That Moment… When Darkness Falls

The Darkened Vaulted Revelations

In this adventure, a man and woman are enjoying a very close bond when a signal is sent by the woman. The man takes the words as harsh criticism and possibly attack on his character. The woman, unaware of the hurt she triggers, carries on as if nothing was the matter. To her, she just communicated her thoughts. To him, his relationship got put into the hot seat and he’s coming up very short.

The nature of the comment cut like a hot knife does through butter. The very notion of his emotional security is now in question. His chivalry in the balance, his understanding of right and wrong called in to question.

With no additional information to go on, the shock wave of the reported words reverberate and cloud his mind. Pain sears through and singes every artery. Fire of anger and retaliatory words crash into failsafe mechanisms, tripped up and bend to prevent a knee-jerk reaction. The foundation of trust shaken, the pillars of love slanted, the ideology of gentlemanly piety reworked and disposed into harsh criticism.

What was supposed to be an act of passion and love is now rejected as a defective weapon of mass destruction. There are rules that governs such confrontation. In the hierarchy of the corporate world, a subordinate who dares rattle off such an offensive mark on a superior is made an object lesson for all to see. But this is your honey that’s thrown you for a loop and made a mess of your plans as her boo.

Temptation to clamp down and exert dominance floods the veins. Iron will demanding retribution. But the higher functions of the brain demanding new data and time to calm down. This is not the time to over react or even react at all. It’s time to retreat. Take the loss. Go down for the team. Find refuge. But where…

The Vault.

It’s a small cold place that’s designed to protect his heart. Very useful when he’s single or in the heated battles of the social anarchy called school. By anarchy, we mean the place where bullies interject chaos in an otherwise highly ordered system.

The vault works great when you’re facing the world by yourself for yourself. It’s what allows many men to appear very calm and civilized when facing rejection from the women they approach for a date. Too many guys, who have no such vault, rely on their immature counter jabs to deflate and dehumanize a woman who rebuffs their approach.

While women have their network in which they can recount and rehash the silliness of men, many fellas don’t have such a socially accepted circle in which they lay down their hearts and sort out the complexities of women. The barber shop is not the ideal forum for that either… albeit a decent substitute.

The problem comes when the man feels he has to use his vault inside the lush garden of a beautiful trusting relationship. The concept of a safe haven is shattered. The shards wrecking havoc across the delicate sinews of his emotional connection to you. Never did he plan to have to resort to the vault to protect his heart from the woman he loves, yet here he is… standing at the gate… slowly retreating. The vault, which had not been used since the arrival of his lady, now eager to make up for lost time… swallows him hungrily.

All she sees… is his stiff upper lip. Stoic. Un-moved. All is fine. Yet, she feels shut out. To the world, he’s tough. He’s handled his business. He’s moving like a lone wolf. But little does this world understand, a wolf is at his best inside of his pack. The vault truly transforms him into a lone wolf. Delirium a significant risk, he succumbs to his internal dialogue. Everything gets questioned. Everything feels wrong. Life just ended as the door slammed shut.

Alone. Vulnerable. Protected.

He sits in his cramped vault.

Thinking.

Healing.

Wondering.

How did things go so wrong…

The Vault

Appreciate you for following this mini series. All the associated posts will be linked below on a dedicated page. Click on the image or title to get to the other pieces. Thanks for reading ”The Darkened Vault Poetic Series” trilogy.

Below is the entirety of the trilogy… as it unfolds… for those who want to re-read or binge once the set is done.