Book your Fate

The rain pattered against the window. I rushed to let in my old brown lab Max. Of course he was already soaking wet, and proceeded to shake off in the kitchen. “Damn it max,” I shouted in frustration, but couldn’t stay mad for long, as I was the one who forgot him outside.

Putting on a tea kettle. I proceeded to walk over to my persoanl library and was touching the spines of the old books, looking for a good rainy day read. A little red book caught my eye. “This doesn’t look familiar,?” I though as I grabbed it off the shelf. “Hmm No title on it,” normally I’d just grab something that is a light easy read, but this little red book now peaked my curiousity. I opened the book and started to read the first page.

As the little boy played on the swing set, his mother watched from the big oak tree…

EEEEEEEEE!!! The tea kettle was almost ear piercing. Still having no clue what the book was about, I placed it on my side table next to my reading chair and went to make myself a cup of tea. The rain was coming down hard now, it sounded like small rocks hitting the roof.

Relaxing down in my chair, now armed with my tea and reading glasses. I picked up the book and started to read. The first chapter was very wholesome, it was about a young boy and his single mother. She was always stressed, but the little boy was so ignorant and blissful. He made her life easier, because all he knew was joy. It was them against the world. I smiled and placed my thumb in the pages to mark my spot, taking a sip of tea. “I miss my mom,” I thought. She was also a single mother too and she did such a wonderful job providing a incredible childhood for me. Looking back at the book, I continued in the little red book

This book seemed to be a coming of age book, following this young man’s childhood. I read through his middle school. Laughing, as I realated to the boys embarrassment of getting rejected for the school dance. I also got rejected, but also like he did, we both still made the most of it with our best friend.

His highschool years seemed to improve. He was writing for the school newspaper, got a girlfriend, and still had his best friend. Then senior year came. His mother got very sick. Like my mom, They were both fighters, but in the end leukemia won.

Early 20s, he was now writing for a large news paper, while working on a novel. Single, party animal, and missing his mother. One day he met a pretty girl and they dated for a little while. But he messed it up in the end. Well, his party life messed it up.

30s rolled around, now this man was a best selling author of 3 books, toured the world and was living a life of luxury. The partying didn’t stop. Even with his success, he wished his mother could see him. He wished he could hear her say how proud she is of him. The parties filled that hole inside of his life. What happened next was rehab. This was a hard chapter to go through, because I had also struggled with my addictions.

Now 37 and sober. The man bought a cabin in the woods and got a guard dog named max. He struggled to write without being full of alcohol or drugs. The hairs on my arm stood up. “I’m 37 and sobor.” I flipped back through the pages to have flashes of memories come back to me. I was a little boy whose mom took care of them, I was the awkward middle Schooler, I was a high school news writer, I continued on with my writing, now best-selling author of three books, and just got out of rehab. “This book is my life!!” I felt uneasy because there was one chapter left. Taking a deep breathe I continued on.

The rain was coming down hard in the small cabin. The young man was reading a little red book. A loud knock on the door. Deciding to be the hero to a stranded soul, he went to go check it out…

I felt uneasy about this, but couldn’t stop…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “HELLO?!? IS ANYONE HOME?!?!“ A man knocked loudly on the door, he sounded distressed. I set down the book, uneasy about what I jad just read. Opening the door to see a big man, soaked from the rain. He had his hands in his pockets. “Can I help you?” I kept the door half closed. “Yeah man“ he pulled out a gun from one of his pockets. I slowly raised my hands “Do I know you?” My voice remained calm. “YOU MEAN YOU DON’T REMEMBER ME?!?!?” He shoved his gun into my chest, pushing through the door. We were now both standing in the enireance of my house. He shoved me to the kitchen and we both sat down at the kitchen table. He face was slowly getting more red from rage. “MAYBE YOU”LL REMEMBER THIS!!” He threw a handful of photos at my face. I picked up one to see a beautiful young woman, but she didn’t look familiar. I thought it through and decided not to tell the man with the gun that I couldn't remember this woman. “Thats my daughter…” His rage turned into sadness. “Last October… she was murdered by a drunk driver.“ He swallowed and shifted back to rage. “He was a young famous author, with a drinking problem…” His started to grind his teeth together.

“I remember now” I said quietly. The courts and getting checked into rehab haunt me everyday, but no one showed me what the young woman I hit looked like. Now looking at her father I remember him, always sitting with his small wife in the back of the room. They were crying.

“I know, saying sorry isn’t going to make anything better. But I cannot tell you how sorry I am…” I knew his intention now. “YOU DIDN'T EVEN GO TO JAIL!!! YOU GOT A FREE RIDE!!! YOU MURDERED MY DAUGHTER!!!” He was now standing, waving around his gun. Then he sat down and was calm. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest. “My wife… she… she couldn’t handle the loss… she took to many pills… and died last night…” I didn’t know what to say, My stupidity ruined his family.

“I came here to give you what you deserve…” he raised the gun and pointed it at my chest. “Wait man! It was an accedent!” My arms were in the air.

BANG! He fired, then turning the gun, he stuck it in his mouth. BANG!

I woke up to max barking, my ears were ringing. I felt my shoulder and it was hotter then the sun, the bullet went straight through me and blood was coming out of both sides. I looked up, dazed, and saw this poor man. His brains were all over my wall and his body was limp. I got up and walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a towel to apply pressure to my wound. Picking up the phone I called 911 and then slowly walked over to my chair and dropped into it. I was in so much pain but I picked up the little red book. “I guess this book was right. Guess it’s a good thing I was inpatient and read the end first. Ha! how crazy is that, just moving a couple inch’s over saved my life.” I heard the sirens off in the distance and closed my eyes.

The man fired his gun at the young man. The bullet when into his heart, killing him instantly. Then the man pulled the gun onto himself and placed it into his mouth. His mistake cost this family their lives, and his. The end