"Right, keys, wallet, phone, what else am I missing?" I say to myself as I get ready to leave for the day. I usually leave the house at 7 but I've been awake since 4 so I'm heading off an hour early. I had a dream my bedroom was filled with spider crabs; I have nothing against spider crabs but having a bedroom full of them? I'd rather not. I've been having these strange dreams as of late, I should probably go see a doctor but it's hard to find the effort these days. My wife, Ceri, is still in bed.
She looks so soft laying there, velvety skin, flowing red hair and an enticing smell of lavender from the bed sheets. It's been 13 years since we got married, we left school at the ripe age of 18 and went to the registers office the day we got our results. A lot of people called us fools, I always used to say "My parents didn't raise a fool" but nowadays I think if I had a hat I'd be nothing short of a court jester, dancing society's dance until I inevitably end up in a nursing home with some spry 20 year old girl helping me to the bathroom because I've pissed myself.
Nothing is different today, I get into the same car I've had for 8 years, smell the same scent from the air freshener that's been in the car for 5 years, and head to the same job I've had since I turned 22. Ceri's brother Gareth sent me a message one day asking if I wanted to join him in the accounting firm he established since we left university, seeing as my art career wasn't heading anywhere any time soon, I thought "Why the hell not?"
Now I know why the hell not; I'm miserable. I don't think it's entirely the job's fault, Gareth has been nothing short of an angel while I've been here but it's not what I expected my life to end up like, you know? Could it even have been different if I hadn't taken Gareth up on his offer? Who knows? What's done is done and I'm in it for the long run now, if I don't spend my time climbing the corporate ladder now it's all been for nothing.
Besides, I can still only draw nature, buildings, things like that. I've never been able to draw people, I have no idea why, whenever I try it always ends up terribly. I drew Ceri a few years back and she asked if she genuinely looked like that. Of course she didn't, I had just done such a terrible job that it ended up looking nothing like her.
Gareth is stood waiting for me as I park in my usual spot, he usually shows up at around 6 to get some things done before everyone else slowly slogs in. He looks pleasantly shocked to see me before half 7, my usual arrival time. "Fancy seeing you here an hour early!" Gareth bellows across the car park, smoke billowing from his mouth, "I wasn't expecting to see you for at least another hour or so, perhaps even later, you seemed so drained yesterday." He wasn't wrong, I've been losing more and more energy each day that passes, eventually they'll have to roll me into work on a trolley.
"Unfortunately, you're exactly what I expected to see this morning." I snidely remark to Gareth as I make my way towards the front door, "Seeing you imitate a steam train never gets old, you really need to slow down with the cigarettes before you never get old either."
"Oh, give it a rest Noah, once you make your way up to my position in the company, you'll need something to cope too." Gareth tells me as he stubs his cigarette out on the colourful metal cigarette bin we have at the back of the building. I was asked to design it so that there's something nice to look at while the employees take their smoke breaks.
To be honest, it's the most artistic output I've had in months. I find it hard to paint these days. Between working overtime, trying to spend time with Ceri and seeing my mother and father whenever I can I don't really have time to draw. My art room hasn't seen the light of day in at least 3 months, and I can't see it getting any use for quite a while either. Even when I do get to draw, I never seem to have the inspiration; with the way my life is right now I can't see me getting it back any time soon.
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Where the rose petals lay
Romance"So hey, what's wrong with you?" "Cancer." _________________________________________ Noah becomes ill and has to stay in a hospital for a few weeks, he's over worked and his relationship with his wife and best friends sister, Ceridwen, has deteriora...
