THE LIGHTLESS Character Profiles #7: Roy Carver
Roy was a hard-working husband and father, and had given up a lot in order to support his family. Making a living in Morrowtown in 1979 wasn’t a walk in the park, and Roy’s job at the post office wasn’t the most financially lucrative career. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fine job, and with it he was able to provide for his family, but he had been unable to move up in the ranks for going on two years now just before the events of THE LIGHTLESS. This is why he had accepted a job as an accountant in Voghill: twice the pay, twice the city, and the lovely fact that they could escape Morrowtown’s downward spiral.
Roy’s teenage son Jace had been diagnosed with depression a year ago, and had jumped medications twice now, before tapering off completely in order to maybe try a third. During this time Roy and his wife Weatherly’s already rocky relationship hit a dead end, and the two temporarily separated. They both had thought it best for their family, but not only did Jace get worse, the two of them did too. Both Roy and Weatherly had depression as well, and while they had been able to come off their meds, they had spent some time with therapists over the years, addressing some of their problems. Roy’s breakup brought up that suppressed depression, and Roy nearly turned to the bottle to cope—Weatherly was even nearer to breaking her hard-earned sobriety. It was thoughts of Jace that kept both of them from making their lives worse, to giving into the greyness that had fallen over them. Jace was everything to them, and always would be.
Roy had planned on sharing custody, and traveling back and forth from Voghill to Morrowtown, but instead he tried his damndest to make things work with Weatherly. After some tense meetings, and long discussions, the two came back together, and they were better than ever. It was as if they were in high school again—where they had met and started dating. And Jace was beyond thrilled, even while suffering with medication withdrawals. A new sense of hopefulness for the future, and his family back in one piece, Roy too wore a smile that he had become unacquainted with. He had been pushing away for so long, it was time to hold the people he loved closer than ever before. Nothing was going to break them apart again, most of all himself and his own selfish thoughts and actions.
