Until Always
Originally Published on Short Fiction Break . At first, Jonas hadn’t noticed anything amiss even as he grew tired during the day and couldn’t seem to quench his insatiable thirst. But, when he couldn’t make the bike ride to David O’Shaughnessy’s house, he knew something was wrong. “I’m afraid you have Type 1 Diabetes,” their family doctor said, eyeing Jonas’s parents who looked sick with worry, “it’s alright, Jonas will be able to live a normal life.” A normal life, Jonas mused as he sat in the waiting area of Bradley Hospital’s Endocrine Clinic ten years later. It had been a normal life, perpetually obstructed by fainting spells, drowsy mood swings, irreversible nerve damage, endless hospital visits, and most recently, despair and guilt. Since his parents died in an accident the year before, their life insurance left him with a small fortune. Embittered, Jonas wasted most of it on gambling, drinking, and a water-front apartment where he brought girls. They were impressed fo...