Page 72 of A Night To Remember

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Don’t you know where that tunnel leads to?”

Jake shrugged. “Should I care?”

“I think you should, considering that tunnel takes you to the other side.”

“The other side? What in the world are you talking about?” Who was this man and why was he trying to stop Jake?

“The other side of life I mean.”

Jake paused. “Do you mean…if I walk into the light I’ll be dead?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. You don’t want to go in there.”

“What…what happened to me?”

“You were in a pretty nasty car accident.”

“So you mean….”

“Yes, your life is hanging in the balance. This is actually your subconscious, but trust me, going into that light will end your life.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

The stranger grinned. “Hell has nothing to do with my mission, but I can’t let you walk into that light.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I made a promise to someone very special a long time ago, and I intend to keep it. You can’t go anywhere.”

“Why not?”

“To keep my peanut happy. Besides, you have so much to live for. At this very moment, your friends and loved ones are gathered in the hospital praying for your recovery. You wouldn’t want to let them down would you?”

Peanut? Was this guy crazy? He snorted. “I bet Charlie isn’t out there.”

“Actually she is. Didn’t you hear her speaking to you earlier?”

“All I can hear is the beautiful music playing in that light over there.”

“You’re not even trying to fight, are you?” The man shook his head in what looked like disgust.

“What do I have to fight for? The one thing I believed in is gone.”

“So because of that you’re just willing to give up? That’s rather selfish of you.”

“You wouldn’t know anything about it.”

“I wouldn’t? I doubt that. I know a lot about disappointment actually. I’ll never have another chance at reclaiming the woman I love, but you have that opportunity and I’ll be damned if I allow you to throw it away.”

“Opportunity? What opportunity? She’s already made it clear I’m just a glorified sex toy to her.”

“Maybe she had her reasons for doing what she did, but you’ll never find out what those reason are if you walk into that light. Are you willing to abandon your daughter so easily? She’s a precious little thing. She’ll need her father in her life, don’t you think?”

At the mention of his daughter Jake realized how selfish he was being. “You’re right. I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly, but I feel this strong pull toward it. It seems to be sucking me in.”

“This is where you have to fight. You have to figure out how badly you want it.”

“I do want it, for my daughter’s—and Charlie’s sake.”

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