I am taking the next two weeks off. I will post previously published stories on Wednesday and Friday this week and next. I hope you are having a great summer. Susan A. Culver
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Author Archives: Susan
THE GREEN EYED MONSTER
I admit I’m not an example of a perfect human being. I’m not without my flaws. I have a short fuse, and I’m a perfectionist. I never lie, not even to protect someone’s feelings. I can be blunt to the point of being rude at times. I am a busy person; I don’t have time to protect someone’s feelings. 
On the other hand, I am also generous to a fault. I am the person who will give you a place to stay if you need one. I’ll give you money if you find yourself in a fix, even if it’s my last dollar. I will stand up for you when you need a friend. But don’t lie to me ever, or you will find my boot on your neck. Figuratively, of course. Don’t cross me. I will seek my revenge. Oh, I almost forgot I am a jealous person.
I was kind of a shy person in high school. I didn’t date. I was always afraid of rejection. I lacked confidence in myself. That is until I was accepted into all of the colleges I applied to in my senior year of high school. I hit the ball out of the park when I took my SAT tests. I got the highest score possible, 1,600. I have to admit even I was shocked. Although, to tell the truth, nobody but nobody prepared themselves more for the SAT test than I did. I studied night and day and didn’t go out on weekends or during the summer. I didn’t date. I didn’t have time for a social life.
And all my hard work was rewarded in Spades when I was accepted at all the colleges I applied to. And they were all top-notched schools. I have to admit I had felt a little bigger, and so did my ego. I knew that when my college career began, I was going to excel there as well. I didn’t have to get a job because I got a full ride for four years of college. And one of the benefits I hoped to enjoy was my pick of the most beautiful undergraduate women I met.
I looked forward to the first day I walked across the campus. And I couldn’t believe how many beautiful co-eds were there. I knew I still had to work and study to continue my success. I knew it wasn’t going to be handed to me. But, I made a promise to myself that I, Joseph P. Harding, would graduate at the top of his senior class walking hand in hand with the most beautiful female in my graduation class.
It wasn’t going to be easy because I knew I would be working and studying almost every minute of the day. When I wasn’t in class. I kept my eyes open at all times, searching for that perfect partner. And then, one day, it happened, I saw her sitting across the room. She had long, red hair and blue eyes the color of a cloudy sky. A killer smile and a laugh that garnered everyone’s attention. It was like music to my ears. I knew, just knew she was the one.
I had to find a way of getting to know her without seeming too obvious. And by the end of the class, a solution was handed to me. When the professor said, you are going to have a project that would have to be completed by mid-term, and we were required to have a pardner. Can the person sitting at the front of each aisle please come up and get these handouts for each person in your aisle? The handout will explain the project and its perimeters.”
And I thought, ah-ha, that’s it. I’ll ask her to be my partner. I would find out if she would be the perfect fit for me. I wanted a woman that was not only beautiful but intelligent, quick, talented, and interesting. And whose focus was on being as successful as I was. And who knew what her goals were, not just immediate goals, but long-term goals.
And then I heard the professor calling out my name and telling me my partner was Helena Cox. And then, she asked us to both stand up and introduce ourselves to our partners and the class. And low and behold, the future love of my life stood up, as did I. Helena stood up and said it in a clear, beautiful voice. “My name is Helena Cox. I’m happy to meet you all.”
And then I stood up and said, “Hello, my name is Joseph P. Harding. And it’s privileged to meet you, Helena. I look forward to working with you and getting to know you.” I heard a few snickers from some of my classmates after my comment. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so transparent. I would have to be less transparent in the future. My face got a little red. But I promised myself I would be more careful in the future. The professor said, “please make plans to meet after class and discuss your topic and divide the workload. I don’t want any one person to be doing all the work. Is that understood?”
And everyone mumbled, “yes, sir.”
The professor said, “what did you say? I can’t hear you.”
And we all yelled out, “yes, sir.”
As I was leaving class that day, I felt someone tug my sleeve, and I turned in that direction, somewhat annoyed. I didn’t want to be late for my next class. I said, “yes, what? I don’t have a lot of time.”
And I turned and saw that beautiful face looking at me with those eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound so rude. I just can’t stand being late. It starts the class off on the wrong foot, doesn’t it? I’m on my way to Introduction to Freshman Literature. Where are you going?”
“Oh, that’s funny. That’s my next class too. Do you mind if I walk with you?”
“Mind? No, not at all. Sorry for seeming so abrupt. Let’s go. We can discuss any ideas we have for our project.”
“Well, there’s the library on the left. Why don’t we stop in there and read over the handout? We still have about twenty minutes before the next class.”
“OK, but I don’t want to be late. Oh, sorry. I just hate being late.”
“It’s OK, I don’t like to be late, but it should only take a couple of minutes.”
So, we went into the library and took the two closest empty seats. And we scanned the hand-outs. Helena was a faster reader than I, and she said, “oh, I think I have an idea already. How about if we write the report from an observer’s point of view? As if they were there observing it firsthand. What do you think?”
“I think that is a great idea. How about exchanging emails and phone numbers? And then we can think about it overnight and then talk about it when you have a free period this week.”
“That’s a great idea, Helen. I have Wednesday, third period open. How about you?”
“Wow, that is really a coincidence, Joseph. I have that period open as well. It’s almost like fate wanted us to work together.” And I gazed into her eyes.
She looked at me and then looked away. “Well, I don’t know about that. but it does seem like good luck.”
“Everybody calls me Joe.”
“OK, Joe. I’ll see you then.”
The rest of the day, I had difficulty concentrating. My mind kept flashing back to Helen. I knew it wasn‘t a good idea to start focusing my attention on a girl I hardly knew. When I needed to keep my energy on school and moving forward. But there was something about her that drew me to her.
On Wednesday, Joe had trouble concentrating on any of his classes. He kept obsessing about meeting Helen at the library during the third period. The third-period bell finally rang, and Joe all but flew out of his chair and out the door to the library. He made a pit stop at the men’s laboratory to check his hair and use the bathroom.
When he arrived at the library, he peaked in the door to see if Helen had arrived. He could see her sitting at a table in the back of the room. There were several people sitting there already, but there was still one empty seat. He had hoped that he could get some alone time with her. This was going to make it more difficult for him to ask her out.
Joe walks nonchalantly to the table. Then he notices the guy touch Helen’s arm. This immediately set off alarms in his head that he didn’t know what to do. His first impulse was to knock the guy’s hand off her arm. But he managed to get hold of himself at the last minute. Joe took a deep breath and then walk over to Helen and said, “hello Helen, do you still have time to talk to me about the project we have to work on together?
“Sure, by the way, this is my boyfriend, Charles. He is a year ahead of me. So, he has been showing me the ropes and all the professors. And he knows about all the great places to go in the area. I’m sure he would be willing to share the info with you.”
Joe’s jaw felt like it fell to the floor when she said, “boyfriend.” And he almost shouted, boyfriend, out loud. He was so relieved that he managed to control himself at the last second. What he did say was, “oh, you didn’t mention you had a boyfriend.”
Helen stared at him blankly for a moment and said, “well, there wasn’t any reason to. we are just working on a project together. We don’t even know each other. We just met in class the other day.”
“Oh, sure, of course. Sorry. Do you have time to discuss our project?”
“You know Joe; perhaps it might be better if you and I found other partners. I don’t think this is going to work out. I’m going to talk to the professor about it right now.” Then Helen leaned in and gave her boyfriend a kiss.
Joe’s face turned bright red, and he felt like he was going to explode. He abruptly turned away and walked out of the library. He decided he better go outside and take a walk until he calmed down. This was not the first time something like this had happened to him. He had a tendency to get carried away. And believing that girls liked him just because he liked them. And then he would get very angry when he realized they didn’t. And the one time he did have a “real” girlfriend, he didn’t trust her and would stalk her wherever she went.
