The Cardinal
Makhi struggles with the sudden loss of his mother. He debates relapsing after 5 years of sobriety, but a surprising visitor makes him reconsider.
Makhi hasn’t left his house in over three days. His mom passed away the week prior from a brain aneurysm and the sudden death has the family in shambles. The woman who raised four children on her own was the keystone of the family. Although Makhi gets along with his siblings, they do not really spend time together other than when gathering for holidays and family events. His mother made sure that they honor the tradition of coming together during these times. Plenty of laughs. Plenty of arguments. Plenty of memories. The Parker household was a lively one and that can be attributed to the vibrant spirit of Mrs. Parker.
Makhi has not had a drink in over five years since being admitted to rehab for the third time. Years and years of trying to wash away his problems had snowballed into a pit of despair that Makhi struggled to escape from. His family, especially his mother, convinced him enough was enough. They helped him admit himself into a facility, and receive therapy which he had avoided his whole life. The absence of a father figure in his life created a lack of discipline and support that Makhi didn’t realize he so desperately needed. It didn’t seem all that necessary considering he had never gotten into legal trouble throughout his mischievous endeavors. Nevertheless, the unforeseen consequences of his actions and drug use had caught up to him.
That being said, Makhi has changed his life for the better ever since leaving rehab. The years of sobriety brought a bright and new perspective on life. The thought of throwing it all away simply for a buzz hasn’t crossed Makhi’s mind until now. He has experienced grief and loss before, but not to this extent. His mother was a pillar in his life and without her it felt like all else would crumble. The seemingly quickest solution to numb the pain would be a bottle of whiskey. Makhi’s favorite go-to in the old days.
He bought a bottle the night before, but held off on drinking it. The bottle sits on his counter. A beam of sunlight shines through the window reflecting off of the bottle as Mahki stares at the viscous liquid. Tempted, yet not impulsive enough to crack it open. He walks over to his cabinet drawer and takes out a glass. He places the glass next to the bottle and sighs. His hand shakes as he reaches for the bottle. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Instead of cracking it open, Makhi decides to go out on his balcony to ponder his potential relapse once more.
Makhi looks out at the courtyard of his apartment complex. He spots a young mother playing with her son in the fallen leaves. His eyes well up as he tries to catch his breath. Makhi turns back to walk into his apartment, but hears a subtle sound of something hitting the balcony railing. He turns back to see a Cardinal perched upon the railing. It chirps while staring at Makhi. Makhi smiles as he has a flashback to being a young boy walking with his mother in the nearby park. Any time they went they would always sit at the same bench overlooking a serene pond. Makhi would count as many birds as his eye could see and his mother would tell him every time,
“No matter where you fly off to in life, I will always find you.”
The cardinal flies off of the balcony railing and up into the sunlit sky. Makhi walks back into his apartment and takes the bottle off of the counter. He walks to the bathroom, opens the bottle, and flushes it down the toilet. After a sigh of relief, Makhi grabs his coat and leaves his apartment to go for a walk.