Today or Maybe Tomorrow

Mrs. Smith awoke at six a.m. sharp. She had been doing so for the past sixteen years. She always followed the same pattern. She did it so well. First she would stand and stretch, then she would take a half empty glass of vodka, that she would place earlier that evening near her bed, and drink it down without a breath. She would then head to her bathroom. There she would brush her teeth; up and down first and then from side to side. She would then proceed to brush her tongue because she knew how important that was and how little attention people paid to the matter. After all the brushing Mrs. Smith would head to the bedroom and put on her clothes.

Mrs. Smith would first take a small vodka break because she always had a hard time deciding what to wear and today would be no different. After selecting her attire for the day she would head for her breakfast nook. She didn’t feel like eggs today , so instead she had a small glass of vodka. Keeping track of time with the clock on the wall made her sips from the glass frequent and lasting.

At 7:45, Mrs. Smith would get in her car for the long journey ahead. Mrs. Smith was an excellent driver . She always remembered to stay two car spaces behind the car ahead of her. While driving down the busy street, Mrs. Smith noticed Steven standing in front of a coffee shop. Steven was an old friend of Mrs. Smith. She had met him about fourteen years ago . He had helped her through many difficult times and she felt as if they were the closest of friends. Steven was a wonderful person with so much to say. Everyone loved Steven because he was a great conversationalist and incredibly charming. He always had the greatest anecdotes and stories. Mrs. Smith pulled up next to the curb and waved Steven over. Steven leaned into the car and in the most insensitive voice asked “How much?” Mrs. Smith replied with “Twenty, please.” After the transaction, Mrs. Smith continued down the street.

Mrs. Smith wasnít a junky or anything of the like, she was merely buying for the weekend. Her friends and she had been talking about going to this up-town club and she knew it would be great to take a little that night. Her friends always entertained the idea of going to the club and this week-end they were sure to go. As Mrs. Smith turned at the corner she saw her favorite Deli and decided to stop in for a second. Once secured in the bathroom she cut a few lines on her license and rolled up a one dollar bill. She laughed to herself as she thought of a couple of her friends having to snort two lines at a time. She knew there was no need for that , and quite frankly it yelled out “Junky.”

After about the third line there came a loud pounding from the door. Mrs. Smith thought, “What the hell?” for she would never say such a thing. She decided to finish her lines when a second set of poundings startled her and sent all the ______ on to the floor. The pounding grew louder and louder until Mrs. Smith couldnít take it anymore. She then reacted in a way very unlike herself. She opened the door at a fast speed and without hesitation grabbed the young woman by the hair and slammed her into one of the bathroom walls. She then proceeded to slam the young woman’s head onto the white porcelain toilet. Mrs. Smith was using every bit of strength and hate she had. She began to yell at the top of her lungs, “This is for losing my job three weeks ago, and this is for losing my husband two weeks and six days ago, and this is for losing my children two weeks and five days ago, and this is for yesterday’s eviction notice and this is for making me blow twenty dollars worth of fame and fortune on to this disgusting floor!” Mrs. Smith, along with the cold thumping sound made by the young woman’s lifeless head slamming into the now red porcelain toilet seat, could be heard for blocks.

Mrs. Smith was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Mrs. Smith discovered at the trial that the young woman she so violently attacked and killed was a police officer. Police officers, as we all know, are quite familiar with the sound one makes when snorting an illegal substance. Mrs. Smith was having an unusually bad day. The bailiff showed Mrs. Smith to the holding room and explained to her that she would be transferred later that evening.

The rusty lock opened a dark and damp corridor that led Mrs. Smith to her private quarters. As she walked, with the help of a guard, she could smell the green her beloved child used to use to give life to his trees. She could also see the shades of pink that once filled the smile on her husband’s face. Mrs. Smith was beginning to understand how her mind would sort and organize her daily events. The bars now devoured her as she sat in the corner of her cell . Her bound wrists were wrapped around her knees keeping her legs from sliding out symmetrically to the floor. She could hear every horrible whisper for miles. She rocked herself back and forth while her mind entertained the idea that God would call and she would go home soon.

The priest that visited Mrs. Smith later that day left with no confessions and a rumor that God and Mrs. Smith had discussed and finalized the whole dead women in the bathroom incident. Mrs. Smith had explained kindly to the priest that she hadn’t any need for a middle man and that his services weren’t worth her time. Mrs. Smith’s final visitor came to show Mrs. Smith to her end. At first, Mrs. Smith was barely able to sustain herself on her feet, but as soon as she grabbed hold of a single train of thought she began to fight and yell.

“God is going to call, I know she will, she said she would call later today or maybe tomorrow” screamed Mrs. Smith with a fantastic mixture of rage, fear, and conviction over and over. Mrs. Smith had never fought like this on her way to a fix before , but this was going to be the first time she main lined and she wanted to consider her options a bit longer.

The guard forced Mrs. Smith into restraints and aided the Doctor until he was no longer needed. Mrs. Smith continued to ramble about the ringing, God, and sterilized needles. Mrs. Smith’s thoughts began to transform as she laid strapped to the bed with a sterilized needle piercing her flesh and vein with an alien substance. Mrs. Smith could see the very first time she had a drink and how sick she got the next day. She remembered her first line and how sick she felt the next day. She struggled to get a clear picture of her family but the mirror she looked into was covered in a thin white film. Mrs. Smith could no longer fight nor speak. As the solution began to displace her life, Mrs. Smith became very conscious of the sounds surrounding her. She could hear the tiny drops of solution, ordered especially for her, as they entered the long stretch of plastic-to-vein connector, the clock on the wall ticking louder and louder, the sound of her heart as it raced to kick open her chest and, most importantly, she could hear God ringing the phone. The ringing was unbearable, it made her chest hurt from the pounding and her ears hurt from the drops ticking and then when she could no longer take it………… white.

Eloy Garza