Andrew Morgan - Birthday Celebrations
Jul 29, 2021 20:48:41 GMT -5
robriot, Oh-Oh, and 2 more like this
Post by Union Jack on Jul 29, 2021 20:48:41 GMT -5
Charlie sat in the passenger seat of that old blue truck, whimpering quietly, apprehensively, as he stared out of the window. Morgan looked over, smiled understandingly and reached a hand over to scratch his head.
“I know buddy. We'll see her soon.” Morgan said, trying to reassure his loyal companion.
The dog grunted and, as though understanding it's meaning, Morgan wound the passengers window down. Immediately Charlie turned his attention back to the outside world, leaned his neck against the sun warmed door and hang his head out of the window. Morgan sighed and turned his attention back to the road ahead.
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It was late. Far later than he had intended to arrive home.
Morgan pulled up to the drive beside the house, his headlights having already been switched off in the hopes he wouldn't startle Charlie into waking them up, however he needn’t have worried; the house lights were strangely still on.
He checked the time and saw it was just after midnight, meaning he had missed keeping his promise to arrive on Sunday by only ten minutes.
“Damn!” He cursed quietly while climbing out of the truck.
He made his way into the house and the puppy barked excitedly, happy to see him. He jumped up, planted his paws into Morgans stomach and wagged his tail as Andrew laughed and ruffled his fur with both hands.
“Come on now, you know you're not supposed to jump up!”
The young dog obediently dropped down, circled in front of Morgan before running off deeper into the house. That's when he noticed the bags at the foot of the stairs and Rebecca sat on the couch, blurry eyed and clutching her favorite teddy.
“Hey sweetie.” He whispered while walking over and kissing her on the head. “It's late. What are you doing up?”
“Mom woke me.” Se answered sleepily. “She said I should wait for her here.”
“O right.” Morgan nodded, looking around the large, open planned living room/reception area. “Where is Mom?”
“Upstairs” Rebecca yawned, rested her head on a cushion, slowly closed her eyes and drifted back toward sleep.
As he climbed the stairs, Morgan felt a lump in his throat. Their bedroom light was on and there were clothes strewn across the bed as his wife stuffed various belongings into bags.
“Katie?!” He said her name sheepishly as he stepped into their room. “Katie? What's going on?”
“You said you'd be back.” Her voice was eerily calm. “She insisted on waiting up for you. Spent most of her day on the porch. I'm done.” She sighed, turned and looked at him, her eyes were red and puffy, but there were no tears. Not anymore. “I'm sorry Andrew. I... We're leaving.”
Morgan tried to talk as his knee's trembled, but it took all he had to stop them from giving out. He calmly took hold of the door frame and stared at her wordlessly for several moments, searching for something to say.
“Katie...” He hesitated. “Please... don't do this.”
“That's what I said when you told me you were going back.” She wiped a single, errant tear, with the back of her hand. “I hated it when we were younger, when it was just us... But this isn't fair to her.”
“I'll quit.” Morgan said, unconvincingly. “It's just a job... I can do something else. Stay closer to home.”
“No.” She shook her head emphatically “We both know that wont work. You'd resent me... resent us.”
“I wouldn't!” He insisted. “Katie, this is ridiculous. We've been together since high school, I love you, I love Rebecca... I can't lose you. Don't go.”
“You're gone five or six nights a week and when you are here, you're sleeping or getting ready to go again.” She shook her head. “It just doesn't work anymore. It's no way to raise a family. It's not the life that I want for myself, or for our daughter.”
“I do it for us!” Morgan said, biting back the anger that was rearing inside.
“You do it for you.” She shot back. “You do it because you think you have something to prove, and maybe you do... But I'm not going to sit on the sidelines and wait for you to find contentment anymore.”
Katie picked up the bags and moved toward the doorway. Morgan stood, unmoving. Unsure if he could move.
“Please move.” She spoke with a slight tremble in her voice. The first hint of doubt she had shown. “Don't make this any harder than it has to be.”
“Don't do this..” He reluctantly stepped aside. “We can make this work.”
She breezed past without another word. As he watched her walk down the stairs, his legs had turned to rubber and he found himself unable to follow. Instead, he called out...
“You'll be back.” He said, the anger bubbling behind the surface now thinly veiled. He repeated with a little more conviction. “You'll be back.”
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He heard the car pull into the drive and jumped up from the bed where he had been laying sleeplessly for several hours. A quick glance at the clock radio on the bedside table told him it was 3:33 am. They had barely been gone three hours, but it felt longer.
He flew down the staircase three steps at a time, practically dived across the lobby and grabbed the doorknob. He yanked the door open before they even had a chance to knock.
Andrew Morgan stood in the doorway of his empty house, staring at the startled Traffic Officers standing on his porch.
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The truck screeched to a stop and, without hesitation, Charlie jumped out of the window and ran through the iron gates into the field beyond.
