Watch Your Step

𝐃𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝟕

The weekdays passed. Limuel refrained from attending counseling because he was too depressed to get out of the house. Although he called Dr. Larques and voice-mailed, "I can't come today and I probably never will."

Ms. Kim came by and offered her condolences, but she suggested another volunteer program. This seemed rude to Limuel that he closed the door to her. He couldn't care less about the children, all that's in his mind was to give her wife a proper funeral.

At the burial, friends, and relatives, wearing all black, bid their goodbyes to his wife. He stood on a nearby tree, feeling empty and helpless. He thought about what a famous author said about why dead people receive more flowers than living ones...because regret is stronger than gratitude.

Months flew by and his dry dreams miraculously never visited him again. At least, Limuel decided to also give a proper goodbye to the one who helped him. But when he arrived at the building, no one was in the lobby, no one was in the waiting room and the reception. It was just an old and ruined building. He took the flight of the stairs and when he came to the clinic, the room was also empty and everything was in shambles.

"What happened here?" He asked himself. It couldn't be...was it bombed? He looked to his right where sunlight passed through. He could've sworn there's a breakroom on that side but it's only a plain demolished wall. He exited the room and came down the stairs, confused and utterly pained. A man with ragged clothes who was walking at the curb saw Limuel and asked him for a change. Limuel gave him a dollar for a question, "Was there a clinic right there? What happened?"

"It's a clinic, all right, from long, long ago," the man replied.