Eventually, the parents of the girl made a police complaint about him. And he was forced to take counseling and wasn’t allowed to go near the girl again, or he would be arrested. He had been warned about this behavior, but he didn’t seem to have any control over his feelings. He felt overwhelming jealousy whenever he was attracted to someone and expected those feelings to be reciprocated, but they never were because he became so possessive.
Joe sat down on a bench, trying to calm down. He decided he just needed to give Helen more time, and she would come to care about him the same way he felt about her. He decided he was going to clandestinely follow her and then gradually bump into her once in a while until they became friends. And she would come to realize that she really did love him as much as he loved her. And she would dump her loser boyfriend. And then they would end up together forever. He just knew it.
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THE LETTERS
I received a call last night. I was informed that my father had passed away. And I had a week to clean out my father’s apartment, or all his worldly belongings would be disposed of in the nearest dumpster. I knew this day was coming, but I kept putting off the unpleasant task of emptying my father’s place of whatever meager things my father had left behind. 
My father and I had lost touch long ago. After my mother passed away suddenly fifteen years ago, my father just disappeared after her funeral. I never heard from him again. My parents hadn’t lived together for years. And when they did live together, every day ended with them yelling and screaming at one another. When I was a kid, I thought everyone’s family was like ours. I can’t remember a time when they were happy together. I never brought my friends over to my house. And once I became a teenager, I made it my goal in life to spend as little time at home as possible.
The day I graduated from high school, I got on a bus and never returned to my hometown. I called my mother occasionally and let her know that I was alright. But I didn’t give her my address. Since I didn’t want my father to show up at my door unexpectedly. Looking for a handout, or worse yet, drunk and angry at the world and wanting to take it out on me. Like he did when I was a kid, I was his punching bag. I never wanted to see him again.
I had difficulty locating my father when my mother died of a heart attack when she was fifty-six. Finally, I was able to get in touch with an old friend of his who still occasionally kept in touch with me. My father and I used to go to the track together to bet on the horses. And they played cards for money. My father was a gambler, and his favorite place in the world was the casinos in Atlantic City.
Anyway, the night I called him, I said, “Hello, dad, it’s me.” And he answered,”what do you want?”
“Want, I don’t want anything from you. I doubt you have a pot to piss in any way. I’m calling to let you know that Mom died on Friday; she had a heart attack. I thought you might want to know. Anyway, the funeral is being held at Brown’s Funeral Home since Mom hadn’t been to church in years. It will be at 10:30 in the morning.”
“Well, you didn’t give me much warning, did ya?’ I don’t know if I can come. I’ve got my own life to live, you know. I just can’t drop everything on a dime .”
“Dad, like I said, she died suddenly, and I had trouble finding you. Your friend, Freddy Myers, finally was able to track you down, and he gave me your phone number. It’s up to you whether you want to come or not. It doesn’t make any difference to me one way or another.” And then I slammed the phone down. And hope I will never have to see or hear that old scoundrel again as long as I live.
Anyway, he showed up at the funeral late, but not too late. He looked rough. He had a suit on that looked like he picked it up at the local thrift store. But at least he made some effort. If I had met him on the street, I might not have recognized him. He looked like he hadn’t eaten a decent meal in years and spent his time drinking night and day. It kind of made me feel bad, but he lived the life he wanted, and there was no changing the past. I walked over to him and offered him my hand to shake, and he looked down at it like it was a rattlesnake or something. I said, “Hello, dad, I’m glad you came. Why don’t you go up and say your goodbyes to Mom. You did come all this way. I wouldn’t want it to be for nothing.“
And then he turned and headed towards the casket where my mother laid. My father stood there in silence, and then he reached down and touched her hair and hand. I saw his shoulders rise and fall, and I could hear him sobbing quietly. I felt a tear slowly make its way down my cheek and fall to the ground and then another followed.
My father turned and walked slowly out of the chapel and out the front door. He never turned around and waved goodbye or anything. He just walked out of my life again, probably for the last time. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. A friend of mine came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. He held me for a moment, and then he stepped back. He looked down, and then he said, “it’s hard to lose a parent even if they weren’t the best parent. They were the only ones we ever had. Come on, why don’t you come over and say hello to some old friends from high school. It’s been a long time.”
I never heard another word from my father. I had no idea how he kept body and soul together all those years. I never married for fear that I would just repeat the mistakes my parents made. And god forbid bring children into the world to suffer the same empty, lonely childhood I had.
And the next time I heard anything about him was the night I received a call that my father had passed away, and he had left my name and address, and phone number to contact upon his death. I have no idea how he knew where I lived or how he got my phone number. In a way, I was relieved that I had heard about his passing. It gave me some peace of mind that he wouldn’t show up at my door someday. And also, I could finally put the past behind me. Anyway, I told my father’s landlord that I would be over that next day to clean out the place and take my father’s belongings away. I wasn’t looking forward to it, not at all. I was dreading it. But I knew it would finally close this unhappy chapter of my life, and I could finally move on.
The next morning I woke up at the crack of dawn. I kept obsessing about having to go to my father’s place and how it would bring all the bad memories back to haunt me. It turned out he only lived about an hour and a half away from me. When I arrived at his address, I looked up and down the street, and I thought what a terrible place for someone to live the last years of their life, all alone. There was trash up and down the street on the curb and blowing up and down from one nasty, sad place after another. There was a homeless man asleep or high or dead lying next to the door of my father’s building. I couldn’t help but wonder if my father had ever slept on the curb after he went on a bender.
I stepped around the homeless man and walked up the steps, and rang on the door to be let in. No one answered, so I tried the door, and it turned out it wasn’t locked. So, I just pulled it open and stepped inside. The smell was horrendous. There was trash up the steps, and one step had what looked like blood on it. I took a deep breath and made my way carefully up the steps to the second floor of my father’s place. The door was locked, so I had to go down the steps again and knock at the door that said, Superintendent of the building. I almost laughed aloud, thinking this dump has a superintendent. It didn’t look like anybody had cleaned this place up since the depression. I rang the bell, and a middle-aged, balding fat man answered. He said, “Yeah, what do ya want?” I told him who I was and that I was here to clean out my father’s apartment. You called me yesterday. “Oh, yeah, that’s right; here’s the key. Go ahead and bring the key back when you are done. Your father was in apartment 2 B; he lived here for a long time, never had any trouble with him.” And then he slammed the door in my face.
I made my way to the apartment. I unlocked the apartment and stuck my head into the room. I don’t know what I expected. But I was surprised to see it was clean and neat. There was an older TV, a raggedy but clean couch, and a single bed that was stripped clean of sheets and blankets. I looked into the bathroom. It was also clean and neat. I thought I must have the wrong room. My father had never been clean or neat. He had never picked up his clothes and hung them up. He had just thrown them on the floor and yelled at my mother, get in and clean up this mess. Before I make you sorry.”
I looked in the drawers, and there were some clothes all neatly folded. I looked in the closet, and there was an old suit. I think it was the same one that he wore to my mother’s funeral. There were a couple of pairs of shoes. All that had seen better days. I looked up, and I saw a wooden box. It was the nicest thing in the whole place. I took it down from the shelf and looked inside. There were old letters inside the box. And they were in my mother’s handwriting. And there were several in my father’s handwriting. I was so shocked that I almost dropped the box.
I decided to go sit on the couch and read the letters. They were addressed to my father and the dates indicated that they were written before my parents had gotten married. I was shocked. I knew nothing of my parents’ lives before they got married. I began to read the letter with the oldest postmark. It was a love letter from my mother to my father. In it, she declared how much she missed my father and how much she looked forward to being reunited with him again. And how she knew they were going to have a wonderful life together.
I was absolutely flabbergasted. My mother and father were once deeply in love? I felt tears run down my face. I looked through the letters for the last post-marked letter. It was from my father. He wrote to my mother that he had been injured and would be coming home soon because he wouldn’t be able to continue to fight any longer. Since he had suffered some severe injuries. He told her he was no longer the man he used to be, and maybe she should find someone else.