Slowly, Morgan picked up the teddy bear and the pink card from the seat beside him and stepped out of his truck. He crossed the parking area and paused, taking a moment to read the 'Shady Grove Cemetery' lettering above the iron gate.
Sighing deeply, Morgan heads off after Charlie.
“I know buddy. We'll see her soon.” Morgan said, trying to reassure his loyal companion.
The dog grunted and, as though understanding it's meaning, Morgan wound the passengers window down. Immediately Charlie turned his attention back to the outside world, leaned his neck against the sun warmed door and hang his head out of the window. Morgan sighed and turned his attention back to the road ahead.
------------------------------------------------------
It was late. Far later than he had intended to arrive home.
Morgan pulled up to the drive beside the house, his headlights having already been switched off in the hopes he wouldn't startle Charlie into waking them up, however he needn’t have worried; the house lights were strangely still on.
He checked the time and saw it was just after midnight, meaning he had missed keeping his promise to arrive on Sunday by only ten minutes.
“Damn!” He cursed quietly while climbing out of the truck.
He made his way into the house and the puppy barked excitedly, happy to see him. He jumped up, planted his paws into Morgans stomach and wagged his tail as Andrew laughed and ruffled his fur with both hands.
“Come on now, you know you're not supposed to jump up!”
The young dog obediently dropped down, circled in front of Morgan before running off deeper into the house. That's when he noticed the bags at the foot of the stairs and Rebecca sat on the couch, blurry eyed and clutching her favorite teddy.
“Hey sweetie.” He whispered while walking over and kissing her on the head. “It's late. What are you doing up?”
“Mom woke me.” Se answered sleepily. “She said I should wait for her here.”
“O right.” Morgan nodded, looking around the large, open planned living room/reception area. “Where is Mom?”
“Upstairs” Rebecca yawned, rested her head on a cushion, slowly closed her eyes and drifted back toward sleep.
As he climbed the stairs, Morgan felt a lump in his throat. Their bedroom light was on and there were clothes strewn across the bed as his wife stuffed various belongings into bags.
“Katie?!” He said her name sheepishly as he stepped into their room. “Katie? What's going on?”
“You said you'd be back.” Her voice was eerily calm. “She insisted on waiting up for you. Spent most of her day on the porch. I'm done.” She sighed, turned and looked at him, her eyes were red and puffy, but there were no tears. Not anymore. “I'm sorry Andrew. I... We're leaving.”
Morgan tried to talk as his knee's trembled, but it took all he had to stop them from giving out. He calmly took hold of the door frame and stared at her wordlessly for several moments, searching for something to say.
“Katie...” He hesitated. “Please... don't do this.”
“That's what I said when you told me you were going back.” She wiped a single, errant tear, with the back of her hand. “I hated it when we were younger, when it was just us... But this isn't fair to her.”
“I'll quit.” Morgan said, unconvincingly. “It's just a job... I can do something else. Stay closer to home.”
“No.” She shook her head emphatically “We both know that wont work. You'd resent me... resent us.”
“I wouldn't!” He insisted. “Katie, this is ridiculous. We've been together since high school, I love you, I love Rebecca... I can't lose you. Don't go.”
“You're gone five or six nights a week and when you are here, you're sleeping or getting ready to go again.” She shook her head. “It just doesn't work anymore. It's no way to raise a family. It's not the life that I want for myself, or for our daughter.”
“I do it for us!” Morgan said, biting back the anger that was rearing inside.
“You do it for you.” She shot back. “You do it because you think you have something to prove, and maybe you do... But I'm not going to sit on the sidelines and wait for you to find contentment anymore.”
Katie picked up the bags and moved toward the doorway. Morgan stood, unmoving. Unsure if he could move.
“Please move.” She spoke with a slight tremble in her voice. The first hint of doubt she had shown. “Don't make this any harder than it has to be.”
“Don't do this..” He reluctantly stepped aside. “We can make this work.”
She breezed past without another word. As he watched her walk down the stairs, his legs had turned to rubber and he found himself unable to follow. Instead, he called out...
“You'll be back.” He said, the anger bubbling behind the surface now thinly veiled. He repeated with a little more conviction. “You'll be back.”
------------------------------------------------------
He heard the car pull into the drive and jumped up from the bed where he had been laying sleeplessly for several hours. A quick glance at the clock radio on the bedside table told him it was 3:33 am. They had barely been gone three hours, but it felt longer.
He flew down the staircase three steps at a time, practically dived across the lobby and grabbed the doorknob. He yanked the door open before they even had a chance to knock.
Andrew Morgan stood in the doorway of his empty house, staring at the startled Traffic Officers standing on his porch.
------------------------------------------------------
The truck screeched to a stop and, without hesitation, Charlie jumped out of the window and ran through the iron gates into the field beyond.
Slowly, Morgan picked up the teddy bear and the pink card from the seat beside him and stepped out of his truck. He crossed the parking area and paused, taking a moment to read the 'Shady Grove Cemetery' lettering above the iron gate.
Sighing deeply, Morgan heads off after Charlie.
