title: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!:: Advice, Wisdom, and Uncommon Good Sense
author:  Ann Landers 
description: Advice columnist Landers offers a survey of her most memorable columns complete with a selection of poems, essays, etc.<BR>Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: Prologue  
   
  The End of a Romance  
   
  PRESENT  
  25 February 2019  
   
  Have you ever disappeared from someone’s life just like 
  that? No intimation. No conversation. Nothing. Well, 
  I’m going to do that. Today. In fact, in a few hours.  
  Since the time I woke up, I had a knot in my 
  stomach. The ominous kind that constantly whispered 
  that nothing would go right. I don’t remember the last 
  time I woke up with my head buzzing like this. But the 
  good thing was I was looking ahead to a busy day. Busy 
  days take care of whispers like these and other 
  unnecessary thoughts. I had no time to waste but my 
  anxiety led me to an early morning smoke. I do smoke 
  but not this early. I have my first cigarette with coffee 
  after I reach office. But today was different. Or perhaps 
  today was mundane but I was different. For starters, I 
  was not going to office.  
  
  I looked out as I exhaled a puff of smoke, admiring 
  the vivid splash of colour that was already appearing at 
  the horizon despite the blan