The Anguish of an On-line Buyer

He sat slumped in the chair. His body slouched as his eyes fixed on the screen. His hand embraced the mouse, only a finger moved in a tempo. He looked as if he was frozen in time, oblivious to the sounds of the surroundings. The cries and shouts of children were drowned in his mind. He could hear or see none. He had only one thing in mind...only one thing.

As his index finger moved up and down in a rhythm, his gazed never left the screen. It was as if that little index finger had a life of its own. His mind scanned every detail, making mental calculations, comparisons and evaluations. His body started to show signs of fatigue and discomfort. But he was not about to give up until he got the thing that he wanted. Or should it be the thing that he really needed. Yes, it was something that he would need in the future. Definitely. Without A Doubt.

The images of the sleek ,the elegant, the sofisticated and the most up-to-date drew him closer and closer to temptations. Should he just relent? Just give himself to temptations. Afterall, shouldn't he give himself a reward for all the hardwork? Didn't the inspirational speaker say that one should reward oneself first so that one can stay motivated?

The clock was ticking. Three hours passed by but it seemed like a mere thirty minutes. His mind and eyes were tired. He had to do it, he said to himself. Otherwise, the three hours was a mere waste of time. He made up his mind. It was to be the most modern, sleekest, elegant, sofisticated one of the lot. And he did a final mental calculation. Yes, it would definitely be a good buy.

He checked out, selected the best delivery period and cautiously keyed in his credit card details. He smiled, a smile of relief and satisfaction. Yes, it was definitely a good buy. A window appeared on the screen. His smile turned into a frown. His fingers began taping furiously on the table. His heart beat quickened. Strings of swear words in whatever language that he knew, spilled out of his mouth. He pulled his hair and a soft, heart wrenching, anguish cry was heard.

The message on the screen said,"Sorry, we are unable to process your transaction. We are currently maintaining our system. Please call for our customer service officers during office hours." The on-line buyer collapsed on his bed, exhausted and empty-handed. Only his anguish cry broke the quietness of the night.