Category Archives: Fiction

PROMISES MADE AND PROMISES BROKEN

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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.

 

THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS

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It was hard to believe but the first day of Spring has finally arrived. Dahlia was so excited she was unable to fall asleep the night before. She spent her entire sleepless night planning her garden. How could she possibly sleep when she had so many decisions to make. It was true that she had worked diligently during the long, cold, and dark winter perusing all the seed catalogs and the internet.

She had drawn and redrawn the plans for her garden.

Dahlia didn’t know how many years she had left in her life. But she knew that as long as she had breath in her body that she would spend whatever time she had left either planning her garden or working in it. She could think of no better way to wile away the time she had left.

Dahlia could not comprehend why everyone wouldn’t love gardening. Working the soil with her hands, breathing the fresh and fragrant air all around her, and feeling the warm sun on her back. As she knelt in the rich soil and planted her seeds, seedlings were truly a gift. She could not imagine any other activity that would make her feel more alive or more in tune with nature.

She tried to explain to her friends why and how much she loved her garden. But those who never gardened couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to spend all their free time kneeling in the dirt and out in the hot sun. And all of her friends who loved gardening as much as she did couldn’t imagine not loving every minute of it.

Dahlia referred to her garden as the Garden of Earthly Delights. Because every moment she spent in her garden or thinking about it she was completely fulfilled and happy and in harmony with nature. Her mind would empty of worry and calm and focus on the tasks before her. All worry would disappear.

Last Spring and into the Summer Dahlia planned her Koi Pond. She had always dreamed of adding one to her garden and last year after saving for almost five years she was able to hire two young men who lived in the neighborhood to install one in her back yard in front of her back porch.

And she only had to walk down her steps and she was able to stand over her pond and watch the beautiful Koi and Shubunkins and Comets swimming gracefully in her pond. It was the most beautiful sight she could imagine.

Dahlia planted yellow Water Lilly’s. She loved to see her beautiful Koi poke their faces out of the water and try and capture the dragonflies as they touched upon the water ever so lightly. This year Dahlia planned to plant a white Hydrangea behind the pond.

One afternoon as she was weeding her garden in the backyard she heard a little voice call out, “Hi, hello, could I come into your yard and see your Koi pond? My mother said I couldn’t come over unless you said it was OK. And you were here. She’s afraid that I’ll fall into the pond and drown. But I wouldn’t because I would be really careful. Can I come in?”

Dahlia smiled at the little girl who looked like she was about five or six years old. She had long, blond hair that hung down to her shoulders and when the sun shined on it her hair looked like it was made out of gold. “Of course, let me come over and unlock the gate for you.” Then Dahlia walked over to the fence and smiled at the little girl. Her smile would light up the darkest of days and her eyes were a shade of blue that is hard to define. Somewhere between the color of the ocean and a cloudy day. “What’s your name, dear?”

“My name is Iris. My mother told me she named me that because my eyes were the same color as her favorite flower, the Iris. And that she carried a bouquet of blue irises when my mommy and daddy got married.”

“Really? Why they are my favorite flower too, what a coincidence. I’ll tell you what before you leave I’ll cut some Irises for you to take home to your mother. How would you like that?”

“Really? I would love that. It would make my mommy so happy. We just moved into the house at the end of the corner and there are hardly any flowers in the yard. My mom loves flowers and was sad that our new house didn’t have any flowers. But, I said, that I could help her plant some. Maybe even some blue Irises.”

“Oh, I’m so happy that house finally has a family living in it. It was empty for a long time. There was an older couple living in it for a long time. But they had to go to an assisted living residence.”

“What does that mean, assisted living?”

“Oh, sorry that just means a place for older people to live where they have people that help take care of them, if they can’t walk too well, or they are lonely or something like that.”

“Are you going to have to go to that place? I hope not because you’re the first friend I made so far and we’ve been living here for almost a week.”

“Oh, a week isn’t that long. Before you know it you will have a whole bunch of friends. There are a few children your age on this street alone. Plus when you start school you’ll make a whole lot of friends, don’t worry.”

“Really do you think so?”

“Of course Iris, I have no doubt you will make many friends in no time at all. How about we take a little walk and you can meet some of my fish. I’ll give you some fish food and they’ll come right up to the top of the water, you’ll see.”

As they walk across the yard towards the pond, Iris became more and more excited. “Can you introduce me to your fish? Do they have names?”

“Names, of course. You stand over here for a minute while I get some fish food. Don’t get any closer to the edge of the pond. It is really deep in some parts. OK? I’ll be right back. Dahlia double-times it to the porch to get some fish food and then all but ran over to Iris, she was afraid she might fall in the pond.

“OK, here we go, hold open your hand and I’ll put some fish food into it. The little girl smiled and opened up her hand. Dahlia couldn’t remember the last time she saw such a tiny hand. She rarely was around any little children since she and her husband were not able to have any kids.

“Alright, just drop some of the fish food into the pond, be careful near the edge. And then we’ll wait for a couple of minutes and the fish will start coming up. Iris did as she was told and before she knew it she saw the gaping mouth of a fish. He swallowed the food in a flash. And Iris laughed and said, “oh can I do it again? Who was that what’s his name?”


“Oh, that’s Finley, he’s my Koi, isn’t he beautiful? After he gets to know you, he will come right up to you and you will be able to drop the food into his big mouth.”

“Oh, here comes another one. He’s really fast.” And at that moment a fish jumped up out of the water and then went back in a blink of an eye. “What’s his name?”

“Oh, that’s Haley’s Comet. I named him after a Comet because he is so fast. And because he is a Comet which is a type of Koi. Throw him some fish food.”

Iris dropped several fish pellets into the water. And before you knew it Haley’s Comet had devoured the food and jumped back into the depths of the pond.

“Oh, I see little tiny fish in there. Are they babies?”

“Yes, there are quite a few, but I’ve never been able to count them because they swim around too quickly. Iris, does your mother know where you are? She might be wondering where you got to since you’re new to our neighborhood. How about we go and get your mom some Irises and then I’ll walk you back to your house. And I’ll say hello, and introduce myself to your mother?”

