Five Minutes Of Your Time Please

They rushed in and they rushed out. Hectic mornings, tired evenings.
He frantically searched for his socks, she threw him over a fresh pair.

He pulled them on and ran out the door in his slippers, returning a minute later to grab his shoes and his tie.

She waited for his goodbye kiss, an acknowledgement of some sort, only to be greeted by the rush of wind as he hurried out.

Busy busy busy, life was busy.

After work, she'd rush home to prepare an evening meal. Dinner was rushed, the effort hardly appreciated.

'Goodness', he commented as he chewed on his chicken, 'You couldn't try and cook something different for once?'

She sighed as she cleared the table and put away her new recipe book of 'new and inventive culinary skills'.

'Sweetheart' she pulled him close one day as he walked in late after a hard days work. 'Can we just chill? I have an idea'.

'And what would that be?' he replied as he tapped away at his blackberry.

'How about, when we come home from work, we take 5 minutes out. 5 minutes to simply just hug, breath in and out, and just chill. No talking, no worrying, no rushing, just chill'.

'That sounds good' he replied, 'I think I could do with that'.

The first few days worked a gem, the 5 minutes of wonder were a God send. Sweet, uninterrupted connection...but off course, old habits slipped back in the midst of the demands of life.

He rushed to and fro, busy making business deals, busy thinking about the next day at work.

'Sweet heart' he sighed, as he pushed her away 'I really don't have time for 5 minutes...I'm just too busy'.

He ran out of the door one day for work but he didn't see the car racing towards him as he crossed the road, he thought he could make it across the green light.

He heard the loud wails of screeching sirens, he wondered which fool had caused himself to be in need of such an emergency.

He lay there on the floor, slowly becoming aware that he was the epitome of the fool as paramedics rushed around him.

Oxygen, mask to his face, he struggled to speak...

'Wait' said one of the paramedics, 'He's trying to say something'. They leaned in close.

'5...' he manged to rasp. 'just give me 5 more minutes. Please...ring my wife...tell her...tell her I'm ready for her 5 minutes.'

He sighed, and took his last breath.

She sat at the kitchen table not hearing the vibrations from her phone as it rang and rang. She was too deep in thought wondering when she would ever get that precious 5 minutes of his time...