{"id":1607,"date":"2021-06-01T20:09:37","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T03:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/?p=1607"},"modified":"2021-06-05T09:23:32","modified_gmt":"2021-06-05T16:23:32","slug":"come-along-peacefully-classic-650-word-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/?p=1607","title":{"rendered":"Come Along Peacefully… [Classic] (650 word story)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What exactly is wrong with me? Another silly story (hopefully) also written when I was young.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

“I’m sorry.” I said to her tears. We sat across the room from each other — I, on the sofa we had bought shortly after we were married. She, hiding in the wicker chain that her mother had given her five or six years back. The late-afternoon sun poked its way through the curtains. Outside, a bird was singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s not your fault… I don’t think,\u201d she replied, unsure of herself. I could see that she was trying very hard to be brave — as she sat with her back straight, her mouth set, beneath her frightened eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I studied her closely — examining her features, and realizing how much I had taken for granted over the years. She still had those same two eyes, that single delicate nose, and that lovely little mouth below it all. I touched my own face. I had two eyes, one nose, and one mouth also — what a coincidence. How about ears? I leaned to the side to get a better look. Two. Two for me, also, thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at her and realized how much I still loved her, possibly more than I had on our wedding day. Leaving would not be easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou realize that I have to leave soon… for good?\u201d I hoped that I was not the one to break the news to her — that someone had already told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today marked an important point in my life. Today I was declared legally insane for the first, and hopefully last, time. Several men were waiting for me right now, outside, in their little white van. I was permitted this one last visit with my wife of eleven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In answer to my question, she merely averted her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past couple of years, I had felt that something was different about me, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. When the explanation of insanity was brought up,  I instinctively knew that was the answer. I voluntarily had myself psychoanalyzed, and I could barely conceal my satisfaction and pride when the doctor told me that I had done the right thing — that I was indeed insane, but the best case of ‘functioning insanity\u2019 that he had seen in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had asked him whether it would be best to have myself committed, or to continue as I had been — a normal appearing stock market analyst. He advised me to have myself committed, telling me that it was the best thing for both me and my wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked up again and found to my delight that I could make the room rotate about the axis of my neck just by by turning my head. I stood up to see if this amazing ability also worked in different positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stood up too, and I moved the room so that she was directly in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I guess I’d better go,\u201d I observed. She ran to me, threw her arms around my waste, and  squeezed me tightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love you,” we both said at the same time. I tried it again to see if it would work twice, but my second “I love you\u201d fell dead, alone, in the still air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen,\u201d I told her, \u201cI want you to forget about me, and remarry. Divorce me if you have to — I don’t know If it’s necessary, or even automatic — this is my first time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked at me, not wanting to agree, but not wanting to disagree either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Remember,” I added, \u201cour little boy needs a father.” I was referring to the baby asleep in the next room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She bit her lip to hold back tears, and I kissed her on the forehead — and then left her there, speechless, as I opened the door and stepped out into the night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What exactly is wrong with me? Another silly story (hopefully) also written when I was young. “I’m sorry.” I said to her tears. We sat across the room from each other — I, on the sofa we had bought shortly after we were married. She, hiding in the wicker chain that her mother had given … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Come Along Peacefully… [Classic] (650 word story)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1607"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1688,"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607\/revisions\/1688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lewczyk.net\/tomswritings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}