Today is the Day

The next morning, he stood straight and crossed his arms across his chest, not worrying that the knot of his tie was slightly askew. “Today is the day,” he informed his reflection, reinforcing his determination with a sharp nod before he left. 

The next morning, he wore a light sweater over his shirt, buttoned and unbuttoned his blazer relentlessly, always frowning at the result. “Today is the day,” he gritted at his reflection. He stomped out, abandoning the blazer on the doorknob as he went. 

The next morning, he checked to make sure his shirt was smooth and his jeans looked clean enough for work. “Today is the day,” he reminded his reflection. He licked his teeth and spun away, grabbing yesterday’s blazer from the doorknob. 

The next morning – closer to afternoon – he showered slowly and decided to forgo shaving, pulled on a slightly wrinkled t-shirt before he confronted his reflection again. “Today is the day,” he muttered as he walked away from the mirror. 

“Gimme a break,” the mirror snarled at his back. 

He stopped, turned slowly. His reflection glared at him, fists on hips. “What the f--” 

“Hey!” His reflection raised an angry hand, pointing dramatically. “We may be in the bathroom, but that’s no excuse for the potty mouth.”  

 He waved his hand experimentally; his reflection just shook his head and glowered. “What is happening?” 

His reflection leaned forward. “Let’s get this out of the way. You’re not dreaming, you’re not working too hard, you’re not dead and you’re not hallucinating or hung over.” 

His mouth opened and closed; stunted questions formed but never grew. Finally, he managed to whisper, “What are you?” 

“I’m you, Bob,” he chuckled, “as you see yourself.” His reflection spread his arms and spun in a slow circle. “I’m in better shape than you, my hair is thicker and less gray, and there’s no dark circles under my eyes.” 

“I’m in decent shape,” Bob protested as he sucked in his gut. 

His reflection snickered. “Oh really? You want to compare abs? You’ve got at least twenty pounds on me.” He started to lift the bottom of his t-shirt but stopped. “Listen Bob, I really don’t have time to debate your physique. I can get in a lot of trouble for even talking with you. So let’s just get down to it.” 

“How is this even possible?” he managed to stammer. 

His reflection shrugged. “For me, this is just life. I don’t even question it. And it’s not easy being a reflection. Do you have any idea how many times you see your own reflection every day?” Bob only managed a droning sound, so his reflection continued. “Me neither, but trust me, it’s a lot. And do you think it’s easy doing everything you do in a mirror? And I do mean everything Bob, so keep that in mind from now on, okay?” Bob winced and looked down at his feet. “And as your reflection, I need to tell you that I am sick and tired of listening to you tell yourself – and me – that ‘today is the day.’ What does that even mean anyway? You think you’re gonna change the world? You’re gonna make it big working in a cubicle answering angry phone calls? Is it about that cutie Jonette you work with? Because if you haven’t asked her out by now, you never will.” 

Trapped between confusion and indignation, Bob walked the center line. “Have you ever asked out Jonette’s . . . what are you anyway?” 

The man in the mirror shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I told you, I’m your reflection. And no, I haven’t. You know why? Because being a reflection doesn’t really allow time for dating. Could you imagine what would happen if you woke up in the middle of the night to take a leak and there was no reflection in the bathroom mirror, or you reached to check your phone and there was nothing there because I was off on a date somewhere? Chaos, that’s what.” 

Bob finally got up the nerve to approach the bathroom counter, as close to the mirror as he dared. He studied the waves in his surely-not-thinning blond hair, the absence of wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. “So, why the f–, why the hell are you talking to me now?” 

His reflection took up a similar stance and mimicked his motions with a cockeyed sneer on his lips. “I told you, I can’t take it anymore. Every day for nearly seven years you’ve said, ‘today is the day’ and nothing has ever changed. You still work the same job, have the same apartment, the same hairstyle. You even wear that same Nirvana t-shirt every Saturday.” Bob began to argue, but his reflection silenced him with an incredulous grin. “Look, I just want to see you do well Bob. And not just because it’s good for me.” 

Bob’s face wrinkled with confusion. “How is what I do good for you?” 

His reflection's exasperated sigh fogged the other side of the mirror for a moment. “I can only go where you go Bob, experience the same things as you and have the same social life that you do. And you only go to the same eleven places, except for those rare trips down to see your sister or an occasional new bar that you never go back to. Eleven, Bob. That’s it. I’ve counted.” 

Scoffing, Bob lifted his pointed chin, bereft of gray whiskers. “I go plenty of places.” 

“Oh really? You want me to list them?” His reflection held out a hand, ready to tick off his list. 

Bob spread his hands in resignation. “So, what, I'm just supposed to turn my life upside-down because you tell me to? I’m supposed to obey my reflection?” 

“Aren’t you listening to anything I’ve said Bob? I’m not a reflection of you – I am you as you see yourself. Which means I’m a lie, Bob, because how you see yourself isn’t really who you are. You are not the lean, young, energetic guy you see in the mirror. And your mantra has become just another fixed piece of you, devoid of any meaning or power. If you really want today to be the day, then you need to make it happen now. Because if you don’t, we’ll both be stuck in this same place. You can be so much more, but it’s up to you to make changes. Be honest with yourself Bob. It will go a long way.” 

Finally looking beyond the absurdity of speaking to his own reflection, Bob addressed his mirror image with crossed arms and a serious smile. “What kind of changes?” 

“Let’s start small.” His reflection stepped back and licked his teeth. “Why don’t you pick out a different shirt? I’ll wait.” Bob backed out of the bathroom, peeked in once to see if his reflection was still there, and hurriedly changed. 

When he returned, his reflection looked down at his own shirt and shook his head. “A black Nirvana shirt instead of a white one. I guess that counts. A few sit-ups wouldn’t hurt either. Woah, wait until you’re in the bedroom.” His reflection arched his back, groaning through a stretch, and settled into place, silently mirroring Bob once again. 

Bob eased back a step and examined his reflection, disappointed but relieved that it was once again behaving as it should. Maybe there were shadows beneath his eyes, a pair of valleys at the edge of his hairline, and yes, those probably were a few silver hairs at the tip of his chin. He nodded, smirked, and rubbed the little bulge of his belly. “Today is the day,” Bob decided. 

“Fuck yeah it is.” His reflection winked at him approvingly before they walked out of the bathroom.