The Present
“Are you okay, Ed?”
To relieve the pressure, Ed tugged on his undershirt collar. He and Mel were at the counter of AL'S DINER.
“My Aunt...”
“What?”
His words came haltingly.
“Aunt Edna...”
Each holiday, she gave the constricting presents.
Before Ed, they went to Uncle Fred. The poor man suffered from the waist down. After the holidays, he always had trouble with his privates.
Always Edna's too-tight underwear.
“Your throat, Ed? Can you swallow the oatmeal?”
His jugulars stood out.
He twisted awkwardly on the swivel seat.
His throat?
His undershirt?
“It's not the throat I'm worried about, Mel.”
From Guest Contributor David Sydney