"Hey....."
Max began to hear a voice that sounded like it was addressing him from his unconscious state, so he opened his eyes with a low groan and discovered the source of the voice earlier was actually the tow truck driver.
Seeing this, he adjusted his sitting position and spoke just before the driver could.
"What is it?"
"We're almost there," the tow truck driver replied, as Max immediately turned to look out the window to see that the driver was correct and they were indeed close to his area.
Max appears to have unknowingly fallen asleep, and because of the sleepiness that remained in his eyes after the driver woke him up, he did not immediately realise he was already close to his home, and given that he only gave the general area of his residence, it's no surprise the tow truck driver woke him up.
It had to be for directions, and Max was right because when he pointed in the direction he wanted the tow driver to go, the driver sped up the car.
The city of Grand Rapids is the hub of a diverse metro area that spans multiple communities and more than one million residents and in this big city, Max had the place he calls home located downtown in a place called Garfield Park.
The name is actually derived from Garfield Park which is a beautiful public park located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is one of the largest parks in the city and covers an area of over 100 acres. The park was established in 1911 and has since been a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.
So even though Max could stay there, it was still a high-end location.
While trying his best to give the tow truck driver directions as they got closer to his house, Max had neither the time nor the mood to appreciate the beauty of Garfield Park.
It was already getting dark and cooler than it had been two hours earlier because it was already evening.
Along with the cars that passed them, there were also other pedestrians, students, and adults returning from work in their vehicles, bicycles, and on foot from wherever they had come from.
Although Max wasn't in the mood to appreciate the surroundings, the bustling community made him feel at home, which helped to lessen his foul mood.
They finally reached his house after a few more minutes of giving the tow truck driver directions.
Nestled within the picturesque streets of Garfield Park, there was a house that stood out amongst the rest. From the outside, it may seem like an ordinary house, but upon closer inspection, it exudes a unique charm that sets it apart.
The house is a two-story brick home with a warm, honey-coloured facade. The brick is complemented by accents of cream-coloured trim that outlines the windows and door frames. A small porch sits at the front of the house, complete with a white railing and a few potted plants that add a touch of colour to the entryway.
Max lived here. The home that his mother had inherited from her grandparents as well as the montage he used to convince the bank to grant him a loan.
In a place like Garfield Park, Max could have sold the house for a tidy sum to pay off his debt quickly, but he chose not to do so because this was one of the small ways he used to think of her. He simply couldn't dispose of it in that manner. At least it hasn't gotten to that point yet.
Max finally said goodbye to the tow truck driver after offering to serve him a bottle of water from his house, but the driver graciously declined. They had spent a few minutes loading Max's broken-down car from the truck to the garage next to his house.
Max dusted his hands in an effort to get rid of the dirt he had on them from pushing the car into the garage with the tow truck driver before heading to his house and closing the gates of the garage by lowering the sectional door.
Entering the house, the first thing one would notice is the abundance of natural light that floods the space. The front door opens up into a cosy living room, with hardwood floors and a large window that overlooks the tree-lined street outside. The walls were painted in a soft, neutral tone that creates a calming atmosphere, while a brick fireplace added a touch of character and warmth to the space.
The kitchen was located just off the living room.
After closing the front door to his house a little hard due to his emotions, Max made his way upstairs to his room with the intention of charging his phone and was greeted by a hallway that leads to the bedrooms. The primary bedroom is spacious and bright, with a large window that overlooks the backyard. The walls are painted in a calming blue tone that creates a relaxing ambiance, while the hardwood floors and white crown moulding add a touch of elegance to the space.
According to his mother, his grandparents were quite wealthy in those days to build a home like this before they perished in an accident. It made one begin to seriously wonder if Max would pass away at a young age as well. Well he was already quite dead inside and was just breathing.
As Max tried not to think of depressing things, he decided to take a bath first before doing anything else as he made his way to the bathroom after connecting his phone to the electricity to charge it, but even as he tried not to think of certain things, Max couldn't help himself because it was really bothering him.
For one, he was always puzzled as to why his brother in particular had such a strained relationship with him. Given that they were step brothers, it was understandable if their relationship was awkward, but did their animosity really need to be so intense that he had to pay someone in order for him to lose his job?
He and Chris always seemed to run into each other for some goddamn reason, and today was by far the worst and biggest thing Chris had ever done to him.
Chris has paid people in the past to make his life difficult, but what he did today was much more advanced than what he had been doing before.
Although Chris and his family may have hated him because they apparently considered he was a bastard, this was excessive. Apart from Chris, even his other family members merely add to his difficulties by embarrassing him in public.
Chris made his life so difficult, and was it really just because they were step brothers?
While contemplating these thoughts, Max took a few extra minutes to cool off in the shower. Then, he got out of the shower, dried off, and changed into a fresh set of casual clothes and made his way to the desk he placed his phone on in his room before unplugging and turning it on.
Max only wanted to see the message his girlfriend should have sent in the morning before going downstairs to prepare something for himself to eat since his phone was obviously not fully charged but it did have power at this point.
Due to the fact that he had only breakfast before leaving for work today, he was quite hungry.
Max patiently waited for his phone to turn on and as soon as it did, he opened Facebook and went straight to the app's message section to check the message his girlfriend should have sent.
.....
Alice: I sent you a message on Whatsapp.
.....
Max was perplexed by the fact that she had only sent this one message, but he concluded that she preferred to use WhatsApp to her messages, so he closed Facebook, opened Whatsapp, and went to his girlfriend's contact.
There was only one message he encountered there; it was a voice note. It was odd that the message was sent just before he texted his girlfriend on Facebook, but he still listened to it despite his confusion. But if he had known, he wouldn't have.
"Alice; There's something I've been wanting to tell you and""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Am sorry but I can't continue Max. Let's end it."
As soon as he heard her final words, Max sluggishly dropped his phone on the desk next to him and sat down on the wooden chair near it. He then remained still for a while.