The Moment Max Woke Up - Two
Short story #2
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 second chapter with you.
If you missed the first chapter, you can read it here.
I hope you enjoy it.
Two
Max woke up. His head was pounding and his eyes hurt. He had no idea where he was until he saw his beautiful wife staring at him from above. Something struck him about her face. Her hazel eyes were soft, not scared or worried, more loving and relieved.
Max loved her eyes. He got lost in them every time he looked at her slightly tanned complexion. He was hopelessly in love with the brunette woman he met some 13 years ago.
They met on a speed dating night set up by Max’s friend, Josh. He wasn’t convinced about the idea of dating again but Josh reassured him. He knew he needed to get out of the house and on with his life after the loss. He had mourned and grieved but his responsibilities and his friendship with Josh, who had become his training partner at the gym, helped keep him busy and from totally giving up on life.
Max was punching above his weight with Carol. He knew it and he suspected she knew it too. But she never let on. He couldn’t believe it when she suggested they go on a proper date. He knew that she had been attracted to his physique and the fact he liked to work out. She realised his priorities were elsewhere but she didn’t mind, she liked his caring side. She loved that he was sensitive yet strong. Shy yet confident. He was complex, she thought. But he was exactly what she wanted in a man.
But he was that man now, he thought as he lay on the bed trying to piece together the night.
After the passing of his dad, he had struggled for work, to keep his weight under control, and to summon the motivation to take care of himself. But he never stopped doting on Carol. He knew that she was worried about him. She wanted desperately for her man to rediscover his thirst for fun and joy which had attracted her to him in the first place.
However, she knew that he was struggling with the loss of Doug, her father-in-law, so she tried her best to encourage him, to raise his spirits, to help him foster stronger relationships with those who needed him and to be a better role model.
As she looked down at Max his eyes looked panicked. He was starting to remember, she thought.
“Are you ok, my love?” Carol asked.
Max sat up but didn’t say anything. He was still too busy thinking. He had just recalled the noise the loose step had made and the feeling of sheer terror he had after it. He remembered having a baseball bat in his hand. His heart started to race as he remembered getting ready to swing at the figure racing towards him.
He stared blankly at his wife. He couldn’t remember anything more. He felt some pain in his chest. He wasn’t sure why. Had he killed someone? He thought he might have. He looked around for the baseball bat but couldn’t see it. He didn’t want to leave the bed. He didn’t want to leave his wife. His breathing became more rapid. He was panicking.
Carol’s face shifted to a look of concern. Her husband was in pain. She knew what had happened but as she was about to tell him, she stopped. Max was crying. He tried desperately to stop but he couldn’t. She embraced him and tried to console him but his body continued to shake and his eyes drenched her shoulder. She tried once more to tell him but he stopped her from speaking.
With his finger pressed against her lips, he listened intently to a noise he had just heard. His breathing settled a little. His eyes were now focused on the wall over her shoulder. He felt slightly disorientated for a second. The rush of thoughts, feelings and emotions, while still trying to remember the night, suddenly overwhelmed him.
But then he heard the noise again. It was one he had heard hundreds of times before. Most of those times filled him with sadness, regret and guilt. This time though, the sound coming from the next room turned his tears to relief and filled him with happiness, gratitude and hope.
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 second chapter of my short story.
It’s still a little rough but I’ve never actually written a story before!
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,
Birth of Clarity
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