ringo starr imagines

falling

Ringo yawned and stretched. He patted the bed in search for his wife. He felt her side of the bed empty.

The painful memory returned to him. She was no longer by his side, and it was his fault. He could never blame her for their fall. She had been nothing but an angel to him, and he took her for granted. He missed waking up to see her heavenly face painted with a lazy smile.

Ringo always knew she had the prettiest smile. No other woman smiled like her. Her smile always burned as brightly as a star. She was a star on her own. Ringo adored her. He loved her. He had never come across a lady like her. She became his woman and his world. Without trying, she was giving him everything he ever wanted. She was everything he ever needed. Then, came the day when she brought their first child into the world. Ringo was overjoyed. He thought he had everything until that moment. He was fulfilled in a new way. And all because of her.

Ringo pushed himself out of the lifeless bed. He stumbled to the kitchen. He scavenged for something appealing to his stomach but quickly gave up. He missed having her delicious breakfast. Even if she simply served cereal for breakfast, Ringo savored it. He always thought it was her touch that made everything so intimate.

His hand grabbed the closet bottle of alcohol and a glass. He staggered towards the living room and sat down. He filled the glass to the brim. Ringo grunted as the hard drink ran down his throat. The burn of the drug always gave him a rush. He brought the glass back up and poured himself another cup.

His eyes caught a glimpse of the photograph sitting on the coffee table. His eyes burned with tears as the memories flooded his scarred mind.

He clearly remembered the day of that photo. They had woken up early to go to the beach. They had their minds made up on getting to Malibu Beach before there was no vacancy. The poor children were forced out of their warm beds and into the stuffy car. Their plan backfired on them. By the time they arrived, they had no where to park. Any options left were too far from the beach. They found comfort when they found a beach that wasn't packed. The family decided it was the best they would get and settled with the location. They all enjoyed their day at the shoreline. The three children built sandcastles and buried each other in the sand and waddled around in the water. Their parents sunbathed under the California sun while looking over their babies and smothering each other in love. Ringo could still feel her salty lips on his mouth, neck and chest. Once the sun began to set, Ringo asked for a picture. First, the happy family and later just the children with their mother. Their young daughter sat in her mother's lap while their two sons sat next to her. He had snapped the perfect shot of them with the waves crashing behind them and the sky showing off its color with various shades of yellow and orange. Ringo was ecstatic with his shot and had multiple sizes printed for him. She had taken the largest one that once hung in the dining room. He was left with a simple 4 x 6 that collected dust on the coffee table. His heart ached for all of them.

Ringo huffed and returned his attention to the alcohol. With every drink, the bittersweet memories meshed into one. All he could see in his drunken mind was her. Her loving eyes pleaded with him to come back to her. Her familiar body called him home to rest against her bosom and wrap his arms around her curvy body.

He cursed and threw the half empty glass aside. His eyes bubbled with tears as he called for her. It hurt him to hear no reply. He knew it was impossible for her to appear at the doorway, yet he kept praying for her appearance. Ringo needed her. He was tempted to call his past lover and beg her to come home. He wanted her back.

He was completely convinced that he would die the day they came to an end. He was upset to see the fall wasn't as tragic as he once imagined as a younger man. The man only guessed correctly that it would be his fault for their demise.

Thirsty for another drink, Ringo reached down for the fallen glass. The glass seemed to be his only friend. Unfortunately, the companion of that glass was his weakness. Ringo eyed the bottle suspiciously. He had the urge to throw it out the window, yet he wanted the alcohol to run down his dry throat and warm his body with its malicious deeds. He filled the glass again knowing that it wasn't the drug's fault for his sadness. It was his own fault for being so foolish. He had made alcohol more important than his own family. There was no one to blame but the poisonous duo.

The broken man drank his day away. He didn't have any other way to blow the day away. Ringo collapsed onto his unmade bed. He ached for a woman to hold even if it was a casual one night affair. His mind rotted with the endless memories of affairs after his endearing wife. He tried to replace her missing love with loose women but always found himself empty. They were entertaining at the moment of passion, but they never compared to her. She knew him like the back of her hand. She never failed to please him compared to the other women.

Ringo grasped onto the sheets and inhaled their scent. He always thought her feminine smell stayed laced into the satin. It comforted him.

He wondered if she ever missed him. He would only see her when she left the children for the weekend with him every other week. Her face was always stoic while her eyes drowned in emotions. She was always serious with him and had no patience for him. He understood her intentions, but he couldn't help but feel hurt. Was he somebody she didn't want to be around? Had they gone through so much that it was overwhelming? Did she still love him?

Ringo readied himself for bed. He pulled the rich sheets over his limp body. His blue eyes stared out the window. He felt as if he had fallen out of a window and was falling after their sweet relationship unraveled. He didn't know when he would hit the ground and whether he would survive.

If there was anything he could ever take back, he would take back all those drinks. He would quench his thirst with her rather than with the menancing alcohol.

....

loosely inspired by harry styles' falling. It got me in the feels 🥺💔