The Tapestry Part 4

Each story is a thread in a much larger tapestry, here we explore Adam's role.

***Enjoyment without balance and regard for others is self-indulgence ***

Adam danced furiously to the pulsating lights and rhythmic beats, sweat dripping down his cheeks as he took another swig of rum and coke. His buzz was starting to wear off, so he took a temporary break from his dancing and headed to the bathroom. He entered the closest available stall, pulled out his cell phone, and texted the first number that appeared. Within minutes, he had what he needed! X, what a godsend!

"Yes!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he exited the bathroom. The rest of his night was a whirlwind of dizzying highs filled with debauchery and reckless behavior...

"So, how did you end up here, Adam?"

Adam struggled to see through the haze as he slowly came to, a silhouette cut from the flashing lights in the distance. "What happened to the music?" There was no music in the room Adam was in, but the pulsating lights were seizure-inducing, and the constant changing of the lights gave Adam a heavy migraine.

"There is no music where you are, Adam."

"So... Did I pass out ...Am I back home? What is with these lights? I'm confused."

"You know your mother is dying, and yet you continued your life of depravity!"

"It was absolutely not a life of depravity, I was having fun!"

"Well, if you want to call what you were doing fun, and not a bender, that is your prerogative. I am not here to judge; I am here to enlighten and state the facts. Now, true or false, Adam, your mom was dying of stage 4 cancer, was she not?'

"What does this have to do with anything?" Adam responded disobediently.

A heavy pounding struck the wall. "True or false, Adam, you have lost track of the number of nights in a row that you have been out partying.

Adams thoughts swirled around in his mind at dizzying speeds, contrasted with the schizophrenic lights. "My mom is dying, what can I do but forget the devastation this loss will cost me?"

"You can stand there and act helpless, Adam...But remember, you could have helped her. Two weeks and a missed chemo treatment for your mother, and all you have done is load your body up with substances. She depended on you and only you." The presence quickly vanished from sight, and Adam was left with his thoughts.

As Adam regained his energy, he saw a letter on the ground. He opened it and read it.

Your mom needed you in her most desperate times. You shrugged it off as if it was nothing. The woman who raised you and loved you unconditionally is now barely holding onto her life. Your departure, via your hedonistic lifestyle, will be the final crushing blow. Just know that as you read this, she is taking her final breaths. You have doomed your mother to an eternity of grief and sadness. Your soul is beyond saving.

"My heart sank to depths unknown by even a black hole as a helpless feeling washed over me, my irreversible mistakes finally being realized."