Never in Life

The bed springs squealed and creaked; the darkness cleared, and Rodney Furnell finally woke up. From the nearby bathroom there came the buzzing of an electric shaver—his son had already gotten up. The neighboring bed was empty: Valeria, Rodney’s wife, had also risen earlier. Feeling a twinge of guilt, Rodney swung his legs to the floor and awkwardly stretched, trying to straighten his spine. Ah, youth! Now that it’s leaving, you have to make skillful use of at least what remains of it. He wiggled his toes…