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The Truth About Gravity: Chapter Three

A Fictional Story

By Nicole Higginbotham-HoguePublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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The Truth About Gravity: Chapter Three
Photo by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash

Janice walked home, reflecting on the conversation that she

had with John. It had been years since she had seen him and she still couldn’t believe

that he was married and established. Back in the day, John had been a party boy.

The only thing that he cared about back then was who he was going home with and

how strong the drinks were. After talking to him today, Janice had learned how much

a person could change. Not only was John married but he was sober and trying to

have a child of his own.

It was odd to think that someone could dream up something so

big so late in life. Janice had practically given up on having dreams of her own

when she turned forty. She had figured that there was no point. She didn’t know

how long she had left to enjoy life, and she certainly didn’t want to bring a child

into the world so late or make other decisions where she might not be able to fulfill

the responsibilities. Nevertheless, after seeing the excitement that John had for

life and how happy he was with his partner, she wondered if she had sold herself

short.

Maybe it wasn’t her age that was holding her back from achieving

new dreams. Maybe it was her attitude. Maybe life wasn’t just about getting by.

She had heard someone say that everyone should live life to the fullest, and though

she wasn’t quite sure what that meant, she wondered if that was what she had been

missing. Even when Cheryl was alive, she had been careful. Janice had tried to do

everything by the book. She had gotten a good job. She made enough money to buy

a house, and she had meant the woman whom she thought that she was going to spend

her life with. Sure, once in a while, she was inspired to try something new or go

on a trip to a place that she had never seen, but she was a realist. She knew that

money didn’t grow on trees, and she understood that trips and other luxuries were

only temporary. Besides her sister had been envious about how she lived once or

twice so she must be doing something right.

But now as Janice walked alone on the street with no one to fill

her ears with conversation, she wondered if she had just been passing opportunity

by. If she had picked up a hobby, she would have something to do with all of her

extra time. If she had allowed herself to dream, she might have other sources of

excitement to fill her empty heart with, and if she had focused more on her ambitions,

her life might not have been so void at this point.

“Please, God,” she whispered under her breath as the sun began

to set. “Please give me the strength to move on.”

Even as she said those words, she could feel the guilt flow through

her and a tight ball of nausea develop in her stomach. She felt bad about wanting

to move on. She felt like she was betraying Cheryl, but she knew at this point that

the guilt that she had in her heart about trying out new things, could never outweigh

the lack of enthusiasm that she had about life. Janice was like an empty vessel,

sailing aimlessly across the waves of the ocean. She had no path, no purpose, and

she knew that if she didn’t find one soon, she would wither away, spending her last

days alone with a broken heart.

Series
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About the Creator

Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue is a lesfic author at amzn.to/36DFT2x. Sign-up for her newsletter at higginbothampublications.com

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