No Matter What

Grungy is the word that comes to mind to describe so many things in my life right now. Since 2016, life in North America, as we know it, has taken a turn for the worse. Here we are, only twenty years later, and the entire planet is being wrought with despair because of the ineptness during that regime. Although nothing seems to matter anymore, it seems there’s this hologramistic hope deep in my heart that tells me she is still alive…somewhere.

We’d made a pact several years ago that our friendship would be able to tolerate anything. The phrase “No Matter What” was our catch-phrase during times when there was any trouble between us. Sure. That worked well when it came to either of us having other potential partners in our lives, but this was different. This was world-shattering, Earth-ending circumstances that humans brought upon themselves. This was the end of life as we know it.

We’ve never crossed the line from friendship to anything beyond, and we have had many opportunities. In fact, those close to us believed we were a couple. We shared everything with each other, but we’ve never shared each other. Now, it seems, we will never have the opportunity again. Thanks to humans playing God, North America is now split into three parts, literally, and there’s little-to-no communication between them.

Rivers and Great Lakes rising, volcanoes erupting frequently and overpopulation have caused the Earth’s axis to tilt a little farther away from the sun. Every grain of sand and every blade of grass seem to be out of place now. Satellites aren’t working. The ice-cap has, practically, melted away. There’s actually frost along some of the equatorial countries in Africa, as well as South America. Even with all seemingly lost, I still have this hologramistic hope deep in my heart that she is still out there…somewhere.

Currency and wealth don’t have the same meaning anymore. The only government in place is individualism. You control yourself and those around you. That’s it. When the country started to collapse, politicians were forced to give up, because they had no answers, and the people no longer feared what the I.R.S. nor any other facet of government could do to them. Thus, they were dissolved, and the tyranny that was taxation was gone. We were losing the war against nature, and no political party could do anything about it.

It feels like we’re all devolving – reverting back to what we were before humans. Only the strong and smart survive. Jails were obsolete, because surviving, by any means necessary, was no longer considered wrong. It was the way of life. Even religion has drifted further out of the picture, because fewer and fewer humans believed that a supreme being would let “us” get to this point and not save us. The only God that seemed to be anywhere was the one inside of each of us. Was that the answer all along?

“Old Faithful” began to widen, ever-expanding to the north and south with laser-like precision, as if it were engineered that way centuries ago, and the button was finally pushed to activate the expansion with every geyser gush. Pieces of Canada are the only thing still structurally sound, but for how much longer? The Great lakes of the Mid-West and the entire Mississippi River began to rise and overflow into the lands that bordered them. The Mid-West and the eastern states were now, practically, an island. The ratio of water-to-land on this planet was changing…in favor of the water, and there was only the end in sight.

With the unimaginable events that have split the nation into three regions, named The West (Canada, western states and Mexico), The Central (from the center of Canada and central states) and The East (from Canada to Florida and the southeastern islands), the need for national government and laws have disappeared. Each region has started to develop a system for what they need to survive as a civilization.

Drone-Satellites have been created and are the only links between the regions, but the prices are so high for that communication equipment, that only those within a higher tax bracket can afford it. Thus, many have lost touch with family and friends who live in other regions…for now.

What does this mean for the future of mankind? Doom. However, while we still breathe, we must still survive and try to live life to the fullest. The only accountability is to yourself and to those you hold dear. Everyone else is of no consequence to your lifestyle. Most will only exist until they don’t, but, as individuals-who are all now on the same level-we are all at the fork in the road with one choice to make every day, live or die. Simple. I believe my reason to live was in one of the other regions, and I was willing to die to find her.

My career had taken me to the west region, and the last I’d heard, my heart was in the central region. It took almost everything I had, but I chartered my way there to find her. There was a last known address, places she used to work and people she used to know, but all of these were dead ends. I began going door-to-door in her old neighborhood. Eventually, I found out that her family moved to the east region during the early stages of the Central-East separation. They all wanted to be together in case this truly was the end of the world as we know it. The problem? I had used most of my resources to get to the central region. How was I going to get to the east region? I had to find a way.

My family was never close. I rarely had contact with my kids. I didn’t even know I had grandkids. So, up to this point, they were of no consequence to me and the lifestyle I craved. I just wanted to fill the heart-shaped hole in my heart – which was the charm on the neck-chain I wore. Even though we were not close, I contacted them, begged, pleaded and, eventually, scraped up enough to charter my way to the east region. It wasn’t tough leaving my family behind, possibly, for the last time, but my heart had a hole in it – literally and figuratively.

As I got to my heart’s area, I felt my pulse quickening and my body temperature rising. I knew she was near, but I had no idea of the reception I would receive after all this time. We used to speak regularly. Then less. Then even less. We each moved on with our lives, but I never wanted to be without her, and “no matter what” faded like a vampire in too much sunlight. I still held on to those thoughts, but they were few and far between. I hated myself for allowing this gap to expand, but God only gave me enough blood to control one head at a time, and I chose satisfaction over heart fulfilment. I knew my heart had to pay, but that crossed my mind a little too late.

My heart sank like the Titanic when I arrived at her family’s home to find a lot of vehicles out front. I hoped. I wished. I even prayed that the reason they were all here was for celebration, not for remorse. I envisioned everything from a wedding to a birthday celebration. I couldn’t wait to surprise the family by joining in the celebration, but something inside of me was keeping me from moving fast…hardly at all. My legs felt like I was walking in wet sand, uphill. I trudged on because I had come too far to not see this through. Eventually, I made it to the front door.

Her sister opened the door, slapped me. Then she kissed that same cheek and hugged me as tight as she could. She knew I was supposed to be “the one” for her sister, but we were both stubborn, and we never consummated our friendship. Thus, it never became more. I felt like we were losing time, life, and followed my career away from her. She took my hand and led me in. The family greeted me with strong hugs and kisses. I saw everyone but “her”. Then I saw the urn and began to cry.

She had conquered so many health-hills in her life. Which one of those rose to claim her? Neither. They said two weeks ago, she was complaining of light-headedness. The MRI, CAT-Scan and X-Rays all revealed nothing. One day she just didn’t wake up for breakfast. The doctor said it was a brain aneurysm. I felt terrible – like a part of me died. It did.

Her only son came over to me. He was carrying a gold box. He said that his Mom often talked about me and the friendship we’d had. She even stated that I should have been his father, but fate had other plans for us. He opened the box, and in it was the smaller, heart-shaped locket that filled the hole in the charm I had. It was a symbol of our pact that “No matter what, we would be there for each other”. I guess I broke both of our hearts at the same time.