“Oh OK, I know my mom will be happy if you give her the flowers. She just loves them so much.”

“Alright, how about you come over here next to the deck and wait while I get some clippers to cut the flowers.”

Dahlia, grabbed her clippers from the back porch, and then she said, “Iris, why don’t you pick out the six Irises for me?”

“Really? OK.”

And then Iris stood there for a couple of minutes and carefully picked out the biggest and most beautiful flowers. “Oh, my mom will just love these.”

And then Iris and Dahlia started their short walk down the street to Iris’s new home. “Here it is, here it is. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes, it is a truly beautiful new house. I know your family will be happy living here. It is such a friendly neighborhood and soon you will make some friends.”

“Oh, I already met my new best friend. It’s you, Dahlia.”

“That is the nicest thing anyone ever said to me, Iris.”

And before they knew it they arrived at the front yard of Iris’s house and her mother was standing outside on the front sidewalk.” Iris I was beginning to get worried about you. You shouldn’t have gone off without telling me where you were going? Oh, I’m sorry I should have introduced myself. I’m Iris’s mother. And you are?”

“I’m Dahlia, I live three houses down the street and Iris stopped by to say hello and she met some of my fish, in my Koi pond. I’m sorry if you were worried. I just wanted to stop by and say, “welcome to the neighborhood. I hope you will be very happy here. And I am so happy to meet Iris. She is welcome anytime, as long as she lets you know where she is going. And you are welcome anytime as well. Iris told me how much you love flowers and I would be happy to share some with you. Once you get settled in and have time to work in your garden.”

“Really? I did notice your house when we first came here to check out the house and we drove up and down the street. And I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful your garden is. And I’d love to stop by one day and take a look at all your beautiful flowers and of course your Koi pond as well. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself to you. My name is Rose, so I guess that is something we all have in common. We were all named after flowers. And we all love them.”

“That is funny, please feel free to stop by anytime. I warn you in advance I have a tendency to go on and on about flowers. One day after you get settled in, and have some free time, please stop by and see my garden and I’ll tell you where the best plant stores are located around here. I better be on my way, I’m sure you have tons of things to do and get unpacked. I look forward to your visit. Bye for now. Bye Iris, thanks for coming over. I hope to see you both soon. Dahlia waved goodbye and went on her way back to her house. She had a big smile on her face. It had turned out to be such a wonderful day. Rose and Iris waved bye to her as she turned to leave. And they were smiling as well.

THE TIME HAS COME TO RING THE BELL

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Vegan Breakfast

My alarm went off at its preordained time, six o’clock AM. I kept slamming my fist down on the Snooze button over and over again. I stayed up late last night watching a movie even though I knew damn well that I should go to bed on time, early even.

Since yesterday I was informed by the president of the company‘s executive assistant that he wanted to see me first thing tomorrow morning in his office. His assistant informed me that my boss wanted to talk to me about my future with the company. He told me this with the most sincere smirk on his obnoxious face.

I suppose at some subconscious level I was reluctant to find out just what my future held. I heard rumors on the grapevine that there were going to be drastic cutbacks in both employees and promotions. I have been employed by Nothing But Vegan since I graduated from NC Central University with a Master’s Degree. And I was in the top ten percent of the class. I wholeheartedly believed at that time that I was going to scale the corporate ladder in record time. And I was going to bring about a major change in the way Americans eat.

But more than anything my ultimate goal was to save our planet by educating humanity about the Vegan lifestyle. More and more of the general population is seeking meatless solutions, not only for their health but for the health of the planet. I was convinced of this.

Believe it or not, the lowly pea is likely to become one of the most necessary additions to the veggie burger. When I was first hired, it was I who forecast the billion-dollar market that lies ahead for meatless, vegan foods. And because of my advice, my employer was a multi-millionaire. I just couldn’t comprehend that I might be losing my job, my career, and my future. It seems unfathomable. I looked forward to a glum future.

I managed to drag myself out of bed and into the shower and then put on my best suit and tie. I decided to wear my Hugo Boss slim-fit virgin wool suit. When I looked in my full-length mirror I had to admit I looked amazing. And I was sure this suit alone have a positive effect on my boss. I finished dressing and headed out the door. I tried to keep a positive attitude as I headed to work. I considered all the arguments I could raise for keeping me employed and by the time I arrived at my building I felt confident that my future was assured.

But ultimately my coup d’etat would be the fact that I have been working secretly behind the scenes and found that within our company we had spies. Spies who were committing corporate espionage. And it was happening not at the bottom of the corporate ladder but at the top. None other than Frederick Walton was a member of one of the richest families in America. Apparently, some people can not be rich enough nor do they have scruples or concern for the people around them and how much their behavior will adversely affect the people above them who are scrambling up that same corporate ladder.

I pulled my 2022 Tesla electric car into my parking spot. I loved this car more than anything. I would cry like a baby if anything ever happened to it. I have done everything I could to inform my friends, family, and the general public about doing everything within their power to protect our environment, including the land and the water, and the very air that we breathe. But my Tesla is the one thing I would find almost impossible to give up. I kept telling myself that driving a Tesla is a hundred times better than driving a vehicle that uses fossil fuels. In fact, This assumes that the average gasoline vehicle driven on the road nowadays has a fuel economy of about 20 to 22 miles per gallon and the average driver goes approximately 11,500 miles per year. And every gallon of gas burns about 8,890 grams of CO2.

As I step out of my car, I see several of my fellow employees walking in my direction. It was customary for us to stop and have a brief conversation with one another and then share a coffee or even a light breakfast in the employee’s break room. As I walk toward them they all make a sharp left turn and head toward the side entrance to our building. Not one of them looked my way. I was so shocked I stood there momentarily frozen to the tarmac. I saw this as an affirmation that my fear of losing my job was real. And my sense of betrayal was overwhelming. In fact, I had to stop and take some deep breaths before I could soldier forward. I felt like I was walking closer and closer toward my own demise.

