This, That, and The Other

“I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Harry would always say to his friends and family. Ever since the accident, his injured spine was killing him. Sometimes the pain was so excruciating that he thought he might collapse from it.

Harry was praying for a reprieve from the constant pain. “At least dial it down to medium,” he would often say out loud even though he was the only one around, hoping that maybe God would hear him. Unfortunately for Harry, his prayers went unanswered.

Harry was known as a wily guy, yet despite all his wiles, he couldn’t persuade a doctor to extend his prescription for what he needed to make his almost unbearable pain go away. He became so desperate for relief that Harry went to the streets to pull a very dangerous thread. He found a guy who could score some oxycodone for him, and, poof, the pain would be gone…or at least bearable…for a while.

All of Harry’s friends were at his funeral three months later. The service was a poignant one, with handwringing and tears, and for some, feelings of guilt for not seeing this coming and not being there for their friend. They were all devastated when they learned of Harry’s addiction. He was a such smart man, a wily man. A man who didn’t deserve to OD on oxycodone. A man who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

---

Written for these daily prompts from yesterday: The Daily Spur (spine), My Vivid Blog (collapse), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (reprieve), E.M.’s Random Word Prompt (medium), Your Daily Word Prompt (wiles), Ragtag Daily Prompt (thread), and Word of the Day Challenge (poignant).