The next letter was from my mother saying that she loved him dearly and she wanted him to come home to her and she would help him recover. She would wait for him, and she didn’t want anyone else. And she ended the letter with, “I will wait for as long as it takes, and I will love you forever.” And she signed it, “all my love, I will be waiting for you for as long as it takes.”
I could hardly believe my eyes and understand the words I had just read. I know I would spend the rest of my days trying to understand what went wrong between them. And wish that they had experienced a better life together than they had. I can only imagine that my father had suffered both physically and emotionally from whatever he suffered during the war. I felt broken-hearted for the young couple they must have been and the unfortunate life they lived after his return. But in the end, I was happy to find that at one time, they had been in love and hoped to have a happy life together, but I felt sorry that it did not work out the way that it should have. That is what happens in life sometimes. Our plans for a happy and fulfilling life doesn’t always turn out as we hope it will. I held the letters next to my heart for a few minutes. I slipped the love letters back into their box, and I knew that they would forever remind me that life is short and to make the very best of it that we can. And if we find someone to love and who loves us back, we should never let it go.
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THE MASKED BANDIT
It’s early Spring, and I’ve recently planted all the vegetables that I had started in my greenhouse outside. I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to eating freshly picked vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.
Every morning I walk outside filled with anticipation, loving every minute of the hard work, the heat, the rain, the weeding. And watching the bees slowly buzzing over the plants and landing on the flowers that have recently bloomed. I imagine the bees are in some sort of drunken stupor from the overwhelming array of smells as they hover and land
so lightly upon the plants that surround them.
I take a deep breath. I feel slightly lightheaded. Even though I have gardened almost the entirety of my adult life, I still feel the same joy I felt the first time I saw a plant growing and peeking out from the earth that was merely a tiny seed ten days before.
The time flew by in what seemed moments, and I saw some of the watermelons growing larger by the day. I could almost taste their sweet nectar upon my lips. Every day that passed drew me closer to that moment when I could enjoy the fruits of my labor. And then the horror began.
One Saturday morning, I stepped outside on my screened-in porch, and I saw what appeared to be one of my watermelons in the middle of the yard. But how could that be? How in the world could that happen? This was the very watermelon that was so close to being ripe. It was huge. How could anything but a human being pick it up and carry it out into the middle of my yard? And then abandon it. What kind of warped individual would commit such a crime against nature, against me? Who, who would do it? I could not imagine.
We live in a small community with only about twenty homes. And my neighbors made a practice of keeping to themselves. They rarely even pass the time of day if they see you outside in your yard. I was lucky if they even waved. After six years, I only knew the names of a few of our neighbors.
I slipped my gardening boots on and ran out into the yard in my pajamas I hadn’t even put on my gardening clothes. I was in such a shocking state of mind I forgot I hadn’t gotten dressed yet. I felt as if I was looking at the remnants of a murder committed in my own backyard.
I ran through the wet grass. It had rained heavily the night before. And looked down at my fallen watermelon. And it had huge bites taken out of it. I could not comprehend why anyone would do such a thing. It was bad enough that he or she would steal from my garden. But, to then take bites out of it and then leave it to rot in the middle of my backyard was impossible to take in. I was baffled.
I felt such anger well up in my heart in mind. I felt my temples throbbing, and my face felt flushed. The only time I felt this angry was when I was in my last year of college, and my teacher told me that my latest story was the work of a person who had no clue how to write or had any creativity. He failed me for the semester, and I had to retake the course. And then one of my classmates told me that self-same teacher just had a story published in a magazine. And it was almost an exact copy of my story word for word.
This is how angry I felt today. Someone had taken one of my creations that I worked and sweated for and destroyed it, desecrated it. I silently promised myself that I would seek revenge on whoever was responsible for this crime against nature.
When I returned back to my house, I called up my best friend Beth and told her the whole story. She listened quietly without interrupting. And then she said, “.Elizabeth, try and calm down; you’re going to have a stroke if you don’t calm down. Try to put this in perspective. It was just a watermelon. I’m sure that you planted more than one. I know how much you love gardening and look; the fruits of your hard work are like children to you. But think about it, you were going to eat it. And there will be another melon to take its place.”
“What? Just another watermelon. How can you say that? I planned my garden all winter. I spent hours and days preparing the soil, planting the seeds, watching them, and watering them. “
“You’re right, Elizabeth, but what’s done is done. You just have moved forward. Try not to let this affect you so much. Try to move forward. Maybe you could put some kind of net over the garden to prevent further damage.”
“You’re right, Beth. I will have to find a protocol to prevent this from ever happening. I will set up traps all over my yard if need be.”
“OK, don’t get carried away. You can be injuring any of your neighbors because of a watermelon, Beth.”
“Alright, I won’t harm anyone, but I will certainly put the fear of god into them if it’s the last thing I do on earth. I will make them regret the day they came into my yard, my garden, and designated it.”
“You are still sounding unhinged; go in your house, get a shower, get dressed, and eat some breakfast. Maybe your blood sugar is too low. And then call me later, maybe we could go out to dinner and a movie later. Take your mind off of the watermelon. Call me after your shower, and we’ll make plans, OK?”
I called Elizabeth later, and she wasn’t home. I left her a message and said I was calmed down and that maybe we could make plans for later in the week. I decided that I would have a surveillance system put on the exterior of my home, and I would find out who the culprit was. And when I did, I would make them regret the day they were born. The next day they arrived bright and early and set up the surveillance system. I could watch my yard anytime I wanted to, and somehow they had connected it to my cell phone, and I would be able to check out my yard 24 hours a day if need be. I was stoked.
If there were any signs of someone on my property, I would receive a message on my cell phone. For five days, there was nothing. But I remained on edge. I had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I was confident that whoever it was would return to rob me again. And so I waited and waited for something, anything to happen.
And then, on Sunday night, as I was sleeping soundly in my bed, my cell phone went off with a high-pitched sound that woke me from the first sound sleep I had had in almost a week. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I did jump out of my bed and looked out my back bedroom window that faced my garden. I saw nothing. It was pitch dark.
So, I put on my shoes and my robe to protect myself from the mosquitoes and headed out the back door. And low and behold, I saw someone or something moving. But, it was too small to be a human. What, what could it be? And then I saw four or five smaller shapes moving behind the larger one. Good lord, what could be going on? I couldn’t fathom it. I slowly moved toward the moving shapes. Trying to be as stealthy as I could, considering my size.
As I got closer to them, I pulled my small flashlight out of my pocket and shined the light on the moving shapes. And when I did that, I saw one large and five sets of smaller eyes glowing red in the dark night. The larger of the group stood up on his hind back legs, and low and behold. I saw before me a Raccoon. The largest one I’ve ever seen. Behind her were five smaller versions of her, baby raccoons.
They looked eerie in the flashlight, and as soon as they saw me, the mother raccoon made a weird squealing noise, and they all took off like bats out of hell towards the back fence. And off they went. If they ever returned, I saw little evidence of it. Every once in a while, there would be some missing vegetable but never a watermelon again. I decided I was willing to part with the odd vegetable or so. She did have a family to feed, after all.
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TIME GOES BY MAKE THE MOST OF IT
TIME GOES BY MAKE THE MOST OF IT
We’ve been planning the fishing trip since last Fall. I was really excited about it. Believe it or not, I’ve never fished before. And I was looking forward to a new experience. I don’t eat fish which makes it even weirder I guess.
But the fact is I haven’t had a vacation in years and god knows I need one. I’m worn out from the daily grind and the long train ride into the city every day. The noise, the crowds, the non-stop pressure every day.
I haven’t seen my friend Mildred in years. Actually, now that I think about it I haven’t seen her since the year we graduated from college. We both attended Temple University. I majored in Art Education and she was an Art History major. She has been asking me for years to go camping and fishing with her. She spent every summer of her childhood living in a cabin out in the woods and fishing and swimming. In fact, in college, she swam competitively. Why she’s practically a fish herself.
