The Silver Lining

Chapter 1 Sample

Today my freedom was granted to me. I was permitted to leave this prison that I had lived in for the last sixteen months. The guards opened my cell, grinned and told me I could finally go back home. Home? See, it wouldn't be my home. It would be her home. I have no home of my own anymore. Funny thing about being locked up, is that you lose everything, including yourself. You no longer exist to the outside world. I lost my job, my apartment, and probably my girlfriend, Nikki. She hasn't written or visited me for the last six months. She at one point stopped accepting my calls. Chances are somebody else has already swooped in and marked that territory.

I threw Nikki out of my mind, and focused on something more important such as finding a ride out of this place. Today was arranged. Today was discussed. My mother, Victoria planned on being here. She marked the shit down on her iPhone calendar and even set an alarm. At least that's what she told me. I assumed my mother would come for me, but I assumed wrong. Things never changed with her. Why did I expect this time to be different? After placing several unanswered calls to her phone, I decided on a taxi, instead of waiting here like a dumbass. Surprisingly I had just had enough money to cover the cost in my old wallet.

"First day out, huh? That's got to feel great," the gray haired driver shouted back.

"Yeah," I responded, with a lack of enthusiasm, as I climbed into the taxi.

I sat there in the back of the cab nervously running the palm of my hands up and down my legs. The thought of returning back to my mother's house had me on edge. I inhaled long and deep and then exhaled out slowly. This painful ache started to build in my neck area, as I looked out the window. A twenty five year old man, such as myself shouldn't feel this much anxiety about seeing their mom, but I did. I mean, look at me sitting here all wound up like a politician on Election Day.

The lady I speak of, my mother, gave birth to me, but she damn sure wasn't very maternal, at least not in my case. Now, my younger brother Chad, on the other hand has always been mommy's perfect, little boy. He's currently attending Harvard Medical School, and my mother eats-it-up. "He's going to be a big time Doctor one day," she says. That's her favorite card to play. It's always the first thing she vomits out of her mouth in any conversation. It's also something she gets to brag about, to all her obnoxious country club friends. The members there all like to one up each other, and my mother is no different. I swear they keep mental notes of all of the member's achievements. It's sick.

 Don't get me wrong, I'm not jealous of Chad at all. My problem lies solely with my mother. Chad, is a good person with a good heart. He worked extremely hard for all his accomplishments, and I respect that. He deserved the world. It's just hard to keep swallowing all of his perfection, since my mother so eagerly crams it down my throat at every opportunity. I can just hear her now. "Why can't you be more like your brother? He makes no mistakes. He takes all the high roads and never, ever gets into trouble." She's right though. That is exactly how I would describe my brother. Chad is an angel in her eyes.

Then there's me, James King. Son of wealthy, ambitious hotel owner, Victoria King, busted for cocaine possession. Let's be honest. I've always been a rebel, a little rough around the edges. The black sheep of the family. The outcast. No one ever thought twice about me, not even when I was arrested. The only thing is I didn't really do it, but I served time for the crime. Call it guy code or loyalty to a friend or whatever you want. I never snitched. I could have ratted. I should have ratted, but I didn't. I waited for the person who was responsible to step forward and own up to it and this person failed me.