Read Online In the Nick of Time by Tiana Laveen - Free Book Online Page B

the awaiting earth.
    He shifted his gaze from side to side, until he released control and let the demons he’d invited party all over his mind, body and soul. They sure had a good time…and he watched from the sidelines. He watched the revolting creatures jump up and down on his chest, gnash their jagged teeth and tear him from limb to limb with their bare hands. He deserved it; he wanted it. He craved it more than pretty Patron, perfect pussy, and choice cocaine…
    “Yeah…”
    He grinned, his world turning black then blacker…
    Yeah, this is who I am. This is what I do…
    …And this is what I get…
    Monster… that’s what you are.
    Good job, Officer Nick Vitale, you should be so goddamn proud…

    Charles Mingus’, ‘Moanin’’ played as Taryn danced about in her small room, her bare toes sinking and rising in the thick, lime green shag rug. She’d gotten the privilege to decorate her room at Firststone Medical Center in Fresh Meadows, New York—an earned freedom and simple pleasure not bestowed to all. Frieda had winked at her in her sweet, understanding way, handed her a role of tape, and stated, “Don’t go overboard, but have fun.”
    The walls were now covered with framed jazz posters, a couple sketches she’d done and a few of her coveted magazine covers: Cosmopolitan, Glamor, and Elle, just to name a few. She’d also recently taken her two coveted mirrors out of storage. One mirror she hung herself, smack dab in the center of the room. It remained above her television, giving the illusion of depth in a space the size of a single molecule. The music always made it easier, made the capsule of reality go down smoothly. Today, the pointy pill had not been her sought-after pain relief. No. It had been a call from her mother. The woman had the best of intentions, but she remained in denial about the severity of her daughter’s addiction, and at times, Mom’s abjuration was simply too much weight to bear.
    “When are you coming home, honey? We miss you so much.”
    “Mom, I told you, I have to finish treatment longer this time. Those other times I left early, that wasn’t when the actual program ended. I’m not on vacation you know; this is no siesta.”
    “Taryn, that was uncalled for. Don’t speak to me that way. I’m just letting you know that I think about you all the time is all…”
    “I know.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Mom. It won’t be for a while though. I haven’t finished treatment. I’ve got to do this right. I can’t check out this time. I can’t bail on my own recovery.”
    “But you haven’t done anything in so long! I’ve been so proud of you. I have no idea why you are still there at this point. You’ve proven you’re okay now.”
    “Because the thoughts are still there, Mom. Doesn’t matter that I haven’t relapsed. I still want to use most days and until that changes, then I know I still have a ways to go. I may always want to, I don’t know, but I have to get to the bottom of it this time. I can’t afford to be wrestling with myself like this.”
    “Time waits for no one. Now that you’re in remission, you can take advantage, get back on top!”
    “Mom, I’m not exactly a top commodity right now, okay?”
    “Oh, hogwash! You’ve been so despondent lately. It’s not that bad.”
    “It IS that bad, Mom. Last time I decided to dig into my cookie jar, I didn’t wake up for almost twenty-four hours. Not only that, I have a criminal record now for writing fake prescriptions from my last go round. Thankfully, no one pressed charges…felt sorry for me I guess. Mom, it’s bad, okay? It’s real bad…”
    …And so the conversation went.
    She twirled around and around in circles, her big, shiny gold hoop earrings waving as she spun faster and faster to the beat, but farther and farther away from the pain. Swaying to the left and right, she drifted away from her agony but bounced right back in the center of it as she caught a glimpse of herself in the