As I move forward I have a sudden impulse to run back to my beloved car and drive as far and as fast as I can someplace else, anyplace else. I stop in my tracks and take several deep breaths. I attempt to move away from my emotional thinking and let my intellect take over.

I can only remember feeling this overwhelmed with fear and anxiety and pain once when I was a child about ten years old. I was playing in my backyard and I decided to climb a large old Oaktree. I climbed as high as I could and I was about to start down the tree when I saw something strange in the limb above my head. So, I climbed a little higher. I heard a weird noise. It seemed like a low-pitched but all-encompassing sound. And then suddenly I felt something was stinging me everywhere from my head to my feet.

And no matter what I did I couldn’t escape from the burning, sharp pain. There was no escape. Even after I managed to get down out of the tree the bees continued their relentless attack upon me from head to toe. It was days before I managed to overcome the fear, and the pain of the over one hundred stings I endured. To this day I still have a fear of stinging insects. Although I try to hide this fear when anyone else is nearby. And that is what I did now. I proceeded forward despite the overwhelming fear of betrayal and loss. I put one foot in front of the other and soldiered forth towards the breakroom. I really needed to fortify myself with the strongest coffee available.

The door to the breakroom was closed which was odd. I pushed it hard and suddenly the force behind the door disappeared and I almost fell on my face. And when I got hold of myself, I pulled myself up and I received the surprise of my life.

 

Everyone in the company was standing at attention at every table in the breakroom. And there was a large staff of waiters and cooks standing in the front of the breakroom as well. Usually, there were only four people working there in the morning. And then suddenly I heard a familiar voice call out my name. It was the head of the company. He was talking into a microphone. And he was saying my name. James Nelson, please step forward to the podium.

I looked around the room and everyone was looking at me and clapping. I walk on rubber legs to the podium. I stared at James Nelson and he put his hand out to me and he shook my hand. He said, “John Carson, I am so proud to announce that you will be heading up our corporate office in Washington from this day forward. Because you have made more progress to promote the vegan lifestyle and promote the green movement than any other man or woman. Congratulations, you deserve this more than any person I know.”

I stood there frozen for a moment. And then everyone stood up and clapped. I felt a tear of happiness and relief slide down my cheek and smile so wide that my cheeks hurt. In that transient moment, I felt that every step I had taken in my life before this moment had led up to this moment.

And then James Nelson said, ” OK everyone let’s eat.” And we did. We all ate Vegan Carrot Waffles and bananas with Oats.

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THOSE WERE THE DAYS

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Dear Kathleen.

High School Graduation 1969

You asked me recently if I would tell you about some of the things I did when I was young so here it goes. It was1970 and I just turned nineteen years old. I was working as a dental assistant. The dentist’s office was in the dentist’s house. I started working there part-time while I was a senior in high school. And after I graduated I worked five and a half days a week. I was off on Wednesday afternoons since that was the traditional day the Dr. Woz and all other dentists golfed.

He trained me and I learned how to develop x-rays, be a chairside assistant, sterilize the instruments and set up the room for the patients. I also answered the phone and made appointments, typed out the bills, and called all the patients the day before their appointments to remind them. I was really busy the whole time I was there and the day just flew by.

I realized that I enjoyed being busy and that I was highly organized. So I decided to try and get a part-time job at a florist shop on my day off from the dentist. I didn’t have any experience working with flowers but I always considered myself to be highly creative. I happen to know the florist that owned a shop called Fabulous Flowers. The owner’s name was Liza. She told me that she would give me a chance and see if I could learn by observing her create flower arrangements. And then I could start off doing easy arrangements like centerpieces for tables. Meanwhile, I could answer the phone and take orders.

On my first day, I was alone at the shop for a short time as Liza was out making a delivery. She called me to tell me that she was going to be delayed and was expecting a flower delivery. She ask me to unpack the flowers when they arrived and put them in the refrigerator.

About a half-hour later a delivery truck pulls up in front of the shop. The delivery guy brings a large box to the door and waves at me from outside the door. I two-timed it over and open the door for him since his hands were full.

He said, “oh, you must be new. Is Liza around?“

“Not right now. But she told me to accept the package and put the flowers in the frig.”

“Alright then, can you sign your John or should I say, Jill Hancock here? And I’ll be on my way.” So, I signed it and he was out the door in a flash. I didn’t even get a chance to ask his name or say goodbye. Oh, well next time.

I open the box and there was a gorgeous bunch of long-stemmed red roses in it. I was about to start taking them out when I noticed something was moving inside the box. I couldn’t imagine what it was. I carefully moved one rose at a time out of the box when I heard the bell on the door chime. I looked over at the door. It was Liza.

I said, ” Hi, Liza.” And then all of a sudden I felt something moving across my hand. It was the biggest spider I had ever seen, and it had fangs. That’s right fangs. I just totally freaked out and I jerked my hand above my head and the spider flew across the room and hit Liza square in the face. And then we were both screaming. Lisa knocked the spider off her face onto the floor and then she slammed her foot down on the spider and squished it with her size nine and a half clod hoppers. And that my friends was the end of that spider. He traveled all the way from South America only to be smashed into oblivion by a terrified florist.

But I have to admit it was an exciting beginning to a part-time job. I was making a dollar sixty an hour and Liza told me she could use me all day so at a dollar sixty an hour for eight hours. I was making an additional twelve dollars and eighty cents. Plus the ten hours a day for five days a week at the dentist I was making an unbelievable eighty dollars a week. I felt like I was rich beyond my wildest dreams. I started to make plans on what I would do with my newfound riches. The only money I ever made before was for babysitting my nieces and nephews.

During the first week I worked for Dr. Woz I was in the office talking to someone on the phone and I heard a buzzing noise. I had no idea what it was so I just ignored it. The buzzing went on and on. And I thought huh I wonder what that is all about. I started taking patients’ files out for the next day. All of a sudden I heard Dr. Woz say, “Sara didn’t you hear me buzzing?”

“Well, I heard a buzzing noise but I didn’t know it meant anything let alone that you were trying to get my attention.”

“What did you think it meant?”

“I don’t have a clue. What does it mean?”

