Through the
Mirror
by Bill Tope
Fresh from the shower, he
stood naked before the dresser mirror, gazing
appraisingly at his reflection and dripping water
onto the carpeted floor. He was not one to bother
with such things as a rule; he had always had a
more than adequate body: good physique,
flat stomach, fine muscle tone, nice hair, been
attractive to women. At least, he told
himself, he had done more than alright with the
fairer sex and he Indulged himself in a smirk
that he didn't really feel. His reflection
shrugged at him. Enough of that; time to
take stock.
The first thing, he noted critically, was that he
had gained weight. A lot of it! For
years he Had weighed precisely 150 pounds.
But now he must tip the scales at 175 or 180.
He struck a profile, noted with disdain that his
belly sagged where it had once been so flat and
firm. He remembered seeing other men on the
street and thinking scornfully of how they had
let themselves go. How he would never allow
that to happen to him! No, he would age
with grace, with some dignity, for Christ's sake.
But now look at him. Ugh! He looked away in
disgust. He turned back to face the mirror
again. He had always had rather well-developed
biceps, he reminded himself.
In his youth--not that long
ago--he had frequently donned a tee shirt a size
or two too small, in order to emphasize their
prominence. He made a muscle. Frowned.
Not much there, he noted ruefully, then he gazed
down at his forearms. His skin seemed paper-thin;
he could barely discern the sprinkling of
freckles that had once adorned his limbs. And
what was that? Liver spots! My God.
He heaved a great sigh, shook his head woefully.
Next he looked at his legs. What he saw there
didn't impress him much....then he stopped
himself. On the other hand, he thought
instead, he could still run five miles in about
forty-five minutes, could still do fifty pushups
without stopping. He was in pretty good
shape, really, for a man his age. He stood
a little straighter. And didn't he have a
date tonight with a most bodacious woman?
Maybe, he thought, he'd get lucky. He'd
count on it! It was a dinner in honor of
his birthday, even though he wouldn't be 91 for
another two weeks yet. Whistling a merry
tune, he hurried to get dressed for his date.
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