"The Right Prescription" A Short Work of Fiction by Karen Kay Remus

Dr. Myra Puddles was a successful young American vascular surgeon. She was so involved in her booming practice that she had no time for a social life, and her family was always giving her grief about it. "You work so hard and make so much money, but you never allow yourself time to enjoy it," said her mother, her sister, her aunt, her cousin, and her 10-year-old learning-disabled niece.

Myra was 38 years old and had yet to find true love. She had very high standards and no time to date, so she had never married or even been in a serious relationship before. Her family gave her grief about this also. "You should get out more, find a nice man, and settle down," said her mother, her sister, her aunt, and her cousin. The niece couldn't have cared less on this score, and figured it was none of her business, anyway.

So one night, after an exhausting work week, and an an even more exhausting cumulative dose of nagging by various family members, the good doctor made a decision: to take that bike tour in Ireland she'd been dreaming about for years. The next day she arranged to take two weeks of vacation--her first ever--and fly to Ireland.

As she mounted her bicycle on the first day of the 100-mile tour of Irish countryside, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy and freedom that she had never before experienced. "There's so much more to life than vascular surgery!" She practically screamed out loud.

Michael, the bike tour leader, was drop-dead gorgeous, fit as a fiddle, and barely comprehensible, as he delivered the tour spiel in his heavy Irish brogue. "Could you repeat that please?" Myra asked a total of 19 times during the first day's 20 mile ride. She almost asked a 20th time, but stopped short when she replayed his remark in her head and realized that she had understood. She also realized that she was in love.

To make a long story short, Michael fell in love with Myra and asked for her hand in marriage on the last day of the bike tour. They were married in Ireland and moved back to the US, where Myra resumed her surgical practice, and Michael worked as a rocket scientist by day and folk singer by night. They were high on love and knew they would be for the rest of their lives. Everyone was ecstatic, including Myra's family, who were inspired to get lives of their own and stop nagging her.

However, after a few months of Myra's marriage and return to the US, her once thriving surgical practice completely dried up. No one could figure it out. But you know what? She didn't care, because for the first time in her life, she was truly happy. She also discovered a knack for Irish singer/songwriter management and lived happily ever after.

That concludes the story of retired vascular surgeon, Dr. Puddles-O'Blood.