Two doors Running Out of Time

The two doors made with rich hardwood with its shining door-knobs made with a gold embossed symbol of an hourglass. There is a shadow that suddenly appeared between the two doors. A man wearing an expensive suit and the finest pair of shoes, looking confused and carefully watching the details of the two doors. This is not real he felt, it's only a dream but where am I? he looked around the doors and there was nothing to be seen, and suddenly the surrounding of his childhood home appeared. Everything looked so familiar and not an inch has changed from what he remembered as a cheerful and boy from an average family. His parents were both farmers and their vegetable gardens were ready to harvest as he looked further from the tulip beds right next to the tip of his fine shoes. He again looked at the two doors and it looks nothing like the doors of the house of his childhood home. He wondered.... looked around again at the childhood surroundings as memories were rushing to him, echoing the laughter of him as a little boy, his sister, and mother playing blindfolds in the garden.

He went closer to the doors and a familiar voice of a woman spoke from nowhere saying "it's what you wanted". He recognized the voice and it was his mother, and he suddenly remembered his sweetheart down the street, Mary Ann. He forgot the beautiful girl with dark brown curly hair as he grew older and moved away from the little hometown. He went to medical school and he is now a well-off grown man in his late 50s and a medical professor and a well-known specialized professor for cancer. He went close to one doorknob and felt the cold metal in his palms and the crafted symbol of an hourglass. He opened the door and as he walked in, it was the first house he brought, the place he first settled as a newlywed. It was an architectural masterpiece, and the house overlooks a breath-taking river scenery surrounded by a forest. As he walked down the doorway there were pictures on the wall of his family and a portrait of his wedding day.

As he walked further into the house he saw all the awards he achieved and saw his wife seated on a beautifully crafted highback armchair wearing an expensive gown with his two children standing beside her. They had no smiles or happiness on their faces and there was this lonely and unhappy atmosphere in every corner of the huge house. He saw his wealth and achievements everywhere and still felt confused by not knowing what is missing. He went closer to his family, and his wife looked up and asked him "is this what you want? You disappointed in me and my father, and you don't know how much you could have achieved". His children had cold faces and staring at him as if they don't recognize him. He heard his wife saying "tell him, children... tell your father how much better we could have lived if he just forgot the tulip bed and what was around before he stepped into this hopeless house". The children without any emotions said "Father! you disappointed mother and you disappointed grandpa".

He struggled to run away from what he is hearing but something was holding him and he couldn't move. The children were screaming "tell us father what do you want?" over and over again. As he was struggling to walk away, he saw the other door. It suddenly appeared right in front of him, just as he saw before the beautiful wooden detail door with the rich door-knob embossed with an hourglass. This time the hourglass had little time left than what he saw when he first entered the house. He reached out and felt the doorknob and turned it slowly with fear of not knowing what was on the other side. 

He opened the door and he was in the hallway of his parent's house but it was not his childhood home. His parents moved to another city and brought another house which is bigger than the previous one. His father was doing well with his shop that sold jams and sauces, vegetables, and fruits. There were papers, handwritten letters pasted on the wall and he recognized all those letters were the ones sent to him by his mother making sure he is well. She mentioned everything as if she was always with him, but nothing much was mentioned in the letters he recognized with his handwriting. It was very little in number too compared to the number of letters he had received from his mother.

He read the first letter it was all about how she and his father missed him after he left for medical school. He turned around and saw his mother sitting near the fireplace with a framed photograph in her arms. It was a photograph of him when first went to school, he tried to speak to her but she couldn't hear, as if he was never there. He tried to go close to her but he couldn't take a step closer to her no matter how much he tried. He looked around and read the rest of the letter as he read letter after letter, paragraph after paragraph he could see the visuals of everything that was written happening around him as he walked down the hallway. He saw the time he introduced his wife, his lavish wedding, and how his wife was helping him with college research. His wife was also a medical student but she didn't complete it since she wanted to marry and be an owner of a fashion store with her passion for styles and gowns. 

He saw how lonely his parents are after he had left his parents but he could see his sister always cheering them up. But then there was his sister as a beautiful bride, but he couldn't come to the church service with his appointments he had taken even on the previous day of his sister's wedding. He saw her sister and mother noticing his absence as he would have sat next to his parents at the front row as the family of the bride. He joined the reception and his parents were so happy to see him and his wife arrive at their daughter's wedding. He saw how his sister and her children visit his parents and have wonderful dinners and memories to share. But he arrived only during Christmas or Anniversary, and he saw his wife whispering into his ear at the dining table asking at what time will they leave.

He then saw two letters but nothing was written on them just two blank papers. He looked around and he saw his mother and father really old and weak speaking how loving their daughter and son-in-law is to them, and when talking about him and his wife, his parents only spoke about how insanely well off they are but nothing in terms of closeness or family. He wanted to make it write and as he ran down the hallway he heard his wife calling his name "Richard! Richard Darling, wake up its almost Eight." He suddenly opened his eyes and he looked up at her well-groomed and flawless face. He said this is not right I let them down when all they wanted was my love and our presence. "I want to visit my parents today and you can't say a word about it, and once we go there we leave only when it's the right time to leave without any rush". His wife was surprised and annoyed at the same time. She started to speak by saying "but what about our plans to go to".... before she could finish, he turned around and said in the most demanding voice that "this is more important, and there should be more days which are important to visit them because I am running out of time. I should have realized this a long time ago. I don't want to regret when it's too late"