Metamorphosism

How are you otherwise?

I can never sleep when I drink that at night, my wife said.
I was mixing myself a fizzy aspirin drink.
I've never noticed any problem, I said.
How many nights ago was that? Three? I lay there like a little doll suspended in the snaky blue sparks of a Jacob's ladder for hours. Who knew aspirin had that effect?
Or maybe it was pure coincidence. When I drink it in the morning, I'm not more energetic or nervous during the day.
Except, today I am. I'm totally crazy inside.
It can't be the moon. It's down to half.
Man, that's scary, how fast the phases of the moon go. Just yesterday, or the day before, it was full and I was surprised that nothing crazy had happened.
I'm electric today, and out of sorts. Last night I went to my dermatologist who reported happily that I have no new skin cancers. Beta was a bit put out that she will not be removing any stitches anytime soon, but she's happy that nothing noticeable is growing on my shoulders.
Except hair, of course.
Then my doctor asked, And how are you otherwise?
Boy, wrong question. It totally threw me. How do you mean, I asked, stalling for time.
Shit, I wondered, how am I?
How am I? Shit. I? How am?
Am? I? How?
It depends, I suppose, I said. What you mean. In which way. Which facet of my life and stuff.
I complained about my job a bit, but on the other hand, had to admit that my second, part-time job is fun.
I didn't even mention the meditation and introspection and what all that's stirring up.
Nor any of the other stuff. Jesus, I was crushed under a blinding cascade of on the one hand on the other hand.
She was probably sorry she had asked. Simple question, and look at him, I set off a chain reaction in his brain of some sort.
How are you otherwise?