A RACE AGAINST TIME

It was a suffocating hot day in Manhattan. The bright sun was illuminating
every corner of the noisy city. Like every typical morning, newspapers were
being delivered by newsies in the street. People inside coffee shops were
talking loudly on their phones, making exaggerated gestures with their hands.
Adam, a young businessman, was walking along the street at a fast pace. With
his suitcase on his left hand and an eye on his watch, he was heading to his
boss´s office. Despite feeling a strong pain in his chest, he rushed to be on time.
He didn’t imagine that his view of life would change by the afternoon.

He was about to enter the office when suddenly his mobile phone rang. It was
his mother. She had called him three times before. Adam rolled his eyes. “I´ve
got no time for this…” he moaned. He didn’t answer, as usual. His mother was
always phoning him. He didn’t like it. Feeling nervous, he entered the room. He
handed in his work to his boss, Jackson, who read the papers and frowned. That
strict boss might have frowned all morning to other employees as well. A drop
of sweat fell down Adam´s forehead. He thought he should have checked his
presentation. “It´s good… but not perfect. Return tomorrow with a new idea,”
said Jackson contemptuously. A feeling of disappointment came over Adam. But
he just nodded, walked towards the door and left the building.

It was the afternoon. Frustrated, he wished he hadn’t accepted that

demanding job in that stressful city. Immersed in his worries, Adam was able to
think about his mother for a moment. He was about to call her when all of a
sudden, the unbearable pain in his chest surprised him again. Dizzy, he started
looking around for help. Some people approached him, but he immediately
collapsed on the ground.

Few hours had passed, when Adam woke up in a hospital room. Throwing
back tears, he realised that if he had been more aware of his tiring way of
living, he would have avoided that dangerous episode. Life had given him a
second chance to choose differently.

Word count: 364 words.