Habits

Roger was a creature of habits.

Each morning he woke up at dawn with the first rays of sun. He came out of bed - right foot first and then the left. He wore his right sock and right sleeve of pants and then his right shoe, followed by the left sock, the left sleeve of his pants and his left shoe. Shirt and sweater were worn the same way - right then left. He started shaving his right side, than moving to the left and ate a toast from right to left. He was washing his right hand - twice, and then moved to the left.

Each morning this ritual was repeated again and again. Every thing he did was right first and then left.

In times of absent mindedness, when a left move had preceded a right one, he would flip out. Covered in sweat and shaking he would punch his right hand and kick his right foot, until he could feel them well enough so such a slip won't happen again.

Roger was a friendly guy with a funny smile - first his right half of his mouth curled then his left. People at his small neighborhood were fond of his peculiar walking and his odd ways. It was the incident with beautiful Jenny that had changed the way things were.

This awful summer morning. When the sun was shining and the birds were twittering and Jenny was found dead in the park - her throat cut from right to left ...


--Time's up--