Will Garner's New Life

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(Edited)

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Image source: Unsplash.com

A bulging vein was ticking fast on his left temple as he paced around his office. As the regional manager of one of the top investment firms in the US, Will Garner, was determined to become the best. At all cost.

He'd always aimed for perfection all his life. Graduated summa cum laude from Harvard, worked in his uncle's firm for a year before he was snatched up by Evercore & Morgan to head their regional office. Eighty per cent of his uncle's clients left with him and that was the end of their relationship.

Will Garner did not care. Getting to the top was all that mattered. He did not suffer fools gladly. He could not grasp why everyone else around him seemed incompetent and lazy when compared to him.

He could feel his ears hot and a headache blooming somewhere on the left side of his head. Black spots appeared in his vision and he could not understand why. He shook his head to clear his vision or so he thought.

He gritted his teeth and smacked his mahogany sleek desk. He pressed his intercom. "Robin! Get me John and Steve asap!"

There was no response. He scowled and pressed the intercom again. Maybe he should just fire his annoying, always-cheery secretary, Robin.

"Robin! Are you there? Your incompetence will no more be tolerated. Get me John and Steve now or you are fired!"

He waited. No response. Will pushed back his executive swivel chair and tried to get up. He could not. He frowned. What is happening? He wondered. Then the door opened to reveal a tall man in a three-piece grey suit who ambled towards his desk and sat down gently in a chair, facing him.

What was mysterious and appalling to Will Garner was this stranger had no face. He could see the head and the body but no face. Will began to tremble as goosebumps rose all over his skin. He knew he was in a realm beyond his power.

"So, I see you want to fire your secretary, Robin. Is her work etiquette not good enough for your highness?" The stranger asked mockingly.

Will struggled to speak but could not. He pulled at his tie and loosened it a bit.

Mental images of his cheerful secretary played through his mind. Robin was always smiling, always laughing and looking for ways to make him smile too.

"Or your personal assistant, John, who is always full of gratitude and smiling, but very diligent is not good enough for you?" The stranger asked again.

Another mental scene of John, his PA, who was always quick to say 'thank you', who made sure his appointments were met and his clients satisfied.

"Or your colleague, Steve, who always encouraged you even when you want to give up on a client and pursue another. You see your weaknesses but he sees your strengths. You think he is lazy and of no use to you?" The stranger asked menacingly, his hands on the desk, his faceless face drawing close to Will's.

Will could not stop shaking. Sweat had broken out on his face and his shirt was soaked. He attempted to get up but still could not.

He felt the stranger smirk. "Ah, and dear Betty, your lovely wife whom you never seem to have time for. She focuses on the good things in life and you think she's naive or stupid? Huh?"

Will squeezed his eyes shut tightly to stop the barrage of mental images flashing in and out of his mind but it was futile. Images of his beautiful wife, Betty, laughing, running around her rose garden and bringing some to him to smell but he pushed them away and faced his IPad.

"I see we are getting somewhere." The stranger whispered close to his ears. Will startled and stared at him. He somehow knew he could speak.

"Who are you? Stop torturing me please."

Loud cackles followed this plea.

"You call these torture? These are instances of your life." The stranger said. "Means your life must be a torture."

"You have no idea what my life is about!" Will replied forcefully, gritting his teeth as the pain in his head worsened.

"Oh but I do, Will."

"How do you know my name?"

"Because I am YOU!" The stranger boomed as his faceless face slowly took on Will's face and shape.

Will was stunned into silence. He watched himself smirk at him. "You have tried to live a perfect life but you are not living at all because you are not happy. You are surrounded by happiness but you do not allow it into you."

"What are you talking about?" Will whispered, his body weak.

"Listen to me," He smacked himself on the face so he could stay awake. "You owe yourself happiness. You have it around you. John is always full of gratitude that's why he is a happy man. Your wife is always positive, focusing on the good things of life. She's always happy but your attitude threatens to take it away. Robin loves to celebrate you but instead, you put her down with your bossy attitude. These people are happy and it's about time you learn how to be just like them or you lose the life you have been blessed with."

Will listened to himself and became remorseful.

"You have little time left. You can change that by being happy," he said to himself as he loses consciousness.

The blip sound of machines woke Will Garner up. He cranked his swollen eyes open to glance around the room. He was in the hospital hooked to different IVs and some machines. Betty sat beside him, his hand locked with hers, her eyes closed. Was she praying? He pressed her hand a little.

