LIFE.

Tony drake is a honorable discharge veteran who raised four children with his wife whom now is six two. he is a proud grandfather of thirteen but has lost one great grandson to SIDS but time heals all wounds. Their family has been threw many trial but as a family they faced them all. his wife Tanya has had an operation which cause her to use a take-tube and has underling health issues but Tony is right there by her side but is felling the pressure of life bearing down on him severely.

It's 12:30am and it raining very hard. On the parking lot of a strip-mall with a wall-mart and liqueur store in it there is parked and older Chevy parked toward the dumpsters. He opens the top to bottle of old number seven that he brought earlier and takes a long deep draw from it, takes a moment to savor the taste. Oh shit! that's good, best pain killer in the world old jack. Damn Bankruptcy, never thought I would have to fill for that and I don't even have enough money to pay the damn lawyer. (Takes another swig from the bottle). Only if my body had held up a couple more year maybe I had a chance recoup my losses.

Not made them dumb mistakes. I can't believe all the stuff I been thru it was the rain the broke me. (starts looking around for his smokes, then lights one. after taking a few draws the alcohol kicks in and his memories go to work). Memories of his childhood, how his mother and grandmother raised him, sometimes not having food. The way his grandmother died of breast cancer and the many, many, things things she drilled into his mind. She was born in spartinsburg southcaroilna from that old slave generation. His mother did what she could to support them. How messed up life was to see the riots as a child.

Tony snaps to and reaches for the glove box. He pulls out a snub nose thirty eight. checks the chambers fully loaded, takes out a slug to examine it, hum, hollow points this will do. takes out all the shells but one. "i wonder if it's true what they say, your whole life pass before your eyes you die? he takes another drink and lights another cigarette, then laughs at himself. The rain continues to pound relentlessly.

Once again his mind slip into the memory fog time and he's in training at Fort Gordon Georgia. The training is grueling for the job he training for is a specific job in the military and very few make it, some even die in the training itself, which is the case with tony. He recalls how two of his squad members died in live fire exercise's and another lost his mind and shot the Sargent in charge. Tony wasn't untouched he caught meningitis of the blood and almost died, and spent twenty-two days in isolation. it was touch and go for awhile.

CRACK BOOM! thunder and lightning bring him back to realty. Enough! he shouts. one last swig from the bottle. He picks up the thirty eight and flips it open one more time, one shell. "third times the charm", shuts it and spins the barrel turns on the radio, places the gun under his chin, the rain is dancing over everything, he pulls the trigger. Click! nothing
Tonys not scard of death. in his mind he has "hit the wall four times". this take courage, this is a choice. He takes another drink but not that much just enough to steady his hand. Again he spins the barrel under his chin firmly and pulls the trigger. Click! A voice in his head say you don't have to do this. He screams. THEN WHY DID YOU BRING ME TO THIS IT'S TO MUCH!

He takes the gun for the last time places it under his chin, pulls back the hammer, "third time the charm". The rain begains to come alive as if it has a life of it's own as it beats agains the roof of the car, and everyhting else. The tension is unbearable. A song begins to play on the radio. I can't stand the rain against my window when your not her with me. I can't stand the rain when beats aganst my window pain. CLICK! All of sudden there is a bolt of lightning that lights up the sky for at least two whole seconds and time seems to hold still.