He went down to the kitchen to make coffee and took his cigarettes outside to the back porch. He lit one and could hear Sylvia complaining in his head. She didn’t like the fact that he smoked, but it was his guilty pleasure, and it calmed his mind.
He took a deep pull and exhaled the smoke slowly. He sat back in his favorite chair and watched the sunrise across the hill opposite the house. It was an extraordinary beautiful sight, and he was amazed at the beauty of nature.
Just after five-thirty Sylvia switched on the light in the kitchen.
“Are you up again love? I really think you might need a check-up, I’ll phone the doctor later to make an appointment.”
“I’m not going to the doctor Sylvia. It’s just a little insomnia. Nothing to be worried about.”
Sylvia looked at him and then kissed him on the forehead before going back upstairs.
Perhaps she was right. Maybe he did need to go and see someone.
Peter smoked another cigarette and sat for a while just reminiscing about life, before going back upstairs. Sylvia was fast asleep and only woke up when he emerged from the bathroom after taking a warm shower. He felt much more alert and dressed for work.
“Are you sure you’re okay love?”
“I’m fine Sylvia, stop faffing. I just had a bad night. I’ll come home early today and take you out to dinner.”
Sylvia smiled. “I would love that. We haven’t been out in a while.”
Peter kissed her on the cheek and went to fetch his keys in the kitchen.
He drove to work like every other morning, but in the back of his head, he felt as if he was losing out on something. At the office it was the normal routine stuff that made him feel depressed again.
He was so tired of doing the same stuff over and over again, and in fact he was bored. He needed a real change, but quitting his job was not an option. He had a good retirement fund, and he was not willing to give that up.
Perhaps he was just tired and needed a change of scenery. He made a mental note to look into some traveling agencies and take Sylvia on a trip.
The day went by without any major incidents and as he drove home, he knew that Sylvia would already be ready to go out by the time he arrived.
She was waiting for him on the porch when he arrived. He smiled at her, and she looked as stunning as usual. After all these years he could still feel his heart skip a beat every time he saw her.
Peter opened the door for her, and they chit- chatted while he drove to the new Italian restaurant in the city. They had an absolute gorgeous evening and he felt much more relaxed after a few glasses of Sangria.
The food was outstanding, and he tried to focus only on Sylvia. He tried to hide his feelings of despair and drank a little bit more than usual. When they arrived home, he took her into his arms and made love to her like the first time so many years ago. She fell asleep in his arms and everything seemed so perfect.
Everything was just too perfect. He couldn’t fall asleep and slowly crawled out of bed, careful not to wake up Sylvia. He grabbed his cigarettes and went outside to the porch.
He took the first drag and felt the calmness come over him. He smoked two more before he finally went back upstairs, and he was certain that he would go crazy if he did not take up a hobby or changed something in his life.
He needed something that would satisfy his soul, but he had no idea what it was.