This is IT

(Courtesy President Terrence McNemar.)

Mr. Procrastinator folds the thin sheaf and presses the creases tighter before sliding the pages into the envelope. He peels the sealing strip from the flap and slowly pushes the flap down against the back of the envelope, then slides his thumb the length of the white vellum capsule. Balancing it by two corners, he flips it over and proofs the front. He sees his name and address on the top left corner, a bright waving American flag on the right, and in the center it reads: WV Writers, Inc.; c/o Steve Goff….

“Medium house blend, non-fat creamer, and two sugars!” he barks into the menu board beside Starbucks.

“Thank you, that’ll be one dollar and nine….” He knows the price by heart. He’s not paying attention to the clerk. He’s looking to the left, past the Long John Silvers, beyond the Farm and Fleet Store, and just past the steakhouse, to the Post Office. He smiles.

He holds the door for a lady pushing a walker, and then follows the red carpet to the slot that says ALL MAIL. It reminds him of one of those WWII movies where the funeral takes place on deck of a ship and then they slide the body overboard only this isn’t a reason to mourn. The envelope slides through the slot.

He watches himself approach the glass doors, cool sunglasses, wicked smile, and though the lettering on the hat reads backward in the reflection frem the glass, he know it says – Confident!

Wow, I still had five hours to spare, he thought. Just think, in fifteen days, four hours, and a few minutes, I’ll be filing my tax return. He returns to his seat in the car and hits the key. The coffee smells terrific. The song on the radio reminds him of Ripley.

In other words, TODAY is the final day for submissions to the 2009 WV Writers Writing Contest. Get ye busy and Good luck!