CHAPTER I:THE MISERABLE FLASHBACKS
PART I: ADAM-JAM
The morning of Christmas Eve started as any normal one in the city of Aigburth, as expected—the laughter of children filling the noise, the layer of snow in which the kids and their pets drowned themselves in, and the morning cheer that came with it being Christmas Eve.
But, let the occasion be grand, but, the lingering feeling of uneasiness was still there when the “man with the crooked house” (as the kids called him) stepped out of his house to go to work, with the same unpleasant face he kept throughout his time in the neighbourhood, which was enough to make anyone unpleasant too on seeing it.
The man gripped his suitcase and walked along the sidewalk, knowing the fact that he was now in the spotlight, and walked so quietly that one could even hear what he was thinking. The children gazed on with their small eyes and only ended their sightseeing adventure at the end of the road when the man had boarded the work-bus.
The man would never talk to his friends, for the simple reason that he didn’t have any. He would, again, quietly indulge in his thoughts, which to even think that he had any, was a guess.
As he stepped into the office, he stuck out like a sore thumb. His colleagues were indulged in the planning of a Christmas party for the weekend and were wearing the festive colours. Him, on the other end, was wearing the same old grey shirt which was, as some guessed, the third time he wore this week. He quietly walked into his cubicle, ignoring the holiday wishes and the gossiping around him. As he walked, he heard some talk about the ”bust at that learning centre” and “that lawyer who saved that man in Canning”, but he was not interested in the ‘crap talk’ (which he named it).
The moment he sat down, an angry squeal came from the room which was a few cubicles over which went “ADAAAM!”
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the man, who you have now learned is Adam, as he walked the walk of shame.
“Did you call, Sir?”
“I’ve been asking for days Adam! Days! Where are the goddamn files!”
Adam’s face was easily read by his boss. His boss realised that the man opposite had no idea of what he was talking about.
The boss now began, “Listen you mutt! Radio Techs is a prestigious company that is now almost a decade old. Never, and I quote, never, did we have a sloth like you slowing this company down. You have worked here for just a year, and we have suffered every day you were here.
Remember you are only here because of your father. Got it? Idiot!”
Adam stood there expressionless. He didn't even move a muscle between the lecture and the next sentence which read, “You don’t belong here. YOU ARE FIRED!”
This bit of news bought a change in Adam’s face. His eyes were now that of a scared man, asking for forgiveness, his face now pale white in colour.
As he was kicked out of the office with his letter in hand, he stood on the doorstep taking one last breath in, and exited the building.
Upon reaching his house, Adam first approached the chest of beer he had with him. He drank one, and another, then another one, and ultimately passed out on the couch.
It was almost midnight when he woke up. He opened his eyes to see the white light glaring at him with all its might. He sat straight, and hid his face in his palms as he began to break down. He had almost everything perfect, but now, he had nothing. He then decided there was no point in living now.
With the sound of the dusty ceiling fan filling the noise, and with his knowledge of there being rope in his drawer, he had his mind set.
With the rope tied around his neck, and his legs oscillating helplessly, the man had reached his end.
PART II: MOMMY ISSUES
It was with a sore eye Adam saw his parent. Parent, I say, because he did not have a father. Whatever he had done from his teens to his adulthood was only to make his mother proud. Even though appreciation was found in her face, Adam found it to be less. This could be the reason that whenever he saw his friends, he could see them hug twice, while he only had once.
He would often bring about how whenever he stole the spotlight, his mother would ignore him, or only rarely would she show appreciation. All this was for the reason that she had worked a double-job her entire life. Shuffling between jobs and keeping time for your child was one thing she was great at, only overlooked because of Adam’s mindset, saying how she doesn’t care about you.
Even though in his graduation she appeared, it was too late. Adam had no one to go to and no one to hug to. The memory concieved in this way was too was done by his egoistic misogyny.
Even though he was thankful, there was a side of dissatisfaction that was hidden until his adulthood, and slowly emerged from then on. Adam started ignoring his mother, whether it be her birthday, or some occasion that was to be celebrated, there would be no one to attend, as Adam was an only child, and even the child would not “have time” to attend it.
It was only when she was diagnosed with pneumonia did Adam take charge, and that too to leave her at an old-age home, to rot, and inevitably, and from the darkest corner of his heart, die.
