prescription pad. “Here’s what I think.
Physically you check out super healthy. So I’m thinking this is a mental
thing.”
Jeffrey began to object. Neese stopped him.
“I know what you’re going to say. I saw the notes on the
counseling you had after your parents’ death. I’m not talking grief related or
depression mental thing. I’m talking more of a stress related condition.”
“Oh.” Jeffrey nodded. “You know, I do feel stressed out a
lot. I feel like a lot of pressure is always bearing down on me.”
“Exactly. And that can lead to loss of sleep, which in turn
can lead to the body experiencing even more stressful tendencies. In this case,
the sound you keep hearing. It’s like a ringing in your ears.”
Jeffrey watched as the doctor wrote out a prescription. “I
am going to give you a powerful sedative to help you sleep. Do not drink
alcohol with it and do not take more than what is prescribed. But it should fix
you right up.”
Jeffrey leaned back. “Thank you, doc. I’m glad you can
help.”
Neese smiled. “That’s what I’m here for.” He handed the slip
of paper over to his young patient. “So it sounds like a clock, you say,
ticking down to something?”
“Yeah, like that stopwatch they always showed before 60
minutes.”
“Huh,” Neese laughed, “I wonder what it’s counting down to?”
There was a long pause before the patient responded.
“I don’t know.”
(tick tick tick tick tick)
III.
The pills did not work. He took the prescribed amount the
first three nights, hoping upon hope he would finally sleep. Nothing. He
doubled the amount the following night and then tripled it. By the end of the
week he was taking six at a time and nothing changed. He spent most of his
nights parked in front of the television, watching whatever late shows were
lucky enough to get the 3 a.m. slot. After another week of no sleep, no rest,
he began driving around the city and stopping at whatever happened to be
opened.
Jeffrey spent many nights walking the aisle of Big Mart,
looking at clothes he could not afford or the big screen TV he dreamed of
owning. One night he came upon a small set of workout weights that were heavily
discounted. On a whim, he bought them. That night he started a steady routine
of pushups, crunches, flies, and curls. I’ll wear myself out until my body
has no choice but to pass out.
It didn’t work. He never felt tired. But he found he did
like the feel of working out, of pushing his body as hard as he could. He would
sweat out the wounds of the day: Ulee and Pierce, work, bills and student
loans, and gasping for breath almost forget about the sound. He would turn the
water to burning hot in the shower, and there under the stinging droplets, it
would come back from the depths of his mind.
(tick tick tick tick)
Jeffrey thought over all of this as he turned into the
parking lot of High Tec Stereo & Sound. He had worked at High Tec for the
past six months. It was the only job he could find after graduation. He
garnered a nice windfall from the life insurance his parents had taken out, but
it was almost gone having been swallowed up by the student loans needed for
Georgia State. The electronics store wasn’t the ideal place Jeffrey wanted to
be, but it paid the bills.
He pushed open the glass door of the store and walked into
the sweltering showroom. It was going to be a hot day, but Donovan never turned
on the air conditioning.
“We’re not one of those corporate box stores. This isn’t
Great Buy or Stereo City. I’m small fish,” Donovan gritted between his nicotine
stained teeth. This was the response whenever someone asked him why they never
turned the air on. Jeffrey always wondered how much air conditioning they could
have if Donovan didn’t own a brand new Lincoln Continental.
He walked through the rear of the store to the employee
locker room and grabbed the extra dress shirt in his locker. While he was changing,
he heard Griffin come
Physically you check out super healthy. So I’m thinking this is a mental
thing.”
Jeffrey began to object. Neese stopped him.
“I know what you’re going to say. I saw the notes on the
counseling you had after your parents’ death. I’m not talking grief related or
depression mental thing. I’m talking more of a stress related condition.”
“Oh.” Jeffrey nodded. “You know, I do feel stressed out a
lot. I feel like a lot of pressure is always bearing down on me.”
“Exactly. And that can lead to loss of sleep, which in turn
can lead to the body experiencing even more stressful tendencies. In this case,
the sound you keep hearing. It’s like a ringing in your ears.”
Jeffrey watched as the doctor wrote out a prescription. “I
am going to give you a powerful sedative to help you sleep. Do not drink
alcohol with it and do not take more than what is prescribed. But it should fix
you right up.”
Jeffrey leaned back. “Thank you, doc. I’m glad you can
help.”
Neese smiled. “That’s what I’m here for.” He handed the slip
of paper over to his young patient. “So it sounds like a clock, you say,
ticking down to something?”
“Yeah, like that stopwatch they always showed before 60
minutes.”
“Huh,” Neese laughed, “I wonder what it’s counting down to?”
There was a long pause before the patient responded.
“I don’t know.”
(tick tick tick tick tick)
III.
The pills did not work. He took the prescribed amount the
first three nights, hoping upon hope he would finally sleep. Nothing. He
doubled the amount the following night and then tripled it. By the end of the
week he was taking six at a time and nothing changed. He spent most of his
nights parked in front of the television, watching whatever late shows were
lucky enough to get the 3 a.m. slot. After another week of no sleep, no rest,
he began driving around the city and stopping at whatever happened to be
opened.
Jeffrey spent many nights walking the aisle of Big Mart,
looking at clothes he could not afford or the big screen TV he dreamed of
owning. One night he came upon a small set of workout weights that were heavily
discounted. On a whim, he bought them. That night he started a steady routine
of pushups, crunches, flies, and curls. I’ll wear myself out until my body
has no choice but to pass out.
It didn’t work. He never felt tired. But he found he did
like the feel of working out, of pushing his body as hard as he could. He would
sweat out the wounds of the day: Ulee and Pierce, work, bills and student
loans, and gasping for breath almost forget about the sound. He would turn the
water to burning hot in the shower, and there under the stinging droplets, it
would come back from the depths of his mind.
(tick tick tick tick)
Jeffrey thought over all of this as he turned into the
parking lot of High Tec Stereo & Sound. He had worked at High Tec for the
past six months. It was the only job he could find after graduation. He
garnered a nice windfall from the life insurance his parents had taken out, but
it was almost gone having been swallowed up by the student loans needed for
Georgia State. The electronics store wasn’t the ideal place Jeffrey wanted to
be, but it paid the bills.
He pushed open the glass door of the store and walked into
the sweltering showroom. It was going to be a hot day, but Donovan never turned
on the air conditioning.
“We’re not one of those corporate box stores. This isn’t
Great Buy or Stereo City. I’m small fish,” Donovan gritted between his nicotine
stained teeth. This was the response whenever someone asked him why they never
turned the air on. Jeffrey always wondered how much air conditioning they could
have if Donovan didn’t own a brand new Lincoln Continental.
He walked through the rear of the store to the employee
locker room and grabbed the extra dress shirt in his locker. While he was changing,
he heard Griffin come
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