AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Look man, I also didn't believe in all that true love and falling in love quickly shit… but when I think of her, my heart… my heart vibrates. Seeing her sets my spirit on fire. I want to hold her and kiss her and if she feels sad, I feel worse. I think about her a lot throughout the day. Now, she's doing what she loves and I’m thinking about how I can help her even be happier. She does the same for me,” I explained.
“Dude, she's helped me reconcile with Maddy."
"Wow. Okay, that is crazy." Even Drew found it astonishing. Being my closest friend, he knew how many years Maddy and I struggled in our relationship.
"Okay, I'm happy for you, man," Drew said with a smile.
"Thanks, Bro," I said. "I just hope things don't get fucked up. I hope things are good because, for some reason, I fear something bad is just around the corner waiting to happen, but I don't know what it is."
"Don't think like that. Just enjoy the good times while they last," Drew offered some advice. "Hopefully, they last a lifetime with you and Maryam."
I nodded with a smile. These were the good times.
The calm before the storm.
Chapter fourteen
Ronald Razor’s POV
Thecoarsenessofsandgently rubbed my legs as I dug my feet deeper. The warm sun caressed my face, and I took it all in. Not the son, but the two women right below the sun from my view.
Maryam and Maddy seemed to be talking about something I couldn't hear from where I sat, but I didn't need to. Sitting down here was enough for me… just watching the two most important people in my life giggling and talking about God knows what. That was enough to make me feel fulfilled at this very moment. God, the universe, whatever higher power existed. I just wanted to say thank you.
My hand dug into the sand, grabbing a handful. It had been a while since I had felt this happy in my life. I got true love. Love that I could give back without the fear of any counter, rejection, or negativity.
Not to say things were perfect between Maddie and me, but they were better than they used to be. The looming worry of her biological conditions always hovered around the corner and I could see it in her eyes, and I'm sure she could see it in mine. Nevertheless, we were able to look past the arguments and the concern to remember that, in the end, we were still family.
Meanwhile, they had started to take a couple of pictures or whatever. They asked me to come with them when they initially left from underneath the umbrella, but me being me, I chose to abstain. Besides, I was pretty sure I'd spend more time as a cameraman rather than taking pictures. I felt content enough just watching them be normal. The last couple of weeks turned hectic for me, but things had stabilized. We continued to await Maddy's test results, but so far, we hadn't had any episodes since the last one. It made me relieved. I'd been trying to keep a positive mindset guess Maryam rubbed off on me-but deep in the pit of my stomach, trepidation existed. That doubt festering into a bile of fear… fear reminding me something would come from around the corner after lying in wait like a predator. And we were its prey. The same life that gives so much joy and wondrous moments like this could give me and had given me some of the most painful experiences completely out of my control.
Maybe I'd been through too much already. Losing my now-dead wife and watching the constant issues of fainting, falling, and weakness that life inflicted on my daughter from a very young age.
Those experiences, those moments where you are told a person you care about is dead and you will never see them again. When you are. Not sure if your daughter in your arms is alive as you rush her to the hospital. You could be the most successful man in the world and attain as many accolades as possible, but those experiences are etched into your mind, your body, and your soul till the end of time. And in mine, the etching spelled one word: Pessimist. In that sense, I was to find a very optimistic woman.
Maddy started walking back to the umbrella that I sat under while Maryam waited for her.
You look like you're having a good time," Maddy said after coming under the umbrella, I had set up.
"You guys are done already?"
"Oh, you look really sad," She joked. Come join us."
No, thanks," I said with a knowing smile. She knew I hated pictures and was teasing me.
Maddy began searching her bag for something. "I was just enjoying the view watching the two of you have a good time," I added.
She took out a small camera. I didn't even know she brought that.
"Wow. You took this Photograph thing, seriously."
"What do you mean? I love taking photographs. In another life, I could have studied photography at school." She responded with a slight smirk.
"Oh," I felt ashamed that I didn't know that about my daughter. Years of not paying attention and her not giving me a chance as well. But mainly, it was my fault. There remained a lot I did not know about her, and I wished to change that promptly.
"It's fine, Dad." She must have noticed my side reaction. "There's a lot I don't know about you either. Well, there isn't because all you do is talk about business, so…"
I laughed. "Good one."
"Anyway, we need you to snap us for this one. We've taken enough selfies with Maryam's phone."