I’ve never been much of an outdoorsman or should I say outdoor’s woman. In fact, I wasn’t even a girl scout. I never slept outside or swam in a lake or fished. Never cooked hotdogs on an open fire or sang campfire songs with my friends. I spent most of my childhood sitting in front of the TV. My idea of an outdoor experience was walking downtown and buying a Slurpee or a donut at the bakery. I guess you could say I was somewhat of a sedentary kid.
Anyway, here I am in the middle years of my life and I received a call from my college friend, Mildred out of the blue. As soon as I picked up the phone and she said, “hey, Leona long time, no see, no talk. I am planning on going camping for a week and I would just love it if you came along. Just you and I like old times. What do you say?”
“Mildred, I can’t believe it’s you. The weirdest thing is that I’ve been thinking about you for the past few months. I don’t know why I didn’t just pick up the phone and call you. I can’t believe almost thirty years have gone by since we graduated from college. And that we are both fifty years old.
“Yeah, that’s kind of a bitter pill to swallow, getting old and looking older. But, hey I’ve still got a lot of life left in me. So, I was sitting here thinking about what can I do to celebrate the years I have left and stop mourning the youth I’ve left behind me. And that’s when I thought about you and all the fun we had together in college and what a blast we could have taken a trip together doing something we’ve never done together before. What do you think? Are you up for it?”
“Yes, I’m up for it, absolutely. Where did you have in mind, Mildred?”
“A great camping location, Nockanmixon State Park. There is swimming, hiking, biking, and fishing and they have affordable cabins to rent there. I haven’t been there since I was a kid but I loved it so much we used to go almost every year.
“Really, that does sound great. I’m afraid I’m a little out of shape so you’ll have to take it easy on me at first. When do you want to go? I’ll have to give my employers at least a couple of weeks of notice. But it shouldn’t be a problem since I haven’t taken a vacation in years. I guess I’m a bit of a workaholic and overachiever.”
“Well, I look forward to catching up. So, let’s make plans for the first week of June. It won’t be too hot, or too wet. And it shouldn’t be crowded that early in the season. How about giving me a call after you talk to your employer.”
“Wow, I’m really getting excited. I’ll call you as soon as I talk to my boss.”
“Great I look forward to hearing from you soon. And then I’ll make the reservations. Remember to bring hiking boots, make sure you break them in before you arrive, and comfortable clothes and warm pajamas because the nights there can be quite chilly in June. And you might want to bring a sleeping bag. There’s a small grocery store not too far from the camp so after we meet up, we’ll go get food and anything else we might need. I hope I’ll hear from you soon. “
“Well, Mildred hearing from you has really lifted my spirits. I was feeling like I was in a rut. This is going to be great. I’ll call you as soon as I arrange the time off. Bye for now.” And that’s when I heard her hang up and I remembered that Mildred hated saying goodbye. I wondered if she was still the same old Mildred I knew in college or if she had settled into her middle years. I hope she was the still wild, funny, and intelligent Mildred I knew so long ago. My heart was beating so fast, I haven’t had anything to look forward to in so long. I couldn’t wait.
But before I knew it the weeks flew by and it was the day before I left to go on the camping trip with Mildred. I wondered if I would even recognize her. I checked and rechecked everything in my bag and in the trunk. I had purchased hiking boots and I had worn them almost nonstop since I bought them even to work. Every day one of my fellow workers made fun of me because I was wearing hiking boots with work clothes. But I just ignored them. I knew, in the end, I would appreciate breaking them in so my feet wouldn’t be killing me the whole time we were camping and hiking.
Six and a half hours later I arrived at the entrance of the Nockanmixon State Park. I called Mildred a half hour ago and told her when I would be arriving. I pulled into a parking spot out front. and I could see a middle-aged woman frantically waving at me. I waved back. I hoped it was Mildred but it was hard to believe because the woman I was waving at hair was completely white. The closer I got to her the more I saw the resemblance to my old friend. Albeit a bit older looking, but no doubt the same in every other way I hoped.
I opened up the gate and Mildred came running over to me and gave me the biggest, tightest hug I’ve had in ten years. And then she stepped back and looked me up and down and said,” I would have recognized you anywhere. A little older, but wiser no doubt. I’m so glad you were able to come and spend the week with me. You can not imagine how much I’ve been looking forward to this trip.”
“Well, Mildred I could say the same of you except for that beautiful white hair. Only you would be improved by aging. You look fabulous.”
“You are a sight for sore eyes, Leona, a sight for sore eyes. I have thought of you so many times over the years. I wish I had called you before. But we’re here now and that’s all that matters. Well, let me direct you to our cabin. It’s just a short walk from here. Why don’t you grab your stuff and bring it with you? After we spend some time getting reacquainted we’ll take a short drive to the store and buy whatever we need.
Mildred kept a running commentary while we hiked up to the cabin which turned out to be a little further than I anticipated. And I was a little out of breath when I arrived. I guess I was a bit out of shape since I got very little exercise at my job unless you call rolling around on my chair in my office adequate exercise. I was silently getting anxious about all the hiking we would be doing.
“Leona, you’re awfully quiet. Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m alright. It was just a long drive and I had trouble falling asleep last night since I was so excited about coming here. I guess I’m a little out of breath too.”
“Oh, well we’ll take it easy the first couple of days until you get your sea legs so to speak. And then we’ll take some more difficult trails. This is going to be so much fun. “
By the time I saw the little cabin come into view I was completely winded and sweating. I had never been so happy in my life as the moment that cabin came into view. I said out loud, ” thank you, dear god, we finally arrived.”
Mildred took a look at me and laughed. “We here now so you can take a rest. I also packed us a little lunch and brought some drinks with me in the cooler. And then maybe we’ll bring our stuff into the cabin while we’re at it. “
“Ok, sure we should bring our stuff in now, eat and take a little nap, I’ll be a new woman by then and we can then go to the little store and pick up some groceries. It’s all good I’ll be fine by then.” And then we began lugging all our stuff into the cabin. “Excuse me, I have to make a quick stop at the lady’s room.” When I came out Mildred had everything organized and was still brimming with energy. Alrighty then, why don’t you take a little nap, and I’ll take a little hike and get the lay of the land. What do you say?”
“I say, sounds like a plan. I’ll take a little nap and you go check things out. Be careful and don’t go too far. I’ll see you in a little bit. I’m sure I will be feeling fine by then. I turned and walked into the door on the right and laid down on a twin-size bed with my feet hanging over the edge. And I fell immediately into a deep sleep. When I woke up I had brain fog which happens every time I take a nap in the middle of the day.
When I woke up I didn’t recognize where I was right away. And then I remembered I was out in the middle of the woods with my old college roommate, Mildred. I thought it would do me good to go into the bathroom and throw water on my face. And then I went back out of the main room and looked around. It wasn’t a huge space but it was clean and neat. It looked like the couch was comfortable. The kitchen was small but well-equipped as advertised. Nothing in the fridge box of baking soda.
I called out to Mildred but she didn’t answer, so I walked over to the door and looked out. And there she was in all her glory. And believe it or not, she was chopping wood with an ax. I couldn’t have lifted up that ax and swung that ax if my life depended upon it. I said, “Good Lord” out loud. and Mildred says, “well, hi roomie. I’m glad you’re up and about. As soon as I clean up a bit we can take a ride to the little store I told you about. What do you say?”
“I say, all right, let’s be on our way shall we?”
“Yes, let’s and while we’re driving there we can catch up.”
We made our way over to Mildred’s car and hopped in. Well, I didn’t hop in, it was more like I flopped in. About twenty minutes later Mildred pulled into a parking spot in front of the smallest food store I’ve ever seen. But, I had quite a surprise when upon opening the door I saw shelves and shelves of any kind of food you would ever need or want. And the store owner called out,” we just got some fresh deer meat in this very morning.”
