The Moment Max Woke Up - Three
Short story #3
Welcome to the Birth of Clarity newsletter.
Inspired by @Fury & @Viam, I sat down and wrote a short story.
Below, I thought I would share the third chapter with you.
If you missed the first chapter, you can read it here. For the second chapter, click the link here.
I hope you enjoy it.
Three
Max walked down the stairs, stepping over the creaky step to avoid reliving that moment again. As he entered the lounge room he was greeted by two huge paws on his chest. Bolt licked his companion’s face, forcing a smile from Max. He was relieved to see him as he surveyed the damage laying at his feet and around the room.
Looking at the mess, he suddenly started to think about his own life. The destruction he saw was like the chaos he felt inside. His life felt unstable and his head felt scattered, much like his living room. Max knew right then that he needed to snap out of the funk he was in. His dad wouldn’t have wanted him to be acting the way he had been.
Doug was a no-nonsense guy when he was alive. He got stuff done. He had raised Max the same. Despite his tough exterior, the father-and-son duo shared an emotional bond as well as a deep respect and love. This is why his dad wouldn’t have been impressed with how he was living now. Max had lost his way and he needed to find his path again. He suspected that he needed to look closer to home to restore his true self.
The destruction in the lounge was fixable. It would take a lot of hard work, Max thought, but he was up for the task. After hearing the noise upstairs he felt strangely rejuvenated. He knew that he could not let this happen again. He was going to have to change. He was going to step up for those that needed him most. He also knew that this would probably be his last chance.
He smelled the perfume before she entered the room. He loved the scent his wife wore. She was a classy woman. Dressed to impress for another big day at work. She occupied the position of head receptionist at a large dental practice. She knew that people thought the job was probably less than she could do but she was well-paid and liked the job.
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Looking at Carol’s face as she walked through the doorway, he knew that this needed to be a catalyst for change because he didn’t want to see that expression again. She looked lost and sad, a little fed-up and slightly angry. At that moment he knew that his behaviour had led to that face. The lounge was a disaster because of him and their marriage was potentially, although not verbalised, on the rocks. He had to be the one to change this. The example he had set had led to this point and the lounge was evidence of this.
Carol had been through enough, he said to himself. He didn’t want her to have to look after him and worry about him. She had lost someone too. Her Aunt died a couple of weeks prior and it had taken its toll on everyone.
Max loved Evie. She had been a major part of their relationship and had blessed their marriage before anyone. When she died, that was to be the turning point for him, he was to become Carol’s rock again. He was to work on himself and rekindle his joy for life. But that never materialised and he felt awful about it every day. He couldn’t drag himself out of the darkness so despite Evie only recently dying, Carol was spending her time supporting him. He hated himself for that. She was grieving but all he could do was wallow in self-pity.
He wanted to change, he just didn’t know how. He wanted to be there for his wife and those he loved but he allowed himself to fall into a deeper depression. Instead of being the engine of the family, he was the oil, which had run out and desperately needed changing.
Carol and Evie were close. Almost like mother and daughter. Carol had not seen her real mother in years and her aunt practically raised her. Derek, her dad, who was currently in Egypt with his new girlfriend, took care of his daughter as best he could but in truth, he knew he was out of his depth. Thankfully, Evie stepped up and provided the motherly love that Carol needed.
I was destressing Carol to see the state of the room. This was the place where she had once sat and binge-watched seasons of her favourite show with her aunt. She tried to hide it from her face but she felt sadness and a little rage building up inside. She had to tell Max what had happened. He needed to know. She was angry but confused. The events of the night were worrying for her. She was certain there were things that her husband had not been telling her but she also knew more than she let on. She knew he didn’t know the extent of what she knew. She had put up with a lot of his lies, she thought. But she never expected it to end like this.
Please check out the AFF Newsletter here where I write raw and honest articles aimed at helping dads overcome alcohol addiction (& much more):
I hope you enjoyed reading the third chapter of my short story.
Any feedback on this chapter would be appreciated. I’d love to hear your thoughts:
I will share the next page with you in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for reading,