Old Wounds, Reaper76 ficlet
Hello, I am enjoying my stay in this hell landscape of heartache and anguish.
The picture was old and faded, edges worn, the frame fractured in places. The people within were untouched by time, smiles soft and expressions warm. It had been a special moment, worthy of capture, of remembrance. A glimpse of the bright future ahead of them.
Only there was no brightness now. Only cold and darkness, bitterness and anger. Old wounds concealed behind harsh words. But old wounds still bled when cut.
Jack Morrison splashed another helping of whisky into his glass. His hand shook as he brought it to his lips, eyes never straying from the photograph. This was his salve against the old wound. Bind it behind a pleasant alcohol-fueled bandage. Black out so as to not be tormented by dreams of what used to be. The memories simply cut too deep.
So why did he torture himself, year after year, with this damn photo and what it represented? Fuel for his personal vendetta? No, too easy. The need to disassociate himself from the shining glow in a younger face? Wrong, he thought, taking another shot. He knew the reasons. Better than he liked to admit.
His gaze drifted to the second face in the photo. Old feelings bled from his heart, regret, guilt, sorrow, sharp as glass and explosive as a shotgun blast at close range. But lurking beneath it was an aching of such intensity, it seemed to squeeze his heart. Steal his breath.
Jack set the glass down. Reached for the bottle and glass on the table. Light from the overhead lamp shone off the gold liquid spilling from the bottle. Jack sealed it with a shaking hand, then placed the glass in front of the second face. When he spoke, it was in a rough voice thick with emotion.
“Happy anniversary, Gabe.”