“Another Life” – Part 1

He had never felt so free, so sure. From this great height, everything was so clear. All he had to do was hit “send.” Kyle had been agonizing about this decision for longer than he cared to admit and even longer than he showed. Always using humor to deflect and cope had become contrived to those that knew him but that was the snag… there was no one left that really knew him. Knew his interests, his life, or even his real name.

“I’m too old. I’m tired. I’m done,” he said out loud, letting his grizzled voice of resignation carry on the wind across the cliffs to nowhere and no one. “It’s time.”

Thousands of miles away in the tiny grey fabric-wrapped walls of a cubical, the familiar ping sound of an email arriving hit the ears of an also not so young reporter.

“Yes yes, one sec,” Adam mumbled to himself as he closed and minimized tabs trying to find that one document he had left open days prior and now needed. Upon accidently closing a web browser page he needed but later, and cursing to himself, his email box revealed itself and he stopped abruptly.

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.” He clicked the email line twice and began to read.

“Hello Adam,
Been a while. I don’t know how tracking and tracing works nowadays but this time I can assure you however long it takes you to figure out where I sent this from, I will still be here. Lots to catch up on. Give my best to Sarah if she’s still talking to you.
Jordan”

Adam closed his laptop, disconnected the dock, grabbed his coat and headed for the exit. He may or may not have passed right by his boss on the way out, but this was no time to discuss pleasantries or deadlines. He had somewhere to be, and first he had to figure out where that was.

His apartment was just as you’d imagine a should-have-been renowned reporter’s home to look like. Oddly red and brown with coffee cups whose contents you could probably send off for radio-carbon dating. Printed newspapers stacked in odd corners despite not having had a subscription for years.

There was a cat, or perhaps two, around there somewhere evidenced by the small bowl on the windowsill he continued to refill twice a day despite not being able to recall the last time he laid eyes on that fluffy creature.

Thanks for reading! If you like this story so far and want to read more, let me know in the comments! <3

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