The pain from the disease hit Jeff in
the chest just before three in the afternoon. It was a sharp pain
somewhat near his chest but a bit lower that caused him to gasp and
black out for a moment. He fell out of his chair and onto the rough
corporate carpet.
His supervisor noticed the slumping
body and walked over. “Well now! What do we have here? Napping on
the job?” None of Jeff's coworkers turned to look; each was intent
on their task of dialing their phones looking for someone who had
enough money to spend upon the luxury of planning for more money.
They were three weeks into a two week temporary assignment. Jeff
struggled to open his eyes and bring the supervisor's running shoes
into focus. He groaned.
“Are you alright?” The supervisor
asked. “Should I call someone? An ambulance maybe?” Jeff tried to
shake his head no and stand up but the pain was too intense. He
grasped at his chair and took quick, panting breaths, his mind
desperately trying to rationalize and compartmentalize his pain as he
had been doing for weeks but it was no use. The wheels of the chair
rolled and Jeff was back on the ground. The supervisor lost his
jolly demeanor. “I think an ambulance is in order.”
Jeff passed out again and only awoke as
the gurney wheeled him by the supervisor's desk. “Yes, an ambulance
was called,” his supervisor said, “but it wasn't related to any
accident here so it won't be at our expense.” A pause, then “I
called the ambulance at 2:51.” Another pause, then “I think he
stopped working around 2:45.”
The ambulance took Jeff to the closest
hospital, a large modern affair run by a religious order as a way for
them to have a hand in the grace of God. They pumped Jeff full of
chemicals to ease his pain while they examined him and realized that
he was going to die. They didn't tell anyone this because they felt
it was known that everyone dies except some people cause suffering
before they die and some afterwords. Their treatment worked and it
allowed Jeff to return to lucid thought when he opened his eyes.
There he saw his wife Rebecca who was by his side instead of at work
and and he realized that they were totally fucked.
Of course they didn't start out that
way. Jeff met Rebecca back when they were both in college. There they
had studied all aspects of modern life and took classes they thought
would give them tools for success. They both had to pay for their
education by borrowing money but it was a given that the value of
what they were getting would far exceed their debt.
At first this was true and upon leaving
school they both quickly found work at large companies, work that was
intangible due to it's supportive nature yet instrumental in each
company's success. They went to work each day and banked savings
while paying down their debt.
But then the economy crashed. It wasn't
something that was brutal but clean and merciful—it was just a case
of things disappearing. First it was the perks at the office—no
more donuts in the morning or free coffee all day. Then other perks
fell—the free insurance and health club membership. Then cheap fuel
disappeared and it began to cost real money to pay for the commute to
the office.
Then the chief executives of the
company disappeared and the mood in the office grew dark. And soon
after that Jeff's job disappeared. He and Rebecca were able to keep
things going for a while. Jeff was able to find something to replace
his income but it took more then six months and some of that money
they had saved was gone.
But they still had a home and were
happy and even thinking of starting a family when the executives at
Rebecca's job disappeared. She as able to find work quickly but the
new company didn't pay as much s what she was doing before, a
somewhat demotion she took to make sure she could still pay the
bills.
Then the stock market crashed and with
it went their savings and a little bit more hope. Soon Jeff faced
unemployment again as his new company cut back by eliminating those
without seniority and he took work as a temporary employee—someone
who would and could do anything, just not always well. Rebecca's new
job was transitioned into contract status and with it the last shred
of insurance—their only option a snake of a plan that would suck
their finances dry. So they passed.
“Now we face a greater challenge,”
Jeff said, his eyes welling up with tears of love for his wife. “But
we shall persevere.” Just then the machine behind him emitted a
loud beep and his heart stopped and he died.
Rebecca woke up from her dream with a
fast beating heart and a cold sweat. The darkness washed over her,
gave her peace. She could hear Jeff's even breathing, not labored as
it was before. They wouldn't have to go to the hospital now because
and the fever had broke.