“It means I need you to come in the room and assist me.”

I look at him and said, “alright but next time you probably should tell me about it first because my father didn’t raise any mind readers.”

He stares at me and I stare back at him. Then he laughs, and says, “I guess you’re right. I’ll keep that in mind.” I was only a kid, but I wasn’t a dummy. And I wasn’t going to let anyone blame me for something that was their fault.

The first few months I worked there I took the bus to and from work. And then my father said he was going to let me use his old car since he was going to get a different one. I had  just recently gotten my driver’s license. And I wasn’t an experienced driver. But the next thing I knew I was driving back and forth to my job. I was a little scared at first but I soon got used to it. The car my father gave me to drive was old. It had seen better days. It was a hoopty, in fact, it used to be a taxi. So it had a whole lot of miles on it.

But that car was my ticket to an independent life. I realized that I could come and go as I wanted. It meant I didn’t have to take the bus everywhere or ride my bike. I could go to any old place I wanted to go and no one could stop me. Once I turned eighteen my friends and I started going down the shore on the weekends and going to nightclubs on Friday nights and dancing. We had a ball. There was no keeping us down on the farm anymore. Not that we lived on a farm. It meant we were free to go anywhere we wanted to go. Gas was only about thirty-six cents a gallon back then. And we would all chip in and oh boy, those were the days. We had some fun.

One Wednesday when Dr. Woz was out golfing or at least I thought he was out golfing. I went into their house to let Mrs. Woz know that I was leaving for the day. So, I called out, “Mrs. Woz, Mrs. Woz I’m leaving now.” But she didn’t answer. And then all of a sudden I saw Dr. Woz standing at the top of the steps. And he was wearing nothing but a tiny pair of jockey shorts. I stood there momentarily shocked. And then I ran out of the house and left.

When I got home I told my mother that I couldn’t go back there again. She kept asking me, “why what happened?” But I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her. I told my mother to call Dr. Woz and tell him I wasn’t coming back. My mother said, “you have to tell him yourself.”

The next day I called Dr. Woz’s office and I said, “I’m not coming back.” And he said, “Sara, it’s alright. I didn’t know you were downstairs in the living room or I wouldn’t have come out at the top of the steps without my pants on. Please come back. Everything will be alright. I can’t run the office without you. You are doing a great job.”

So I said, “OK, I’ll come back tomorrow.” For the first couple of days, I couldn’t look him in the face. But after a while, I got over it. But I never forgot to this day him standing at the top of his steps in his tiny jockeys and how hairy he was from his neck to his ankles. I wondered if all men were as hairy as monkeys for a long time.

I worked for Dr. Woz for quite a few years until I decided it was time for a change. My father was upset that I quit working at the dentist since he thought it was a great job. And it was a great job. I enjoyed it. But I hardly had any free time.

So I started looking for another job. And I finally found one in another town not far from Dr. Woz’s office. It was an insurance company owned by two brothers, Harry and Evie. It was called Ellis Insurance. They sold high-risk auto insurance. This means that their customers had a tendency to be involved in high-speed accidents or had a great many accidents or tickets and lived in low-end neighborhoods and had difficulty getting insurance somewhere else.

I liked working there because there were two other young women there about my age. And it was the first time that I didn’t work alone all the time. The two men that owned the agency did not have a great work ethic. Especially Harry and he often took us all out to breakfast or lunch almost every day. They used to joke around all the time so it was a fun environment. The pay was better too and I didn’t have to work in the evenings anymore or Saturdays. I also got an increase in pay. So, it was a win-win situation.

I worked there for several years until I started dating someone seriously. And then I decided to move to Florida. And that started a whole new chapter in my life I’ll have to tell you about that when you next time I write. So, what have you been up to?

Best wishes, TTYL, Love, Sara

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THE MOST PRECIOUS TREASURE IN LIFE

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Of all the pastimes that I have enjoyed over my lifetime the one, the one I loved the most was beachcombing. 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, 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. Boy treasure hunting

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 then 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 and starfish. 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 bedsheets 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 some of 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 thought 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.

One hot and humid day I walked down to the beach early 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 is 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 be Billy Boy though. So, why don’t you call me Billy Boy? As I consider you a new friend.”

Sandy looked at Billy Boy and said, “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 were ancient coins. They were new ones. Billy Boy looked at them and said, “oh, look they are 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 dubloons 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.

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THE LITTLEST SOOTHSAYER

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As far back as I can remember I have been able to sense how other people are feeling. And sometimes I could sense how animals are feeling.

The first time I remember it happening was when I was about five or six years old.

I was sitting on my father’s recliner on the back porch of my house. And all of a sudden I had the feeling that something bad was going to happen to my friend, Tiger, who was a big, old orange cat that I loved.

Tiger was a cat that lived in my neighborhood. As far as I knew he didn’t belong to anybody in particular. One day he just appeared in my backyard. The first time I saw him I called out, “here kitty kitty.” And he came right over to me. And I petted him from his beautiful, orange-striped face to the tip of his long, striped tail. I couldn’t help but notice that he had scars all over him. As if he had survived many battles with other Tomcats.

He would purr loudly when I pet him and rub his whiskery face against my cheek. Sometimes I would sneak into my kitchen and open a can of tuna fish and bring it outside for Tiger. He would gobble it up in the blink of an eye. He always seemed as if he was starved. And maybe he was. My father didn’t like cats, he only liked dogs. And he would yell at Tiger and throw things at him to make him run away.

Anyway, it was a really hot and humid summer’s day. I was sitting at the kitchen table under the ceiling fan, when I suddenly had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen to my friend, Tiger. I jumped off the kitchen chair so suddenly that the chair fell over. My mother was sitting at the head of the table. And she said, “what in the world are you doing, Kathleen? Please pick up the chair and sit down and be quiet.”

“Mom, mom I have to go outside something is going to happen to Tiger. I have to go and save him.”

“Kathleen, sit down. Nothing is going to happen to that old cat. He has nine lives.”