PART III: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
It was too early to leave, or was it too late? Adam sat wondering waiting for her, and only her. The clock struck half-past seven already. Did she ditch him at the last moment? Surely not, right?
His heart drumming with anxiety, palms sweating and him motionless, he started to think of leaving, heartbroken.
But at the edge of the hall, he saw an angel in a bright blue dress, running towards him and giving him a hug. He sat her down and ordered the food.
Adam couldn’t take his eyes off of her beautiful face. A soft, gentle face, with a dash of beauty. He stroked her hair, which was covering part of her face and giggled a bit, and then smiled.
They both were meant to be.
On the arrival to her house, the car was stopped on the edge of her porch. From the passenger seat, she gave him a look, and him back towards her. They stared for a few seconds, and then some more, and then some more, and finally, ended it with a beautiful kiss, a romantic one and one that meant a lot to Adam. It meant someone cared for him.
They started seeing each other very often, going on dates, especially in cafes, as they both liked coffee, but the important thing here being that the lovebirds had established themselves.
On her 27th birthday, Adam had thrown a grant surprise party, inviting all of her best friends and some of their mutual friends as well. At the conclusion of the party, on the introduction of a few bottled goods, Adam helped himself to more than just a few, creating a ruckus and an embarrassment to her. The lovebirds' love were at stake here.
On trying to comfort him, he said to her, without a filter, straight to her face, on how she was not good enough for him, and that he could do better.
The egoistic side of the man she once loved had been leaked and with pure devastation they parted ways.
For Adam, it was a heartbreak, and for her, it was the equivalent of a thousand times what Adam was feeling. She wasn’t the same since then. Once a smart girl, ready to take on whatever challenge, one that had broken out of her cage, had now collapsed, and was set up to cry, alone.
Adam, quickly moving on, forgot about her and wanted to forget as soon as possible. It didn’t occur to him who was responsible, but it was clear to him that it was not him, it just was not.
They met a few years later at their friend’s baby shower, and they exchanged stares. For a moment, both felt peace, overshadowed by the temptation to cry and smile at the same time. They never met since then and twenty years later, they both would succumb to the same end, the reasons being similar.
PART IV: KEEP YOUR ENEMIES FAR AND FRIENDS FARTHER
Days later that, week later that, months later that, the only thing visible to the eye were the bottles in Adam’s apartment when they went there. There was no one for him and no one wanted to be there, except one.
A loyal friend, a grateful friend for Adam, the one convincing him to quit his miserable life and get on track. This too was the one that would ultimately lose his hard earned money to the so-called best friend of his.
The money in question, around £20,000 that was owed to help a dear friend out, was lost in Adam’s enthusiasm in gambling which had emerged around this time.
His friend, as well as the third-party had to leave town, while Adam continued to succumb to drinking. His friend’s whereabouts-unknown. Is he alive, or dead, Adam couldn’t care less. For he couldn’t do it anymore.
CHAPTER II: THE SIGHT OF THE CLOCK
PART I: GENTLE AWAKENING
“It is not time yet, Adam”, the voice similar to an angel called out to him, audible to Adam only partially, still recovering from the shock of what he had done. But he was sure he was dead, so how is he hearing this?
“You have caused so much pain, maybe even too much”, the voice continued. Adam had read that the brain remained functional even after a few minutes after death, but he disregarded it, saying that it was a load of crap. But if it was, how was even thinking about all this, and why was he thinking about his mother, her, and his friend?
He jerked his eyes open, and on his first view was a lady, looking down on him. He sat up straight, looking from one side to another, and then back to the other, landing on the lady. She was dressed in white, with what looked like sparkles coming from her, twinkling around her. A soft spoken lady, with natural beauty off of her face.
She held out her hand, and said, “You have to fix it, Adam”
“Fix what? Where am I? Who are you?”, he could have gone like this for the next few hours, but he stopped, his mind still lingering with doubts.
“You see, Adam. For someone like you, that has caused a lot of suffering to others, you need to fix the issues you have caused some way or another”
Adam gave it a thought, and after a few minutes, it was visible that he was thinking something.
“When you are ready, hold my hand while thinking of someone's life you ruined”, the Angel then pointed at a pendulum clock, its hands going rapidly and without rest , “You will be returned as the clock reaches 12.What choices you make is then how your life will go.”
Adam gave it a thought, and although he didn’t want to, he had to think of her first—his mother.
