The Gods Take Off Their Shirt

This short story starts off with a 40 year old man arriving to his friend's cluttered carport on a hot and sweaty day because it is the longest day of the year and feels as if it is the afternoon, but it is around eight o'clock in the evening. Both of the friends have not seen each other in quite a long time, Jay invited his friend which is the narrator to come over for a few beers because he found out he had a brain tumour and wanted to spend the night together. However, Jay, which is the narrator's buddy, made a decision that we won't be drinking because of the brain tumour and he started fasting as well because fasting burns the fat and toxins, which is good for tumours. Jay was very anxious to fast to see if he could really get rid of the tumour, so in that matter he delayed his brain scan to two months, instead of a week. Jay is the type of guy that knows things; he always knows what is going on, what is suppose to be done and just everything in general. He was a very smart guy; he was filled with knowledge. For example, at only 16 years old he got a hold of absinthe and described the properties and history, while the rest of his friends passed it around and guzzled. From the beginning of the night, the two buddies decided to make a UFO just like when they were younger they would do the same and by making a UFO they would use a bag and inflate it and put a light frame which is holding eight candles, that will be lit, and fill the bag with hot air, and causes it to float up, up over the whole neighbourhood, making others believe that it was an actual UFO, that was their whole plan. Before they actually wanted to send the UFO flying, Jay asked his buddy, which is the narrator, if he could live with him, if he could help him out if the brain tumour gets worse because Jay knows that he is a single man, with no children or anything. Jay wanted to clear things up, he asked if every night is "a night out," meaning going out every night drinking or partying. He still did not know what to answer and did not give him a final answer. The two men waited till that perfect dark purple colour came up in the sky and that is when they set the UFO up in the sky. Jay says to the narrator, "the gods take off their shirt" which means everything is going perfect. Jay got that statement from his ex-wife by the name of Pam, she would always say it when she watched soccer and used to say the guys playing look like gods and at the end of the game when they won, they would take off their shirts. And she would say "the gods take off their shirt." Now when something is perfect, really perfect, they say "the gods take off their shirt." Jay asked once more, what is final decision was. His buddy did not answer, he just thought to himself there is no reason in the world to doubt Jay and just looked up into the sky and saw the UFO in the dark purple sky, something that no one could ever identify or explain. It was just beautiful and perfect. There are a couple of themes in this short story, which are always live life to the fullest, even if you are sick and you know that you are going to die. Always enjoy every moment as it is your last. Another theme is never underestimate the ability of someone's strength and knowledge. Never judge what someone can do just by looking at them or by knowing they are ill and cannot do as much as a healthy person can. Anyone is capable of doing anything they desire.