Life isn't right without your family.
Troy soon figured that out.
He found himself at his lowest point, waiting around in an old, dusty apartment room in the middle of the night. It was filled with dirty air and a slight smell of must. There were old fingerprints on the sliding glass door to the balcony, from Talon staring out the window when he was about a year and a half. Talon's toy box was abandoned by the hallway, although it had been abandoned for months earlier. Easy Mac and Chicken Nuggets were left untouched in their places, waiting for that little boy to one day chomp on them. But, the chicken nuggets were freezer burned and the easy mac cheese was outdated.
Everything seemed worn out. Even Troy.
He hadn't been to a party or a club in four days and was dying to go. Although he was wasting himself with tons of his stocked up alcohol, he was about to run out, and he vowed that when he ran out, he would stop.
But for now, he had a flask of whiskey and was going at it.
Motionless on the couch, he began to realize that things weren't turning out very good. The worse could happen. Not getting kicked out on the street, not losing his friends, not talking to his parents, but losing the two best things that had ever happened to him.
Talon and Gabriella.
He hadn't lost Gabriella. She was there with him, 24/7. She wouldn't leave, she wouldn't let his flame burn out, and she definitely wasn't going to let him lose Talon.
He felt like she wasn't there.
The very unfortunate had happened, but death had not found its way to Troy yet. Things were bad, but not dire. He had lost his job, his college career, his dignity, but still had not lost custody of Talon. Most of his life had gone down the drain, but those embers in the earlier fire still had a chance to be lit. Everything was lying on the game board in front of him; he just had to make the right move to win the game.
He still had a burning chance to make things right.
But how could he make things right? What were the first steps?
Stop drinking.
Get a job.
Provide a stable home.
Get Talon back.
Get back into college (if possible).
He wallowed in his own sorrow as he felt completely sorry for himself. Nobody was there for him, nobody wanted to help him. If they were there, they just dragged him deeper into the horrible mess.
Somebody needed to rescue his body from the burning flames.
But how could somebody rescue someone who didn't want to be rescued?
He flipped through a couple papers in front of him looking at the different amounts he owed to different places. $145.50 to the cable, $708.00 in rent, $445.98 to the electric company, more to the water, gas, sewage, garbage, money, money, money, money bills, bills, bills…
He couldn't take it.
He had also received 2 notices that explained is he should not leave the premises within 30 days, he would be forcefully removed and blah blah blah.
He didn't know what to do or how to do it, but he knew he had to do something or else there was a huge chance he would lose Talon.
He now knew he had hit rock bottom.
Sighing, he stood up and walked into his kitchen. His jaw dropped.
"Jesus Christ… Custody hearing is tomorrow… "
His finger traced a line along the certain days on the calendar in which his life would be a living hell. Literally. His fight for Talon wasn't a game. He could seriously end up hurting that little boy in the long run. It would cost him Talon and his own life, in which he vowed to himself to take it if he did not win Talon back…
The days of June were long; July was even longer. Those hot, steaming summer days when you can barely breathe are the ones that Troy hated the most. In the dead heat of summer was his and Talon's birthdays, on the same day. What a coincidence.
He loved Talon; there was no doubt. He wanted Talon before his birthday. Would he get him back?
He didn't have a sure answer.
But one thing he did knew.
He was going to try his hardest, even if it killed him.
Talon's heart would not be broken forever…