen minutes, I guess I could have strapped on rockets and got here quicker." "Very funny George, I know I sat in there talking to that old man for over an hour." "Whatever" George replied in that tone that he has used since he was a kid, the one that always made me want to punch his lights out. I guess brothers never outgrow that. I chuckled to myself, and glanced at the clock on the dash, it said 1:45.

"No wonder you thought it had only been 15 minutes, your clock is wrong." George looked at the dash, then his watch, "Very funny, the dash clock is a whole 2 minutes slow, whoopy!" I looked at my watch and realized that it said the same thing as Georges watch, I was a little scared but didn't say anything. I just wanted to get home. When George pulled up in the drive way I asked him if he wanted to come in for a drink but he said he had to get on home, and I must admit I was a little relieved, considering I felt like I had fallen through a time warp or something, and needed to try and make some sense of it.

I climbed out of the car and started walking to the door, turned and waved bye to my brother and went on inside. I hung up my coat, kicked off my shoes, turned on the news and went and made myself a drink. I woke with a start, man, I didn't remember anything after making that drink, but that was one heck of a dream. "I sold my soul to an elderly man in a diner last week." Funny thing is I didn't really get anything in return, good thing I am not in sales. I shook my head and tried to get the cobwebs out. I hate falling asleep like that, makes you feel drunk without the fun of getting there.

I went to the kitchen to make myself some dinner, my stomache was chewing on my backbone, at least it felt that way. I opened the fridge and then I remembered the rest of the dream. I was shaking all over and I had to sit down. "And today he’s at my door knocking asking for a refund O so politely." I couldn't help myself, I went to the door and opened it, and there stood the old man from the diner. I slammed the door in his old face, in my house, I took a seat, sat there. This was to much, what really happened while I was in that diner? I lost all track of time, just sitting there, thinking about all that the elderly man had said. As I set there contemplating, I remembered him saying "The thing that I would most take back would be my youth."

It became clear to me then, that's what he wanted, MY YOUTH! The time lapses were actually bits of my youth being taken from me. Oh, this is crazy, my blood sugar must be low or something and I am hullicinating. As I sat there and thought about being worth nothing, then I had a heart attack there shortly. I guess I shouldn't have shut the door in his face after all. I woke up in the hospital, all hooked to machines, not only did I have a heart attack, after that I had a heart transplant. I am sure that it was all the drugs they were giving me, but I thought that the elderly man was one of the doctors and that he was still trying to get his refund. It was all just to crazy, and I told the staff to keep him away from me.

Not nearly a year later they repossessed the very heart that they had placed into my chest.

In the end they had a lovely funeral for me, and the elderly man got his refund.

By the Awful Poet's Mother.

Inspired By What Should It Mean The Poem

By The Awful Poet Featured Below