The Days Before Us (Good Intentions collection) by Sejal Badani

Author:Sejal Badani [Badani, Sejal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Published: 2023-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

For two days and nights, Autumn replays the scene with her mother. Now she paces the living room while Jack packs his clothes for his trip. He is still staying at the hotel, and it is the first time they are seeing one another since he told her he was leaving. After careful consideration, she’s decided to tell him about the baby when he returns. She knows guilt will only drive him to stay, and she can’t do that to him. He deserves his success.

“I’m all set.” Jack joins her with one suitcase in hand. Guilt gnaws at her as distance and caution taint his every word.

“That’s all you’re taking?” Autumn asks, worried that he won’t have enough clothes. When she sees his hesitation, she silently scolds herself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean . . .” She sighs, then says, “Habit.”

On his pause, she wonders if he’s going to tell her he changed his mind. That their love is stronger than her.

“I emailed you my contact information in case you need anything. I leave next week,” he says. He hands her a set of keys. “To the boat.”

He had taken her on his boat for their first date. Beneath the starlit sky, the outside world ceased to exist. On the water, she convinced herself that her and Jack’s story was theirs to create. Her love for Jack would supersede everyone and everything else. But memories intruded on her every moment, no matter how much she wished them gone.

“Do you remember when I was stung by a stingray?” Autumn tries to delay his return to the hotel, if only by a few minutes. “It was so painful I thought I was going to die. You saved me.” Her eyes hold his. “I don’t know if I ever said thank you.”

“I don’t know how to save you this time,” Jack says quietly. She hears the grief in his voice, along with the resignation. “To save us.”

“I’m sorry,” Autumn whispers, wishing she could change their course. Not only for them but for their child.

“Did I ever tell you the story my dad told me about the boy and the boulder?” He waits for a moment before starting. “A scrawny boy has to roll a pebble up a mountain to prove himself a man. As he starts to roll it up, the mountain gets steeper, and pebbles attach themselves to the original rock.” Autumn jerks in surprise when Jack slips his hand into hers. “Soon enough, the mountain is nearly vertical, and the pebble has become a boulder.”

Autumn watches their fingers intertwine with one another and wonders with overwhelming sadness if this will be the last time they ever touch. She takes a step closer, bringing their clasped hands against her stomach, their child. He continues the story.

“The boy wonders why and how he can keep going. But with each step, he becomes stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally.” When Jack releases her hand, the emptiness grips Autumn. “At the top of the mountain, the boy has become a man.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.