Aspire Door

Vanessa was making her way up Alex’s driveway while she looked up at the sky above her head. The sky was covered with dark clouds and what started off as a grey sky thick with the smell of approaching rain was now nearly black as the oncoming storm was only minutes away. “So the storm just had to make its appearance when I decided to come vent to Alex?” Vanessa thought to herself.

Her mind ran racket with all of her problems filling up her mind, yet the dark clouds hovering over her awakened a subtle nervousness in her blood. Bad weather always made her shaky. As she approached Alex’s door she noticed that the windows had been boarded up with thick wood and strong nails. Her eyebrows raised with curiosity as she grabbed the door handle and attempted to twist it. “What the heck is it with him and this door?” Vanessa said out loud while attempting to open the door.

“This door has been broke for months and this cheapskate won’t shell out the cash to go ahead and get it fixed.” She then started aggressively knocking on the door. By the fifth bang the door opened from the other side with Alex sporting a smug smile of sarcasm at Vanessa. “Well dang, Sheila” Alex joked. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you not to bang on a napping man’s door? It’s bad luck you know.” “Did anyone ever tell you that a man who refuses to get his door fixed is a cheapskate bum who risks dying in a house fire because he’s too lazy to spend bread on a handyman?” Vanessa rebuttaled.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, princess” Alex continued as Vanessa walked into the house. “I tried to get it fixed once and it broke again. Tried to get it fixed another time and it broke once more. You and I both know how the third time went, so I ain’t even gonna explain that fiasco.” “So what are saying?” Vanessa asked as they both sat down on Alex’s living room couch. “You gonna leave the door broke just because crappy handymen can’t fix it?” “No” Alex started. “I’m leaving it broke because I think the good Lord wanted it broke for a reason. A reason that I’ll benefit from in the near future.”

“How the heck would you be benefiting from a broke door?” Vanessa asked curiously. “The same way you’re benefiting from this bad breakup you’re here to talk to me about” Alex replied seriously. From above their heads the duo was briefly distracted by a clap of thunder from the approaching storm. “I just can’t get over how Sean ghosted me after all this time” Vanessa remarked in a low tone. “We had a good thing goin’ for the past couple years. I was even naive enough to think we’d be married.”

“Yeah, I guess sometimes life doesn’t turn out how we planned, but maybe it’s for the best, Nessa” “How so do you mean?” Vanessa asked. “Well, Sean was a good dude, but after those first couple years he really kinda seemed emotionally unavailable and you my dear are very emotional.” Alex started. “Maybe the openness that’s needed for a healthy relationship is something that he couldn’t have given you in the long run.”

“Yeah you’re right” Vanessa began. “So what? You think I’d be miserable had we stayed together?” “You were already growing discontent with him more and more everyday. I think it’s kinda a given that things would’ve been worse had you stayed together” Alex replied. As the pair sat in a brief silence heavy rain began to fall on the roof and the wind picked up outside. “The storm is here” Alex remarked. “Yeah and it sounds like it’s gonna-” Before Vanessa could finish an enormous thunder clap roared above them and the house began to shake.

A freightened Vanessa ran into Alex’s arms as the house began to shake and what started off as rain now turned into hail and the wind picked up once again. “It sounds like hell is really breaking loose” Vanessa said timidly. “That’s what the boards are for” Alex began. “I boarded up the windows so the storm wouldn’t blow them out. The only thing is I don’t know how the front door is gonna do.” As the force of the storm blew in harder on the house the boards on the window held strong. Interestingly enough the front door which was known for its infamous jam was also holding strong.

“I know why the windows are holding, but how come that door hasn’t come apart yet?” Vanessa asked as the storm raged on. “Because of the jam” Alex realized. “The jam is kinda reinforcing it. Even the wind can’t get past the jam.” The storm then started to subside as the two came to a realization. “You know” Vanessa began. “If you had gotten this door fixed before today then It wouldn’t have had the jam in it that protected us from the storm. You were right, Alex. It did need to stay broke for a reason.”

“Yeah” Alex began. “Now you have to have that kinda hope in your own heart. Your broken door is your ended relationship. Just know that it ended for a good reason and that everything is gonna be okay”. Vanessa embraced Alex with a hug as the storm was finally over.