I am now a prisoner in my own room. How quickly things change around
here. Not to mention that I am also waiting for the police to show up and
arrest me. Who knew that this was how Saratoga would turn out?
I am told that
the kids were told to ignore me. Sharon told me that in hushed tones as she
stood outside of my room. She also tells me that I’m in solitary confinement.
Around 2pm in the afternoon I see Mike and Dennis standing in the
driveway. Mike glances up at my window see’s me and waves. Dennis looks the
same direction and waves as well. They walk back into the house.
Now I am mad. I pick up a barbell lying on the floor and I drop it. I
repeat this about thirty times but hold it higher and higher. The house shakes
with every drop of the weight. Soon I hear footsteps running in my direction
and Mark literally smashes the door inward. I take two steps back and Mark runs
at me placing his hands around my throat. We fall backwards over a chair.
He is once again sitting on my chest with his hands around my throat
when he begins to repeatedly start banging my head on the floor. His face is
red and the veins in his neck are bulging. I once again feel the world grow
gray around me as I slip into a quieter state. I black out for a moment which
causes Mark to jump up off of me. He realizes that he may have “gone too far.”
As I begin to come to, Mark backs towards the door but turns around
and jabs his finger in the air at me. “Keep it up and I’ll kill you.” I pull
myself across the floor and onto the bed. I don’t have to be told twice about
his threat and I believe that he actually will kill me.
Two hours later I get off the bed and open the door to the hallway.
Looking out I see that no one is there. I can hear someone playing that same
Jackson Browne album from behind a closed door. I walk to the top of the stairs
and listen. I hear nothing, no talking, no laughing, nothing but silence.
As I head to the kitchen, I pass the office. Looking through the office
window I can see they are having another meeting. I figure this is my time to
plead my case and tell them what actually happened between me and Mike.
Diane is sitting in the middle of a circle of counselors. She has
their undivided attention. She can see me as I approach the door and doesn’t
seem to react to me one way or another. I knock on the glass and everyone turns
to look at me. I can see and hear Diane say “Ignore him.” So I knock again and
again until my knocking becomes a steady rapping. When my steady rapping
doesn’t work I begin to pound on the glass. My pounding becomes harder and
harder. And then it happens. It happens in slow motion. I raise my fist and bring
it against the glass. Slowly my hand smashes through the glass, the glass flew
inwards and everyone slowly turns in my direction. Everyone has a look of dread
and horror as the glass shatters into a million little pieces and rains down on
them. Realizing what I have done I pull my hand back out and that’s when I
noticed the blood running down my arm.
Again in slow motion I turn grabbing my arm and run for the bathroom. Several
counselors are hot on my heels. As I run into the bathroom I slam the door turn
around and pull the bolt. Crossing to the wall I slide to the floor. The
bathroom door is being pushed in by several people on the other side. It groans
and squeaks. My blood began to run down my arm and pool on the floor. I watch
in sick fascination as it runs across the linoleum. Reaching down and with one
finger I write “Ann” in the blood.
To be continued……..
Geoffrey Doig-Marx holds all written and electronic rights to his writing "A Day in the Life". It can not be reprinted in part or whole without his written consent.