I should have listened

  “What the fuck,”....

 Not quite amusing words came from a man who had just woken up. What the fuck, that was what he said. He then scratched his head as soon as he opened his phone. RING, RING. He then left his phone at his bed.

 RING, RING, RINGGG. He opened the shelf above him and took out a bag of coffee. Black, a black coffee. No sugar, no milk, just pure black coffee. He then took his bath as he boiled the water. 

 A few minutes later you could spot smoke caming through his window. He had taken his bath, brushed his teeth, now it was time to smoke and sip some coffee, black coffee to be precise, no sugar, no milk, just pure black coffee. 

 He looked at his phone, played some four to five minute games that he had installed. He then watched some videos online. He had finished his coffee, black coffee. No sugar, no milk, just pure black coffee.

 He then took his cup back to the kitchen and washed it clean. The pure black coffee, with no sugar, no milk that he had finished was no longer visible. RING, RING, RING. He then took the phone that he had left on the table and took a look inside. MOM.

 That’s what he had read from his phone. He stared at it for quite some time now, the ringing then ended. He then puts his shirt and jeans that he had pulled out of the wardrobe on. RING, RING, RING.

  “Shit, what is it?”

  “Yes?” He then picked it up.

  “When will you be home?” He could hear his mom’s voice through the phone.

  “Home? Where is it?” 

  “How could you-”

  “No mom, how could you?”

  “What did you mean by that?”

  “Sis had left home and whose fault do you think it is?”

  “It was hers!” His mom shouted.

  “Hers?! How was it her fault?!”

  “She’s weak, you better not be like her now,”

  “Weak? She had left the house!”

  “Listen, your father’s not going to pay for next month’s rent if you don’t follow what hen said,” 

  “So be it,”

  “H-hey, are you kidding me-” I turned my phone off.

 I then head to the next room to write, accompanied by a cup of coffee. Black coffee, no sugar, no milk. I took my laptop out and started to write my thoughts out. Word after word, line after line, space after space. I then took a break and took a sip out of my coffee. Where was I? Oh right, this paragraph. Paragraph after paragraph, page after page. 

 I reread it again, once, twice, and three times. It was not the story that I wanted. I then scrapped it again, it was supposed to be an easy story yet I couldn’t write it out. RING, RING.

  “Shit, what now?” 

  “What is it?” I then picked my phone up. The sound of the phone irritates me now.

  “I’m at your apartment, go pick me up?”

  “I’m at my office,”

  “Office, what office?” she was unconvinced with what he had just said.

  “You don’t trust me mom?” 

  “Hell no, I could see light coming from your room,”

  “I am in my office, I’m in the room next to my bed.”

  “I’ll be waiting,” 

  “Yeah I know mom, I know,” I turned my phone off.

I then came down and took a left to go to the lobby. There stood a woman in her fifties, wearing her blouse and hat. 

  “So, why are you here?”

  “To take a look on you of course,” 

  “Why?”

  “I am your mother, am I not?”

  “So?” 

  “I came here to check on you,”

  “But you did call me earlier this morning didn’t you?”

  “I did, so?”

  “You should have known how I was doing shouldn’t you?”

  “You didn’t tell me how you were doing though,”

  “I’m doing fine, in fact could you please leave? I’m busy with my writing,”

  “Writing? Oh my, forgive me, I thought that you were pretending to be a writer,”

  “If that’s all that you have to say then I’m sorry but I’ll have to leave you,” I waved my hand at her.

  “You’re just going to be like your sister, you know what she is don’t you?”

  “She’s what I wanted to be, as free as a bird,”

  “Free? She’s a failure,” I then stopped and took a look at her.

 I clenched my fists and spoke my mind out.

  “Failure? You never did anything for her,” I then stormed to my room at once. 

  “Your father wants to meet you,”she made me stop.

  “When?”

  “Tonight, at 7 pm.”

  “I’ll see what I can do about that,” I then left, for good this time. 

  I had written over one thousand words for almost six hours. 6 PM had come, I then changed and went to my father’s place. I knocked on the door and then I saw him at the door. A man who looked like me and he’s a bit taller than me.

  “Why are you here?” I asked him.

  “I can’t? I am your brother aren’t I,” he shrugged his shoulders. 

  “Is that Kenny? Tell him to come over,” my expressions changed when I heard his voice. 

  “I will, you don’t have to tell me to.”

  “Good, it’s freezing out there,” Kevin, my brother closed the door. 

  “So, what do you want? I need to finish my book,” I yawned. 

  “Book? I thought that those were scribbles of a child.”

  “Y-you-”

  “He’s your father goddamnit!” Kevin stopped me.

  “So what?”

  “You innsolent brat!” He pushed me away.

  “Kevin, that’s enough.”

  “Y-yes father.”

  “Tell me what do you really want?”

  “To write a book.”

  “Book? What book.”

  “Any book.”

  “But you never really stick to it haven’t you?”

  “This time around, I will.”

  “That’’s what your sister said too before that happened.”

  “Don’t lump me in with my sister!”

  “Fine, do as you wish, I won’t pay for your rent anymore.”

  “I don’t need one because next time you see me, I’ll be a famous author!” I stormed off my house, sorry let me revise it. I stormed out of their house, I don’t want to talk to them or see them again.

 I had finished my book, it was a story about a child that could see the future. He wanted to be a chef and he listed all the mistakes that can hinder him from being a chef. Damn, I wish that I could have it. The power to look at the future. 

 I then sent my book to my publishers and I had to wait for three months in order to get the reply. 

I had to cut the ties that I have with my parents in order to pursue my dreams. This is the last thing that I could do, if I had failed then I’m better off dead.

  A month later, I heard tht they had moved away from the city. It was one of their dreams to get out from here. I had a cup of coffe next to mee as I waited forthe results from my publisher. A cup of black coffee to be precise, no sugar, no milk just pure black coffee. My editor then phoned me. 

  “Sorry, you’re not there yet.” 

  “N-not there yet?”

 RING, RING. I phoned my mother yet there were no answers. I sat in the corner and hung my head in defeat. The black coffee that I drink reminded me of my life, these past thirty two years. I finished my cup of coffee. I never thought that the no sugar, no milk, just pure black coffee that I drink would be my last.

 I then head to my room and pulled out the gun that I had in store and then…