The Relief

I wrote this little story in a coffee shop yesterday.  I was supposed to be working on revising this paper I'm writing with Mitzker and Zawan, but instead I just wrote a little story and added some comic strip panels.  I won't share the panels, but here's the tale, which is about a sense of delight most of us have experienced at one time or another.  It's told in the second person point of view.

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You walk into the coffee shop ready to work.  You sit down with your latte and set up your table with your article and favorite pens, the Uniballs.  You notice suddenly that you are paralyzed from the waist down.  You wait a few minutes, surreptitiously poking your thighs and calves.  You're too distressed to get anything done with the article and you're unable to get up to leave.  You have no phone or computer because you came here to work without the distractions of social media for a change.  You're going to have to ask someone for help.  All the tables nearby are empty.  Should you scream out to the barista who appears to be staring out the window, her back to you?  You hear her singing along with Skylark, the Hoagy Carmichael classic, that's blasting from the speakers and it seems rude to interrupt.  Your feet are now awkwardly akimbo.  You can't stay here forever.  What's your next move?  Close to full on panic, you scream out politely, but loudly.  "Excuse me!  EXCUSE ME! I'm sorry to bother you!" Just as everyone, including the barista, turns toward you, you feel your legs again.  Your feet are numb, but tingly.  You're too relieved to be embarrassed.  You yell out cheerfully, "Never mind!"  Everyone in the place glares at you, obviously annoyed.  The barista's disdainful glower evaporates mid air as you pack up your stuff. You seriously don't care at all about her and there are plenty of coffee shops in the area. You hightail it out of there, a spring in your step.  You didn't get any work done, but a walk around the block sounds like just the ticket right now. Tomorrow's another day.