Flash Fiction: The Journey Home

As Kevin was boarding the bus, Lauren by his side, he knew he was heading back to the one place he hoped – or had told himself he hoped – he’d never have to see again. He recognized the bus driver – same one who’d driven the bus back on that evening so many years ago. Kevin hoped the bus driver wouldn’t recognize him. He was filled with intense shame having to be on this bus and being confronted with the same bus driver, didn’t help that. However, he had to face his monster now and go back and ask his parents for forgiveness.

Five years ago, Kevin had been on this same bus headed in the other direction. After a massive fight with his parents – over drugs, of course -, they had kicked him out of their house. In a massive breakdown, Kevin had threatened suicide while on this very bus. The driver had called the police and Kevin was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Thankfully, he had gotten his life together eventually. After a short stay in the mental hospital, he was released to an outreach-based addiction rehab program. He had had his relapses, but was now roughly eighteen months clean. He had a steady job, rented a little apartment and had the cutest dog in the whole wide world. Moreover, he had Lauren now. And now that he had proposed to her and she had said “Yes”, it was time to finally make amends.

This piece of flash fiction was written for Fandango’s Story Starter #97. As regular readers of my blog will know, it has some autobiographical elements: I at one point (over fifteen years ago) threatened suicide on a bus and was, on a separate occasion, kicked out of my parents’ house. However, the rest is purely fictional.