Page 163 - creative spark 2020

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On the one hand, he felt a certain familiarity with his duty.
A certain cling to something that he'd been doing for years,
following the same routine. It was a job he'd thought for so long was
the best thing in the world, and the idea that that was a bad thing
still hadn't fully gotten into his head just yet. It was easy to give in
to. It was easy to do the wrong thing.

He thought of the people he'd let down. One of them, Justin.
A college student in his senior year, he was made to fall in love with
his best friend, Jackie. They had the best time together, hung out
every day after class, and would gossip for hours. They'd talk about
all the things that have been going on in their lives, each being able
to sympathize completely with the other. One day, he decided that
enough was enough. He couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't bear
to live knowing that he never confessed his feelings to his best
friend. He was rejected in the end, told that it would be too “weird."
They'd never talked since. He imagined how Justin must've felt.
How stupid, how reckless he must've been to even tamper with his
own friendship in such a risky way. But then again, had he always
been a fool? Or was he made one? Eric felt his fist clench.

Anita found her passport.
Another: Donna. Married to a rich, caring man whom she
loved head over heels. Every day she came back home, she was
greeted with the biggest smile and the most heart-warming of
hugs. Every night when they made love, he'd tell her how much she
meant to him. They planned the most admirable, most opulent life
after retirement together. They were inseparable, holding onto
each other no matter how many problems they faced. In the end?