Sean Cantwell

To Die at 99

"TO DIE AT 99" Today is the following morning of Albert's 99th birthday, Its 9 am, the room is bright, the walls are white and the noise of heart monitors of other patients in the room sound their many bleeps. Albert is laying on his hospital bed with the headrest up, he looks at the small wooden topped hospital trolley at the end of his bed with a look of disgust, his eyebrows are semi--frowned, and the gaze is strongly directed at this blue iced cupcake with a single birthday candle placed right in its center, he thinks to himself "if I could move id hurl that stupid thing across the room". Albert never really liked birthdays but, then again, Albert never really liked anything. Albert hasn't had a great life, both his parents died in a car accident when he was 6 years old. At 10 years old he was abused by his uncle, physically and sexually. when Albert confronted some bullies in the park after school once when he was 15, they pinned him to the ground and made him watch a random dog being strangled by one of the bullies at school. In his late teens and earlier 20's instead of partying and chasing girls around the place, Albert focused on his maths and accounting studies in which he spent a very unsocial 4 years gathering a degree. He didn't even attend his graduation, instead, he heated a microwavable meal while watching daytime television programs for hours while his degree was posted to him. At 26 years old Albert worked in an accounting firm. He found comfort in the job processing all the numbers/accounts but hated and resented the presence of his fellow work colleagues in the office almost every day, keeping his distance from them always. At 50 years he made a scene on the street calling a lady a "good for nothing whore" cause she slightly bumped into him and he went to kick her dog too in outrage. Retiring at 71 years old he spent his retirement money on a brand new fancy apartment, (that he didn't look after well) in which he installed surround sound that was directly linked to his TV, an expensive leather armchair (the only chair in the living room) a few years worth of cigars made from all over the globe and a very expensive chess set that was his most valuable possession . He spent the next 27/28 years smoking, drinking (moderate amounts every day) alone in his big apartment. And on His 99th birthday no family, no friends, nobody came to visit him except for the nurse that found out his birthday from his medical sheet, thus giving him the cupcake.