Fear
At work he operated a huge machine - a press that
rolled and flattened sheets of steel, cutting them as
easily as paper bags. At night however a weird
paralysis froze him. He became afraid of simple things
- afraid of the PTA; afraid of concert tickets;
afraid of his daughter's homework. He could lever his
car onto concrete blocks with a length of plank, but he
couldn't sign his name. How many letters he might have
written. But his imagination bolted, like neglected
lettuce, and he became ashamed of his clumsy dreams.
He didn't want any trouble. All he had was a broken
biro and his wife kept hiding it. His cowardice was
all her fault.
Page(s) 39
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