Mildred said, ” this is our lucky day Leona.”
“Sorry, Mildred, I have been a vegetarian for the past twenty-five years. I’ll stick with vegetables and grains and beans.”
“You’re kidding? Why do you used to eat more hamburgers than the whole dorm put together? And now you don’t eat meat, Leona?”
“Yes, that’s right, no meat, no eggs, no cheese, no milk, or any mild product.”
“Well, I would have thought you would be in better shape than.” And then she let out a big guffaw.
“Yeah, thanks, Mildred. I think I’ll take a look around at what’s available that I can eat.”
“Alright, Mildred. I’m going to order a pound of that deer meat. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Yes, Mildred I do. I ate meat for years.”
About fifteen minutes later. we were ready to check out. We split the bill and were on our way. In about twenty minutes we were back at the cabin. We brought all the groceries in and put them away. And Mildred made some ice tea and handed me a glass. And we both took a long drink and I thought now what?”
“So, Leona how about filling me in on what you have been doing all these years. Any husband in sight, kids?”
“Well, I got close a couple of times, but it just never happened. I can’t say I have any regrets I was never one of those women that wanted to have a husband and a house full of kids. I have a successful career and am about to become a partner in the firm I work for. I bought a townhouse about sixteen years ago and I’m quite content with my job and home. I have a lot of friends at work and we go out a couple of times a month for dinner. I have taken two cruises, one to Europe and one to South America. How about you?”
” Well, I was married for a couple of years, but it didn’t work out. He was something of a control freak and I have a tendency to be something of a loose cannon at times. Since I get an idea and my head and can’t stop until I do what I want to do. He didn’t like that and after a while, he started looking for someone else I found out about it and filed for divorce. He has since married again and has three kids and his wife doesn’t work. She’s a stay-at-home mom. Which is fine but not for me. I travel all the time with my job and am hardly home. I love my job it is challenging and I am in line to get a big promotion this year. to vice-president.”
Well, it seems like Mildred that we do have some things in common. And that we are both content in the lives that we have built for ourselves. And I’m happy to hear that.
“Me, too Leona, me too. We’re a couple of career women. But, let me tell you I think we both like to have some fun too. And that is what we’re going to be doing this week. We are going to swim, hike, fish, well, maybe you won’t want to fish but you can just relax and rest up for all the hiking we’re going to be doing. Are you up for a little hike today or would you like to wait until tomorrow?”
“Well, Mildred I vote for taking it easy the rest of the day and maybe reminiscing about our college days. What do you say?”
“I say, let’s. I was just thinking about Liz Beaumont a couple of months ago. And then the weirdest thing happened I ran into her. At Target no less. She and I were standing in line for prescriptions and she was in line in front of me and I was talking to the person behind me. And she heard my voice and turned around and yelled at the top of her voice, ” Is that Leona Peppard I hear? And I said, “Yes, it is.” And she came over to me and practically hugged me to death. Remember those hugs she gave us?”
“Oh yeah, I do. I swear one time she hugged me so hard she broke one of my ribs. God, what a character she was.”
“Anyway, after we got our prescriptions we decided to go have lunch together and we talked and talked for hours. Turns out she is involved in politics and is running for office. And she asked me to come and volunteer for her. And so, I’ve been doing that. It turns out that we are both Progressives and she has some of the same goals as I do. “
“Wow, you just never know what will happen to people. Do you remember Joey Santoni? I ran into him at a local bar. And guess what he was the bouncer? Can you believe it? He was athletic but I thought he was going to have a career in football. “
“You’re right, Leona. I never did get around to asking him what happened. But, he’s a nice gun. But, maybe he took too many blows to the head.”
“Well, you never know what’s going to happen in anyone’s life. I did hear that Marilyn Curtis was killed in a car accident on the interstate highway in Pa. a few years ago. You’re right you just don’t know what can happen at any given time. Life is short we should enjoy it while we can. Let’s talk about what we want to do this week, shall we?”
And they spent the next week, hiking, swimming, getting sunburned, and eating good food. They decided that they should get together for a week every year and take a vacation to a different exotic location. Next year they were going to go on a photographic safari to Africa since during their conversations they both talked about their love of photography. Their camping trip was a complete success and they both agree to get together after all these years was the best decision they have ever made.
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Forth of July
HELLO WRITE ON FOLLOWERS, I WILL BE TAKING THE WEEK OF F. HAPPY HOLIDAY.
SUSAN CULVER
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
It was the Fall of 1991 and we had just sold our home of fourteen years in Pennsauken, NJ, and moved to Pitman a small town in Gloucester County New Jersey. We were a family of four, husband, wife, and two children. The house we purchased was a Victorian house that was built in 1910.
It had originally been owned by a family called Sooy. One of the owners was a neuropsychologist and one wing of the house was used for his offices. We heard from our new next-door neighbors that Dr. Sooy only saw patients at night. The house was empty for eight years since its original owners had passed away. It had been neglected for many years long before the former owners passed away. It needed a great deal of work inside and out, starting with a new roof. The old roof had leaked for years and inclement weather over the years had caused damage to the interior of the house. We felt that we were up to the challenge. 
My plan was to utilize part of the house which was formerly used as a doctor’s office and exam room as an art studio to teach children and adults the basics of drawing and painting. I had recently graduated from Temple Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And I had earned a BFA in Fine Arts and a degree in Art Education. I was the only adult student to graduate that year and while my fellow students had attained the grand old age of twenty-one I turned forty. Going to college turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences of my life. It was hard work, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
And so our journey began. We began to do some repairs on the house before we even moved into it. The realtor who had been trying to sell the house for years helped us do some of the minor repairs that had to be completed before we went to closing. So that we could get a certificate of occupancy. We moved in the February of 1994 on my oldest daughter’s thirteenth birthday. But we had to wait until Spring to put a new roof on the house.
One of the first neighbors we met were Bob and Marie Batten who owned the house across the street from us. Bob Batten had recently retired from his dental practice and his dental offices were in his home. His wife had assisted him for many years. He was in his early seventies when we first met and we built a friendship that lasted for many, many years until his death. In fact, Dr. Batten became one of my first adult students. Marie was a dear friend as well despite the thirty-year age gap. I spent many happy hours with her learning about her life in Pitman and hearing all the township gossip from years gone by.
In fact, I made many friends in Pitman through The Art Room. Which was what I named my business. Many children who had an interest in learning how to draw and paint attended my classes for years until they graduated from high school. And many adults who lived in town did as well, even one of the town’s administrators. 
The neighborhood we lived in was a mixture of all kinds of people. Many of the people who lived on our street had lived there for decades. And they became some of my closest friends. Lois Fegundus who lived three houses away from me was an avid gardener. She was a retired school teacher, who talk Home Economics and had retired years before. Her favorite hobby was gardening and she taught me everything she knew. She shared her knowledge and her plants. Most of the flowers in the garden I created in my Pitman garden came from Lois’s garden. She had a great love of antique furniture and share her love of everything antique with me. I look back at all the hours I spent with her working in her garden as well as my own garden as the best hours and days of my life. And here I am in my own later years still happily gardening having benefited from her knowledge and generous heart. She passed away shortly before we retired and moved to North Carolina.
Of course, not everything in life smells of roses and daffodils. We had some downright awful neighbors. The Victorian house next door was owned by a man, Jack Fleming whose family lived downstairs and he rented the second floor of his house out.
His wife, Nina was friendly enough. I could never understand what she saw in him since he was eternally in a bad mood. She worked in a library and he sold real estate.
Jack’s tenants came and went fairly quickly because he refused to even consider putting a small window air conditioner in their apartment. And believe me, it is humid and hot, hot, hot in New Jersey in the summertime. So, his tenants would often stay a year and then move out. So, there was a steady stream of people moving in and out. Jack didn’t have any parking available on his property for the tenants. As a result, they always parked on our side street next to our house. One of the first tenants had an unusual hobby. He sang opera late into the night af
ter he got home from work.
