A Simple Love

Chapter 2

Dave's Childhood....

He was born to a young, single mother, who worked hard to provide for him, but she struggled to make ends meet. When Dave was just a toddler, his mother was forced to move into a motel, where they lived for many years. His mother did her best to give him a good life, but it was a difficult and lonely existence. As Dave grew up, he saw how his mother struggled to make ends meet. She worked long hours, often coming home late at night. He also saw how men would come and go in her life, sometimes using her and then leaving, he wondered why no one stuck around because he's mother was a beautiful woman who had long black silky hair with sparkling brown eyes that could get the attention of any man she met. He never knew his father, and he often wondered who he was and why he left but one thing he knew was that he was he's mother splitting image and he was satisfied with that. His mother never spoke about his father, and he never dared to ask. Instead, he poured himself into his studies at an early age, trying to escape the bleakness of his life. But no matter how hard he studied, he couldn't escape the loneliness and sadness that he felt. Then, when Dave turned 11 years old, his mother suddenly disappears. No one knows where she went, and no one seems to care. He feels lost and abandoned, and he has no idea what to do. After his mother's disappearance, Dave feels alone and confused. He doesn't know what to do, so he begins talking to the other people who live in the motel. He learns that many of them are struggling with similar problems, and they've also experienced the pain of loss. One of the people he talks to tells him about the club where his mother used to work. He decides to go there and see if anyone knows where she is. When he arrives, the place is dark and seedy, and he feels out of place. But he's determined to find answers. So, Dave walks up to the bar in the club and asks the bartender if he's seen his mother.

The bartender who looks tough and dirty with his rumpled red shirt and black trouser looks at him curiously and says, "I'm sorry, I don't think I've seen her. Are you sure this is the right place?".

But Dave is sure this is where his mother used to work, so he asks if he can look around.

The bartender hesitates, but then he shrugs and says, "I guess it's okay. Just don't touch anything."

So, Dave starts looking around the club, and he notices something odd. There's a back room, and it's locked. He feels a chill run down his spine, and he thinks he hears a faint, muffled sound coming from the other side of the door. He goes up to the door and tries to open it, but it's locked. He turns to the bartender and says, "Do you have a key to this door?"

The bartender looks at him suspiciously and says, "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I'd get in trouble if I opened that door." But then he adds, "Why don't you just leave? You don't belong here."

As much as Dave wants to find his mother, he knows that the bartender is right. He's out of place in this seedy club where everyone just drinks and minds their business, and he's probably better off leaving and trying to find another way to track her down. So, he gives the bartender a nod and starts to walk out the door. But as he does, he can't shake the feeling that something terrible has happened to his mother. The feeling of dread weighs on him as he walks away from the club and into the night. It's late, and the streets are empty. He looks up at the dark sky and notices something strange: a star is missing.

The nightmares started the night after his mother disappeared. He kept seeing her pale, hollow-eyed face, and hearing her strange, guttural voice, "I'll come back for you baby, you know I will" she said. He would wake up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. He tried to tell himself it was just a dream, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than that. As the days went by, he started to feel like he was being watched. He would see shadows out of the corner of his eye, and he would hear strange noises in the night like dogs scratching the door to their room. He tried to tell himself it was just his imagination, but the fear was growing inside him.

Dave is sitting in class, trying to pay attention to the teacher, but he can't focus. All he can think about is what happened to him that night. He feels his heart racing, and he can't catch his breath. The teacher notices that something is wrong, and she comes over to his desk. She asks him if he's okay, and he just shakes his head. She calls for the school counselor, and they decide to call a social worker. A few hours later, he's sitting in the office of a social worker, who is trying to figure out what happened. Dave is still too afraid to talk, so the social worker tells him that she's going to call his foster parents and have him taken in for a few days. He's too upset to protest, so he just sits there, numb and silent. A few hours later, he finds himself sitting in the living room of a strange house, looking around at all the unfamiliar faces. The foster parents introduce themselves, and he nods politely, but he can't bring himself to speak. He feels like he's trapped in a nightmare that he can't wake up from.

Dave grew up to be a rebellious teenager, always acting out and causing trouble. He knows that he's angry, but he doesn't know why. He feels like there's a hole in his heart that he can't fill. One day, when he was 15, he decides to go back to the motel where he lived with his mother. He walks up to the door, and he knocks. A woman answers, and she looks just like his mother. It's not her, but it's close enough. The woman looks at him with a mix of surprise and sadness. She asks him if he's okay, and he just nods. He doesn't know what to say, so he asks if he can come inside. She looks like she's about to say no, but then she relents and lets him in. He walks into the room, and it's just like he remembered it. The same furniture, the same smell, the same everything. It's like he's gone back in time. He sits down on the couch, and the woman sits down next to him, she's rather old, probably in her late 60's but she still looks like she has enough strength left in her to fight. White hair covers her head and her green dress brings out the color of her green eyes which seems to have lost their sparkle with age. She asks him why he's here, and he tries to fight his emotions but finally breaks down. He tells her everything, from the night he saw the woman who looked like his mother to how he's been feeling ever since. She listens quietly, and when he's finished, she takes his hand. She tells him that she knows how he feels, and she can help him.

"of course she can, they all can" he said to himself.

She explains that she's a counselor who specializes in helping people who have been through traumatic experiences. As the woman is telling him about her counseling services, Dave feels a wave of panic and sweat starts to form. He knows that he shouldn't be here, and he doesn't want to get into trouble with his foster parents. He tries to tell her that he has to go, but she just smiles and says, "It's okay. You don't have to be in such a hurry. Let's just talk for a little while, and then you can go home."

But Dave feels like he has to get out of there. He stands up, and he starts to walk toward the door. The woman stands up, too, and asks him to please stay.

But he just shakes his head and says, "I can't. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

She looks like she wants to say something else, but she doesn't. She just nods and watches as he walks out the door. When he gets outside, he feels a sense of relief. But as he's walking home, he can't shake the feeling that he's just made a mistake. He knows that he needs help, but he's not sure where to turn.