The Interlude

3rd in the 'Write As Rain 2014' competition

I shut the door of that dauntingly miserable place behind me. It was a hellishly intimidating experience. I feel abnormally unsteady as I make my way to the waiting room, a plethora of thoughts and possibilities causing havoc in my head.
I take a seat in one of the decrepit green chairs in the far corner, the cushioning squeaking under me as my exhausted body gives way after a seemingly perpetual ordeal. The man seated beside me clasps his hands together firmly. I wonder if he is awaiting his outcome, or possibly the results of a loved one. As I stare into the interchanging abyss of undefined space and reality, I come to the realisation that I, too, have an uneasy grip on my hands, a puddle of sweat forming in the crevices of my palms.
I feel drained. As I observe my surroundings, I can’t help but ponder regarding the fates of the mortals in my vicinity. Are they companionate to my distress? Do they share my anguish at the incidents to come? Is the unknown eating them up inside as it is me? The fact that a potentially life-changing fact was about to be unveiled to me was becoming painfully unbearable.
I attempt to occupy myself and my inundant mind which merely backfires on me as I catch sight of a young man, head hopelessly rested in his hands, tugging at the very hairs on his head. Will he be amongst those who are fortunate enough to be able to experience the liberty of life? I can only hope and plead and pray to God that I will not be him in a short period of time.
As the gradual procession of both nerves and horror at what could perhaps be my circumstance begins to get the better of me, I look outside the window in a pursuit to rid my eyes of having to witness such an upsetting predicament. I see a girl, a young woman more so, sporting a grin so vigorous it carries the power to extinguish my uneasiness for an instant. I smile as I silently congratulate her on her joy. She got lucky. Her family must be ecstatic.
After what seems like an era of arduous time passes, I see him.
I see the man that will deliver to me my fate.
I sense my blood pressure drop as I grip the sides of my roughly-quilted chair. His footsteps echo through the corridor like thunder on a stormy winter’s night. This makes me question if I will continue to spend those winter nights at home with my family.
I carry an almost certain instinct of the misfortune that is to befall me and I brace myself for the worst as he approaches me. He plants his feet on the ground firmly in front of me and my heart is determined to escape the fenced up enclosures of my chest as time stops.
“Mrs Riley,
You passed your driving test.”

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