SHORT STORIES

Lingering pain

John had grown up in a troubled household.

His father was a raging alcoholic, and his mother had left them when John was only five years old.

Even though his father had eventually sobered up, it wasn't until much later in John's teenage years.

The damage, however, had already been done.

John was severely traumatized from the years of emotional and physical abuse he endured.

Although he had toughened up and learned to cope with his circumstances, to this day he still carried around the permanent mental scar.

John had finally been able to move away from his father after he finished high school and started college.

He had hoped the distance and time would help him heal and move on from his past.

Unfortunately, the trauma and pain still lingered and John still had difficulty forming meaningful relationships.

He kept mostly to himself and eventually stopped going to college altogether.

John spent the next few years unmoored.

He worked whatever jobs he could to pay the bills, but the prospect of a future was always daunting.

He hadn't had anyone to show him the way and he often attributed this to the mental scar left by his father.

Finally, after being pushed further and further to the bottom of life, John decided enough was enough.

He adapted to his tough upbringing and used it to fuel his ambition.

He set his sights on a better life and, despite the mental scar of his past, made it his mission to succeed.

John finished college, got a job he enjoyed, and, after many years, found the courage to give himself a second chance.

He slowly started forming meaningful connections, including a relationship with a woman he never thought he deserved.

Together, they found strength to conquer the mental scar left by John's past, and he eventually began to feel optimistic for his future.