take off

At 5:30 a.m. the old man stretched his thick stubby arms as a deep, heavy yawn escaped his mouth, one that ended in a sigh equally as deep and heavy. After a few minutes of staring up at the cracked ceiling, he swung his feet around the edge with much difficulty before planting them onto the dull hardwood floor with a soft thud. The room was filled with familiar silence, no one there to tell him he was awake too early in the day or that the tag was showing out of his nightshirt. Brushing his teeth, he looked in the mirror, getting lost in his own reflection. A white foam ring surrounded his mouth, forming a fluffy beard that couldn't have made him look any older than he already did. His big, round nose took up most of his face, giving his grimacing expression a softer, more comical look. The years of having to carry himself through life without the relief of a partner had made his neckline sink a bit so that his shoulders rounded up and over it, continuing an arch down to his small feet. As he stared into his own eyes, his soulless expression turned into one of empathy, seeing the pain that he and his reflected self both shared.