This is the prologue from one of my writing projects, a novela titled The Price of Life. I may post it in chapters here as I work on it.
Moonlight shines in through the window next to my bed. The clock on the nightstand says its just after two in the morning. I believe it. Im exhausted, but cant fall asleep. Beside me, my wife is breathing peacefully, a little smile on her lips as she dreams. I like to watch her sleep. No matter how hectic the day was, Allison always sleeps deeply. She has a gift for leaving her troubles outside our bedroom door. It is a gift I have often wished to share.
My day wasnt any more intense than usual, but I always have trouble falling asleep. For me, sleep is as alien as any world that might be found in the starlit sky above. I understand the reason for this, but there is little I can do about it. For most of my life, my sleep was plagued with the most terrible nightmares one can imagine. Because of this, I rarely sleep more than four hours a night. Those dreams no longer haunt me, but my body still hasn't adjusted to that.
I roll on my side and watch my wife. In my mind, I say a silent prayer that I will never lose her. If I did, Im not sure what I would do. She is not just my wife, my lover, or my best friend. She is my world and the key to the life I choose to lead. She is my savior, as surely as Christians believe that Jesus Christ is theirs.
I dont say that to flatter her or make her seem more than human. I simply speak the truth. Allison saved my life, my heart, my mind, and my soul, and never asked for anything in return except my love. It was a price that I was more than willing to pay. After everything that has happened, I am still surprised that she chose to love me. She knows my darkest secrets and yet she either accepts or ignores them, preferring to focus on the person I am now.
As I think back on the things I have done, I wonder how I ever became the person I am now. It has been almost two years since I met Allison and I have changed so much. Its hard to reconcile the person I am now with the past. The things I did and the reasons behind them remain vivid in my mind, but they seem so foreign, so distant.
If anything, I think my story is about the power of love. I believe that love is the strongest force on Earth, and I have ample reason for that. My love for Allison, and hers for me, changed my entire destiny.
I lean over and kiss my wifes forehead. She smiles a little brighter when I do. Smiling myself, I roll onto my stomach and seek sleep once again. Perhaps if I tell my story, tell the world about the person I was and the person Ive come to be, I can lay my demons to rest and find the peace in sleep that my Allison does.