The other tenant that sticks out in my memory is a family that lived on the second floor for several years. They used to eat outside on a picnic table and when they were done eating they would throw their trash over our back fence and into our yard. No matter how many times I told them to throw their trash in the trash can they threw it over into our yard.
After several years Jack and Nina sold their house to an investor. And he rented the whole house out top and bottom. I do not have the strength to think about all the people who came and went after that. As an example, one of the tenants who was living in the downstairs apartment decided to move out. They had a pet rabbit and they left it in the shed in the backyard, never to return. The new tenants saw me in my backyard and ask me what they should do about the rabbit. Their landlord said it wasn’t his problem. So, I suggested that they take it to the local animal shelter. It was late August and the shed was hot as hell, can you imagine?
The tenants in the house didn’t have enough parking space in the driveway and they would all park on the side of my house and come and go at all hours of the day and night often throwing their trash from their cars on my sidewalk. No matter how many times I ask them to take their trash with them and keep the noise down to a low roar when they came home in the middle of the night they just didn’t care. At one point one of the tenants invited a whole crowd of people to have a bar-b-Que in the backyard. I happened to be coming out my back door and saw them. I notified their landlord that he better keep his tenants in line or I was going to start calling the police and complain.
Soon after that these particular tenants moved away. Which honestly was a blessing. But, then I started worrying if even worse people could move in next door.
What happened next was the elderly neighbor, Mrs. Foot who lived behind us passed away and her house, a duplex was sold to a middle-aged couple. I went over to their house the following week and introduced myself to her and welcome her and her husband to the neighborhood. She had moved from New York City to our little town of Pitman. The first time I met her I introduced myself to her and welcomed her to the neighborhood she was originally from Brazil.
Over time we became friends and she told me she never learned to drive. I offered to teach her. I have to admit it was a scary experience since she seemed as if she didn’t know her left hand from her right hand. But eventually, she improved and got her driver’s license and her husband bought her a car so she was able to go places while he was at work. We were friends for a long time until my husband and I retired and moved to North Carolina. They came to visit us the first year that we lived there.
But the neighbor who will live forever as a bad memory lived across the street from our driveway. She was the neighbor from hell. Her elderly aunt formerly lived in the house and became ill and passed away. She inherited the house from her aunt. The house was in poor repair but it progressively went downhill after Susan Mullen and her family moved in. She had two teenagers when she moved in but within two years she had two more children a boy and a baby girl. They had different fathers. Susan Mullen was truly one of the worse mothers I ever had the misfortune to know and unfortunately live across the street from them.
Susan Mullen and her string of boyfriends had loud arguments late at night. She apparently had acquired a drug addiction and she had all kinds of scary people visiting her night and day. She left the child care of her two young children to her teenagers. Eventually, I had to report to DYFS that Susan was not only verbally abusing her children but physically. One day her son who was about five or six at the time was out in front of their house he had a child’s golf club and he was swinging it back and forth across the grass. I happened to be gardening in my backyard. She yelled at him to stop. But he didn’t right away. And she ran towards him and kicked him in the rear end with tremendous force and he flew about two feet in the air. I called the town police and reported the incident to DYFS.
I can’t say that thing ever got any better at Susan Mullen’s home. Unfortunately, I have to admit we developed a hate/ hate relationship. That only got worse over time.
The time came when my husband and myself retired and my younger daughter decided to move to North Carolina. By then our older daughter had moved to Philadelphia and married.
We lived in Pitman for twenty-two years. We met and became friends with a great many people. Overall, it was a wonderful experience with a few bumps along the road. And I will miss our house in Pitman for the remainder of my days. It was a difficult decision to sell our house we had put our hearts and years of hard work into restoring it to its former condition. The day we moved away and pulled out of our driveway was one of the hardest days of my life. I only hoped the new family who lives there now love and care for that house as much as we did. And now they are forever a part of its history as we are.
And here I sit in my home in NC in a small development of twenty families. It is a quiet place to live out our retirement and I have come to love this house as well. But, it will never be able to take the place of our Pitman, NJ home in my heart. But, life goes on.
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THE MOST PRECIOUS TREASURE IN LIFE
Of all the pastimes that I have enjoyed over my lifetime the one, I loved the most was beach combing. I spent all my summers in Wildwood, NJ as a child. Wildwood is a beach town on the Southern Coast of New Jersey. And when I grew up I saw no reason to stop going. Unfortunately, I was only able to go to Wildwood for two weeks during my summer vacation as an adult. But I counted the days until I returned like a child counting the days until Christmas.
If there‘s a better place to spend the summer than the beach I have yet to find it. The salty air, the ocean, the sky, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocky shore. And more than anything the feel of the warm sand between my toes. It‘s heaven on earth. 
I spent the long, hot, and sultry summer days walking from one end of the beach to the other. I carried a large plastic bag with Captain Hook’s picture on it over my shoulder. When I started to feel too hot I would run down and jump into the ocean to cool off. The water was cold and shocking at first but until I would get used to it. And I would swim out the waves and let the waves carry me back to the beach. I never felt more alive or free.
As I walked the beach I would look down and kick the sand to see if I could uncover hidden treasures. When I first started to comb the beach I would pick up shells in every shape and color. One day I found hundreds of tiny little shells and I filled up my bag to the brim.
When I got back home that day I put the bag of little shells on the floor under my bed. And later that day my mother went into my room to change the bed sheets and low and behold she saw hundreds and hundreds of tiny crabs crawling all over the bed and on the floor and under the bed and up the walls. I heard her yelling my name out at the top of her voice. And I knew that I was in big trouble. But I couldn’t imagine what I did wrong.
My mother continued to scream until I managed to collect them all and put them in my beach bucket. She looked at me like she thought I was out of my mind. “Why in the world would you bring all of these creatures into my house. You better find every one of them and take them back to the beach this minute. Don’t ever do this again or you won’t be going to the beach anymore. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mom I’m sorry. I didn’t know they were crabs. I thought they were just little seashells.”
I collected all of the crabs, at least I think I did. And I took them back to the beach and released them. However, for the next week or so I found a crab on my bed, one in my closet and one made it all the way into the hallway before I caught it. And believe it or not about a month later I found one crawling in my sink and before I could catch it went down the drain. I guess he found a shortcut to the ocean.
Early one hot and humid day I walked down to the beach in the morning and I saw an old guy walking on the beach. He had something in his hand that had a pole with a round metal circle at the bottom and he was moving it slowly across the beach. I thought “what in the world is he doing?”
I decided to run up to him and ask him what he was doing. He was concentrating and he didn’t notice me coming near him. So, when I screamed “hello” at him he jumped about a foot into the air. I started laughing, and he got real mad and ask me, “are you out of your mind startling me like that? I could have had a hard attacked and died right in front of you?”
I looked at him, and I was about to say, “sorry”, when he started laughing. “What are you up to boy? What’s your name?”
“Everybody calls me Sandy because I’m always dragging sand into the house from the beach. But my real name is Sammy. I like to comb the beach for treasures and add them to my collection.”
“Is that so? Well Sandy that‘s exactly what I’m doing. I comb the beach with this metal detector for treasures. It can tell when there are any kind of metals under the sand. And it makes a sound when it finds metal. It can detect metal that’s under twelves inches of sand. I’ve found beer cans, coins, and a couple of rings. One of them was a gold wedding ring. And I found an old watch. Tons of stuff, some of it was valuable and some of it was trash. I do it for fun and it gives me an excuse to walk up and down the beach and to talk to interesting people like yourself.”
“Really? I would love to get a metal detector. Do you know how much they cost?”
“You can get a cheap one for about one hundred dollars. But a good one will cost ya about two thousand dollars or more.”
