The Upside of Being Let Down (new adult romance - 1) by London Casey, Karolyn James Page A
Authors: London Casey, Karolyn James
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to see how things were going. You know? Just, I don ’ t know, checking up on things.
Listen, I, uh, got moved into a different room here. NO, no, nothing bad
happened. Not like last time. I got moved to a different room. I have a
roommate. Nice guy. So, yeah, I sure as hell miss you, son. You can stop by
anytime. I mean, when you get some time. I know how it is... to be young and
have the world in your hand. Just don ’ t
be stupid, like me, son. You know? Have it all and give some away, lose some,
not care about the rest I guess. Eh, listen to me. Sorry about that, Bryan...
Bryan deleted the rest of the
message.
He heard enough.
“ Fuck, ” Bryan said.
His father had ended up in a
halfway house six months ago after another run in with the law. Ten years ago
Bryan ’ s father came back
around. After disappearing for a long time, Bryan thought it was cool as
anything that his father came back. He came back with a hug, a tiny alligator
head for Bryan, and some crazy stories about living on the road. For all Bryan
knew, his father was the coolest guy in the world. That quickly came to an end
when he fell back into old habits. Again and again. Enough that it chased Bryan ’ s mother away for good when he
was sixteen. He literally woke one morning and she was gone. With a note
apologizing. Bryan tried to keep the note but his father burned it over the gas
flame of the stove.
That ’ s
when things went downhill some more. When Bryan left home for college, he had
the sense of freedom and peace he always wanted. However, more times than he
cared to remember, he had to help his father. Bail him out. Drive him around.
Deal with him drunk. And it all came to a climax six months ago after another
DUI arrest. This time his father tried to drive up an embankment and got stuck.
The car came close to rolling. He jumped out of the car and tried to climb the
hill but ended up falling and rolling down the hill where he was arrested.
Now his new home was a halfway
house. It seemed each time he got close to a potential release he did something
stupid and got in trouble. He got caught gambling once. He got caught trying to
sneak a small bottle of booze into his room. He told everyone it was just to
celebrate something. What that something was nobody knew. The last time he got
into a fight with someone. He would never tell Bryan what the fight was about
though.
Bryan ’ s
morning was ruined by the phone call.
Going to gym would do no good.
He ’ d
spend the entire time standing there, thinking about everything. Thinking about
AJ. Thinking about Chloe. Thinking about his father.
Thinking about his life.
Bryan retreated to the shower to
clean up and get ready to face his father.
After showering, Bryan dressed and
read AJ ’ s note a few more
times.
Don ’ t ruin it.
That meant quite a lot to Bryan.
Sometimes he considered just cutting all ties with his father, but it was
easier to think than to do. His father would drive him nuts and all Bryan
needed to do was see him a couple times a month. Plus, his father was the one
stuck in a halfway house, looking beat up and ten years older than he was. If
anything, Bryan tried to use the visits as a reminder of how fragile life is.
As he drove to the halfway house,
Bryan caught himself casually looking at everything he could. He expected to
see AJ somewhere. To see her car. But what kind of car did she drive?
Bryan pulled into the parking lot
of the halfway house and stared at the old building. People walked along the
side of the building, holding mugs of coffee and cigarettes. They all looked
like haggard skeletons. Shells of the humans they once were, struggling to beat
up bad demons once and for all. It tugged at Bryan ’ s heartstrings every time he saw it. It made him
then wonder what could have been so bad in his father ’ s life that it led him down this path. To this
place. Into this kind of life.
After checking his phone and
killing all the time he could, Bryan turned
Listen, I, uh, got moved into a different room here. NO, no, nothing bad
happened. Not like last time. I got moved to a different room. I have a
roommate. Nice guy. So, yeah, I sure as hell miss you, son. You can stop by
anytime. I mean, when you get some time. I know how it is... to be young and
have the world in your hand. Just don ’ t
be stupid, like me, son. You know? Have it all and give some away, lose some,
not care about the rest I guess. Eh, listen to me. Sorry about that, Bryan...
Bryan deleted the rest of the
message.
He heard enough.
“ Fuck, ” Bryan said.
His father had ended up in a
halfway house six months ago after another run in with the law. Ten years ago
Bryan ’ s father came back
around. After disappearing for a long time, Bryan thought it was cool as
anything that his father came back. He came back with a hug, a tiny alligator
head for Bryan, and some crazy stories about living on the road. For all Bryan
knew, his father was the coolest guy in the world. That quickly came to an end
when he fell back into old habits. Again and again. Enough that it chased Bryan ’ s mother away for good when he
was sixteen. He literally woke one morning and she was gone. With a note
apologizing. Bryan tried to keep the note but his father burned it over the gas
flame of the stove.
That ’ s
when things went downhill some more. When Bryan left home for college, he had
the sense of freedom and peace he always wanted. However, more times than he
cared to remember, he had to help his father. Bail him out. Drive him around.
Deal with him drunk. And it all came to a climax six months ago after another
DUI arrest. This time his father tried to drive up an embankment and got stuck.
The car came close to rolling. He jumped out of the car and tried to climb the
hill but ended up falling and rolling down the hill where he was arrested.
Now his new home was a halfway
house. It seemed each time he got close to a potential release he did something
stupid and got in trouble. He got caught gambling once. He got caught trying to
sneak a small bottle of booze into his room. He told everyone it was just to
celebrate something. What that something was nobody knew. The last time he got
into a fight with someone. He would never tell Bryan what the fight was about
though.
Bryan ’ s
morning was ruined by the phone call.
Going to gym would do no good.
He ’ d
spend the entire time standing there, thinking about everything. Thinking about
AJ. Thinking about Chloe. Thinking about his father.
Thinking about his life.
Bryan retreated to the shower to
clean up and get ready to face his father.
After showering, Bryan dressed and
read AJ ’ s note a few more
times.
Don ’ t ruin it.
That meant quite a lot to Bryan.
Sometimes he considered just cutting all ties with his father, but it was
easier to think than to do. His father would drive him nuts and all Bryan
needed to do was see him a couple times a month. Plus, his father was the one
stuck in a halfway house, looking beat up and ten years older than he was. If
anything, Bryan tried to use the visits as a reminder of how fragile life is.
As he drove to the halfway house,
Bryan caught himself casually looking at everything he could. He expected to
see AJ somewhere. To see her car. But what kind of car did she drive?
Bryan pulled into the parking lot
of the halfway house and stared at the old building. People walked along the
side of the building, holding mugs of coffee and cigarettes. They all looked
like haggard skeletons. Shells of the humans they once were, struggling to beat
up bad demons once and for all. It tugged at Bryan ’ s heartstrings every time he saw it. It made him
then wonder what could have been so bad in his father ’ s life that it led him down this path. To this
place. Into this kind of life.
After checking his phone and
killing all the time he could, Bryan turned
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