The Dream

Smoke rose from the lone two figures in the park, dancing above their heads before disappearing in the night sky. One man was leaning against his car with his head tilted to look at the stars. The other man curled in on himself on the bench. He played with the cigarette between his fingers while his legs bounced and fidgeted silently.

It had been several years since they saw each other in person and a couple of months since they talked over the phone. They weren't the same two young men as they were in college. They were both on the same track, becoming lawyers and eventually making partners—dreams of creating their family law firm. But for one of them, the dream was shattered. 

"Yeah, dude," the seated man dragged out, releasing a breath of smoke, "Since my parents died, I've been caring for my younger siblings. Three of them are still in school, and the other two still live at home to help out."

"Adam, I can always help you. You were so close to graduation. You needed one more class. Please, let me help you. I know of so many resources." The standing figure approached Adam, ready to drop his cigarette and clasp his friend's hands.

The seated man curled in on himself and rubbed the crook of his arm with his free hand, "I need to take care of them, and I can't if I'm stuck at school and studying. Please, John, I'm just doing what I can until the kids get older."

John shook his head and dropped the cigarette, stubbing it with the heel of his dress shoes. His shoulders were tense, wanting to shake some sense into Adam. He knew it was a losing battle; nothing would change if he argued.

With a sigh, he said his goodbyes and turned his back on his friend, not knowing that would be the last time he saw Adam.

***

A few months later, John sat at his desk, reading the daily newspaper. His many accomplishments hung on the walls, from his degrees to significant court cases he worked on. The only frame on his desk contained several pictures pasted together from college. A young John and Adam were in the middle, holding the keys to their freshman dorm. Their big smiles and sparkling eyes saddened John every time he glanced at it, wishing a newer picture could replace it—perhaps a photo with John and Adam holding the keys to their law firm.

He cursed and nearly dropped the newspaper as he read the headline Local Man Killed due to Police Taser, Leaves Behind 5 Siblings. A quick skim over the article told him that an undercover officer was investigating a drug trafficking ring and got into an altercation with a dealer. 

An ice-cold ball of doom grew in his stomach. Not many people in their small town had five siblings. In fact—he only knew one. How did he not know that Adam fell to such lows? Why didn't Adam tell him that he was struggling so much?

The pages rustled as he flipped to the middle of the newspaper, eyes searching for the rest of the article. A heart condition? Adam never mentioned that he had a heart condition. But how dare the police officer tase Adam, he wasn't a violent person. There would be no way he would struggle against the law when he was so close to becoming a lawyer.

John gripped his phone with shaky hands, his eyes blurring as he attempted to dial the police sergeant's direct line. He would do anything for Adam's family, including using the law to the fullest extent.

After several phone calls, John felt drained. He still needed to contact Adam's siblings but didn't want to interrupt their grieving process. Or his grieving process. He was still in disbelief but slowly entering the anger stage of loss.

John demanded to take on the case pro bono, despite his law firm telling him he shouldn't waste his time with some low-life criminal. His other cases could take the back seat since nothing was more important than Adam and his family.

The main concern that John had was the five children left behind. While the oldest of the five was 20, she could not care for all the kids. The older two had minimal resources available to them compared to the younger three. It would be a struggle, but finding a home that would take all three was possible. But he could help the older two by paying the rent. It was the least he could do for Adam. If the court let him, he would bring all five into his home.

John felt a lightbulb flash in his head. Even though he was a single man who worked full time, there was still a chance that the court would give him custody of the children. He was a specialist in family law, after all.

With that, John picked up his phone with a new determination. He would not let those kids fall through the cracks of the justice system.

***

The bang of the judge's gavel echoed through John's body. He felt like his soul was out of his body as the children in the row behind his desk cheered. He was jolted back onto earth as the youngest child, a spitting image of John when he was five, latched onto his suit leg. He bent down and picked the child up, amazed that he could take them all home.

"Mister John! Mister John!" The other four cheered, rushing to where he stood. Happy tears were streaming down all of their faces as they clambered to give him a huge hug. Amazingly, the judge ruled in favor of them coming to live with him.

John fell back into his chair and let the two youngest climb onto his lab. When he could speak, the courtroom was empty, and the doors shut. 

"Let me tell you a story on how amazing your brother was…"

And with that, five sets of brown eyes gazed at him with the curiosity and innocence that only children have, with broken hearts slowly being patched with the words of their brother's best friend.

Originally posted on Reedsy.com, using the prompt “Start your story with a couple sharing a cigarette in a parking lot.”

https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts