Lethal Habit - Chapter Three
Chapter Three
When she got home, she felt strange, like something happened that she sensed but couldn’t quite articulate. There was a certain attraction to Erik, but a certain fear factor. These two emotions waged a war in her head as she wrestled with them. She decided to make some new friends and joined a book club. They were meeting in two days and the book under discussion would be ‘The Old Man and The Sea’ by Ernest Hemingway.
She purchased it and started reading. The story gripped her, and she finished it in short order. Suddenly she felt isolated and not sure of her direction. She had to figure out what to do with her life. Doubt began to creep in telling her that her dreams would never come true. ‘Get thee behind me Satan’ she said out loud.
The next day, she walked up to a bookstore in SoHo where the club met. As she walked in, she saw about ten people, the majority women, eating cookies and drinking coffee from a nearby table. She walked over to it and poured herself a cup and skipped the cookies. A woman walked up to her.
“Hi, I’m Ruth. I’ll be leading the discussion. I see you’re new.”
“Yes, I’m Nadine.”
“Welcome Nadine, we’re looking forward to hearing your reflections on the book.”
“Thank you.”
Soon, they all gathered in a semi-circle and Ruth spoke up.
“Who would like to comment on the central theme of the book?”
Nadine had something to say but wanted to see what the others said first
A young girl spoke up.
“I think it’s a struggle, a test of one’s own will to confront a huge ordeal and see it through to the end.”
“Very interesting observation Sylvie. Who else would like to comment?”
Nadine began to speak.
“The old man is trying to find his soul - the fish represents his unconscious desire to merge with something greater than himself and the struggle is accepting the challenge to realize that greater part or sink into the despair that confronts everyone who refuses to accept his or her calling.”
Nadine got up.
“I’m sorry, I have something important I must attend to. Thanks for including me in your discussion.”
She left as the others in a mild state of shock.
Ruth said, “Well, that was a really fascinating take on it. Does anyone wish to comment on what Nadine said?”
The room was silent. Everyone was deep in thought and reexamining their own lives. Someone spoke up.
“As for me, it made me want to look at what I’ve been doing and figure out if it’s really the right path for me. I feel something churning inside, a restlessness, a hunger for something more.”
The others nodded in agreement.