Running

the road grew tired on his old running shoes. two miles had gone by, and sweat now stained his already darkened shirt. he stopped at the corner, put his hands on his head, and looked around him. he had ran to try to escape. to escape and possibly, just possibly, take a look back at the prison and figure out how he was incarcerated.

but there were no floodlights searching for him, no prison dogs on the hunt. it was just him, a lonely person stuck between the doors of childhood and manhood, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.

four little words had changed his entire life. he instantly is drawn back to that night. the two of them were walking, him nervous and her nonchalant and happy. he sat her down on a bench by a fountain marked "caution: no lifeguard on duty." he had always questioned the need for such a sign. he was convinced that if a person needed a sign telling them to be cautious in a fountain then they deserve what comes to them.

he sat her down, and sat beside her. an eloquent speech was prepared earlier, but the words were jumbled, as if he was catching them from a centrifuge. he gave up on the speech, and knelt on the ground. he meekly formed the words, "will you marry me?" what followed was incredible joy, and the beginnings of a new life.

but what did this life hold? the ridiculousness of his previous dreams became clear: the life he wanted as a child wouldn't become.

he began to run once again- his thoughts had caught up with him. he ran faster than his normal pace, panting yet determined to make it to safety. he was always one to over-think, over-analyze, and under-plan. he could not let himself over-think this.

it wasn't that he was unhappy with his life's outcome- he was thrilled. but sometimes the best things in life are the most feared. a single man can fail at something and still survive, but a man cannot fail his family.

he will not fail his family. he will continue running until he had destroyed all doubt in his body.
he turned a corner, and began the long stretch on a road, ironically marked "Destiny".