The Old Man

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. It was old and haggard. I looked like a man in his eighties. I'm only twenty six, and couldn't believe my eyes.

I called my best friend, Freddy.

"Fred, look in the mirror, what do you see?" I asked.

"Why?" Fred asked.

"Just do it," I snapped.

"Ok, ok. Chill bro," He said. I waited for him to answer.

"I see me. Just a regular reflection. What's this about?" Fred asked.

"I'm coming over," I said.

"I'm a little busy today. My girlfriends over and we're..." Fred started to say. I interrupted him.

"I don't care. This is an emergency," I said.

"Oh, ok... What's going on?" He asked.

"Can't explain, you won't believe me. Just be home. I'm heading over," I said.

I got in my car and my hands hurt as I reached into my pocket for my keys. I looked at my hands, and they looked as wrinkled and old as my face. Why was this happening to me.

"Damn it," I shouted and slammed my fist against my steering wheel.

"Ouch," I shouted.

I started my car and tried to back out of my driveway so my friend could confirm whether or not I was aging or hallucinating, and I backed over my mailbox.

"Damn it," I shouted. I'm even driving like an old man. I pulled forward and slowly managed to back up around my mailbox.

I started to drive and a soccer ball started bouncing through the streets. I slammed on my break. A kid ran into the street and grabbed the ball, not even paying attention to the fact that other people might be driving. I slammed on my horn and shouted "damn kid," before driving off. I was rapidly becoming more cranky.

"Screw you, old timer," the kid shouted and gave me the finger. Did he call me old timer? I checked the mirror in the car and I still looked old. I had a few more wrinkles then the first time I checked. I didn't like what was happening to me.

"Respect your elders," I shouted. The kid rolled his eyes and walked off.

As I continued to drive, the cars around me were whipping by.

"This isn't a race track. Slow down," I shouted. I saw a sign that said 'speed limit 45 M.P.H.' I was only going thirty five. Why did it feel like I was going faster?

I sped up to thirty seven and my heart starting racing.

"I feel like Mario Andretti, woo-hoo," I said.

A school bus cut in front of me and was driving slow. I honked my horn.

"Hurry up, damn bus," I said and honked a few more times. Finally, the school bus pulled over. I was about to go around it when it activated its stop sign.

"You've got to be kidding me. I don't have all day," I shouted. I waited for ten minutes as all the kids got off the bus.

"Damn kids. I hate kids. Why are there always kids everywhere," I complained.

Finally the bus deactivated the stop sign and I was able to drive around it.

I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed a police officer driving closely behind me. His lights started flashing.

"Crap," I muttered. I pulled over and rolled down my window. The officer exited his car and slowly walked over.

"Hello, officer," I said, trying to sound friendly.

"Hello, sir. I just pulled you over to tell you that you've been driving with your left blinker on," The officer said.

"Thanks for letting me know," I said. I fidgeted with the car's gadgets until the left blinker shut off.

"Have a nice day, sir. Drive safe," the officer said.

"Yah, yah," I said. The officer smiled and went back to his car.

As I was pulling back onto the road, a car slammed on its breaks behind me and started honking.

The driver rolled down his window and shouted, "learn to drive, old man."

"Why don't you get off the road, I've been driving since before you were born," I shouted, even though in reality the man looked around my age. My actual age, before I turned into my grandfather.

I sped off and continued the drive to Fred's house. I saw something in the middle of the road. I tried to stop but by the time I hit the breaks, I heard a 'thud' and the thing in the road was now under my car.

"Its probably nothing. Maybe a deer," I muttered and stepped on the gas. No more distractions, I thought.

I finally made it to Fred's apartment complex and parked diagonally into his spot.

I got out of my car and someone shouted, "hey old man, you're taking up two spaces."

"I don't care, jackass. I have more important things to do, and not enough life in me to do them all," I said and started to walk away.

"You're a jerk, I'm calling the police," he shouted at me.

"Call a tow truck while you're at it. I don't care," I said. I figured if I didn't get my aging problem fixed soon, I'd be dead before the tow truck got here anyway.

I slowly made my way to Fred's apartment and started pounding on his door.

"Who is it," I heard him say.

"It's me, Oscar. Hurry up and open the damned door," I shouted.

Fred pulled the door open and said, "whoa, buddy whats the... whoa, why do you look so old? What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, that's why I came here. It could have something to do with the experiential pills Kargig Pharmaceutical Company gave me. Maybe this is one of the side effects. I was in my eighties when I left, now I feel like I'm a hundred and ten," I said.

"Well, crap. That sucks dude. I told you not to take that job," Fred said.

"It was good money though, and I needed the work," I said.

"Well, now look at you. Come sit down, you look tired," Fred said.

"I'm exhausted," I said and sat down on his sofa.

"What now," he asked.

"Good question. I don't know. Call Kargig, tell them about the side effect, I guess. Maybe they can reverse it," I said.

"And if they can't?" Fred asked.

"Sue the crap out of them. This was negligent. There has to be a better way to test a pill this dangerous before they give it to humans," I said.

"Great idea. I'll do more then sue the crap out of them, I'll make them set up a memorial in your honor and fund a bill outlawing testing dangerous new drugs on humans before they know if they're dangerous," Fred said.

There was a mirror across from the sofa. I stared into it, disgusted by the old reflection I saw. I closed my eyes and slowly faded to sleep for the last time.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll teach Karig a lesson. They won't get away with this," Fred said and started his search for a lawyer.