Sacrificing love on the altar of success
He ran through the long aisle, back to the manor and as the breeze hit his face, he was reminded of the thrash of tears that were beginning to drip down his cheeks.
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He rushed to the library without holding back and there he found his wife holding her chest on the footing, still, her other hand held tightly to one of Lord Byron's books, Prisoner of Chillon which was one of its corpora. She adores this more than she acclaims to but seeing her clutch her hands around it gave it away.
"What happened, my lady?" he asked, managing a smile on his sad and concerned face as he could insinuate that today was one of those days, when she felt severe pain.
"I feel my shoulder hurt and my chest is about to fall off its place. I need not disturb you as you are a man of a peaceful evening. Let me not disrupt that," she said weakly as she explained, still pushing a smile through on her pale face.
It would be a complete lie to say that Lord Matthew Grant was overjoyed to be returning to England. However, he had no choice but to attend the event.
He had always been so intrigued by his dreams of building a plane aside from being in the military. He hated himself because he chose that over his family and as a result, his wife passed away.
Now, he is back in England, a place that reminds him of his past. His sister's wedding was one he did not want to miss as much as he could have wanted to.
He was standing by the ship's bow, sailing back to England.
He was enjoying the clear water and as the waves surfed in a motion that had reminded him of the lake back home, he felt a tinge feeling of nostalgia. He felt the deja vu while his thoughts drifted back to his wife who had died of coronary artery disease, but it hurt him the most to remember that he was not there for her during the times she needed him the most.
A disease they had not been able to find a cure as it is incurable except for probable care of the body.
‘I should have found a cure to her disease rather than battling with how humans can travel by air rather than the sea.’ he’d beat himself.
They had managed to live healthily and once in the middle of the season, his wife had felt a sharp pain which was instantly sought for reduction.
Except for one time when all that ended up not to matter anymore. She passed away.
This had taken a toll on him, bringing the in-depth sadness within him, a colonel. The sadness he had dwelt in for years.
He was in dire condition and was left with no choice but to attend his sister, Lady Evelyn's wedding which he could not miss even if he wanted to.
Lord Mathew's long thoughts were brought to a halt by the loud horn of the ship, signifying their arrival in England, only then did he notice that the ship had come to a stop.
He has arrived in England. He was brought back to reality and his true cause faced him.
He was undoubtedly not overjoyed upon his return and his only excuse despite his mandated appearance at his sister's wedding was his children whom he loves despite trying to force discipline on them.
After the incident of his wife's death, he had been away from England in the army for a long time and now that he was called back for his sister's wedding, his excuse to attend was mainly just his children and not even the ceremony.
He stepped out of the ship at full length. His appearance could be seen, and it speaks of nothing but a fine man in his prime.
He was dressed in a green wool hunt coat, which had lapels with sharp "M" notches, indicating his name "Mathew". The coat is cut high and square at the waist. It has pocket flaps concealed in the tails. The breeches are made from soft white leather and the lower legs have "extenders" for wearing inside boots and have mother-of-pearl buttons.
He held in his right hand a Gladstone bag and in his left hand was a haversack. Both hands clutching its content tightly.
He stood on the dry land and peeked at his milieu. A place that had almost become foreign to him.
The joy he had always felt whenever he was coming to England had evaded him. The joy of seeing his family and as a gentleman with a peaceful lifestyle with no envisages of being a rakehell.
He felt an emptiness within him that he could not describe with his words. He walked not briskly but stylishly enjoying the cold breeze that was hitting his face as he walked in all masculinity.
He could not but appreciate the amiable nature that seemed to at least welcome him well. The seaside was cold, and he enjoyed the vastness as he walked away.
Lord Mathew has self-taught himself to accept his fate; that he didn't achieve his dreams and that Lady Sharon has taken the eternity flight.
I liked that romantic and classic feel to your story!!!! The death of a loved one is the end, but also the beginning. That ending of your story, has a hopeful tone and full of possibilities. Regards
I am glad you liked it.
I completely agree.
Thank you so much.
This is an interesting character sketch, @iskawrites. Thank you for sharing it in The Ink Well, and as always thank you for your extraordinary curation of your fellow writers!
Thank you so much, inkwell
In this life, it's always best to try and strike a balance in the most important aspects of our life. Lord Matthew neglected his family to pursue success and in the end, he still felt empty despite all the success he had amassed. This is indeed a great story with a good moral etched deep in it
I wish he found the success, he did not. He lost both ways. Balance is the word for everything we want in life. Thank you for reading.
Family comes first, I think I've seen and heard this phrase several times and several places, ambition and dreams are also important part of man's life but one should know when to make the choice and when not to
The choice he made to follow his dream kept me apart from his family and it dawned on him
Good story
Indeed, family comes first, but most people sacrifice their family for success only to realize later that family is everything. Thank you darling for reading.
Nothing is worth sacrificing one's family for. The pain of Mathew's negligence would remain in his heart. The story touches my heart.
He will always remember the family he lost in pursuit of success. Thank you darling for your constant support.
Hello, @iskawrites
A story that exposes the effects of not knowing how to reconcile decisions in pursuit of personal dreams and family relationships. Sometimes, those who are by our side fly where you can't find them, no matter how many marvelous devices you make to fly the skies.
Excellent story, I liked it very much.
Greetings.
How sad it is that his wife had to die for him to realise that family mattered more than anything else
😔😔 sometimes we have to lose something to value it's worth
Lord Mathew seems to have had a failed life. He makes a fine specimen of a man with his handsome face and stylish clothes, but his heart is empty and aching.
Is he so ashamed of his behavior as a family man that he cannot face the joy of his sister's wedding? Perhaps she condemns him for abandoning his family in pursuit of career goals and stature. It's not clear how old his children were when his wife passed away, let us hope they were mostly grown, since their father seems to have neglected them. Perhaps they are not so anxious to see him either...
His children would definitely not be anxious to see him since he wasn't always around. Except, the one who had always yearn for fatherly love and acceptance. That's the one who will be anxious to see him... Lol.. you made think of a new story out of this comment 😆