A Healing Heart: Preview
OK, so I'm gonna shoot for an ending where Mike doesn't end up crying. I'm in a somewhat better mood now, and I wanna break the trend. Not to say that this story will be all double rainbows and high fives, but... wait, a double rainbow might be kind of cool... I wonder if I can add one in. Where was I? Right, there will be conflict (because otherwise it would be a really boring story), but this will hopefully have a lighter tone. I'm still writing though, so we'll see. Anywho, what are you still looking at this for? The good stuff's below ?
Mike sat in his small room and sighed. It was more a tired sigh than a sad sigh, but both emotions were present. He finally had a place of his own, even if it was partly charity that got him there. The wolf had just gotten a (hopefully) permanent job, and the wasn't too bad, so he could hopefully pay back his debts. His friends would probably refuse his money, but he had to do it for his own sake. He wasn't going to his grave with debts on his conscience.
The place wasn't much, but it was his, and that was the point. It was a one room apartment-- well, two; there was a washroom, but that wasn't much either. Mike had never understood why it was called a '3/4-bath.' It was really just a shower, and bathing would be impossible. The main room featured a kitchenette in one corner: mini-fridge, hotplate, microwave, small sink, and the absolute minimum of counter space. A small dining table seperated the kitchenette from the 'living area.' With no seperation it couldn't be called a seperate room. The couch was actually a hide-a-bed, doubling the area as his 'bedroom.' A coffee table in front of the couch was easily shifted to the side at night to become a night stand. A small bookshelf-- filled to bursting with his books-- graced one side of the room. Other than that, the room was pretty sparse. He had no money for a TV, although he brought the old GameCube that was rightfully his anyway. It was hidden in one of the still unpacked boxes neatly stacked in an otherwise empty corner. Some of the boxes wouldn't be unpacked; he didn't need the stuff right now, but he had to get it out of his old place, and he wasn't about to spend money on storage.
Of course, he could have had Anita and Jack, his sister and brother-in-law, store it, but right now he was distancing himself from his family. His dad never wanted to see him again, and seeing Anita would just strain her relationship with their mutual parent. She had been surprised to hear Mike was bi, and Jack even more so, but they were more accepting of it than Justin. It was funny, Mike reflected, to think of his dad by his first name, but he didn't see him as 'Dad' anymore. Father, maybe, if he was technical, but not Dad.
He had come a long ways since that confrontation. It had been a couple months since. He had been fucked for his university classes that semester, as he had neither the transportation or inclination to got to school, and with all the crap that had happened, he hadn't gone back for the winter semester. Schooling was on hold until he could get his life back in order. Fortunately, the money put aside to him for schooling was still his. The accounts had transferred not to long ago, so Justin couldn't take that money. He had just received his first paycheck, so finances weren't too bad. He had decided, against his better judgement, to get into the food industry. He was waiting tables at a Smitty's. He wasn't available for Sunday mornings, which was a mixed bag: no crazy rush of furs in for brunch, but no opportunity for those tips. He pulled in decent money though, and his constant smile was a hit with management. They had had a few employees who obviously couldn't have cared less if they pleased the customers.
It was tiring work, however, which drove his already pratically non-existant social down to zilch. He couldn't remember what day he had last hung out with any of his friends. Part of this was due to busy schedules on both sides of the equation, but it was also partly due to their finding out he was bi. It was hard to hide the fact you were kicked out of your house, and people usually want to know why. One of his friends hadn't said much about it, but was keeping his distance. He had been Mike's only close male friend, so his company, when he could find it, was almost exclusively female. He didn't mind the girls, but it saddened him that he had no real friends of his own sex. The others seemed okay with the revelation. One girl in particular who he didn't see much outside of university was cool with it, so they sometimes ate lunch together if their schedules synced up and Mike had the money to eat out. Now that he was living on his own, even fast food had become expensive. He had considered getting a roommate and a bigger place, but he didn't know anyone who wanted or needed a roommate, and he wasn't about to find a stranger who wanted to room with him. Mike had enough trouble with people he knew without adding others into the mix.
He had a place, though, and the towels and pans he'd gotten as grad gifts were finally being used. He was tired, having just finished lugging everything into the place, so he kicked his shoes in a corner by the door and slept on the couch without bothering to remove any clothing.
OK, slight change of plan. Normally, I'd save and post this later, but I've been doing everything in broswer, so this is getting posted as a preview, if you will. When I add to it and make it the full version, I'll probably delete this copy to reduce confusion. For now give me comments about this (short) piece. I know there's not much there, but I enjoy hearing from you anyway, and I'm greedy. Not sure when this will be updated. Possibly tomorrow around this time, but it might get pushed back. Stupid life always gets in the way. Anyway, comment, or the Dragon of Spirits pictured in my avatar will come to harvest your soul for Death a little early >;)