Adam did what was asked. As soon as he grasped her hand, he transcended in a trance-like state and regained consciousness only to see him wait at the reception of an old-age home.
PART II: SALVATION
He felt a form in his hands. He was lost in a whirl thoughts only broken by the question that came from the receptionist-
“Sir, please hand over the registration form”
Adam couldn’t move. He was frozen. He didn’t know how he was here, but most importantly, why he was here.
“Sir?”, she asked again.
“I don’t…. It’s okay…” he said with hesitation.
Indicating to his mother to leave, he led her to the car.
In the car, there was awful silence during the way there, broken only when there were halfway there, when she turned to him and asked, “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”, he asked, acting curious.
“Why didn’t you leave me there’
“I just didn’t want to”, Adam said, keeping his eyes on the road. The reason was also thought on the spot and was made up.
“I don’t think so. I know you don’t like the life you got. You don’t like how I am the only one that cares about you. How we lived mostly poor, but, I did try to give you a life more than what I could have done.”
Adam stayed unresponsive, and after a momentary silence, she said,”I am sorry Ad, I am”
As she finished the sentence, the car had stopped at the front gate. His mother got out, but the driver, her son, stayed there for the next few minutes. His eyes, watery, and he broke down without control. He got the message he wanted. He had done his work.
He then jerked straight, realizing he was back in the angel’s care.
“You did good, Adam”, she remarked gently.
Adam once again looked around in panic, and the Clock got his attention. The hands, now reading 3, it looked so he had only some time left to fix as much as he could and get one more chance.
PART III: THE QUESTION OF LOYALTY
“Where to next, Adam”, the angel asked.
Adam gave it a thought, or he didn't need to, but he did, and thought of the day of her birthday.
The angel held out her hand. “Adam?”
Adam held it.
This time, in front of him was a glass of whiskey, held out by his friends. He knew how this went.
“No, dude”, he excused, “I’ve quit drinking”
The remark on his friend’s face read surprising, and he gulped the drink down.
He then saw her. In the dress he gifted her, beautiful, as always. The person he ignored all his life.
They locked eyes, but this time, they weren’t strangers. She walked over.
“Enjoying the party?”, she asked in her sweet and gentle voice.
Adam didn’t answer that, instead, he put her hand over her shoulder, and hugged her. Even though she was taken by surprise, she hugged back.
“I am”, he answered back.
She was then called to cut the cake, and that was where he saw his friend, the one he lost years after this. The only one that he cared about.
“Hey”, he went over and said.
“Yeah? Any help?”, he asked, willing to lend a hand to his friend.
“Everything’s fine. I just wanted to ask how things were” In that moment Adam realised, in all these years of him asking Adam how he was, Adam never asked him how he was.
“Going okay. My parents filed for divorce. My niece is going away with her parents to the U.S.”
In that moment, Adam felt pain like never before. He couldn’t do anything to help, just comfort him, but that won’t make up for it.
“Adam! Quick!”, he was called up to cut the cake along with her. But, his moment was cut short after the first step. He once again woke up there or he thought…
PART IV: TO TURN IT RIGHT
…a ceiling light above him, the noise of children playing, the jingles of Christmas, and the women chatting outside. He realized this was back in the morning of Christmas Eve.
He got up, and was shocked to smell toasts, see the fireplace lit up and four stockings above it. The stockings read the names of Adam, her, and two others he didn’t know.
“Good Morning babe”, a voice called out. Was it really her? He turned, and it was. It was her. “The kids are playing out, and I’ve made toast for you.”
The kids? Was he now a father? And a good one at it?
“And also”, she stopped to tell, “Your friend told he needed some help after work”
Had Adam really fixed everything? Was it all now, back how he wanted it to be.
The fire’s cackles behind him caught his attention, the smoke moving uniformly upward. Adam followed it, and noticed a picture. The picture in question was his mother’s, with decorations around it, like the ones present on the picture of a person who had passed away. This wasn’t here before.
All of this made him overwhelmed. He couldn’t handle it. He almost tore up. Almost.
An hour later, after the kids had gone to visit their friend for a sleep-over, he left for work. As he stepped out, he felt relief, and happiness. “Merry Christmas Ad!”, the neighbours threw at him, to which he replied with a happy greeting back.
He now felt a part of humanity, more importantly, he was now no longer the ‘man with the crooked house.’
Back