Sean and Nick’s life together was a fairy tale: childhood friends who became lovers, high school sweethearts who married after college, both handsome professionals. Sean always enjoyed a few drinks, but after the death of his father, his alcoholism spiraled out of control… and it cost him everything.When Sean loses his job and becomes too surly and unreasonable to live with, Nick has little choice but to end the relationship. Sean can’t blame Nick for giving up—not after the arguments and the lies—but he longs for the happiness and love they shared before he spoiled everything. He resolves to get sober and win back his husband. But even if he wins his battle with alcoholism, will it be too late to save his marriage?
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Cat gives this one 3 Meows...
Sean lots his father two and a half years ago and his life has spiraled out of control. He has lost his job, and his husband finally not able to take anymore has kicked him out.
In a way I can relate to Nick, Sean’s husband, having had an alcoholic husband. However, Sean made recovery look so easy and with no mishaps or backsliding which, having been there, I felt was unrealistic.
Now having said that and taking in this is romantic fiction. I like to believe it could work this way and I would love to see this in a full story, how they met, the down slide, the recovery and a H E A.
Excerpt...
SEAN CAME out of a meeting in the church basement as the sun began to set, the dull light giving a hint of an evening chill on Hope Street. The bus was approaching, and Nick was across the street, looking as good as always in well-fitting slacks and a pink cotton shirt that played off the rich tones of his deep mahogany complexion. Sean’s heart rose in his chest and he bit his bottom lip to keep from calling out to him. So much had happened since he’d seen him last, and he teared up from the memory of what they’d once had.
As much as he wanted to raise his hand and call out to him, he held himself back. It pained him too much to see him now, after five months of separation. He backed up into the shadows of the church and wondered if Nick had moved on and if divorce was imminent. A divorce was the last thing Sean wanted, but he couldn’t blame Nick if he asked for one.
The bus stopped at the curb with a hiss, then the door opened and he boarded, paid the fare, and then moved to the back and took a seat. The bus pulled onto Hope as Nick took a left onto Hart Street. A dull emptiness filled him as he sat back and lost himself among the everyday people who took public transportation for a variety of reasons. For some it was simply a cheaper way to get around, but for Sean, it was his only form of transportation.
The bus continued down Hope Street, through the affluent East Side of Providence—a place he had once called home—then made its way into Pawtucket. He got off on the dark, vacant downtown streets, made his way past a row of empty storefronts, then around a corner. He had a small one-bedroom apartment in an old Victorian house that hadn’t seen maintenance in well over twenty years. He walked up the creaky porch steps to the front door lined on both sides with doorbells, and went inside. His apartment was at the end of the second-floor hallway.
He closed the door, then tossed his keys on the gold-speckled counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area. Just past that was the living room; the bedroom was off to the right. It was all fake paneling and drafty windows, but at least it had hardwood floors and was cheap. He dropped onto the sofa, taking in the stench of centuries wafting up from the cushion like a sandstorm.
Seeing Nick reminded him of the life he’d left behind. From riches to rags, he thought with a forced chuckle. He and Nick had once shared a beautiful three-bedroom ranch house off Blackstone Boulevard, back when Sean had a job doing loan originations for a bank. Now they were separated, and Sean was jobless and living in a run-down one-bedroom apartment while Nick was still employed as a surgeon and living in the house they’d bought together.
Taking a deep breath, Sean closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but all he could think about was the life he’d once had. A deep pain rose in his chest, along with an urge to drink that he hadn’t felt in a while. He’d come this far and wasn’t going to go back to a life of annihilation and despair. If he held on for one more day, he would be closer to getting some of his life back. It wouldn’t be the same one he’d once had, but it would be a life he could be proud of. He could put the past to rest… or so he hoped.
He wondered if Nick had already moved on with his life. The man he’d known since elementary school, the man he’d shared his first kiss with in high school, bought his first house with and married, would no longer be at his side.
As much as he wanted to raise his hand and call out to him, he held himself back. It pained him too much to see him now, after five months of separation. He backed up into the shadows of the church and wondered if Nick had moved on and if divorce was imminent. A divorce was the last thing Sean wanted, but he couldn’t blame Nick if he asked for one.
The bus stopped at the curb with a hiss, then the door opened and he boarded, paid the fare, and then moved to the back and took a seat. The bus pulled onto Hope as Nick took a left onto Hart Street. A dull emptiness filled him as he sat back and lost himself among the everyday people who took public transportation for a variety of reasons. For some it was simply a cheaper way to get around, but for Sean, it was his only form of transportation.
The bus continued down Hope Street, through the affluent East Side of Providence—a place he had once called home—then made its way into Pawtucket. He got off on the dark, vacant downtown streets, made his way past a row of empty storefronts, then around a corner. He had a small one-bedroom apartment in an old Victorian house that hadn’t seen maintenance in well over twenty years. He walked up the creaky porch steps to the front door lined on both sides with doorbells, and went inside. His apartment was at the end of the second-floor hallway.
He closed the door, then tossed his keys on the gold-speckled counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area. Just past that was the living room; the bedroom was off to the right. It was all fake paneling and drafty windows, but at least it had hardwood floors and was cheap. He dropped onto the sofa, taking in the stench of centuries wafting up from the cushion like a sandstorm.
Seeing Nick reminded him of the life he’d left behind. From riches to rags, he thought with a forced chuckle. He and Nick had once shared a beautiful three-bedroom ranch house off Blackstone Boulevard, back when Sean had a job doing loan originations for a bank. Now they were separated, and Sean was jobless and living in a run-down one-bedroom apartment while Nick was still employed as a surgeon and living in the house they’d bought together.
Taking a deep breath, Sean closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but all he could think about was the life he’d once had. A deep pain rose in his chest, along with an urge to drink that he hadn’t felt in a while. He’d come this far and wasn’t going to go back to a life of annihilation and despair. If he held on for one more day, he would be closer to getting some of his life back. It wouldn’t be the same one he’d once had, but it would be a life he could be proud of. He could put the past to rest… or so he hoped.
He wondered if Nick had already moved on with his life. The man he’d known since elementary school, the man he’d shared his first kiss with in high school, bought his first house with and married, would no longer be at his side.
Back in the nineties, Ken Harrison wrote erotic short stories for several gay skin magazines and published three short story collections (Daddy’s Boys; Young, Hung and Ready for Action; and Ten Thick Inches). He stopped writing in 2001 to start a small press, Seventh Window Publications, and worked with several great authors and artists. He closed Seventh Window Publications in December 2015. After a year and a half away, he realized that publishing was a big part of his life and went back to writing.
When he isn’t writing, he enjoys cooking, web design, blowing bubbles in the park, dressing up in costumes, and entertaining. Halloween is his favorite holiday and his house is a popular stop for the neighborhood kids. He believes that the only thing better than telling a good story is watching people enjoy his food.
Ken lives in Rhode Island with his husband, who is an avid reader.
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A descriptive passage thank you.
ReplyDeleteenjoyed the review
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt and review!
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the review & excerpt!
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