I rushed out the kitchen door and I looked out back and I didn’t see head nor tail of Tiger. So, then I ran out front and looked up and down the busy street. And I saw Tiger leisurely crossing the street, and I heard a loud beeping from a car that was barreling down the street. And there was Tiger in the path of the speeding car. Tiger seemed totally unaware of the car that was about to run him down in the prime of his life. But, he saw me and he double-timed it and ran to the sidewalk to see me. I put my arms around Tiger’s neck and I hugged him tightly. I didn’t want to let him go. Tiger wasn’t a fan of hugs and he struggled free and went on his merry way.

Whenever I sense that something bad is going to happen first I get a feeling of heat up the back of my neck and I begin to feel a little dizzy. I also get a weird chalky taste in my mouth and begin to feel nauseous. And then I would get the feeling that something bad is going to happen. Usually, I know immediately who it‘s going to happen to. But, sometimes, I don’t know who it was going to happen to until the last minute and then I have to run outside and warn the person or animal that something bad is going to happen to them. Animals always believe me, but people don’t.

My best friend, Jackie is one of the people I feel closest to and I always knew if sometimes bad or scary was going to happen to her. One time I woke up in the middle of the night and I felt like she was going to get hurt badly or maybe even die. So, I ran downstairs and called her on the phone. Her father answered the phone on the fifth ring. And he yelled at the top of his voice. “Have you lost your mind? You better have a good reason for waking up us in the middle of the night? Who is this?

Back then you didn’t know who was calling until you picked up the phone and asked who it was. There wasn’t any caller ID.

“Hello, Mr. Joy. This is Kathleen from down the street. Please go down to the cellar and check your heater. There is a gas leak because the pilot light went out. And you all are going to die if you don’t turn it off right away.”

He said, “Is this some kind of joke? If you don’t stop calling night and day I’m going to call your Mother and tell her to whip your ass. Do you understand that you must never call us again late at night?“

“Yes, but please, please check the gas leak and the pilot light on the heater.”

I heard him put down the phone. And then I heard him say, “I’m going to give that kid a swift kick on the ass one of these days. Iif she doesn’t stop banging on our door and calling us in the middle of the night.”

Then I ran into my parent’s bedroom and woke them up. “Mom and Daddy there is a gas leak at Jackie’s house and if they don’t go outside right away. They are all going to die. You have to call the fire department right now.”

“My father didn’t wake up right away because he was a sound sleeper. My mother woke up immediately. And she said, “oh for heaven sakes, Kathleen. Go back to bed. Why are you always waking everyone up in the middle of the night?”

“Mom, Mom please get up there is going to be an explosion at Jackie’s house if they don’t turn the gas off. The pilot light went out. I called them and he doesn’t believe me. Please Mom call the fire department.”

My mother sat up. And said, “this better not be a joke, Kathleen. Please let your father sleep he has to go to work tomorrow. Pipe down. I’ll go down and call the fire department and then we’ll wait outside until they show up and we know Jackie’s family is alright. Now pipe down, will you? You don’t have to wake up everyone in the house do you?”

I thought about it for a minute and then I said, “I guess not. But hurry up I want to go down to Jackie’s to make sure they all came outside and they are safe. Hurry up Mom call the fire department I’ll wait outside on the front porch for you to come out.”

When I got outside I looked down the street. Jackie lived three houses away from me. And sure enough, I saw two fire trucks and an ambulance outside their house. So, I ran down the street in my pajamas and bare feet to Jackie’s.

A fireman came out of their front door. And said,”OK, people. There was indeed a gas leak. We have turned the gas off. Later today you have to call your heater company and have them come over and check out your whole heating system. To see what happened and so this won’t occur again. You could have all died in your sleep and been none the wiser. Mr. Joy, what woke you up? Did you smell the gas?”

“No, it was that damn kid. She’s always calling us day and night. She’s a pain in the ass. But I guess she saved our lives this time. Oh, there she is right there. Come here, Kathleen. Thanks for calling Kathleen, you saved all of us. You’re a good kid, even though most of the time you’re a pain in the ass.” And then Jackie’s grouchy father squeezed me so hard I almost screamed. I don’t know if he was trying to hug me or kill me.

Just then my mother arrived on the scene as Mr. Joy was saying I was a pain in the ass, but I saved their lives. My mother hugged me then and said, “Oh Kathleen, I’m so proud of you. I will always believe you from now on. You are a real heroine. How did you know that their gas was leaking?”

“I don’t know Mom, sometimes I get strong feelings that something bad is going to happen. And sometimes I know exactly what is going to happen and when and where. And sometimes I can hear what people are thinking and feeling.”

My mother hugged me again. And then she said, “well, I guess anything is possible. There are miracles.”

My mother believed in all kinds of strange things. But, I never told her I didn’t believe in things like that.  I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Because my mother has the kindest and most loving heart of anyone I ever knew or will ever know. I hugged her tight. And then let her go.

And then my friend Jackie came running over to me and hugged me too. “Thank you, Kathleen. I’m so glad you are my best friend. You saved my whole family. You’re the best.”

And that is when the fireman came out and said, “alright people the show is over. We have aired the whole house out. It’s safe to go back in now. And everybody else should go home and go back to bed. Or you all will be too tired to go to work or school. Good Night. All the firemen came filing out and went back into their respective vehicles and trucks and left. Jackie’s father came over and shook my hand and gave me a little hug. I guess you’re not such a big, pain in the ass. But still, stop calling us all the time. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” I said and nodded. But I had my fingers crossed behind my back. Because I knew something else that was going to happen in their family, but I didn’t know when I should tell them. I decided I could wait a couple of weeks. Because I knew that Jackie’s mother was going to have another baby. And she didn’t even know yet. But I bet she would be really happy. Because now she wouldn’t be alone all day, She would have a baby to keep her company while all the other older kids were in school. And she wouldn’t have to go back to work yet. Like she told me she was going to a couple of weeks ago. Won’t that be surprised?

And best of all I have a surprise for my mother and father. They are going to be taking a trip to Ireland and visiting some of their family that they haven’t seen in years. Since my father is going to win big at the Cherry Hill Race track. And he is going to buy tickets for them to go visit their relatives in Ireland that they haven’t seen in almost twenty-five years. Won’t that be fun?” I can’t wait to tell them.

