Collection of Short Stories |
Everything has to be perfect he told himself. There can be no mistakes. The past had to be forgotten, they had to start dwelling on the present and nothing else. He traveled down the column and saw the gates of freedom. He grabbed his daughter's hand, and broke into a run. There, he pulled out a pen and a paper and wrote down the date of this day, because it was one to remember. The cracker that had been in his daughter's hand before they ran was long forgotten like the past. It had been a rough day as they climbed over the incredible hedge of war that surrounded their country and had to fight through to be let out. Him and his five year old daughter were now free to live the way they chose, and not be prosecuted for not doing the way the government wanted. Life had just given them another chance. Transforming the house, she hoped he would notice. Today was their 20th anniversary and she deserved a compliment. She made burgers, just like their wedding food of choice. She smiled as she thought back to the looks on her parents face as they saw the menu for the wedding: diet coke, burgers, fries, and ice cream cake. Twenty years, she couldn't believe it. Glancing at the time, she realized that it was 5 minutes away from his arrival. She quickly put the “S.S. Sea Cucumber” sign by the door to symbolize the boat they first met on. Right as she stepped back, she heard a knock. He came inside and wonderment and happiness filled his eyes as he gazed over the achingly familiar things in the room. He gave her the compliment she deserved and then the gold chain he had bought her. Not realizing that he had left the door open, he slowly lead her into a dance as their wedding song played on the radio. They laughed and made jokes about how long it had been while never seeing the stranger slip inside. Before she knew it, her husband was in front of her, protecting her from the stranger, who had a gun in his hand and was demanding the keys to their car and money. As her husband tried to reach inside his pocket for money and keys, the imposter's eyes widened as the shot was fired. The imposter had killed the husband and by the looks of it, it was a mistake. She didn't know how to react or feel, all she did though, was to just hold his body as the imposter left the house in a hurry. The tears from her face slid onto his clothes as she held his body close to hers as their wedding song came to an end on the radio. He woke up, glanced at the alarm clock and reluctantly got up from bed. Today was Sunday and yet another day to pound himself with training. He was going to retire after the next big tournament, so this would be considered his last, and he didn't want to give up so easily. He would work out extensively for the next 2 months to prepare himself. As he entered the arena, he sensed that this would be much more difficult than he had expected it to be. The football dropped to the ground as he began his routine stretches. After about 5 minutes of stretching, he began to kick the football towards the nearest corner so he could jog with the football at his feet around the field. He began to accelerate his pace and went onto the field after one round and ran towards the goal, his head beginning to hurt from the sun's incredible heat that surrounded his body. The goal slowly began to come out of focus as he ran towards it, hoping it would fix itself, he worked himself harder. He hoped that putting more concentration on the ball and the goal, the pain would fade. It began to throb more as he ran and without even realizing it, the ball caught up at his legs and he fell to the ground hitting his elbow at the goal post letting out a loud crunch as it collided with the post. He awoke later with a shiny glint off the post hitting his eye as he felt the awful pain in his elbow. He tried to spot his shoes to stay conscious, but failed miserably. Laying awake later in the hospital with the doctor hovering over him and tellling him the outcome he realized that his dream had come to an end with the bandages coating his elbow and the doctor stating that 3 months of rest would be needed for a man of thirty-four and with that extensive injury to his elbow. He was sitting in his car again, outside. Outside their house that he so desperately wanted to go in, but couldn't. He had tried to get the house away from his mind, but it was deeply difficuly with the address and the very color of the house was etched inside his mind. Ten years ago he had staged his own death to escape some petty tax collectors that were after him. Not caring about the girlfriend he had left behind with the pregnant belly not visible yet. All that he had cared about was the fact that if he didn't escape, he would be seriously bankrupt and that he wouldn't be able to taste another sweet sip of his drink. Oh he had gone to numerous classes and support groups to help himself out with the so-called problem, but it was just the sweet seduction of the need that made him give in willingly. He knew that although he would've been bankrupt, he would've been able to make it up quickly using his degree that he had worked so hard to earn in college, but the need for that sweet drink enthralled and thrilled him all at once. When he had left the morning of his staged death from the house he lived in with his girlfriend, she had served him his favorite food: eggs. He could see her cracking the egg open and the yolk dripping into the pan while the sight would usually make his mouth water, he just felt a pang of loneliness but shook it quickly off disregarding any idea of missing her after what he had planned for the day. Now that he sat in the car outside the same house, the same pang of loneliness washed over him and he took it in, punishing himself along with drinking three more bottles of beer. He was found three days later in the same car at the same spot with a bottle in one hand, lonely look on his face, and a note stating “I'm sorry” in the other hand with a knife clenched in his fist. |