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Leon Moss

Harry, Are You Alright? Please Wake Up!

We had another one of those false alarms on Friday in the lounge at the retirement home. It was full of residents, all busy with their coffee and cake; conversation and arguments were raging up and down, a few great-grandchildren were running around and getting in everyone’s hair – normal Friday morning bedlam. I looked around to watch the action for a moment and there was Harry, fast asleep in an armchair. I envied him being able to drop off in the midst of all the noise. He even had a small smile on his face as though he was far away in some serene place, undisturbed and uninvolved.

I see Harry often. Our apartments are on the same floor so we often bump waiting for the elevator and we chat about important stuff, the weather and the food, the politics and the food. A big man, he seems quite fit although he uses a cane to get around. He’s one of those quiet men… never speaks unless spoken to. Always has a smile on his face.

I glanced at him again and saw that he had not moved. Of course, after that I kept turning to look at him. After all, how long can a man sit without moving? Finally the penny dropped. Harry had left for some other place. No noise, no hysterics. Like a magic show – one second here, next second gone.

I got up, crossed the floor and stood looking down at him. Mike joined me and we stood uncertainly for a moment, looking for a sign of life.

“He’s gone, huh?”

“How can you tell?”

“Dunno. I don’t have much experience with this stuff. I reckon he’s gone.”

“Should I go for help?”

“Yeah, may as well get another opin…”

At that moment Harry came to life. He blinked, fixed the smile on his face and said, “Hi guys! Have we had coffee yet?”

 

About the Author
Leon Moss grew up in South Africa and has lived in Israel for 35 years; He is a construction estimator by profession, and has been a freelance writer for the past 10 years, writing odd stories, articles and web content. Leon paints and works hard at being retired. He and his wife live in a retirement home in central Israel.