Retire Him: some very short flash fiction

Retire Him

Ji Ji sighs, “I should have done it.”

Ba Ba says, “ You coward. You’d never do it.”

Ji Ji growls, “I’m no coward. My ancestors were samurai!”

The 5:15 roars towards them. Ji Ji screams,

“Banzai!” and lives exactly 1.2 seconds longer.

Ba Ba keeps a still face only smiling briefly

when the first pension check arrives in the mail.

*Ji Ji and Ba Ba are either childish or disrespectful ways to say old man and old woman in Japanese