She opened her eye in shock. "Oh my God! Will. You are awake."

He could only nod due to the tube in his mouth.

"I'll get the doctor," She said and was going to get up. He softly pressed her hands again and shook his head. He did not want her to leave ever. She sat still, staring at him in wonder. He could not stop staring at his beautiful wife either. He had a new life and there was no going back to the former.

The End.

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This story is my entry to the #POB-WOTW Season 4. You are invited to participate.

Thank you for visiting my blog.



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23 comments
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Bang, I did it again... I just rehived your post!
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@kemmyb , I'm sure that I have told you before that I will gladly buy a fictional novel that is written by you. You're just perfecting this craft of yours as the goes.

This is clearly a masterpiece.

It's sad how we often stifle our happiness because we wanna appear perfect. The end is usually detrimental, because not only will we suffocate our happiness but our health.

It's good that Will had a second chance. I only hope that he uses it well.

I must commend your header image, that is a suave dude over there.

This is a nice entry @kemmyb. I wish you the best in the contest.


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Thanks a lot @mmykel for your glowing comment. I tried to convey a man who believed perfectionism is everything forgetting that the simple pleasures of life such as happiness is the real thing!

... because not only will we suffocate our happiness but our health.

Well said. Our bodies are limited and if put under pressure, such as stress, worries, anger, etc, they will break down!

I appreciate your visit and kind words. 😊

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Wow, You had tackled the prompt beautifully. Many are out there like Will who chose best over their happiness, maybe unconsciously, and they fail to see the effort others make. No doubt, he did not know the harm he brought upon himself until his inner self engaged him through that dialogue.

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I'm glad you got a good grasp of the story. Will did not appreciate the people around him until the rude awakening where his inner man laid everything out for him to see!

Sometimes, we need this sort of experience to change our mindsets and hold on to the things that truly matter.

Thanks a lot for your kind comment. 😊

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Yeah, only if we don't struggle to hard with him(the inner man).
I enjoyed reading

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Hi. Could you pretty please add a source to that first image? Thank you.


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Hello. The image source is right below, after the main text but I'll move it up and attach it to image itself, if that's what you mean. 🙂

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Oh no. Don't worry about it. Clearly it was my mistake. I appreciate your coaching on the matter.

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Felt like I was watching movie.
I could see everything, including the faceless person. Felt so real. You're really good @kemmyb . Each day you bless with beautifully written stories, these are stuffs that we really should be paying for but you let us have it freely, thank you.

Most of us are caught in the same web, resenting others for living happy lives, we just can't understand why they're so contented and rosy about everything. But we tend to forget to enjoy this one life that we have. We forget to be happy like Will, at least he got himself a 2nd chance, some people won't have that sadly.

Thanks for the amazing read

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Um, I think you are still paying for my stories by your votes and heartwarming comments! 😅

I'm delighted to hear that you like my stories. Nothing makes an artist happier than a genuine appreciation of his work. So, thank you @chincoculbert.

Like you rightly said, we forget the things that truly matter like Will forgot to be happy. One thing I have learned is that our happiness is in our hands, not in others' like some people believe.

Yes, Will is lucky to get a second chance. Thanks a lot for your visit. 😊

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This is really captivating @kemmyb you really pictured what transpires with some men and their lifestyle - men who believe that everything about life is work! work! work!
This is a nice entry, I wish you luck!


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What a beautiful ending. I really liked your entry to the contest and it would be great if many could understand what your writing conveys. Many times, happiness is always around us and we miss it because we are submerged in the falseness of a world that many times is not even the one we want to live in. I am sure that now Will will be much happier. Excellent friend.

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Thanks so much @fragozar01 for your visit and kind comment. You are right. Happiness is all around but we fail to see it because we are burdened with challenges and troubles.

If only we will take time to relax and feel it, those things we look at as 'problems' will not appear so. The solutions will come faster! 🙂

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Such a great and engaging post, with a very nice ending.

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I appreciate your visit and kind words. Thank you. 🙂

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Another succinct and tight narrative brilliantly written. Well done @kemmyb The scene between Will and his own faceless self was very forceful and grabbed my attention. I could visualise it so clearly. Great use of the WOTW prompt! !PIZZA I would love some tuition in your use of showing the source of the photograph used. I love how neat it appears without interfering with the flow of the text.

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