Ordeal by Cheques

Aviles, Alexandra A.
Mr. Rodriguez
Pre AP English 1
17 September 2014
Lawrence Exeter Jr.: A Short Story
July 14th, 1931. I lie in my deathbed at 10:49 pm, thinking. It seems like just yesterday I was only five, with my whole life ahead of me. I remember my mother told me stories while I sat on her lap. She would make hot chocolate and I would listen to her talk. My favorite story always started the same way. On September 2nd, 1903, the day I was born. My mom went into labor a month earlier than expected, so it was a good thing that they already bought baby supplies. The only problem was my parents thought I was going to be a girl. My mother would laugh every time she spoke of this, but she always assured me afterwards that they both love me all the same, no matter who I turned out to be. They named me Lawrence Exeter, after my father. This was the last and only memory I have of my mom before she left us.
After my mother left, my dad got married to his job. Although he gave me everything I wanted, he barely paid attention to me. He enrolled me in the best schools, and gave me something not a lot of kids my age had: money. Money brought me to the top of the social hierarchy. Everyone at school wanted to be me. They gave me the attention I so badly craved from my father. But everything changed after I turned 18. My dad met Miss Daisy Windsor after I almost crashed into her car. She was young and beautiful; it was no surprise to why my dad took interest in her at first sight. My dad used to send letters while I was at Stanford. He absolutely spoiled her. They went on vacations to Hawaii and France, he bought her tons of flowers and jewelry, they stayed at the fanciest hotels and he even bought her a fully furnished house. He treated her like a queen. I was amazed at how much my father loved Daisy.
I used to get upset whenever I read my father's letters. I envied how he had a significant other who actually loved him for who he was. I used to have a lot of girls lined up to get with me, but all of them only stayed for a while. It was devastating when I realized that they only did it for the money, but never actually for me. Then I met Marie Wharton at the Cocoanut Grove Sweet Shoppe. I loved her the moment I laid eye contact. She was by far the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen. Her personality made her even more appealing. She allowed me to feel exactly how my dad felt with Daisy. I wanted to give her everything. She was my whole world.
As all my attention got devoted to Marie, the family company started to drop. It was not easy to plan a wedding and to save a company at the same time. I had to find lawyers and pay loans. It stressed me out and I needed an escape. That was what Tony Spagoni and Peter Vertizzi had. I met them at a local bar, The Bootery. They gave me 'medicine' that broke me free from all my problems. I was relaxed, even for just a while. It felt great.
The honeymoon stage for me and Marie went by fast. After that, it was all downhill. It turned out that Marie had always been like the other the women in my life. She never actually loved me. My feelings for her were so strong at the time that I was even willing to pay her to stay, but she declined. She only wanted the money promised in our wedding contract. She left right after. Her leaving, lead me to depression. I needed more of that medicine. It was my only solution. Everything was a blur right after. It all lead to me here, at the Hollywood Hospital. I woke up with wires attached everywhere in my body. My dad and Daisy were standing right next to me. I could tell how much they loved each other just by looking at them. It reminded me of Marie. Daisy saw my eyes watering and tried to comfort me. She told me that everything was going to be fine. I knew that she was lying. This was it. My life had turned full circle and this was the end. I looked at how stiff my dad stood. It was as if he didn’t care at all. I tried to breathe but I couldn't. It was already 12:59 am. I tried to say my farewell to both of them; Daisy broke out and started bawling. It hurt seeing her like this. I stared at my emotionless father. I tried to give him a smile but I was numb. I touched Daisy's hand before I shut my eyes. It was then that I heard a raspy cry, rough, almost like it came from a man, right before I blacked out.