"Deep Sleep" - short story

Pete was having problems sleeping at night. Insomnia ruled as he tossed and turned, his mind rehashing the day’s troubles. Endless traffic jams. Pressures in the office. The demands of his boss. The nasty looks and biting comments of his wife. The unpaid bills, the unfiled tax returns, the threats of his mother-in-law to visit.

Night after night, Pete couldn’t get the sleep he needed. He rolled back and forth, thrashing out unintentionally at his wife, interrupting her dreams and recoiling from her sharp elbowed jabs in his ribs.

She was sympathetic to his predicament, up to a point. “See a doctor,” she insisted. “He’ll write you a prescription for something.”

“I don’t want to get addicted to sleeping pills!”

Pete was willing to try anything, except for pills. He went for late night jogs; drank a glass of red wine before bedtime. He avoided his cell phone and instead read until his eyes were blurry. He listened to meditation tracks, to whales, to waves hitting the shore. His mind numbed but nothing worked. He still couldn’t sleep.

In the mornings he rolled out of bed red-eyed and struggled to his feet. Splitting headaches and aching muscles followed him to the bathroom. A cold shower did little to cleanse him of the night’s struggles. One cup of coffee, and then another one. Nothing could refresh him for the demands of the new day.

“Take care of yourself!” his wife demanded, offering no suggestions what he should try next.

“Maybe we need a new mattress,” he said.

Read the rest of the story in Meat For Tea - The Valley Review. Volume 17, Issue 3, Page 9.