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A Typical Morning
The tobacco fields flashed into his memory as he lit his second cigarette of the day. He breathed in the earthy, bitter smoke and felt the weight of the pack in his hand. He looked over the label thoughtfully, reading the name of his hometown where they had been manufactured, flipping the pocket-sized rectangular box around, and smirking to himself at the cancer warning on the opposite side. 'Guess that makes me airborne cancer' he laughed to himself darkly as he stuffed them back into his work pants, downed the remainder of his coffee, and kissed his sleeping wife goodbye for the day.
"I love you, angel," he said softly, his hand caressing the small curve of her back as she mumbled some sleepy, incoherent sweet words in return. He checked the bandages on her arms, and kissed her forehead once more. "I'll take care of you," he added, tossing up a prayer, and making his way to the front door.
His long chain of work keys jingled on his hip, and he placed the flat of his hand against them to stifle their song so as not to wake anyone else. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught their two cats snuggled in a towel in the corner of the living room winking at him sleepily, and he smiled.
"Take care of your Mama," he whispered, "Daddy'll be back real soon", he ruffled their fur, and kissed their paws before heading out.
His work truck wasn't exactly winning any beauty contests these days, but aside from his cigarettes, it was the only physical thing he had left from his hometown. Years ago, he had left everything he had ever known behind, looking for a better future, and he had found it within the loving embrace, and golden hazel eyes of the woman he had made his wife.
They'd only had a couple of years together before the illness began to take hold of her. An autoimmune disease, medically rare and aggressive had changed her life overnight, and in turn, his. The bright, happy, loving woman he had married was still very much there, but at times seemingly imprisoned under layers of pain that he could only witness from the outside. The doctors visits, the specialists, the various new medications with their own various side effects, the questions, the retelling of events with each hospital trip grew more and more with each passing year. At times, he would foolishly blame himself for her condition, thinking that perhaps, in some way, he had cursed her, even though he knew deep down that this very thought itself was a lie.
"These things are only what they are, and nothing more," he said to himself, turning the key in the ignition. With a prayer for his family, and safe travel for himself, he rolled down the windows, let the cool air in, and took a deep breath. All in all, he considered himself blessed, and despite whatever struggles they faced, he knew damn well that neither one of them would ever have to face them alone ever again. The road rose up to meet him as he met the new day's dawn in front of his windshield, he crushed a few more miles beneath his wheels, and made his way towards better days.
© DDLX
"I love you, angel," he said softly, his hand caressing the small curve of her back as she mumbled some sleepy, incoherent sweet words in return. He checked the bandages on her arms, and kissed her forehead once more. "I'll take care of you," he added, tossing up a prayer, and making his way to the front door.
His long chain of work keys jingled on his hip, and he placed the flat of his hand against them to stifle their song so as not to wake anyone else. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught their two cats snuggled in a towel in the corner of the living room winking at him sleepily, and he smiled.
"Take care of your Mama," he whispered, "Daddy'll be back real soon", he ruffled their fur, and kissed their paws before heading out.
His work truck wasn't exactly winning any beauty contests these days, but aside from his cigarettes, it was the only physical thing he had left from his hometown. Years ago, he had left everything he had ever known behind, looking for a better future, and he had found it within the loving embrace, and golden hazel eyes of the woman he had made his wife.
They'd only had a couple of years together before the illness began to take hold of her. An autoimmune disease, medically rare and aggressive had changed her life overnight, and in turn, his. The bright, happy, loving woman he had married was still very much there, but at times seemingly imprisoned under layers of pain that he could only witness from the outside. The doctors visits, the specialists, the various new medications with their own various side effects, the questions, the retelling of events with each hospital trip grew more and more with each passing year. At times, he would foolishly blame himself for her condition, thinking that perhaps, in some way, he had cursed her, even though he knew deep down that this very thought itself was a lie.
"These things are only what they are, and nothing more," he said to himself, turning the key in the ignition. With a prayer for his family, and safe travel for himself, he rolled down the windows, let the cool air in, and took a deep breath. All in all, he considered himself blessed, and despite whatever struggles they faced, he knew damn well that neither one of them would ever have to face them alone ever again. The road rose up to meet him as he met the new day's dawn in front of his windshield, he crushed a few more miles beneath his wheels, and made his way towards better days.
© DDLX
