Post by melindajo2000 on Feb 22, 2011 22:11:07 GMT -6
Chapter one.
I’m sorry Mr. Barnes. There’s nothing more we can do for you.”
Those were the last words that Cliff had ever expected to hear from his doctor. He’d always been healthy, very healthy. He’d always been able to do whatever he’d pretty well wanted to do, eat what he pretty well wanted to, drink as much as he wanted to. Now that he’d found out that he’d had a tumor and there was nothing more the doctor could do he just wanted to bury himself in his work and his booze. Why not? What was the point of not being able to indulge? There was nothing to hold him back now. He knew what Afton would say- she would tell him to not sit around and feel sorry for himself , that’s why she would never know. He would send her away if he had to. He didn’t want her pity. That’s what she would do-pity him. And he would do that enough by himself thank you very much.
Afton couldn’t believe it. She’d also been to the doctor and had found out that she was pregnant. This was the happiest day of her life. She couldn’t wait to tell Cliff. He’d had some bad luck lately with JR giving him a hard time and with business being a little slow so she figured that this ought to cheer him up. Anxious to tell him, she dressed and made her way home from the doctors and picked up some Chinese on the way home.
“Hi honey. Guess what I brought home,” Afton called out.
“Whatever it is I’m not interested,” Cliff replied.
“Cliff! I brought you some Chinese. And are you drunk?”
“Maybe I am and maybe I’m not.”
Afton sighed out loud. If he was going to be like this she wasn’t going to share her good news with him. “For goodness’ sake you’re a mess. When are you going to grow up and handle your problems like a grown up? So you had a bad day?”
Cliff looked at her and laughed bitterly. “A bad day. A bad day. Yeah I guess I had what you could call a bad day. But you’re right. I just need to learn to handle my problems. And I promise you that I won’t drag you down and involve you. I’ll be handling them myself from now on.”
“That’s not what I meant. I want to know what’s going on. I want you to talk to me. I want us to be able to share with each other what’s going on in our lives because it affects the other person. I wasn’t going to tell you this but I have some news that you might be interested in, “ she smiled.
“Afton, not now. I really can’t handle any more news. I’ve had the worst day of my life and I can’t process anything else. So if you don’t mind I think I’ll take that Chinese and sit here alone and think by myself.”
Afton looked at Cliff and wondered if this was what she could look forward to in her future. If it was then she wasn’t sure that that was where she belonged after all.
I’m sorry Mr. Barnes. There’s nothing more we can do for you.”
Those were the last words that Cliff had ever expected to hear from his doctor. He’d always been healthy, very healthy. He’d always been able to do whatever he’d pretty well wanted to do, eat what he pretty well wanted to, drink as much as he wanted to. Now that he’d found out that he’d had a tumor and there was nothing more the doctor could do he just wanted to bury himself in his work and his booze. Why not? What was the point of not being able to indulge? There was nothing to hold him back now. He knew what Afton would say- she would tell him to not sit around and feel sorry for himself , that’s why she would never know. He would send her away if he had to. He didn’t want her pity. That’s what she would do-pity him. And he would do that enough by himself thank you very much.
Afton couldn’t believe it. She’d also been to the doctor and had found out that she was pregnant. This was the happiest day of her life. She couldn’t wait to tell Cliff. He’d had some bad luck lately with JR giving him a hard time and with business being a little slow so she figured that this ought to cheer him up. Anxious to tell him, she dressed and made her way home from the doctors and picked up some Chinese on the way home.
“Hi honey. Guess what I brought home,” Afton called out.
“Whatever it is I’m not interested,” Cliff replied.
“Cliff! I brought you some Chinese. And are you drunk?”
“Maybe I am and maybe I’m not.”
Afton sighed out loud. If he was going to be like this she wasn’t going to share her good news with him. “For goodness’ sake you’re a mess. When are you going to grow up and handle your problems like a grown up? So you had a bad day?”
Cliff looked at her and laughed bitterly. “A bad day. A bad day. Yeah I guess I had what you could call a bad day. But you’re right. I just need to learn to handle my problems. And I promise you that I won’t drag you down and involve you. I’ll be handling them myself from now on.”
“That’s not what I meant. I want to know what’s going on. I want you to talk to me. I want us to be able to share with each other what’s going on in our lives because it affects the other person. I wasn’t going to tell you this but I have some news that you might be interested in, “ she smiled.
“Afton, not now. I really can’t handle any more news. I’ve had the worst day of my life and I can’t process anything else. So if you don’t mind I think I’ll take that Chinese and sit here alone and think by myself.”
Afton looked at Cliff and wondered if this was what she could look forward to in her future. If it was then she wasn’t sure that that was where she belonged after all.