“One day they will see the kind of person I am… One day I will show them what a powerful man I am.”
Jake Brown fixed his jacket collar and then ran his fingers through his curly hair.
“I miss Jennifer. If only she could see the love I have for her… She loves me, doesn’t she? No, probably not this man in the mirror.”
Jake fixed the scarf around his neck and then combed his mustache with his fingers.
“How can I show Jennifer how much she means to me? She needs to see that I’m the right man for her.”
Jake patted his hair down and then opened up his mouth to look at his tongue.
He then closed his mouth and starred at himself in the mirror, “this man that I see in the mirror? He isn’t right for anyone. Look at you. You’re weak and pathetic. You’re a nobody in fancy clothes.”
Jake pulled at the bottom of his jacket and gazed at his appearance once more.
“I think that I look rather handsome in this outfit. And I might not have a successful career but I’m kind and caring.”
“Kind? Caring? What are you going to get in life by being kind and caring? You have to be tough and take what you want,” Jake said.
“But Jennifer doesn’t like bullies.”
“Jennifer then wants a man who she can control,” Jake said.
“No, she is kind too. I just need to let her know how much I love her.”
“The only way you’ll be able to do that is if you listen to me,” Jake said.
“What can I do?”
“First of all, we need to get out of here,” Jake splashed a little water on his face.
“But how?”
“Pretend that you are sick and need emergency care. If you act sick enough then they’ll have to take you to the hospital,” Jake said.
“But, that’s deceiving.”
“How else do you plan on getting out of here? Jennifer isn’t going to wait around forever,” Jake said.
“That is true.”
Jake took off his jacket and tossed it on his cot. He messed up his hair and began to moan, “guard… I need help. I’m really sick.”
Jake knocked on the door and called for the guard again, “guard, I’m really sick. I need to go to the hospital.”
A staff member peeked in the door window, “Jamie, go back to bed. You were fine this evening.”
“But I’m sick and I think I have a fever.”
“Jamie, you tried this stunt last week. You’re fine. Now go back to bed,” the staff member said.
“See, you’re pathetic. No one believes you when you speak. Even you’re name is weak,” Jamie said as he again starred at himself in the mirror.
The End
I hope that you enjoyed this prompted short story. Each week a fellow writer/ blogger posts pictures to write something for. He writes a lot of good and interesting poetry. You should check him out sometime. Kevin's blog The Beginning At Last