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THE NEW NEIGHBORS

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It was just an ordinary day in the neighborhood. I have lived here for almost six years when my next-door neighbor had recently put their house up for sale unexpectedly. We weren’t close friends. They were quiet and kept to themselves for the most part. When I saw the For Sale sign on their lawn I was shocked. But I guess I shouldn’t have been since. We waved at each other but never really said anything beyond, “hi, how are you doing?” We both always said, “fine.” in response but a little more.

At the time I was a stay-at-home Mom. Since both of my children were under five and hadn’t started going to school yet. I waited a long time to have children and I wasn’t in any rush to go back to work. My day was focused on taking care of my kids and tending to the house and garden. My days were busy day so I didn’t have much time to worry about what any of my neighbors were up to. Since most of the neighbors, kids were in school and the husbands and wives were working full time.

But after that For Sale sign popped up life changed. There was a string of young, middle-aged, and even a few older couples who came by with their realtors viewing the house for sale. It was the first time in about fifteen years since there was a house for sale in our neighborhood. Pennsauken was a great place for kids to grow up. It was a quiet street with little noise. People maintained their homes and gardens. The elementary and middle schools were within walking distance. There were two playgrounds nearby.

During the Summer neighbors had bar-b-ques and invited their friends and neighbors to stop by. While the adults talked and ate hamburgers the kids would swim in the neighbor’s pool. Everyone decorated their house on Christmas and Halloween. I didn’t realize how much I love it until things started to change and not for the better. And it all started the day my next-door neighbor put that For Sale sign up.

After about three weeks passed I happened to be outside hanging the laundry on the clothesline. “Yeah, that’s right I had clothes outside to dry.” Anyway, I noticed the For Sale sign next door had a sticker on it that said in bold, red letters, SOLD. After lunch, I started getting phone calls from the neighbors who lived nearby asking me if I knew who was moving next door to us. I said, “no, I hadn’t seen or heard anything”. It must have happened yesterday when I had taken my kids to visit their grandparents who lived two towns away.

About ten days later I noticed a moving van pull into our neighbor’s driveway all their worldly belongings were being loaded into it and the family members got into their respective vehicles without a how-to you do, or see ya later. And they had been our neighbors the whole time that we lived here. They didn’t even wave goodbye. I have to admit I felt kind of sad. I began to get a bad feeling about who or what kind of people they sold their house to.

Early the next morning I noticed a large moving van pull into the driveway next door. It was Deja vue only in reverse. Two movers began moving in the new owner’s furniture. I hoped that it would all work out and they would be a good match for our neighborhood.

Later I was outside sitting on our front porch and I saw some people getting out of their cars. There was a woman and two young children and two men. I decided to walk over and say hello and welcome them to the neighborhood. “Hello, my name is Sarah, I’m your next-door neighbor. I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I know you are busy. Welcome to the neighborhood. I’m right next door if I can help you in any way let me know.

The woman said, ” Hello, my name is Meghan Walters and this is my husband Paul and this is my boyfriend, Harry. And these are John and Rob, my kids.” My boyfriend, Harry is a cop in Merchantville.”

I stared at her momentarily. I thought I must have misheard what she said. But then I knew I hadn’t because she said twice this is my boyfriend, Harry. I really didn’t know what to say about that. So, I just said, “well, it was nice meeting you all. And I waved goodbye.”

I walked back to my front porch and plopped on the chair. And I kept thinking husband and boyfriend? What in the world is going on here? Good grief. As I was sitting on the porch I glanced over and I noticed that the new neighbor’s two kids were next to the curb. And the youngest boy had a rope tied around his neck and was sitting on a bike and the older boy was getting ready to push the bike from under him.

I jumped up off the porch and ran over to the two boys. And I screamed, ” what in the name of god are you doing? Are you trying to kill your little brother? That is when their mother, Meghan called out, “oh they always play like that they’re fine. Not to worry.”

I looked over at her and I yelled,” Is this some kind of joke? He was about to hang his little brother?”

“Like I said, they always play like that. “

That is when I leaned over the two boys and whispered to the older brother, “if I ever see you do this to your little brother, I’m going to make you very, very sorry. Do you understand?”

He looked at me and laughed. Laughed, he laughed! I walked away and didn’t look back I felt like I was in some kind of bad dream or something. I couldn’t imagine what was going to happen next. But I was about to find out.

Each day that went by something unexpected and unpleasant happened. And it always involved my new neighbors. And their close proximity to my home. Which heretofore was uneventful and peaceful. One day I took my children outside to play on their swing set and slide. Only to find that the swings were missing and the chains that held the swings were broken. I just couldn’t imagine what had happened.

Did someone come into my backyard and vandalize the swing set for some unknown reason. I just couldn’t imagine why anyone would do such a thing. My children start crying about their broken swings so I said, ” you know what I think it would be a good idea if we take a walk to the park. It’s such a nice day. What do you say?”

They immediately forget about the broken swings and want to go to the park. I found that distraction is something that always works when kids are upset about anything. So I said, “let’s go it’s a beautiful day for a walk in the neighborhood.” And in less than ten minutes we‘re at the park and the kids run-up to the swings and are laughing.

About an hour later I say, “time to go home and eat lunch. Who wants peanut butter?”

They both yell out, “I do, I do.” And we‘re on our way home. When we got back to our street we stopped at the candy store and I buy them both a pop cycle for after lunch. As we‘re walking past my new neighbors’ house I happen to notice what looks like our swings seats and the chains sitting on the front porch deck. I decide to give the kids lunch and put them down for a nap. I think it would be a good time to go over and have a talk with my new neighbor.

After the kids fall asleep I head downstairs to the kitchen. I wash the dishes and as I start putting them away I see that my neighbor has just pulled up into her driveway and her kids all but fall out of the back door of their car. The older boy grabs his little brother and starts throttling him with both hands around his throat. Meghan says absolutely nothing to either one of them. I open the kitchen door and double-time it across my driveway to her side steps. I yell, at Meghan at the top of my lungs to get her attention and hopefully to stop the homicide I see happening right in front of me.

