empty coffee mug

there are six envelopes on the table. two have red lettering. the clinic wants fifty bucks for the tooth. the gas company says tomorrow is the deadline. my bank account holds three dollars. the math is a bad joke. i pick up a yellow pencil. i press the point into the final notice. i push down until the wood splits and the black lead snaps. outside, a garbage truck groans down the alley. i sweep the papers onto the floor. a fat fly lands on the rim of my empty coffee mug.