Mick Sunderland's throat burned as the sandwich in his mouth blocked the path of air to his lungs. His son Larry Sunderland stood with his eyes bulging at the television, completely tuning his father out. Mick Sunderland was a sandwich deli manager by day and a champion sandwich eater by night. Taking into account that he was a balding, fat man who enjoyed wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, can you blame him for focusing his life on sandwiches?

Now it seemed his sandwich days just might be over. Mick's life flashed before his eyes. He saw himself at age two eating his first sandwich. He had gone to the kitchen seeking his mother's attention. Instead she trapped him in a high chair and gave him a sandwich cut into triangle halves. His mother then left the room. His whole life had revolved around sandwiches. He saw himself at different times in his childhood going to his parents for advice. Every time they brushed him off and handed him a sandwich. Eventually he stopped seeking their advice. He had discovered a solution to every problem. Whenever things didn't go right, he made a sandwich. Soon the time came where he was always having a sandwich. When a problem wasn't there, he created an excuse for another sandwich.

Before Larry was born his mother Ruth had become a popular television anchor. She was so popular with viewers that she later became a talk show host as well. When Ruth and Mick got married, Ruth persuaded a television network to let Mick do a cooking show. Mick of course based each episode on sandwiches until one day the network wanted him to do an episode on something other than a sandwich. He refused and eventually lost his job. He later opened a sandwich deli.

For the first time in his life Mick realized the seriousness of his compulsion. As Mick's face began to turn purple he began to reflect on the impact he had made on his son Larry's life. Mick had raised Larry to have a better relationship with the television than anyone or anything else. The very mistake that would ensure that Mick would not survive the deadly bite of sandwich stuck in his throat.

There were many events that would lead to Larry's television consumed childhood. It perhaps started when Larry was an infant. One day Ruth had a show to do and the babysitter had cancelled at the last minute. Ruth rushed Larry over to the deli so that Mick could watch him. The sandwich shop was busy that day so Mick placed the child in an office behind the front counter. This back room had two televisions. Mick turned on the first television and tuned it into his wife's program. He then pointed to the television and exclaimed, "Mommy!" Next he turned on the second television and turned it to a rerun of his old cooking show. Pointing to the second television he exclaimed, "Daddy!" From that point on Larry had been raised by the television. Even when the babysitter was available, she would place Larry in front of the television and go into another room.

Soon tunnel vision began to set in for Mick. He strained to see clearly, but things were starting to blur. He decided that maybe he could save himself. Maybe if he could run stomach first into the back of his cushioned armchair he could accomplish it. He would have to hurry up, because he was beginning to feel dizzy. He stood up and ran into the next room. It just so happens that the next room was the kitchen. While attempting to turn around and head with a running start toward the armchair, he lost his balance. Mick caught his shoulder on the fridge door as he began to fall. The fridge door opened so forcefully that it began to tip over. Mick landed on his back and the fridge landed on him. The force of the fridge landing on his stomach dislodged the sandwich from his throat while knocking him unconscious.

Mick awoke to find himself in a hospital bed. Larry sat at the foot of the bed staring at a television. To Mick's right stood his wife looking down on him. "Doctor, he's awake!" Ruth cried out. A doctor stepped into the room and began to examine him. "I need to speak to your husband alone please," the Doctor told Mrs. Sunderland. "Can't we wait until a commercial break?" asked Larry. "Larry!" scolded Ruth. "There's another television in the waiting room," the Doctor said.

"I'm Dr. Rutherford, " Introduced the Doctor as soon as they were alone. "Doctor Rutherford, what happened? Will I be okay?" asked Mick. "Mr. Sunderland, you are an obese man. Your cholesterol is off the charts, and you are lucky to be alive." "I knew that Doctor," Mick confessed, "What else is wrong with me." "Mr. Sunderland, the list is endless … as for your most recent injury … you have fractured ribs and bruises all over. When your wife found you," he continued, " you were covered in sandwich materials and you almost drowned yourself in a puddle of pickle juice." "What should I do?" Mick asked. "I'm releasing you from the hospital, Dr. Rutherford answered, "Get plenty of bed rest and start eating healthier."

By the next day Mick was lying in his own bed thinking about the recent turn of events in his life. He had seen his life flash before his eyes. He had escaped death twice in a matter of a few minutes. He didn't want these experiences to be in vain. He was unhappy and he wanted to change. So he decided to take action. He got up out of bed and headed into the kitchen. He grabbed a waste basket from under the sink and opened the new fridge. Inside the fridge was covered with piles of cheese and sandwich meat, pickles, tomatoes, mustard, and many other sandwich foods. He grabbed at it a handful at a time and emptied it into the waste basket and placed it once again under the sink.

