Unlucky People Beware

You know that old saying: If it were not for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. Well, we got the woman here in Harper, Eunice Hardboil, who believes that about herself. R. X. Smith, our druggist, (yes, that's what his druggist daddy named him) told me about this conversation he had with Eunice last week. After he had sent out her refill she called him up and began her little tyrade. It started out smooth and easy. She said she wanted to thank him for his excellent service. Without him she would have a hard road understanding her therapy and getting her medicine. BUT, she had repeatedly asked him not to staple her bag shut. She claimed that when she opened the bag the staple would fall into the carpet and she would walk through barefoot and get the little booger stuck in her toe. That would lead to an infection that would worsen when all the treatment she could come up with failed and blood poisoning would sure ensue. Gangrene would lead to amputation, but that would come too late and sepsis (she has a medical dictionary) was certain. A slow, painful death would end weeks of suffering. R. X. asked her if she considered that maybe one of the steps in her scenario would not occur and everything would work out for her. Her reply: "Not with my luck."

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle