The fog hovered over the lake like a plush down-filled blanket, leaving a gap of only three feet which seperated cloud from water. The dense fog was suffocating and comforting Luke at the same time.
Luke was stretched out on the floor of his tiny canoe, his legs hanging out into the warm water, and his mind submerged far beyond the depths of his comfort. He knew this place is where he wanted to be, but he also knew that he would soon have to leave. This cottage destination was not easily affordable for him and he hated that thought. He hated to think about the hunger that would soon befall him. He hated the feeling of being completely out of control. He would not rest until he returned to his favorite spot.
Luke loved the fog almost as much as he loved the lake. The fog faded the reality of his life, and that to Luke was always a good thing.
Luke visited the lake everyday, but this wasn't enough for him. His plan was to be here forever with no breaks in between. He wanted the serene feeling which he felt when he was laying on the floor of his tiny canoe to last. He wanted to be embraced by the trees, the darkness of night and even the thick fog. This was Luke's heaven. The only place which brought him peace. He put both of his hands behind his head and fell asleep while staring into the hovering oblivion above him.
The boat slowly drifted towards shore and the sun was starting to peak through the dense fog, shining down on Luke's distorded sleeping face. Awakening him.
As clearity became clear, he felt the pain of tiny angelfish nibbling on his toes.
The canoe hit shore with a giant thud that startled Luke. If he wasn't awake before, he surely was now. The angelfish which were nibbling on his toes flew away into a void, and Luke rolled out of the swaying canoe, almost tipping it on top of himself as he got out. He slowly lifted himself from the rocky shore and walked towards the tiny cabin which awaited his return.
It was early morning. The sun was rising above the mountain range and the trees which had been swaying back and forth the night before had disappeared. The lake and the trees were now replaced by white stucco houses with red tiled roofs. He had made it back home to his neighbourhood of three car garages and carpools. Luke felt refreshed but hungry. He did not remember driving back from the cabin the night before.
Luke got into the shower while his wife placed his suit atop the bed for him to wear. He got out of the shower and got dressed, slowly and methodically, almost in a trance-like state, as if he was a robot. The thoughts of the lake merging with the noises of his wife making breakfast in the kitchen and his 7 year old son running around.
He picked up his briefcase and headed towards the kitchen. He was ready for another day of traffic and office politics.
The happy family sat together at the kitchen table and ate their carefully prepared breakfast. Then it was time for Luke to leave the remnants of his tiny cabin. He picked up his keys from the granite counter and headed towards the door. Jane, his wife headed out with their son.
"Good morning Luke". Said a woman from behind him as he was waiting for the elevator to arrive.
"How was your weekend"? The same voice asked.
"Very good, Anne. How was yours"?
"It was okay, I guess". The woman replied.
They both stepped into the elevator and waited for it to stop on the 13th floor.
"Well, I'll talk to you later". Luke said.
He walked around the corner and beyond the water cooler towards his scenic office. Luke walked into his office, closed the door and sat on his comfortable chair, then spun himself around and stared out the window at the calm lake which was across the street from his office building . He was fixated on the slow moving water, his eyes did not blink and his thoughts were concentrated on the cabin. Luke was almost asleep when a knock on his door startled him out of his daydream.
"Come in". Luke said.
It was him.
What the hell is he doing here, Luke thought. This s**t is all I need now!. His mind was processing thoughts at a hundred miles a minute. Luke was frustrated and a little frightened, but he did not let on. His face remained emotionless. His eyes gazed on the intruder.
"What do you want?" Luke said.
The body of the large man dressed in scruffy clothes stood at the threshold of the door. The man just stared at Luke, but didn't say a word.
"Close the God damn door, and come in before people start snooping!" Luke said.
The figure turned slightly towards the door to close it, then walked towards Luke, sat on one of the two available chairs and said.
"What's up Luke? Long time no see!"
"What do you want!" Luke said in a very cold tone.
"What's the matter Luke? Aren't you glad to see your dad?"
Luke's anger was seeping through his collective, emotionless self.
"Dad? You are no one's dad, especially mine!" Luke did not shout, he did not stand. He looked at his father in the eye with a look of disdain.
"Get the f**k out of here, father! Don't fucken come back here!"
"Come on Luke." The old man said.
"Listen to me very carefully. I don't want to see you here again! Got it?"
Luke was annoyed, but he knew his father was in his office for a purpose.
The old man who would have given Luke a sly remark 5 years ago, now slowly stood from his chair and made his way to the closed door. He opened the door and walked out, never looking back.
Luke walked out to the hallway outside his office and stared at the back of his father's body as he made his way to the elevator. Confused thoughts were running through Luke's mind.
Luke was shocked, angry and feeling sympathetic towards his father. Something he had never felt before.
Luke was engaged in a war of debate within his own mind. A part of him was saying to run after his father, pull him aside, and have that father son talk which Luke always craved, but the proud side of Luke had convinced him that his father was the criminal who had turned him into what he was today. Luke did not consider himself to be a successful businessman. Luke knew that he was a "chip off the old block" and he did not relish that thought. He had always hated his father in the worse possible way. He would often wonder why he had become what he hated most in life. This thought made Luke crazy and often drove him to the lake, and eventually onto his tiny canoe amidst the darkness and the fog.
Luke realized many years ago that he was nothing more than an angry pretender, not the smart, successful man that people thought he was.
Luke walked back into his office and sat down again. His mind was racing with scattered thoughts of his father, his son Michael whom he rarely saw and who reminded Luke so much of himself when he was a child. He thought about his wife who truly tried to create a normal, happy life for the three of them., and who failed because of his own sabotage. Luke was drowning in his own thoughts. He was drowning in his own desparation of wanting to be normal and accepting, and able to deal with his sorrow of early childhood. But he could not.
He held onto his head with both hands, grasping so intensely onto his hair that the pain from the hair pulling brought him back from complete isolation of his own mind.
Luke looked at the small round mirror which he kept on his desk and fixed his hair and tie. He grabbed his jacket and car keys and headed out the door.
"Anne" Luke said in a subtle tone.
"I have something to take care of. You're in charge".
Anne knew the drill. She had been put in the same position many times before, but she felt strange and unsettled this time. She felt like something was different and she didn't know why she felt this way. She just did.
Luke got into his benz and drove away. One focus on his mind. One destination.
It was a long drive to the lake, but Luke had made it as he usually did. He stepped out of his car and walked along the dirt path which led to the rocky shore and the lake.
He looked intensely for his canoe but he could not see it. It wasn't where he had left it the night before. Then he noticed that the canoe had drifted offshore and was flowing downstream with the slow moving current. He ran through the calm warm water and jumped into his tiny boat.
Jane arrived home several hours later to find Luke spread out on the recliner he loved so much. His flesh, a pale gray and the needle still stuck in his arm. She ran to his side and placed two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse, then she slid down the side of the recliner and onto the cold floor in defeat.
the end:
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