Next he went into the living room. He hoped to make up on lost time with his son Larry. "How are you son?" he piped. "Dad, you're making me miss the show!" complained Larry. "That is the last straw!" Mick stomped. Mick stomped his feet as he trotted toward the living room television. He grabbed it and lifted it high above his head. "Dad, what are you doing?" wined Larry. With a newfound energy, Mick threw the big screen television down the stairs. It broke in pieces and began to smoke. By now Mick was beginning to feel the consequences of lifting heavy objects in his injured condition. He stumbled into the kitchen and leaned on a counter top to rest for a moment. He then grabbed a chair from the kitchen table. Larry raced into the kitchen to rescue the kitchen television, but he was too late. Mick smashed the television off the wall with the back of the chair.

Larry was beginning to catch onto his father's motive. Larry ran into the dining room and grabbed the television. Mick followed him into the study. "We have way too many televisions Larry," Mick said calmly, "They are coming between us." "You stay away from them," warned Larry, "What did they ever do to you anyway?" "I ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF ONE OF THEM!" came Mick's raised voice. "You aren't well right now," suggested Larry, "why don't you go back to bed and get some rest." "I can't rest until every television in this house is gone." Mick demanded. Mick continued to travel through the house destroying every television in sight. At last there was one television remaining. This was the one Larry held in his arms.

Larry carried the television into his room and plugged it in. He set it down on the carpet and quickly flipped through the channels. Mick prepared himself for a running kick. He built up momentum and charged the television. Moments before Mick's foot reached it, Larry grabbed the television and held it up. "Look Dad," Larry called, "It's Mom!" Mick was startled and stopped so abruptly that he fell on his back. Mick was unable to move. He stared over in a daze at the television. He could see an image of his wife talking excitedly. Missing half of what had been said he strained to discover what she was so excited about. Then a new picture flashed up on the screen. It was some kind of meteor. He now was listening even closer to hear what was being said. "If you have just joined us, a meteor is headed straight for the Earth," Ruth announced in her anchor voice, "The government, the military, the United Nations, and NASA have all failed to stop it. There's no time for anyone's evacuation, Sources say that the public has not been informed until now in hopes of postponing panic."

Mick and Larry were both in shock. "Experts say," finished Ruth, "That it will completely impact and destroy the Earth in about five hours. This is Ruth Sunderland reporting, God help us all." "Larry," Mick said, "I need you to hand me the phone." Larry handed a wireless phone and he began to dial. "Hello, Vince, I want you to close down the deli for the day and send everyone home."

Larry looked at his father, then at the television, and then back at his father. Then he did something amazing. Something so astonishing that it sent chills down his father's spine. Larry for the first time in his life, turned off the television. "Are you okay, Dad?" Larry asked. "Son," Mick responded, "I can't move a muscle, but I am the happiest I've been in a long time."

A short time later Mick was once again in the hospital. As he laid in another hospital bed, Mick glanced up to see his son looking at him with concern. "Dad, I called Mom and she couldn't get off work to come see you," Larry told him, "I'm sorry about that." "Don't worry about it son," Mick sighed, "I'm used to it." Soon the Doctor came into the room. "Hello," he introduced, "I'm Doctor Ruther.. Oh, it's you Mr. Sunderland." "Hello," winced Mick, expecting to be insulted. "Mick," the Doctor confessed, "My bedside manner has been terrible." Mick's eyes widened in surprise. "I want to apologize for the way I talked to you last time," he continued. "Apology accepted!" Mick smiled. "Mr. Sunderland, because of the recent turn of events our beds are overcrowded, we will have to release you again, but I sincerely hope you will get some rest this time," the Doctor said. "Oh, I'll make sure he does Doctor, " Larry promised.

With one hour until impact, Ruth Sunderland stood gazing up at the meteor in the sky. "As you can see," Ruth told the camera, "the meteor is close approaching." Ruth then stopped a couple and their little boy who were running in a state of panic. "Sir!" shouted Ruth poking the microphone in his face, "How do you feel right now?" "Daddy, I'm scared!" interrupted the little boy. "It's okay honey, "his mother consoled, "As long as we are together, there's nothing to fear." Ruth stood for a moment looking at the family. Then she looked up in the sky above her. At that moment something clicked. Here she was spending her last hour of life all alone waiting for death to come. She turned to the camera, leaned into the microphone and uttered, "I'm going home."

Finally, the family was together again. There was no longer work, or television, or sandwiches to stand in their way. They had what was most important, each other. They would spend the remaining twelve minutes together. Mick lay once again at home in bed. This time he had Ruth and Larry on either side of him. He was happier than he had ever been. He almost was happy to die the way he would.

Soon those twelve minutes were gone. That's when another amazing thing happened. The meteor rushed toward the earth with great speed and when it was a hundred feet from the ground it stopped. No one could explain why the Meteor never hit the earth. Some called it a miracle and others searched for some scientific explanation. But when later asked about the meteor, everyone said it had made their lives worth living.

THE END.....OR IS IT?

"Look for the button"

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