SHOWER DOORS

After years of faithfully rolling back and forth,
the doors in my shower wouldn't slide any more.
This may seem small,
but taking a shower is one of those rituals
that can determine the course of a day.
And those sticky doors were a daily reminder
of my powerlessness in the face of
mechanical invention.
What mysterious force had taken over?
I pushed and pulled and tried to figure out
why they worked when they did,
and why they wouldn't now that they didn't.
Damn, I thought, who the hell do you call
to fix your shower doors?
I calculated the cost and inconvenience
of replacing them,
since the few times I've tried to have things repaired,
I've ended up buying new ones anyway.
I was totally convinced those doors were hopeless.
Here comes the amazing part.
On Sunday, I was seized
by an inexplicable inspiration
to do what men probably do without thinking.
I lifted the doors off their track and took a look.
Well, well, well. Wheels.
Four little wheels,
attached to the top of the doors with simple screws.
Their tiny rubber tires were worn out.
Feeling like Einstein,
I tucked one of them into an envelope.
Marched myself into a hardware store,
convinced this was just the beginning
of a long frustrating search.
Was flabbergasted to discover
that there exists a common item
called Shower Door Replacement Wheels.
Four for $2.49.
Went home.
Opened my toolbox.
Dug out one of those funny screwdrivers.
Replaced all four wheels.
Rehung doors.
I have returned to the bathroom
several times since to smile with delight
as I slide and glide them effortlessly
back and forth along their track.
I didn't give up, I didn't give in.
I win, I am rewarded.
Hey man, am I a genius, or what?


© Ellen Azorin