The TV Guide - A Short-Short

The TV Guide

The stresses of the world can all be taken away by a mere moment in time. A moment where everything makes sense and nothing is questioned. For me, that is the moment I can finally sit down and lose myself in the television.

As I came home, the decline began and things were becoming positive again. Quickly, I flipped on the TV. I wanted to start watching before my girlfriend got home, so I could get a few minutes of peace. I rushed to the couch and found my favorite corner spot and before I knew it, the remote was in my hand.

The first show was a personal favorite. It was a show called “Californication,” which is a show about "a middle aged man trying to keep his life together, while watching it all fall apart." It was a show that hit home with me on many levels, but I could never figure out why.

At this point, my girlfriend walked in. She had just come from work and I could tell by the distraught look on her face, it was not a very good day. Regardless, it was not my main concern at this point because I had my own bad day to forget. She was looking at me for sympathy or concern, but realized there was no getting through to me. She let out a big sigh and went to our bedroom.

Once she changed, she decided to sit with me and watch TV. It was perfect timing because it was a romantic scene it the show, so I thought it would cheer her up. I figured she would like that after all the romance movies we see. She loves those movies, which I never understood because they aren’t real.

As I became anxious for her to feel better, the main character delivers a beautifully scripted line about how much he loves this girl and wants to stay with her forever. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I was entrapped by this and completely forgot why I yearning for a romantic scene.

“Why can’t you say that kind of stuff to me,” my girlfriend screamed. I was blindsided and I had no idea what to say.

“Of course, you never have anything to say during your personal time,” she screamed and then walked away.

As I glanced back at the television, my next move became clear. I was going to tell her the next big romantic line I heard in the show. Besides, she is not watching, so she will not know the difference.

As I sat and waited for another beautifully scripted line, the show started to end. Before I knew it, a man was on a roof and stood on the ledge getting ready to jump. As he leaps into the air, “SLAM.” Startled by the noise, I look around and nobody is there. So, I ran to the bedroom to apologize and she was gone. The worst part was, I didn’t even notice.