The World Ends

When the world ended I was more than a little pissed off. I hadn't been to Spain. Hadn't seen the Grand Canyon. Hadn't read the book waiting on hold for me at the library. And I was right in the middle of a phone call. A woman on the line was about to say something important. I could tell. Then the world ended. Now what? No more Spain. No canyons, grand or otherwise. No phone calls. No woman on the line. I don't even know who I am any more. So I'll call myself Billy, a name I've always liked. It's friendlier than I am. Hopeful. The world doesn't end for a guy like Billy. He's in Spain talking on his phone with a woman standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon. Reception is clear and perfect. She's telling him about a book she just read. It's waiting on hold for him at the library. But take your time, she says. It's not like the world's going to end any time soon. And they laugh and laugh.