He saw Sandy’s jaw drop down as far as it could Sandy said. “Wow, I don’t think my parents have that much money. I guess I’ll just keep looking with my feet.”
“What do you mean looking at your feet?”
“I mean, that as I walk along the beach, I kick the sand up with my feet and if I see anything or feel anything I dig it up with my shovel and my hands and I put it in my bucket and take it home. Last time I found a hundred little shells and I brought them home to my room and it turned out that they were little crabs. And they crawled all over my room even in my closet and on my bed. My mother had a fit. One even went down the hall to the bathroom. Now I’m not allowed to bring anything home that might be alive. Parents are no fun.”
“Well, Sandy, would you like to walk along the beach with me today and see if I find any treasures? Do you want to run home and ask your Mom if that’s alright?”
“No, she doesn’t care. She never asks what I’m doing as long as I’m home on time for lunch and dinner. Anyhow, I don’t know your name.”
“Oh, sorry I should have introduced myself to you. My name is Bill. My friends call me Billy Boy though. So, why don’t you call me Billy Boy? As I consider you a new friend.”
Sandy looks at Billy Boy and says, “OK Billy let’s go. I can’t wait. We’re going to find some gold doubloons I know it. Then my mother will be happy when I make her rich.”
“Well, I don’t know if we’ll find doubloons but you never know let’s be on our way.”
Sandy and Billy Boy spent three hours on the beach looking for treasure. And then Billy Boy said, ” you know what it’s almost lunchtime how about we take a walk on the boardwalk and get some lunch?”
“Yeah, I’m starved.”
“OK, Sandy how about the Do Wop Diner? They have the best hamburgers and Milk Shakes in Wildwood.”
“Yeah, Oh I love hamburgers and milkshakes. I want a chocolate shake.”
“Me, too Sandy. That’s my favorite too.”
Billy Boy and Sandy spent an hour eating and talking about the treasures they would find. And then Billy said, “I have to take a trip to the boy’s room I’ll be right back. Sandy gulped down the remainder of his milkshake. And as Billy Boy walked up to their table. Sandy let out a loud burp. And Billy Boy laughed and so did everyone that was sitting near him.
Well, I paid our bill, so let’s be on our way and continue our treasure hunt shall we?”
“Yay, let’s go.“
And they walked down the boardwalk for about twenty minutes and Billy Boy said, “Hey how about we play a game or two and buy some fudge. I do so love me some fudge.”
“What? I love fudge too.”
Ten minutes later they had finished their fudge and felt so full they could burst. And Billy Boy said, “back to combing the beach.”
After about ten minutes or so of walking down the beach, the metal detector started beeping. “What’s that Billy Boy?”, said Sandy.
“Why it’s telling us there is some kind of treasure down there. Start digging.”
And then Sandy dug and dug and dug and then suddenly he yelled, ” I found it, I found it, at the top of his lungs. And he pulled up a leather bag and it felt heavy. He shook it and it sounded like coins. Sandy yelled, “we found treasure, we found treasure.” Both Billy Boy and Sandy started jumping up and down. Which was no easy trick for Billy Boy since he was seventy-five years old.
Sandy opened the pouch and he found coins, but they weren’t ancient coins. They were new ones. Billy Boy looked at them and said, “oh, look they’re coins from the casino. Somebody won them and put them in this leather pouch. We aren’t rich, but we’re lucky. Who knows what we’ll find tomorrow. Gold dublooms maybe, you never know. Do you want to meet me out here tomorrow and we’ll try our luck again, same place, same time?”
“Yeah, we’re going to be rich aren’t we?”
“Well, Sandy, I feel richer already?”
“You do, Billy Boy how come?”
“Well, Sandy, I’m richer because I made a new friend today.”
“You did, who?”
“Well, you of course Sandy. I feel like the richest man on the planet. How about we split these coins and we’ll meet again tomorrow, buddy?”
“Yes, buddy let’s do that.” And Sandy smiled from ear to ear. And he never felt happier than he did at this moment.
THE SKELETON KEY
I grew up in a small town in New Jersey in the 1950s. In the Summer kids were allowed to stay out after dark until their mother called them home. No one ever locked their doors at night or their cars. 
One day my mother showed me a key. She said, ” Anne Marie come here. I want to show you something, I walked over to her and she started whispering in my ear. “Anne Marie this is just between you and me. It’s going to be our little secret. I want you to take this key and keep it safe with you all the time even when you are going to sleep.”
She put the key in my hand. I looked it over. It was almost as big as the palm of my hand. It was scary looking. At the top of the key, there was a skull carved into it. “I don’t like it, mom. Why is there a skeleton face on it?”
“Oh, it’s called a skeleton key. And it‘s been made to fit every keyhole in our house. If you ever have to get out quickly or you need to lock all the doors even the bedroom and the bathroom doors you can do it with this skeleton key. Keep it safe. It may save your life someday.”
“OK Mom, I will I’ll keep it with me all the time.” My mother gave me the key to keep me safe. But I always felt I was safe until she gave me that key. And then I was afraid all the time. I didn’t know what was going to hurt me but I knew something was going to some time, somehow. I wish my mother never gave me that awful Skeleton key.
I felt like I had to be on high alert every day, all day especially when I was home alone. Because the key was meant to keep me safe in my house, in my room, or even in the bathroom. Now when I had to take a bath, I tried to get in and out in ten minutes so whatever was trying to hurt me wouldn’t do it while I was getting a bath, going to the bathroom, or brushing my teeth. I locked the door. And I checked and rechecked it to make sure it was locked.
I was always relieved when I was allowed to go outside and play since I thought my life was only in jeopardy when I was at home. So when I got home from school I would rush into my bedroom and change into my play clothes and run outside as quickly as I could. I wouldn’t come back in until my mother call me in for dinner. When school was in session. I started getting nervous about the school day is over. When I arrived home I would rush out as soon as I could and go and visit some of my friends.
One night at dinner my father said to me, “so Anne Marie what have you been up to, it seems like you are never home. How is school going? How are you doing in Math?”
“School is fine, daddy. I got a B on my last math test. And after school, I visit Betsy or Terri and sometimes I go to the library to get some new books to read. I just like being outside, I guess. Probably because I have to sit in a stuffy classroom all day.
One night I was lying in bed and I was just about to fall asleep when I heard my father calling out,” everybody go outside, there is a problem with the heater and everybody must go outside until I know it’s safe to come back in. I called the fire department.”
I was still sleepy when I heard my father yelling for everyone to get out of the house. I thought something terrible was going to happen and I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I leaned over and grabbed the skeleton key and ran outside. Everyone in my family was outside in their pajamas.
My father said, “Anne Marie what took you so long?”
“I had to grab the skeleton key before I came outside. Mom told me to take it with me where ever. She told me to lock the doors in the house when I’m home alone or in the bathroom. So, I had to lock all the doors before I came out here so nothing bad would happen while we were all outside.”
My father looked over at my mother and said, “Marion, what in the world were you thinking of when you gave her that skeleton key? Didn’t you notice how nervous and upset Anne Marie has been recent?”
“Well, I guess she has been a little out of sorts recently but I didn’t put two and two together. I just thought she was being her normal moody self. I gave her the key because I thought it would give her a sense of responsibility. And she would realize that I trusted her with something important like our safety. Maybe I went a little overboard with the whole skeleton key thing. I certainly didn’t realize that she would think something bad would happen to her if everything wasn’t locked up. “
My mother looked over at me and said,”Anne Marie, I’m really sorry if you were worried all the time. I just wanted you to realize how much I trusted you and that you were being a responsible young girl. And how much I loved you and trusted you.”
Just at that moment the biggest fireman came over to us and said, “well, everything is fine now. We were able to put the fire out in the basement before any real damage was done. I suggest you call the people that maintain your heater to come over as soon as possible to see what the problem is. And I also wanted to mention that it was a very good idea to close all the doors in the house but it is not necessary to lock the doors. ” You can all go in now and I hope the rest of the evening is uneventful.”
