Peter sat next to the road in his car. He was shivering and kept the motor running to keep the heater on. It was snowing and he could hardly see anything in front of him. This thing couldn’t have come at a worse time. He was in the middle of a very important court case and he didn’t have time to waste.
When the hospital phoned a few days ago, to tell him that his father had had a stroke he wasn’t even shocked. These things happen, it’s just part of life. When they phoned for a second time this morning to tell him that they think he should come, he didn’t have much of a choice left.
The snow was getting worse, and he seriously thought about turning around. He knew it was dangerous on the road, and there was no way that anyone should be driving in this storm. He felt angry and annoyed at his father.
Peter decided to take a nap. This trip has really taken its toll, and he needed rest. Hopefully, when he woke up, the snowstorm would be over, and he could be on his way again.
Peter lay back in his seat and closed his eyes. As tired as he was, he couldn’t fall asleep. His mind kept wandering off back to his childhood.
He grew up with his father after his mom died when he was only four years old. His father was always so busy at work and he had little time for him. Financially they had everything they needed and wanted but emotionally there was a detachment that Peter could not describe to anyone. Perhaps it was the grief, but after his mother died his father was never the same again.
His dad never attended any of his sports events, and work was always to blame. From a young age, Peter had to face everything alone. Peter’s biggest disappointment was when he received the head role in a school play. He really wanted his father to be proud of him, but when he took that first step on stage and saw the empty seat, he knew that once again his father had failed him.
After high school, Peter went to study law and didn’t see his father much. After Peter graduated from university, he poured himself into his work and didn’t have much time for anything else.
He quickly climbed the ladder and made a name for himself. Soon he had no time for anything except work.
Peter had become just like his father.
The blizzard was getting worse. The snow was coming down harder and the whole car was covered in snow now. He tried the windscreen-wipers, but they hardly moved. He checked the gas tank and realized that he was just wasting the gas, and he had no other choice but to switch off the car. He was stuck.
He grabbed a jacket on the backseat to cover his legs for some heat, but twenty minutes later he was still freezing. He had to get the heater back on, but when he turned the key, there was absolutely nothing.
He could kick himself when he realized that he forgot the lights on. He knew he was in deep trouble. His phone battery died a while ago and he had no idea what to do.
“Dammit,” he thought to himself. “I should not have come. It is absolutely freezing, and now I am going to die for a person who never really cared for me”.
Peter sighed and tried to check the mirror, but there were nothing and no one in sight.
To be continued
