The Golden Key: A Quest For Freedom (The Golden Key: Quest For Freedom Book 1)
Page 6
"Ah, I'll be all right."
Paul paused as he took a drink of his Long Island Iced Tea. Somehow his celebratory mood had evaporated.
"I'm going to play this as neutral as I can. Right now, Roger is not here. He's in California. He has no idea that all this--whatever this is--is going on. But you owe it to Anita, the woman you claim to be in love with, to be by her side as a friend. That is the very least you can do."
"You're not angry at me for this?"
"I'm furious, but not just at you, at the situation. Right now Anita's in a hospital bed fighting for her life, and the two men she has been involved with have not been here. From what Donna told me, ending the engagement was definitely called for.
"I can never forgive myself for betraying Roger."
"I wouldn't cross that bridge right now. I would cross the bridge to go see Anita and let her know you haven't abandoned her right now. Which you have by the way, never seeing her, how is that helping the situation? As far as betraying Roger, you added to the problem by not letting him know what was going on when he was home."
"I know."
"What you say we get outta this dump, take you to the emergency room, and make sure that nose is not broken? And then, you can crash at my place. I can take you to the hospital first thing in the morning to see her, and you definitely need to sober up before you do that."
"Why do you care?"
"Because you are Roger's friend, and he would want me to take care of you while he was away."
The solemn silence, which hung over the table, was drowned out by the loud refrains of Tony Orlando and Dawn's "He Don't Love You, (Like I Love You)" from the jukebox.
"Let's go," Mark said.
Paul saw Mark's eyes were misty and knew it wasn't from the physical pain of his facial injuries.
***
"Thanks for the ride out here, Roger. It was nice to get off the base. Thanksgiving is here and the freeways are vacant--family and friends celebrating at home," Wayne said, gazing at the water.
"No problem."
The two marines were sitting in the sand as the ocean waves crashed onto the shore in the twilight.
"I never really knew until I was stationed here how the ocean speaks to you. It's kind of a siren call, eh," Roger said.
"Sure. Hey, Roger." Wayne was somewhat hesitant to say what he was about to. He wasn't sure why he felt compelled, but something inside him wanted to pay back this newfound friend for his belief in him. He wanted to reciprocate.
"Roger, all you have to do is believe in yourself, have confidence in yourself, move the mountains in front of you. I know your fiancée's in bad shape, and you're here and she's there, but you literally have been a mess lately. I understand why, I just want you to quit being so hard on yourself."
There it was out. Like Wayne Bennett was the philosopher of the universe with all the answers.
"Thanks for that." Roger fell silent for a time before he spoke again. "I'm here...making my own way...having left home, Thanksgiving has made me homesick, but I feel so guilty."
"Why is that?"
"Because in some ways, I've been selfish. I've rolled it over and over in my head a million times, and I can't understand why Anita was so far from Blair when the accident happened. I've often wondered if she was traveling to Memphis to see me...to surprise me."
"Well, that should give you some comfort."
"Yeah, it should."
Once again, the silence became deafening. Wayne felt helpless in his attempts to soothe Roger's self-defeatist attitude.
"I appreciate you reaching out to me. We all have our issues...but, Roger, you're here in Southern California and Anita is there in Blair, and she is being cared for. You're still young. You were meant to live this adventure."
"Really? You know, it's not that we're engaged to be married--I mean even if we weren't engaged to be married. I want Anita to live for life, not for me."
Suddenly, Wayne was aware of the shifting sand. There was a sudden feeling of the ground shaking underneath him. He looked at Roger who was already smiling and understanding what had just happened.
"Earthquake."
***
Mark still winced from the pain as the emergency room doctor declared his nose would survive--it was only bruised badly, nothing a few days of healing wouldn't cure.
As he walked down the sterile halls of the hospital, he was repelled by his aversion to hospitals.
It started when his grandfather had been hospitalized for several weeks. His mother had encouraged him to visit his grandfather, but the experience had only deepened his fear of the institution.
The sanitized smells in the hall, the nurses and doctors who entered and exited rooms, the display of food wheeled on metal racks and trays.
He disdained hospitals and felt his pulse quicken and heart jump up in his chest. He needed a chair. He sat there, engaged in breathing exercises and wanted to scream.
He wasn't ready for this. The woman he loved was in a coma, and the last time he had been in a hospital, his grandfather had died before his eyes.
The man had simply winked at him and fell asleep as he was talking. No one knew of his fears.
He had never talked about them before. It wasn't just his betrayal of Roger that kept him from seeing her.
It was his fear that if he did, she might die.
He slowly gained control of himself. "Mark, knock it off. You are better than this." He needed to hear the sound of his own voice to garner courage.
As he approached Room 210, once again his heart beat faster. He realized it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off with one massive pull.
As he opened the door, he gasped.
Anita's bed was empty.
***
Anita was suddenly swimming in the ocean as she turned to see Zeke on the shore. She swam toward him wanting to get more answers to her questions.
However, the harder she swam, the stronger the current. She was unable to make any progress. She didn't understand.
Then she saw the man turn and walk away from her. What was going on?
Instantly she was being transported through the air, she felt surreal, disconnected from reality, much like the sensation she had of travelling through a tunnel.
There was pain now, her entire body was flooded with pain. The reality of her situation dawned on her as she began to focus in on the lights above her.
She let out an audible groan as she looked around her.
"Anita."
"Mom."
"Oh, my God. Nurse, nurse," Her mother rushed to her side in tears.
"What happened?"
"You woke up, peaches," Anita hadn't heard that word since her childhood. "You woke up."
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Part VIII: Author Bio
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Marvin Wilmes is an observer of the human condition, writes about life's passions, faith and hope and opens the reader's eyes to "the process." In addition to a memoir, Marvin is bringing to the arena a contemporary post Vietnam War era fantasy in three episodes. Marvin is an Iowa resident with Missouri roots, a cancer survivor and most of all, an eclectic storyteller. Writing from a diverse background of experience, Marvin celebrates the the gift of hope and faith in God's purpose for living life and living it more abundantly.
Also by Marvin Wilmes
Beyond the Horizon: A Memoir
Website: www.marvinwilmes.com
Email: keypublications@gmail.com
Facebook: Beyond the Horizon
Marvin Wilmes is a northwest Missouri native, graduating from Northeast Nodaway RV in 1973. Marvin studied broadcasting and journalism at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., graduating in 1982. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1975-79.
Marvin worked for newspapers in Maryville, Mo. and Cherokee, IA, establishing and operating The Chronicle newspaper and Little Sioux Valley Express from 1992 to 1997. Marvin has worked in human services since 1997 and currently resides in Boone, Iowa with his family.