"First Wish" by Pezhman

Last night when the Old Man granted him three wishes, Alex paused for a few seconds and then asked whether he can think about it for a day. The Old Man will return after sunset this evening, and Alex hasn’t made his mind yet.

Alex always thought how great his life would be if his past were different. As a kid he was under spell of his abusing father all the time. Granny’s bedtime stories are the only good memories he has of that time. A year after granny’s death, he was only 8 years old when he and his mother ran away from home. His mother was working hard at a local factory and the pay-off was barely enough to live on. It took a while he got used to a normal quiet life. He was happy then, however children at school sometimes ridiculed his worn-out clothes. He was happy, however he was yearning for the bicycle he never had and he was happy, however unlike his classmates he had to help his mother after school. All in all, he was happy. He was a good student. Alex never upset anybody. One of his teachers found him an afternoon job at a bookstore that he could work less and study more. Years passed and he was 17 when he fell for the girl who was shopping at the bookstore once in a while. Alex never got courage to say something to her. Her name was Sabina, he found that one time she came with her mother. He wrote a letter to give her next time, but that was too late, she never came to the shop after that. He still keeps thinking about her. Alex finished college and got a job in a big city. Early twenties went smoothly.

Alex is trying to recall all good and bad memories. The list is endless but he wants not to miss anything. What could he change from the past? Anything? What are the top three? He goes through his list over and over again; thinking, imagining, dreaming and checking every single wish many times.

The sun set into the horizon and the Old Man is now standing in front of him. Alex hesitates for a moment. He looks at his list, then keeps his head up and smiles at the Old Man. It is a strange feeling, he has never been this happy. He asks only for one wish: “I wish I could have another day?”