THE THIRD HURDLE
ALM No.91, July 2026
SHORT STORIES
This morning, Dave found a cockroach in his shoe. As he tied his shoes he felt a faint tickle at the ball of his right foot. Didn’t think twice about it until the tickle moved past his arch toward his heel. With the sole of his left foot, he flipped off his right shoe. The roach leapt from the shoe and scurried under the fridge. Dave leapt from the chair and scurried in the opposite direction. Although the apartment was far from clean, Dave didn’t typically leave food out that would attract roaches. In fact, his pantry was virtually bare except for a box of cereal, half a jar of peanut butter, and a bottle of Jack Daniels. After walking Charlie, Dave hung up the leash in the kitchen closet where he noticed the trash can overflowing. Maybe the food in the kitchen garbage attracted the roach. Dave yanked the garbage bag from the can, tied the ends together, and tossed it in the dumpster at the end of the parking lot before heading to his car. Even finding the uninvited guest in his shoe didn’t dampen Dave’s mood as he drove to work. It was Friday, and he took the afternoon off. Needed time to clean and shop for groceries before his boys arrived.
Dave engaged his coworkers with his tale of the cockroach and his shoe.
I swear the little bugger looked me in the eye and winked before he disappeared under the fridge.
Ann and Kelly in sales laughed.
The guy from IT warned of an infestation.
If there’s one then there are dozens, Dave.
His boss chuckled politely.
Good luck. I heard they can survive a nuclear bomb.
With his early exit from work, Dave avoided rush hour traffic and seemingly hit every green light on the drive home. Upon entering his second-floor apartment, Dave was greeted with a friendly yelp. Dave knelt down and scratched Charlie behind his ears.
We’re going to have some company this weekend, Charlie.
Dave adopted Charlie from the county shelter less than a month after the divorce. Lisa never wanted a dog.
Too much work.
Compared to raising two kids?
Dave surveyed his apartment. A lot of work to do before Luke and Ian came over tonight. They were staying for the weekend. Dave never considered himself a slob but there wasn’t much motivation to keep the place tidy when you were only cleaning for yourself. He collected the clothes on the floor next to the bed and combined them with the pile in the closet. As he scooped up the bigger pile, two stray socks stayed behind. He bent down to pick them up while simultaneously embracing the pile in a bear hug. He successfully snatched the two socks, but in the process, a pair of his boxers fell to the ground. As he stooped over to collect the boxers, another sock escaped his grasp. At this point, the sock earned a reprieve from the laundry for today.
Dave stuffed the over-sized load into the washer, grateful to have the stacked washer and dryer in the space next to his kitchen. One of the reasons he chose this apartment, no laundromat necessary. Also, pet friendly. Dave’s sons, Luke and Ian, joined him at the animal shelter to pick out Charlie. They selected the most pitiful dog, a malnourished mutt infested with ticks.
We feel sorry for him.
The mutt cleaned up pretty nice, though. At first, Charlie suffered from severe separation anxiety. When the dog was left alone in the apartment uncrated, Dave returned to find the garbage can tipped over with trash scattered throughout the kitchen or paint scratched off the front door. But Charlie quickly acclimated to his new surroundings and was now content being alone in the apartment. Dave wished he had acclimated so easily.
As he waited for the washing machine to finish, Dave tackled the dishes in the sink, mostly plates and silverware. Dave’s cooking consisted of anything he could eat directly from the fridge or heat up in the microwave. In fact, he hadn’t turned on the stove since he moved in two years ago. Dave scraped all the dishes. Loaded and started the dishwasher.
Lisa had been the cook; Dave always offered to clear the table and clean up afterward. A good system at first, but like anything, the monotony of the chores wore them down.
Lisa, don’t do the dishes. I’ll do them.
When? I just want the kitchen clean.
I was just about to do them.
And you could cook sometimes too.
I’m a terrible cook. You know that.
That’s such a copout. Anyone can follow a recipe if they wanted to.
What happened? They used to joke about the same things they later fought over. Dave and Lisa had gone to a comedy club where a comedian had a bit about how men wanted women to stay the same, but they always changed. And women wanted men to change, but they always stayed the same. They laughed at the time. Not so funny anymore.
The couple could barely cover the mortgage payments and other expenses each month, even with two incomes. During the mediation Dave agreed to pay more than was legally required for child support so Lisa and the boys could stay in the house, at least through high school. Less traumatic for Luke and Ian. In addition, since the boys were a little older, Dave and Lisa agreed not to set up a strict parenting time agreement, meaning the boys had the freedom to decide where they lived. Didn’t have to get shuffled back and forth.
Dave multitasked, vacuuming Charlie’s hair off the couch and carpet while both the washing machine and dishwasher were running. Any good movies out in the theaters? Now that the boys were 14 and 16 he could take them to that rated R action movie that came out last week. Luke and Ian witnessed more violence watching TV and playing video games than they would at the movie. And maybe tomorrow they could go bowling. Used to love bowling when they were younger. Did they still?
Do you even know us, Dad?
Dave rented a two-bedroom apartment and bought a twin bed so there would be a place for Luke or Ian to sleep if one was over. Dave even picked up a blow-up mattress in case both boys stayed at the same time. Despite his preparations, they chose to live almost exclusively in the house with their mom. Dave didn’t take it personally. At least tried not to take it personally. Moving out two years ago created a chasm between himself and his sons that seemed to widen every day he didn’t see his boys. Did he unintentionally abandon them? When they got older, would Luke and Ian carry the same resentments for Dave as he did for his dad?
Growing up, Dave’s dad worked hard, but at the end of the day his duty as a father to provide food and shelter for his family ended. Evenings were spent out. Drunk at the bar watching sports. Drunk at bowling league. Drunk at the weekly poker game. When he was home, his father’s interactions with Dave and his sister were transactional and often made in passing.
