Chapter 18 - The Ghost Of The Past
Groom: Coughing violently,
the dust in this apartment is terrible,
I feel sick all the time.
Mother: Drink some water,
you look pale,
you need to rest.
Groom: I cannot rest,
I have a double shift today,
I need the overtime pay to cover the electricity bill.
Mother: You are working yourself into an early grave,
this is no way to live,
we need a better plan.
Groom: There is no better plan, Mom,
nobody wants to hire the man who ruined his own life on national television,
I am a pariah.
Mother: I could call my sister,
ask her for a loan,
maybe we could start a small business.
Groom: Your sister stopped returning your calls three years ago,
everyone abandoned us,
we are completely alone.
Mother: It is not fair,
people commit worse crimes and get forgiven,
why are we still being punished?
Groom: Because we did not just break the law,
we broke people,
we broke hearts and trust.
Mother: You sound like you are giving up,
you sound like a defeated old man,
where is your fire?
Groom: The fire burned out a long time ago,
along with my bank accounts,
and my pride.
Mother: You are pathetic,
I raised a king,
and I am looking at a peasant.
Groom: You raised a liar, Mom,
you taught me how to lie,
and this is the result of your lessons.
Mother: Do not blame me for your mistakes,
you were the one who walked down that aisle,
you were the one who forgot to finalize the divorce.
Groom: We are both to blame,
a toxic mother and a selfish son,
a perfect recipe for destruction.
Mother: I cannot listen to this anymore,
I am going for a walk,
clean this filthy kitchen before you leave.
Groom: The door slams shut,
leaving me in the suffocating silence,
just me and my regrets.
Customer: Knocking on the door,
hey buddy,
are you ready for work?
Groom: Coming,
let me grab my coat,
it is freezing outside.
Customer: You look terrible, man,
you need to take a day off,
you are going to collapse.
Groom: I cannot afford a day off,
if I do not work, I do not eat,
let us just go.
Customer: Walking down the grim hallway,
the fluorescent lights buzzing,
a daily march to a miserable job.
Groom: This is my purgatory,
a continuous loop of exhaustion and poverty,
with no end in sight.
Customer: Hang in there,
maybe things will turn around,
you never know.
Groom: I know,
May you like
things never turn around for people like me,
we just slowly fade away into the dark.
