This is an excerpt from the first draft of my unfinished manuscript "Divided Circles". The story of forbidden love, murder and revenge that story that I've had in my head for almost a decade. Again, it's the first draft so a lot of the descriptive stuff needs to be added and I'm sure there are grammatical mistakes. Still it's a start. The main character Dante Roman often visits the grave of a childhood friend who committed suicide. One day while sleeping he dreams that the ghost of that friend pays him a visit during one of those encounters.
“You visit too often.” A voice said from behind me.
I turned around but there was no one there. I dropped the flower in front of the grave and stood up. “Hello?”
“You visit too often,” The voice repeated. I swirled back around and there was Jimmy. He had a smile on his face. I was frozen in fear but I immediately knew he wouldn’t hurt me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“It’s just a grave, Dante. You’re not going to find anything here. Why do you come by so often?”
“B-Because…I miss you.”
“And this,” he said pointing to his headstone, “makes you feel closer to me?”
“I guess.”
Jimmy shook his head. “No it doesn’t, Dante. You’re always close to me because I’m always in your heart because you loved me. You’ll always have memories of me in your head. When you want to be close to me think of those not this grave.”
“So you don’t want me to come? You blame me, don’t you?”
“For what? Dying?” Jimmy laughed. “You really are self centered aren’t you? Do you think the whole world revolves around you? That I did what I did because of you and now I spend my afterlife stewing and waiting for revenge? I don’t blame you. I lived my life and now I have no regrets. I have no anger or sadness, they don’t exist for me anymore. I don’t blame you.”
I started to cry. “I just wish I had been there for you.”
“Dante, listen to me. You can’t change the past, what’s done is done. Do you think that life is like taking steps in sand and looking back and being able to see where you’ve gone and maybe retracing those steps? It’s not, it’s like opening a door and then another and another and you keep going further and further but you can never go back…never. Concentrate on the doors in front of you. The ones behind you are already locked. Save those you can.”
“I’m trying.”
“I know you are and you are lucky to have so many people to love and who love you in return. Even that cutie, Elijah.” He laughed. “Don’t let them get away and don’t ever feel like you have to walk alone because you’re never alone when you’re loved…
The second except is also dialogue heavy. The star crossed lovers Dante and Elijah are discussing memories of their parents after Dante has a traumatic experience visiting his father in jail.
I was lost in my thoughts when Elijah returned. He picked up the chair Dad had been sitting in and pushed it back up to the table. Sliding both hands into his back pockets he approached me. “Did you learn anything useful?”
“Only that the man I remember from when I was little is gone for good.”
Elijah took a hand out of his pocket and gave me three awkward forceful pats on the back. “Maybe...maybe it's a good thing that you at least have those memories.” He shrugged, as if he weren't even sure himself. “I mean, my dad was always working in his law firm while I was growing up, he still does. I don't have a lot of memories of us doing anything together at all. And my Mom...well you know. Her job is her life.” He laughed a little to himself. “You see, I remember this one time. I think it was my first game on the soccer team. We weren't any good, we were only in Middle School but I was so excited. Mom took the day off just so she could do the whole soccer Mom thing. Dad told me he's tried to get there by the half. Well, I sat on the bench for most of the game but during the second half they put me out there and the ball comes my way and I was off. I ran from one end of the field to the other and slammed that ball right into the other team's goal. All my teammates were there to congratulate me but I looked up into the stands and still saw Mom sitting there by herself. Dad never did show up. And the worse part was that Mom had been on her phone and she hadn't seen it either. She pretended that she had but I always knew better. Well, we lost anyway but I always wished that they had seen me make that first goal.” Elijah bit his lip. “I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes, right?”
I suddenly noticed how close we were standing to each other. I didn't answer him, I just looked into his eyes and I could see pain that I hadn't noticed before. I wondered how many tears they had shed.Elijah had a whole history that I knew nothing about. A life that I was only beginning to see and I wanted to know more.
“So what was your Mother like?” He asked.
“I can't say I remember all that much about her but I do remember her always being there. And I always knew that she loved me. We never had that much money but she was so determined to make sure that I didn't realize it. There was one Christmas where I think we were really hurting. My parents told me that we wouldn't be able to get a Christmas tree and I remember being so disappointed. I asked if Santa could get us one, and I could just see the look in her eyes. On Christmas Eve they woke me up in the middle of the night and basically dragged me into the living room. And there right in the middle was a real live Christmas tree. I don't know where they got it, they must have driven for hours to find it. Dad got some decorations from the basement and we listened to the radio and decorated the tree. Then they sent me back to bed. The next morning I came out and there were presents lying underneath. Of course, I didn't get everything I wanted but that was always one of my favorite Christmases, I just remember feeling so warm inside every time I looked at that tree. When I think of my Mom that's what I remember, that warmth.”
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