[ WP ] He was a chronic procrastinator . In the end , this led to her untimely death .

“ Don ’ t forget the batteries today, Alex, ” Sarah reminded him as she left for work on a Tuesday. “ It really sucks flipping the breaker in the dark. ” 
 
 Alex sat on their ratty couch, wrapped up in a plaid blanket eating a late breakfast. 
 
 “ I won ’ t, I promise. Love you babe, ” He said through a spoonful of cereal. He meant it. He strained, trying to force his brain to make the damn connection, or wrinkle, or whatever, to get the batteries before she got home from her half-shift at Momma Lou ’ s Diner. 
 
 She bent over, gave him a quick peck on his cheek, he returned the favor with a playful smack on her butt. 
 
 “ Ooh, can ’ t wait to get back home, get the Bill Withers tape ready, ” she said and left through the cracked white door of their messy apartment. 
 
 The place was a dump, but it was all they could afford. Alex had lucked out and gotten an interview for an opening at a grocer the week before, but he put off buying a new shirt until the last minute. He ran out of time finally, and it was either the interview or the new shirt. He chose the interview, arriving on time but in an extra-large carnation yellow tee with a big black smiley face smacked in the middle of it. He did not get the job. 
 
 Sarah made him go out and buy new shirts. Alex was smart, and they had been together for three years now. No fighting, only lots of reminding. Before they began dated, when Sarah fell back into her Lortab habit, the fourth time in as many years, her grades plummeted, her parents abandoned her and so did her friends. She started making new friends, ones who didn ’ t mind the habit. Ones who only bummed a few pills here and there. 
 
 But then there was Alex. Not a druggy friend, just a guy who thought she looked cute and asked her out on a real date. And that was it. He pulled her from the depths like water from a hand-drawn well, and she cleaned up. They moved in together, and they were happy. So she forgave him for his superhuman ability to lose jobs for inane reasons, and he kept her happy enough to ward off chemical demons. 
 
 Today, Alex told himself, today I will get those damn batteries. Their only flashlight burned through the latest set of batteries. Just a pack of off-brands from the gas station. Today he would get Sarah the good ones, the bunny ones, he thought, and make up for three straight days of flipping the breaker switch in the dark. 
 
 But first he ’ d take a quick look at job postings. Today was a new day. His unemployment paycheck dried up next week, and if he didn ’ t get a job by then, they wouldn ’ t have to worry about turning on the breaker, there would be no electricity to trip it. 
 
 Monster.com, indeed.com, local sites, then finally the craigslist cesspool of shady job listings. He applied for a few, she ’ ll be happy at that, he thought, then he got the text: 
 
 Batteries 