“Hello, hello, Meghan. Sorry to intrude but someone came over into my yard earlier and broke my kid’s swing set. And I couldn’t help but notice that the swings and the chains are sitting on your front deck. “Oh, yeah, I meant to come over and apologize but I had to run some errands this morning. But you know boys will be boys. And you can only beat them so much. “

“What? Did you say you beat them?”

“Yeah, how else can you teach them?”

“I don’t think beating them changes their behavior. Has it worked so far?”

“Well, no. I guess not. But eventually, it might if I hit them hard enough.”

I looked at her and if looks could kill, she would be lying dead at my feet. Well, I’m going to take the swings and chain back to my house and I’ll ask my husband if he can repair the swings. Can I talk to your boys for a moment?”

“Yeah, go ahead but I have a doctor’s appointment in an hour. So, I don’t have much time to chit-chat. Do you know what I mean? I have a prenatal three-month visit. I hope I have a girl this time. I don’t think I can handle another boy. Say, could you watch my boys it will only be about an hour or so?”
“Prenatal visit? Oh sorry, I didn’t notice.

Congratulations. Sure, I can watch them for an hour or so.

“And maybe I’ll find out whose the lucky father? LOL

“Whose the lucky father?” Oh yeah, of course.” I blinked my eyes a couple of times. I was flabbergasted by the whole conversation. But I did know one thing I was going to get to know John and Rob and I was going to give them a safe haven to spend time in.

“How about they come over and have lunch at my house. And then they can play out back until you come home. I’ll sit outside with them it’s a beautiful day out isn’t it?”

And that my friends is how my daughters and Rob and John started a friendship that lasted for years. And when Meghan had her little girl. I took care of her on occasion. And when she got older. She would come over to my sidestep and keep me company while I was cooking dinner. She could talk my ear off.

Meghan and I just never hit it off. But I came to love her kids. At some point, her husband woke up and they got divorced. And somewhere along the way, her boyfriend went home and never came back. Meghan informed me that she was on the lookout for a new guy. Some people are incapable of learning from their mistakes. And Meghan was one of them.

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THE EARLY BIRDS GETS THE WORM

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As far back as I can remember my family has been telling me that I let my imagination run away with me. One family member actually had the audacity to tell me I was full of malarkey.

As a child, I would come home after playing outside with my friends and as soon as everyone was seated at the dinner table I would regale them with the adventures I experienced that day.

I always begin by saying, “wow you won’t believe what happened to me today.”

And then one night at the dinner table my oldest siblings said, “oh no, here she goes again with one of her wild stories. Mom, can’t you tell her to shut up? We can never eat in peace. You know she is full of bologna. There is no way that one person could have some crazy thing happen to them every single day of their life.

The weirdest thing that happened to me today is that my boss at Acme didn’t fire me. After I forgot to bring in the dairy delivery immediately after it arrived. He’s fires people for smaller mistakes. I consider it almost a miracle that I still have a job. But you don’t hear me telling you every night what awesome or strange thing happened to me every day do you?”

“Larry does not use that kind of language at the dinner table. And leave Sandy alone. She’s not doing any harm. She just has an active imagination. That’s all. She’s a very creative kid with a big imagination. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Yeah, imagination, sure. If anyone of the rest of us told so many lies, we would never hear the end of it.”

“He’s right Mom. You do favor her. She gets away with murder.”

“That’s enough Libby. How about we all just eat out dinner quietly.’

As a result, I never did get to tell them what happened to me. Every time I tried to bring it up. Someone would tell me to shut up, And my mother would say, “you are not allowed to say shut up in this house.

“Maybe I should start at the beginning. After I got out of school that day, I ran home. So that I could change out of my school uniform and into my play clothes. And then I ran over to my best friend’s house down the street. I banged on her front door. No one answered.

I banged and banged at the door for at least twenty minutes. I was about to give up and then I saw someone at the front window. She looked like a witch. Her hair was standing up in every direction. Her face had something sticky smeared across it. All the way up to her hairline. At first, I thought it was blood. The longer I looked I realized it was some kind of food on her face, maybe jelly. The window was half-opened she screamed out the opening, “help, help me they are keeping me, prisoner, here. Help, help, help.”

At first, I thought I better run away. She‘s some kind of witch, She‘s going to eat me. But then I saw tears slowly running down her face from her red, bloodshot eyes and down her wrinkled cheeks. And she kept wiping them away with the back of her hand. This further spread the jelly or whatever it was across her face. There seemed no end to her tears. I ran up to the front garden under the window and yelled up at her, “are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you want me to call the police?” She continued to moan and cry, “help me, help me.”

I decided to try getting into the house through the screen porch at the back of the house. My friend, Jilly lived there. But it didn’t seem like anyone else was home but this old lady. Jilly had told me that they never locked the back porch in case one of them got locked out of the house by mistake.

So I pushed it open and ran over to the kitchen door. I turned the knob and I was in. I stepped into the kitchen it smelled like pizza like it always does. My best friend‘s family is Italian and they eat spaghetti or lasagna or pizza almost every night. It always smells delicious in their kitchen. I called out, “Hello, hello where are you?” I could hear her crying from the living room. I yelled out, “hello it’s me, Sandy.”

Nobody answered me. So, I just walked quietly into the living room. I didn’t want to scare her. “Hi, it’s me, Sandy.” I saw her still looking out the living room window. I tiptoed up to her and said, “hi, I’m here. She screamed at the top of her lungs. I let out a scream myself. ” Good grief, you scared me half to death. Where is everyone? Why are you all alone? Where’s Jilly?”

She said, ” they left me all alone. They are keeping me a prisoner. They won’t let me out.”

I said, “let’s sit down in the kitchen. I know let’s eat a cookie. I saw some on the counter when I walked through there. Do you want a cookie?” She smiled for the first time.

“Yes, cookie, I want a cookie.”

