Life on Earth...

I haven't written a short story for very long time. The last one I remember writing one was "Addiction".

So when this theme came to me, I couldn't resist.
So here it goes...

Alan Goodman was a very lonely man.
He had recently broken up with his wife after 10 years of marriage, 8 of which were near blissful!!
Well, I guess, you are intelligent enough to guess what happened with the other two.
The court had punished him further by granting custody of their only child, the cherubic little Wendy, to the mother.
Dissapointed with life after the divorce, he chose to move to a smaller town. He assumed that life would be simpler if no one knew him.

The packing was almost done, barring a few pictures of his family. He did not want to keep the pictures. Every glance at those pictures... those wonderful times... those beautiful memories.... gave him jitters. The pain was too much to bear. For one last time he thought....for one last time I shall cry!! And tears rolled over like the thunderous rains.
O Lord! Why have you forsaken me!!! He dropped on his knees and kept sobbing.

He got back on his feet, gathered his luggage, and locked the doors one by one behind him. One last glimpse at the beautiful house, which once was his home! He pulled the gate shut and did not look back.

He thought he was safe now. Safe from all the pain and anguish... safe from the world... away from the life that had caused him enough grief.
He walked slowly to the railway station. He looked up at the clock tower outside the station. It read 14:10.
Another twenty minutes for the train he said to himself.

Entering the station, his caught sight of a beautiful girl. She was wearing the most beautiful dress that he had ever seen... an emerald green scarf that accentuated the light green color of her eyes.
She looked back at him and smiled. He did not know what do so he looked away.

She walked towards him and said : "Alan! Is that you? Remember me? Cathy! We met at the Christmas luncheon last year."
He remembered her very well. They had met at a party and had hit off instantly. But, today he was in no mood for unnecessary banter.
So he looked into her beautiful green eyes and rudely replied :"Sorry! I don't!".
And he glanced down for a moment and then stared back at her.

He could see her expression change. It was like the bright blue sky was being covered up with a gloomy cascade of dark clouds.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "I am so sorry.", she barely managed to mutter and walked off.

He turned to look at her, but she was gone in an instant! It was at that moment that he realized what a fool he had been.
LIFE had given him a second chance, and he had even let that slip by.

His train had arrived at the platform. He stepped in and sat down at a window seat. there was no one around. His whole life revolved around his eyes.
He reflected at the mistakes he had committed... his decisions... and he realized that it was he who had designed his life.
He could not blame anyone else. He was responsible for his own life.

He broke the promise... and cried again!!! There was no one to hear.. no one to console... Just then, he remembered he had the work revolver with him.
He pulled out his bag, and took out the revolver. He felf the cold metal against his skin. The chill gave him shivers.
14 years of service and he had never got an opportunity to use it. Maybe he had saved it all for today!

He raised the barrel to his forehead. He remembered Wendy's face. He remembered the look on his wife's face when she first saw Wendy.
He smiled and cried at same time. His fingers slowly pressed the trigger.

"Tring! Tring!" It was his mobile phone.

He kept the gun aside, and received the call. It was his daughter on the line. "Papa! I already miss you. Mom said that you can pick me up this Sunday".

Tears and prespiration rolled down his cheeks.

"I will Wendy! I will." He cried with joy.

LIFE had give him another chance and he wasn't a fool to miss it this time.