Broken Butterfly

He wrote one last thought before closing the book.

Beauty and darkness go together, but not always does the beauty win. Now I embrace it.

The following morning he received a call from the newspaper office. After a brief conversation with the human resources manager, Rocky had an interview scheduled for the next day. He hung up the phone and let out a shout of excitement. It proved to him that he made the right decision about moving home.

* * * *

"So why did you quit after so many years?"

Sitting in Marco's backyard, Rocky took a drink of tea before trying to explain.

"I don't even know what caused me to lose it the way I did. I stood in front of the time clock and just couldn't do it. Something snapped, maybe, but I had enough," he said."I'm forty-two, Marco, and I haven't accomplished anything. When we left college, we were all excited about a career. Somewhere over the years, I gave up. Nothing gave me joy anymore. I don't know, Marco. For seven years, I worked at that parking garage. At the end of my shift, I went home. Then one day it all changed. It just happened. Maybe everything is a big coincidence and I'm making too much out of it all." Rocky hesitated. "After I quit my job . . . this is weird, but, one day I went to a park, just to think, right? There was a woman sitting on a bench. She started talking and told me she was dying."

"Gee, that's freaky, isn't it?"

"I thought so at first, but then, I don't know, she made me think. If I were dying, I would probably fall apart. Yet she was calm. After that conversation, I knew moving back here was the right thing to do." Moira's image filled his head. "And when I went back to get my stuff, there was this little boy and his grandfather emptying a few things from their storage unit. Tommy, the little guy, told me his mom was in prison and his grandpa's house burned."

"Damn, that's got to be rough for the kid."

"Six months ago, I wouldn't have noticed them, but I somehow knew they needed my things more than I did. I let them take whatever they wanted."

"You did a good thing," Marco said. "Be proud of it and see what the future holds for you."

Soon the conversation moved on, but for the remainder of the evening, Rocky wondered what was in his future.

* * * *

Despite his lack of experience, the human resources manager welcomed him to the staff during a brief phone call three days after his interview. He struggled to keep his composure until he pressed the button that disconnected the call.

"I did it! I got the job!"

Rocky danced through the rooms singing the words until reality hit. From the day he tore up his time card, his world began to change. His outlook on life was different. He took an empty journal from the library and pulled a pen from the desk drawer. Then he wrote. Closing the book an hour later, he wiped the tears off his cheeks, whispering to the redhead who opened his eyes to life.

"Thank you for teaching me how to live, Moira. I look forward to sharing a bench with you again."