Reward

There were four glasses half-filled with water sitting on the half-moon table in the studio like the previous interviewees had to leave in a hurry and no one was around to bus the table. I poured what was left in the water pitcher into a fifth glass that looked like it was clean but maybe that person had just slugged it all back. I didn’t care. I was going to read an essay to be taped by our local public radio station and I was bound to get thirsty.

The host coached me. Where to hold the paper, not to look down, and to go slower than I might want to. Oddly, I wasn’t nervous. I was nervous in the days before, nervous in the car driving downtown, nervous up the elevator, but once I sat down with my two pages in hand, I was glad. I’d never felt more sure of a story than the one I was going to read. Every word was true and all of them together was my creed.

Here is my essay, Billy, as read on WUWM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for you to read or listen to, up to you.

After I finished reading, I took the elevator down to the first floor and bought a glazed donut and a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. I watched people walk by me to go to the bank on the first floor but I kept the news of having done this small thing to myself and I dunked my donut in my hot coffee. It was delicious.