FICTION | SHORT STORY
The Pain. That Remains
By Bruno T., a fictional story.
Such a strange thing, this morning I woke up feeling unwell. I felt a tightness in my chest and my breath… short. It seems like I am going to have a heart attack. “It must be stress,” I thought. A complicated week, full of work and very busy. But this isn’t normal, I’ve always been as healthy as iron. I’m young.
Worried, I called my doctor. “Yes, come over,” he tells me.
At the clinic, “It is most likely just anxiety,” said the doctor after examining me. He prescribed me some medication and advised me to rest. And so I did. I went home.
I took the medicine and lay down in bed. Strange. It seems like I am getting worse. Meanwhile, taking advantage of being at home to rest, I call my mother. It’s been a while… a good opportunity to catch up. She lives alone, but she is a strong woman.
I pick up the phone, and call.
It rings, rings, and rings. No answer. “She must be busy,” I thought.
I try again.
It rings, rings, and rings. Finally, she answers. “Mom!?” I say.
“Hello, son. How have you been?” she asks me.
