WIRED FOR LIFE by Steve Almond

I’m not sure how many women have Janie’s problem. There are probably more than I think. Janie has found herself in a sexless relation ship. Oh, she will be the first to admit that there used to be sex, good sex, although never as much as she would have liked. Her friends’ encourage her to get out and get out fast; however, Drew is so beautiful and so understanding. Janie’s parents like him. Janie’s friends overtly flirt with him. He turns heads as they walk down the street together.

Janie’s other problem is that her laptop cord is frayed and causes its power to fluctuate. She takes her laptop in to a little repair shop where she fantasies about the repair technician. He is so skilled, the deft and precise way he moves his hands as he strips and reworks the cord.

Almond’s writing is erotic and sensual. I checked with my wife, 9 to 5 Poet, to see if some of Almond’s descriptions of Janie’s fantasies were accurate of female psychology. She seemed to think so. I won’t repeat any here. You will just have to find the story and read it and decide for yourself.

This is a Date Night suggestion. Do something different with your loved one, read a short story together.

Almond, Steve. “Wired for Life.” The Evil B.B. Chow and Other Stories. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2005. p. 151 -173