A Better Life – 2

Published on by thelonelyauthorblog

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Drained by his journey through the time portal, Jack stumbled across the lab. How have I altered her past?

Scott, a scarecrow of a man entered. “You know unauthorized trips are unacceptable.”

Jack hurried past his assistant, “Josephine in her office?”

“Who?”

Jack dashed down the hallway leading to his office. He settled behind his desk.

Scott whispered, “These excursions have a dangerous ripple effect.”

Jack speed dialed her number.

An unexpected voice mail answered.

Looking around, his office appeared different. The framed photograph of Josephine no longer occupied the credenza. “My wife?”

“What wife?” Scott’s voice contained traces of concern.

Jack eyed his cell; the screen no longer displayed his wedding photo.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

He jotted down ideas of how to trace her past; school records, municipal records. A sudden thought plunged him into the darkest recesses of fear.

Jack bolted from his seat, pushing Scott away. He raced down the hall, running past security, and out into the pouring rain.

Turning the ignition to his Infiniti QX80, his hands trembled. His mind raced through the endless possibilities. He crushed the accelerator.

Two hours later, he sped through the heavy black gates. He prayed he wouldn’t find the answer here. Please let it be anywhere but here.

The SUV screeched to a halt. Leaving the engine running, he raced out of the car, dashing over the wet grass.

Heavy rains drenched him until his white shirt clung to him like wet wall paper.

Please don’t let me find her here.

Arriving at his destination, he fell to his knees, sinking into the wet dirt. “What have I done?”

Kneeling in his wife’s family plot; Jack read the expiration date on her tombstone. One year after he stopped the child molester.

He had one opportunity to correct his error or she would be lost forever.

Crawling over her grave, he embraced the slick tombstone. “Oh God, I never meant for this to happen. Please, forgive me.”

Refusing to release the gravestone, Jack wept.

Cold rain and his burning tears failed to cleanse the regret that plagued him.

 

To be continued.

A Better Life

 

160 thoughts on “A Better Life – 2”

  10. I especially like, “crushed the accelerator”, and “shirt clung to him like wet wallpaper”–very rich descriptives. I felt the urgency in this–power-writing.

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    1. Smiling. Aw, thanks. I struggle to keep my posts brief. So, I use little description to keep the word count down. Thank you for your kind words. And thanks for taking the time out to read and comment.

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        1. Laughing. Brevity is a challenge. If a person stops at my blog to read, I try to be considerate & be brief. Everyone has a life beyond blogging as well as other bloggers to follow. I try not to consume anyone’s time. Your poems are brief. At least everything I have seen so far.

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          1. I tried doing a blog with chapters from a novel in progress–“no comments” (just Likes) told me readers don’t have that kind of time to give on a frequent/regular basis. And I don’t blame them at all–I don’t have that kind of energy/time either 🙂

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    1. Laughing so hard. Thank you for your kind words of support. My bus and train rides are now consumed with outlining of this novel/screenplay thanks to you & a few others. Part 3 is next Thursday. Do you have nice shoes for that dress?

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  13. Ok, I’m thorughly hooked now…

    *tapping my non-existant watch*

    Do you have the next section written yet?! Well, what are you waiting for? Time’s a’wastin’, and in this story, time is too valuable to waste!

    🙂

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  19. Will Jack’s wife come back from the grave? Will Jack end up saving all of humanity? Will Jack’s machine end up breaking down so that he is forever stuck in the year 1985? Stay tuned in for the next installment of ‘A Better Life’!

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  21. Oh Sir! I’m breathless. What an absolutely wonderful, captivating and consuming piece you have written. I thought Devil Girl would be my favorite of all time, now I have doubt. Please don’t stop. My mind hungers for more. Feed me, please. My mind is open and my tongue is out. xoxo

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    1. Do you know, I was wondering where you were. I am having problems with my WordPress delivering messages 3 and 4 days late. I though you were in that group. Ready to go postal again. I hope you are well. I am trying to outline a plot for this story. I think I could write a screenplay this year, if I were given the time. Damn, I need that time machine. Thanks for reading. Be well.

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      1. I’m here. I have been stupidly busy today. I worked till 11:00 last night and I’m exhausted. I’m going home at 5:00 and crashing. A screenplay would be great. Make time Drew. Just do it. Lock yourself away and just do it. You’re most welcome, and you also.

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    1. Smiling. Thank you for taking the time out to read. Next Thursday. Plotting it in my head as I tyoe this. Thank you. See what I mean about the love in all my writing. I find love takes suspense, thrillers and all writing to another level of tension.

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  35. I really enjoyed both parts of this story. He’s going back in time with great intentions, but the consequences look quite complicated. A good lesson not to mess with time travel 🙂

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  36. I want to read more! It’s a great story. But I don’t know you, can I trust you with the characters I fall in love with? But I want to read what happens, even if it leads me to sadness.

    Me, I like happily forever after endings. Know it’s not the way of real life, but like I tell my husband, I don’t read books or watch movies for a “real life” experience. I’m trying to ESCAPE the real….

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  39. Andrew! I feel like I was right there with Jack as he was running and worried about what happened to Josephine! 😀 Okay, it will work out, he can go back and fix this…I mean they did get married and he had a picture. What was he supposed to do? Just let that bad awful thing happen to her? No. Jack wouldn’t have that. This is great, I really like this story so far! 😀 It gets better every week!! Keep up the awesome work, Andrew! 🙂

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  41. Pingback: A Better Life – 3 | The Lonely Author
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