Rosebud
written by: Doug Bartlett
Thomas dragged himself out of bed and slipped on his worn-out and ragged slippers. The chilly morning air was several degrees below his comfort level as he was on a fixed income and couldn’t afford to use the heater.
He never imagined his life of retirement would turn out to be like this. He was beginning to get depressed but reminded himself that his seventy-fifth birthday was this Friday and he would do something he had never done before in his lifetime. He would splurge on himself by going to see a movie at the local theater.
As he entered the plush lobby of the movie theater, he could smell the delicious aroma of hot, buttered popcorn as it wafted its way to his nostrils. He could hardly wait to give his money away so he could begin devouring the tasty treat.
As the popcorn guy began filling the bucket with popcorn, he asked Thomas if he’d like butter with it.
“Sure, why not,” responded Thomas.
Thomas noted how meticulous the popcorn guy was. As he continued filling up the bucket, he would stop periodically and tamp the popcorn down before continuing to add more, thereby ensuring Thomas was getting the maximum popcorn that the bucket would hold, which in turn put a big smile on his face.
He started daydreaming how his life was like that bucket and the many popcorn kernels were the vast and pleasant experiences he had accumulated during his lifetime. They weren’t just fluffy with lots of space between them. They were tamped together, for which he felt very grateful, and his cloud of depression began to lift.
He scurried into the theater and plopped down in a comfortable seat just in time to watch the opening scene of his favorite movie, “Citizen Kane.”
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