It is because we love them so much that we lay our heart in their hands. So when they do not treat it delicately, instead choosing to squeeze the life out of it, it becomes fractured. A fractured heart almost impossible to heal the pain etched into that tiny little organ.
But there is mercy...
My name is Katy. I have been ripped apart and torn to shreds by past and present circumstances. Everything that I am had been tested, and faith is slowly fading away. I try to forget the past. I try not to let those events define my life. But the past, she just walked through the door, and she is about to test every limit that I can handle, and push me completely over the edge.
My life...just got real.Excerpt
Just before I can reply to Faye's question the front door swings open. We both turn quickly in that direction as Collin comes walking through the front door...let me rephrase that; he comes stumbling through the door. He pitches forward falling on his face. He must have tripped over his own feet because there is nothing else in that area for him to trip over.
Faye and I jump up and run over to help him hoping that he hasn't hurt himself. When we get to him he rolls over on his back and starts laughing as if his lack of coordination is the funniest thing he has done. It stops me dead in my tracks, Faye pulls up beside me. We stand there long enough to smell the alcohol coming off him in waves. It's so strong it smells like he has taken a bath in it. Taking a step back we try to avoid the assault on our senses.
What do I do here? My gut tells me that trying to have a conversation with a drunken person won't go anywhere, but the raging going on in my head takes over and my face starts to heat up. Something starts clawing its way out of me as I explode. "What the heck, Collin! You think this is funny? We have been sitting here worrying about you. Not knowing if you were okay, while you are out doing who knows what." I'm seething, and his laughter has stopped at the tone of my voice. He sits up, running his hands through his hair.
"What does it matter? I'm fine, see." He gestures up and down his body. "No harm." I let out a sarcastic laugh; it's either that or scream. Walking over to him, I bend at the waist so that I can be at eye level with him. The need to get away from the stench is overwhelming, but I stand there preparing to give him a piece of my mind.
Serious now, I try not to make a face at the smell. "No harm? How can you say that when you know what it is like to live at the hand of a drunk? How can you say that when you have lived on the other end of someone who has been what you are now? How-" I close my eyes briefly to try and prevent the tears from flowing. "How can you possibly think that Your. Actions. Do. No. Harm?" My fury is final and he will not be able to forget it.
There is a look in his eyes that says he understands. His lips turn down at the corners as his head lowers in shame. I think I've proven my point as much as it pains me. Standing up straight, I wait for him to make the next move. He clearly has a problem, but I know that he has to make the first move or he'll feel like he is being pushed. He stands and walks away. That's it, just walks away and into his room. No stumbling, no words. Just disappointment from me, I think. Feeling defeated, I slump against the wall that he has vacated. Leaning my head against it, and looking to the ceiling, I slide to the floor.
Faye sits next to me but doesn't say anything. She knows I need a minute to think. Grandma would be so disappointed with him, just like I am. How can he do the same thing that our mom did? The same thing that makes us hate her so much? It makes little sense to me, but who am I to judge him. I don't know what is going through his mind. All I can do is make assumptions based on my past experiences. Even in my despair, drinking was the furthest thing from my mind. I did retreat into myself and avoid people, but I was working on that. It wasn't easy, and it was a day to day struggle, but I was doing it. I wanted to help Collin, but I didn't know how or if he even wanted my help.
Krystle is a full time stay at home mom with a passion for reading and writing. Currently, she lives in Florida on an island with her husband and two young boys. Writing has always been something she loved to do, but she had to step away from it for awhile. Pursuing a career in Pharmacy was her dream. But, after five years working in a pharmacy, the pull to write was too great, so today she writes as if it were a living breathing part of her, and she loves every moment of it.
Fractured Heart is the first in The Redemption Series. It is also Krystle's debut novel.
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