How was school today?
By the time they responded, his dad was halfway downstairs to the basement with a beer in his hand to watch sports or the local news alone. Dave promised himself that when he had kids he’d be different than his dad. And he was different. But was he better?
Dave emptied the contents of the vacuum cleaner into the garbage. How could so much hair come from one dog? There was enough fur to build a second Charlie. Dave surveyed the refrigerator and cupboards, gathering information to construct his shopping list. The milk, expired. The cereal, almost empty. Only a couple slices of stale bread.
Milk, Cereal, Bread, Lunch Meat, Cheese, Frozen Burritos, and Roach Traps
Dave planned to take the boys out for dinner tomorrow and maybe order pizza tonight, so he only needed food for breakfasts and lunch Saturday. And snacks of course.
Chips, Cookies, Soda
At the grocery store, he checked off the items on his list and filled his cart. So far, there were occasional nights when one or the other would stay over, but this weekend would be the first time they both stayed at the same time. Dave imagined a guys’ night. Just hanging out watching sports or a movie on TV. Luke lounged on the couch and Ian on the floor with Charlie at his feet. Dave would let them stay up late. He could reconnect with his sons. They’re at that age. Dave could share his wisdom about how to treat women.
Why should we listen to you, Dad? Things worked out so well with Mom.
Or they could make plans for a summer vacation.
What do you guys think about taking a trip this summer?
Yeah! Can we go camping? Or go to California and stay by the beach?
The buzz of his phone interrupted Dave’s thoughts.
Hi, Luke. Excited for guys’ weekend? I’m stocking up on groceries as we speak.
Well that’s why I called. The Chapmans invited mom, Ian and me to the lake this weekend. Would it be alright if we had guys’ weekend another time?
Dave and Lisa met Greg and Deb Chapman through soccer. They had a boy on Luke’s team. Lisa was better friends with Deb than Dave was with Greg, so Lisa got the Chapmans in the divorce settlement.
Well, sure. You can’t pass that up. Tell you what, if you two are back in time on Sunday, why don’t we go out to dinner and maybe see a movie?
That sounds good. Thanks, Dad.
They weren’t going to be back in time for dinner Sunday. Dave struggled to carry the groceries up to his apartment, wanting to complete the task in one trip. After fumbling for his keys, Dave finally resigned himself to putting the groceries on the ground to unlock and open his apartment door. An immaculate apartment, spotless for no one. He put away the groceries except for one bag of chips and a can of soda. Pulled a plastic Cubs souvenir cup from the dishwasher, emptied the can of soda into it, and topped it off with whiskey from the pantry. Grabbed the chips and his drink from the counter and plopped down on the couch. Charlie snuggled up beside him as he turned on the TV.
Looks like it’s just the two of us, Charlie.
Dave had already seen every episode of The Shield, a TV series about a group of corrupt L.A. cops, but it was a pretty good show. Figured he’d binge watch it again from episode one. After two episodes and three cups of whiskey and coke, Dave noticed Charlie standing by the apartment door. Time for Charlie’s walk. As Charlie sniffed and marked his territory around the grounds of the apartment complex, Dave’s thoughts drifted back to when he was about Ian’s age and participated on his middle school’s track team. For one meet the coach chose Dave to run the 110-meter hurdles for the first time. At the starting line, Dave dug both feet into the starting block. Set his thumb and fore finger on the ground just behind the starting line as he was taught.
Ready!
He worked hard in practice the week leading up to the race. Lead with the knee. One two three four jump.
Dave’s dad, never one for encouragement, couldn’t understand why he was running hurdles.
You aren’t fast with nothing in your way. What does the coach expect to happen when there are 10 hurdles between you and finish line?
Set!
Dave’s pounding heart circulated hope, fear, confidence and dread through his body. His fate dependent on a moment’s turn. The starting gun blasted. Dave was off to a quick start. After the first hurdle, among the leaders. One two three four jump. After the second hurdle, in first place. One two three four jump. Then came the third hurdle. Dave’s timing was a tiny bit off. His heal caught the top of the hurdle. The hurdle tumbled. Dave tumbled. His knees smacked the track. His hands smacked the track. His face smacked the track. A collective gasp from the parents in the stands. A mix of groans and laughs from his teammates. His dad’s doubts weighed him down as he struggled to his feet and stumbled to the infield with tears in his eyes, blood on his knees, and a fat lip.
What did you expect to happen?
Dave scooped up the pile of dog shit using the plastic baggie like a sock puppet. He tied up the end of the baggie and dropped it in the garbage can outside the steps up to his apartment. Another episode of the Shield and two more whiskey and cokes. Time for bed. Dave wandered into the bedroom, kicked off his shoes and dropped onto the covers, not bothering to undress. Despite his hope that the whiskey might quiet his mind, it didn’t.
Lead with the knee. One two three four jump.
Every day he tripped over that fucking third hurdle. Every day the world smacked him in the mouth. Every day he stared down the row of hurdles between him and the finish line.
What did you expect to happen?
Every day he decided to quit rather than finish. Maybe tomorrow will be different.
Dave sat up on the edge of the bed. Groaned. Wrestled his socks off his feet. Balled up the socks. Stuffed the balled-up socks inside his shoes. Draped his body across the bed. Fell asleep.
Douglas Walker was born and raised in Ames, Iowa, and currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He has had short stories published in a variety of literary publications. Most recently, “Johnny Papercut: A Portrait of the Arsonist as a Young Man” was published in ellipsis. Douglas believes literature should be effortless to read, an avenue to convey ideas and feelings without words getting in the way.
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