We all said, “Thank you.” at the same time and the fireman smiled at us and said, “good night to you all. Keep safe.”
My mother and father came over and hugged me. And then my mother said, “Anne Marie why don’t you just hang up the Skeleton Key on the hook in the kitchen and when you want to lock the door like when you’re taking a bath you can do it then. But I want you to know that you will always be safe in our house. And that daddy and I love you and will always keep you safe. I’m sorry if you were scared. That was never my intention.”
And then I hugged my parents back and I felt tears rolling down my cheek even though I felt so much better. I guess it was tears of relief or maybe I felt happy again. And we all went into the house and my mother made us all some hot chocolate and that was the first night in months when I fell right to sleep and slept through the night. Oh, I almost forgot right after my mom gave me the hot chocolate she said,” go ahead and put the key on the key hook, and don’t worry about it anymore.”
PROMISES MADE PROMISES BROKEN
When I was seventeen just two months before my eighteenth birthday I found out I was pregnant. This happened about five weeks before my high school graduation. My boyfriend and I had just broken up because I found out he had been cheating on me the whole time we were dating.
I don’t know if finding out I was pregnant or the fact that Johnathan cheated on me was more devastating news. I spent my entire four years of high school studying and working and saving money so I would be able to attend Rutgers University. I excelled in all my classes and was the Valedictorian of my graduation class.
I realized my period was late but I procrastinated for way too long. I was in complete denial. I admit it. I went to the drug store and purchased a pregnancy test. I thought we had been so careful. But I admit I was in denial about the possibility that I might be pregnant and I waited two months before I took the test. I knew I was pregnant for sure when I started having morning sickness. I felt like my life was over and all my hard work was wasted.
After I took the test and it tested positive I called Johnathan and ask him to meet me outside the public library. He said, “what’s up? I don’t have much time I have to go to work this afternoon. ” I said, “you better meet me, I have some bad news.”
When I arrived at the library I saw Johnathan standing next to the big Willow tree and Anne Marie Gibson was standing next to him, she was holding his hand. I thought I might go out of my mind. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. This was the last draw. There was no way I was going to have a baby, and give up my life and my future with someone that was cheating on me.
As I walked closer to the two of them Johnathan quickly dropped Anne Marie’s hand. His face turned red as a beet. I walked up to him and said,”what’s going on Johnathan?”
“Oh, Christine I’m sorry you found out this way. I was going to tell you and it just so happened that Anne Marie was at the library today and she saw me standing here waiting. She didn’t know that you were coming to meet you here.”
“I need to talk to you alone Johnathan. I have something to tell you.”
Johnathan said, “I’ll call you later Anne Marie.” Anne Marie totally ignored me and leaned in and kissed Johnathan. I felt so angry at him and myself. I thought I might explode. Anne Marie walked away and as she did she called out,”Johnathan call me later.”
I stared at Johnathan for a couple of minutes and said, “I thought you love me, I guess I was wrong. You are not the person I thought you were. I don’t want to talk to you again.”
“I thought you wanted to tell me something?”
“No, I don’t have anything to say to you, I don’t want to ever see or hear from you again. And then I turned and walked away. There was no way I was going to tell him I was pregnant. I knew I had some hard decisions to make. And I knew I was going to make them on my own. I never spoke to Johnathan again.
After much soul searching I decided that I was not going to have an abortion, but I was not ready to be a mother. Not by a long shot. I decided that I would have the baby and give him or her up for adoption. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make in my life up until now.
I did tell my parents. They were disappointed in me. I was disappointed in myself. My parents helped me find a place to stay until the baby was born. It was just outside Rutgers University. I was able to take classes up until I went into labor. I was able to talk to several sets of potential parents while I was living there. And two days after I gave birth to a baby boy they came and took him home to his new home. Their names were Marie and Arthur Klein.
I never seen such happy people in my life. I feel like I was in shock from the whole experience. But I know I made the best decision for me and my little boy. I wasn’t ready to be a parent. I still had a lot of growing up to do myself. I hoped that sometime in the future I could meet him but that would be up to him and his new parents.
Two weeks later I began taking classes full-time at Rutgers. I put all of my energy into my education. I did not allow myself the time or the space to understand the full impact of having a baby and giving it to strangers to raise. I assured myself it was the best decision for me and the baby. And then I pushed it to the back of my mind and did not allow myself to think about it again.
My parents never came to see the baby after it was born and never brought the subject up again. It was always there between us like a brick wall but neither they nor I ever breached the subject. Looking back at it I realize that was a big mistake on all our parts. They had a grandson that they would never meet or know and I gave away my first child and never looked back. I never allowed myself to think about it, not for years and years.
As the years passed I became a lawyer and worked in criminal law and then I decided I wanted to make a greater impact on my life and started working within the Federal Government. And ultimately I ended up working as a Constitutional lawyer because I believed I would become a guardian of our Constitutional Rights as American Citizens.
The years went by quickly. My parents were preparing to retire and move to Florida. I told them it was somewhat of a mundane cliche to retire to Florida. But they insisted their dream was to have a home on the beach and spend their remaining days swimming, and fishing. In the end, they eventually bought a huge boat and decided to travel the world by sea. I saw them once or twice a year and one year when I was about forty- three years old they ask me to join them on a trip from Florida to the Virgin Islands.
Unfortunately, I had a problem as we encountered a rocky sea and I was seasick the whole trip. As a result, I spent about three days with them on the Islands and then decided I wasn’t up to going back to Florida by sea and flew home by air.
It was a small plane and there was only one other passenger a young man about thirty years old. The entire time I was on the plane I kept looking at him. He seemed so familiar to me. He reminded me of someone but I didn’t know who. Finally, we were about a half-hour from our destination I started a conversation with him. I ask him his name and he said, ” my name is Johnathan. “
I stared at him for a moment and I thought what a weird coincidence. “Really, I once knew a Johnathan a long time ago. When I was in high school. He was my first serious boyfriend. And that is when it hit me. He reminded me of my old high school boyfriend, Johnathan. In fact, you kind of resembles him somewhat although I haven’t seen him since my high school graduation which was long ago.”
“Really, well where are you from?”
“I’m from New Jersey, Johnathan. Where are you from? Well, I was born in New Jersey but later my family moved to New York. But I was adopted so I don’t really know too much about my birth family. I do know my biological father’s name was Johnathan and my parents decided to name me after him since without him I would have been born.”
I felt a chill run up and down my back. “That is a coincidence. Do you know your birth mother’s name?”
“Yes, her name was Christine, she was still in high school when she became pregnant and she decided to give me up since she didn’t feel she was ready to be a parent.”
At this point, I felt a little faint. It was too much to believe that sitting across from me on this little plane was my son, who I hadn’t seen since I was eighteen years old and a senior in high school. “Johnathan, you probably aren’t going to believe this, but you are describing me. My name is Christine, and my high school boyfriend’s name was Johnathan. And I gave up my son to be adopted by a wonderful couple whose name was Marie and Arthur Klein.”
Johnathan stared at me and then a big smile crossed his face. And he said, ” that is my parents’ names. You are my birth mother. I always knew I would meet you someday. And I wanted to thank you for making the decision to have me and give me to the most wonderful parents anyone could ever have. It must have been so hard for you to do that. Can I give you a hug?
By this time I was shaking and crying. I could not imagine how all of this took place. But I have never felt so blessed as I did that day when I met my son for the second time in my life. And it was the most wonderful experience I could imagine. We spent the rest of the trip telling each other about our lives. We hugged each other and promised we would stay in touch. And we have I speak to him several times a month and we are planning on taking a trip together, maybe a cruise.
You just never know what surprises will occur in your life. I could imagine anything better than meeting my son and getting to know him as an adult and being able to spend time with him. You never know what life is going to bring to you. You never know the challenges that will come your way. You just have to take one day at a time and do your best.