Oliver's Nightmare

He did it again. His attempt failed, but he still made the attempt. He did it without thinking about how it would make his sister feel... without batting an eye as to whether his mother would've died of heartbrokenness. He just went ahead and slit his wrists, lay in the bathtub, and hoped to die.

Perhaps we would understand better if we had a little more context. What does it take for a person to make such a definitive decision? For one to even consider ending their own life... would it be just as simple as saying that he was a sick man who needed professional help? Self-preservation is an instinct embedded in every living creature. To act against that instinct certainly implies that something has gone terribly wrong.

Oliver Keen had already been diagnosed with Major Depression. This diagnosis came three years before his latest attempt at ending his life. Oliver was the oldest of two siblings. His sister was an accomplished surgeon, despite her youth. From the time she started school, she had always shown great academic aptitude. His mother was a caring woman of faith. She treasured both her children and never stopped looking out for them, even as they became adults that could fend for themselves.

Oliver's father was kind of the wildcard here. He also had a history of depression. In fact, he spent his last days languishing away in his bed, showing no interest in anything other than the remote control to change the channel once a movie had ended. This was clearly an indication of a problem, considering how active he used to be. Seeing how their father turned out made Oliver's sister interested in specializing in mental health disorders. She's currently working on getting her license before becoming board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

While his sister was pushed to fight against mental health disorders, Oliver seemed to inherit his father's depressive tendencies. Things were looking up for him after he graduated college. He worked a full-time job that got the bills paid and was in a relationship with the most beautiful girl on the planet: Brenna. He met her on a dating app called Single's Choice. There were several fake profiles and even abandoned profiles by girls who got cold feet once they realized what it meant to be a single woman on a dating app: being swarmed by hundreds (if not thousands) of thirsty, creepy men.

Brenna hated the dating game. Most guys only tried to gain women's trust just enough so they could bed them. There weren't any real connections or meaningful conversations. Everything was just a facade so they could get laid. So when she was messaged by Oliver, an average-looking guy in his twenties, and realized that he wasn't pressuring her to get together or even asking for her number, she decided to see where this could potentially go.

Brenna was actually born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her parents were American, and she went back and forth between the US and Brazil a lot. They eventually agreed to meet in person. Oliver got some time off, so he went to meet her in Rio. He was immediately mesmerized by her beauty. And she was intrigued by the depths of his personality. At first glance, he seemed like an average Joe that didn't deserve any attention. But upon conversing with him, she realized he had a refreshing sense of humor, he was considerate, kind, a true gentleman, and he also hated dating apps just as much as her.

Meeting Brenna and going out with her felt like the best thing that ever happened to Oliver. They were very different people. She was way more outspoken. He was extremely introspective, but she got him to open up a lot. She was kind of a Jack of all trades, and he had a strategic approach to things most of the time.

It wasn't long until they both realized that they were in love. Oliver had never actually proposed to her, but they would often talk about what it would be like to be married and have kids... where they would live... the type of life they could build together. Oliver was planning on the perfect moment to do it, though. He wanted that moment when he popped the question to be something she'd never forget.

It's quite unfortunate, though. As it happens with many couples in today's day and age, a simple issue blown out of proportion and poorly handled turned their little paradise into a living hell.

"You didn't think I'd find out. Is that why you did it?" Brenna questioned him, obviously upset. Oliver had just gotten back to their apartment (it was actually her apartment. It was a gift from her dad when she graduated college) from work and was pretty confused about her attitude.

"I don't know what you mean... what's this about?" he replied, both confused and worried about her tone. "That's how you're gonna play it, huh? Play dumb? I see how it is. You're all the same... every last goddamn one of you! I was such an idiot to think you were different!" Brenna blurted as she demonstrated to be extremely aggravated. "Brenna, love... if you don't talk to me, I can't know what you're talking about. Where is all this coming from? What did I do?" Brenna didn't respond with words. She stormed out of the living room into the bedroom, rabidly picked up Oliver's laptop, and short of slammed it into the table with the screen facing Oliver.

"My laptop's screen is busted, so I took it to be repaired. I needed to check my email real quick, so I picked up your laptop since you don't even use any password to hide your filth. I don't get it... Did you really think I'd never find out, or is it that you just didn't care if I did? I can't tell which is worse..." Brenna continued as she sounded increasingly more aggravated. "Why are you still on that site? Well, don't bother answering that... I know why. And I also know that it's not that you simply didn't delete your profile... I checked the photos. I know that the last couple of photos are recent ones... that we took while out together! I was so stupid to think that you weren't like other men... but that's not all... I know the type of sites that you've been visiting too. Guys usually delete their browser history... but not Oliver Keen..."

"Brenna... I..." Oliver was having trouble forming any coherent train of thought. He even lost the nerve to look at her after he'd been called out and caught. "Aren't you gonna say anything? Aren't you gonna try to deny it? Continue playing dumb? Give some bullshit excuse? Honestly, I would have preferred anything else instead of... this..." She was beyond disappointed and disgusted. And he was beyond ashamed. "Get out. Take your stuff and leave. I never want to see you again. Do you understand me?" "Brenna... please..." "What? You haven't said anything! That means that everything I'm assuming about you now is the real you. That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. I want you out!"

Oliver got a taste of a dream come true with Brenna in his life. But that moment when she confronted him was the beginning of his worst nightmare, from which he never truly recovered.

When Oliver attempted to end his life and was found by his sister, the result of that attempt (which was his second attempt at taking his life) was his being institutionalized. The insane asylum he was committed to was the Our Mother of Mercy Asylum. He spent an entire year there. His breakup with Brenna was the preface to his nightmare. His time in the Our Mother of Mercy Asylum was chapter one in the nightmare that was Oliver Keen's existence.