Odysseus found Penelope, that’s a rare happy ending; Galahad held the Holy grail in his hands; Tolstoy’s wife got to see him, at the very last (so I am told by an authority who knows); Churchill saved England. It can happen to us, you tell me, smiling, holding up a new waffle maker like the crown jewels sent through the mail. I don’t know how you do it. I have to be pointed at an enemy to fight, a wall to scale, a treasure to obtain. Happiness comes to you by post. “We can have waffles every day now, if we want!” you say, and I can’t help smiling. How do you do it? I can be satisfied, protecting that smile from the profound enemies of mankind.
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Benjamin Wachs has written for Village Voice Media, Playboy.com, and NPR among other venues. He archives his work at www.TheWachsGallery.com.
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