History Doesn't Repeat Itself

Chapter 23

GALE

"That was. . . I'm sorry, Gale."

"Fuck, man." My voice cracks while shake my head and I press my palms into my eyes. "I don't. . . I can't do this anymore."

I feel Dan's hand on my shoulder. "Hey. Hey. Bud. What if it was just a coincidence?"

A coincidence. Christy leaving me to go to my dead brother's grave while her ex stood beside her was a coincidence.

I continue to quietly sob into my hand. Each memory of Christy with me is going through my head right now, and I want it to stop. Each mental image that pops up is like a blow to my heart. It hurts.

Dan turns and I hear a knock on the window. I turn my head and see Cyder.

Dan lowers the window because I couldn't find the strength to lower it myself.

"Is. . . Velle? Did. . . Oh." I hear her sigh when she saw me practically trying to remove my eyeballs. "Sorry, man."

"Cyder, right?" Dan says.

"Yes. I can take care of him." Cyder says, knowing full well she can't.

I hear the engine turn off and the driver's door open. I was still crying in my hands and I couldn't seem to stop.

I straighten my head onto the headrest and I couldn't help but let the tears flow down. My neck was drenched.

The door beside me opens and I feel an arm wrap around mine. "Gale, let's go inside and talk about this, alright?"

I didn't reply, so I just hopped out of the car and let Cyder walk me into the house.

I was sitting on the couch now, staring into the floor while rethinking everything I had done in my life. Did I make the right choice confronting Lev? Did I make the right choice telling Christy? Did I make the right choice of-

"Velle." Cyder says. "Tell me what happened."

I couldn't talk, I couldn't move, and I couldn't breathe properly. So I shake my head while It rested on my hands, tears dripping down through the space between my fingers.

"You, tall guy, tell me what happened." Cyder says to Dan.

"Dan. I have a name."

"Sorry. Dan. Please tell me what happened to my brother before he goes insane."

"We went to the cemetery and we saw Dave's truck."

I cough and sob harder when I hear Dave's name.

"Dave?" Cyder asks.

"Christy's ex. We saw her with him at Lev's grave."

I hear Cyder gasp. "Oh, Shit."

I feel my heart ache even more. Now I'm everyone's problem. I don't want that. I don't want to be a burden. I don't.

I feel Cyder sit next to me and wrap her arms around me. "Don't worry, It was probably nothing. What if the man just wanted to see his dead grandma or something."

"She left me," I whisper. "She doesn't love me anymore."

Where were these words coming from?

"I want it to stop. I-I can't take it anymore." I say shakily. I keep on saying the same thing, but I mean it every time.

I. Can't. Take. It. Anymore. The words echo around the room. It sounded a lot like someone else I knew. This was what he felt.