SHORT STORY SERIES - The Romance of a Busy Broker by O. Henry

I found solace in books when I seemed out of sync with everything, including reality. The ebb and flow of my reading and writing has been a bit of a sticky ting for me for a while now. Now, I have to try to maintain the momentum. Anyhoo, today I decided to read a short story after a long hiatus. I was reading two other stories before I chose to settle with this one. O Henry is one of my favorite short story writers. He writes under this pseudonym which makes him dabble in different topics.

The story opens up when the protagonist, a broker, walks in with a stenographer right behind him, who happens to be his wife. The broker then goes on to completely immerse himself in his work, completely neglecting everything around him, even the request for a replacement sonographer he had earlier asked for from his clerk. His clerk then comes over to tell him about the arrival of the new employee he made, but he rebuffed saying he made no such request. This did obviously spiral to the end. Then the big humorous twist in the end to cap off a delightful story.

This is such a classic O Henry work. The profound message, delivered with subtle humor and a grand twist for an ending. I mean, what more could one want from a short story? It had that right blend of humor and authenticity for all readers. And if you know me, you'd know I am pretty big on relatability, and he delivers in that regard. The story mainly teaches of the dangers that come with overworking. The broker was a workaholic, and he seemed to forget everything around him including one of the most important things in his life. I like how no great damage was caused, but the message was crystal clear still. I can relate to the protagonist, so there is definitely a takeaway for me. The story is delivered in simple and comprehensible diction, with a very direct approach. Real stellar. It kinda reminds me of the idea of Sigmund Freud; Sublimation. In that, we often tend to distract ourselves from dwelling on certain emotions or desires by focusing on other things. Harvey Maxwell embodied this, in an office, suited-up type of way. A decent story. I will certainly recommend it for all ages. Also, rate it a 3.9 out of 5. A fine leisure read.