I helped her sit down and pushed her chair in. We both sat quietly and ate the chocolate chip cookies. And then I said, “are you Jilly’s grandmother?”

“Yes. I’m a grandmother.”

“Are you living here now?”
“Yes, I’m living here. They left me all alone. I was taking a nap and when I woke up, they were gone. I was scared and lonely and all by myself.”

“Well, I‘ll stay here until they come home. Would you like that?”

“Yes, stay. I’m scared.”

We sat and ate our cookies for a while and I ask her what’s your name? She said, “my name is Alma. I came here a long time ago. I’m from Italy. We landed in New York City at the Statue of Liberty in 1905. We lived in Camden, New Jersey for many years. My husband was a tailor and he made suits for men. I had twelve children. They are all grown up and have children of their own. And some of their children have children. My husband died and now I’m all alone.”

“You’re not alone Alma. You live with your son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. And now you have me, I’ll be your friend and I’ll come to visit you anytime you want me to. Maybe we could take a walk around the garden in the backyard. And there’s a big swing hanging from the Willow Tree that we could take a ride on. What do you say?”

“Yes, I say let’s take some cookies outside too. I love cookies.”

“Really I love cookies and candy. Next time I come over I’ll bring some cookies that my mom made. They’re oatmeal raisin. They are so yummy.”

Alma had a big smile across her face. And that’s when I saw Alma didn’t have any teeth. And I wondered how she could chew the cookies. I handed her two of the cookies and we sat down on the couch that was on the back porch. She finished her cookies before I did.

“Good, they’re good cookies. Give me more.”

“Maybe next time, I don’t want you to get sick.”

She smiled at me. And that’s when I heard my friend Jilly’s car drive up. It was an old car and it made a lot of noise. I said, “Alma your family is home. Do you want to go back into the house?”

She said, ‘no, I like it out here. It’s nice and there are a lot of birds and flowers. I used to have a garden when I lived in Camden in the front yard. I had all different kinds of roses. And we had a grapevine and my husband used to make his own wine. I miss that.”

“Maybe your son would let you have a garden here. And then you could go outside in the fresh air and not be stuck in the house all the time.”

“Yes, I would love to have a garden again. Let’s do that.”

And then I thought, oh no, I shouldn’t have told her that. Maybe they’ll say no. And then she’ll be sad again. “Alma, stay here. I’m going to run around front and tell them we are out on the porch. So, they won’t worry. I’ll be right back. Stay here.”

I ran out front and Jilly’s father said, “what are you doing here? Why are you here all the time?”

My friend Jilly’s father was a grouch, just like my father. I ignored what he said. And I said, “I was visiting Alma I heard her crying when I was knocking at the front door. And we were sitting on the back porch eating cookies. I told her I would bring her some of my mother’s cookies the next time I come over.”
“How did you get in the house Sandy?”

“I came in the back porch. Jilly told me it is always unlocked. And your mother and I were visiting on the porch and eating cookies. She said she wants to have a garden in the backyard. She loves flowers and grapes.”

“She did, she’s done nothing but cry since she got here. OK, let’s go see her on the back porch. We all marched around the yard to the backyard. Alma was sitting there quietly looking at the backyard. “Hello, Sandy said I could have a garden and work in the backyard.”

“She did Mom. That sounds like a great idea.”

And Sandy said, “she will come over and help me.”

“Well Mom, that sounds like a fine idea. And maybe Jilly can help you as well.”

And that is when I saw the most beautiful toothless smile appear on Grandmother’s face. That’s what she told me to call her, Grandmother. I never had a grandmother before. So, at least once a week I go over and help grandmother in the garden. And she tells me all kinds of stories about the olden days when she was growing up in Italy.

And that is how I made my second best, Alma. At least once or twice a week I go over to Jilly’s house and sit on the back porch and eat oatmeal raisin cookies with cold milk. And sometimes we go in the yard and work in the garden. I’m in charge of any worms we find. Because Alma is afraid of snakes. I keep telling her that these are just little worms but she doesn’t believe me.

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SURPRISE PACKAGE

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I was taking a shower when I heard the front doorbell ringing over and over. Whoever was at the door was persistent, to say the least. And there was no way I was going to throw a towel on and run down to answer the door. More than likely it was the Jehovah’s witnesses again. This would make their third visit in the last month. And I had already informed them that I was just not interested. 

I finally gave in and throw on my robe and slippers and run down the steps to see who was at the door. It sure as hell better be important or I was going to give them a piece of my mind.

I arrive dripping wet with a towel wrapped around my still soapy hair and wearing my ratty chenille robe that I’ve had since I was twenty. As I got to the door I see a delivery person with his back to the door and heading towards his vehicle that was illegally parked on my front curb. I yell at the top of my voice, “Hey buddy, hey buddy I’ll take the package I was in the middle of taking a shower.”

He turns around and sprints up to me. “Sorry for ringing the bell so much but this is the third time I came out here to deliver this package and it requires a signature. So, it must be something important.”

“Well, I’m sorry but I’m rarely home during the week. I’m a sales rep and I spend most of my time on the road visiting customers. So, I feel your pain. Sometimes I drive several hours just to find my customer isn’t in the office. Even though I had scheduled an appointment to see them at a specific day and time.”

He sighs, and says, “if you could please just sign this and I’ll be on my way. I’m going to be getting finished late again and my wife is going to be really pissed at me for being late again.”

“Sure, I hope the rest of your day goes well.” I sign the form and grab the package and he double-timed it to his truck. I think what a boring job. But then I think about it and realize that my job isn’t all that thrilling or interesting. And we all gotta do what we gotta do.

As I’m stepping back inside my front door and my robe flies open and my neighbor, Jeffrey gets flashed. He waves at me with a big smile on his face. He probably thinks I did it on purpose. I will never be able to look him in the face again. I think dear god, I can see this is going to be the day from hell.

When I get into the living room I put the package on the coffee table and decide I better get myself in gear or I‘m really going to be in hot water for being late. And we’re having our semi-annual sales rep meeting. People have been fired for much less. I fly up the stairs and into the bathroom and rinse the shampoo out of my hair and towel off. I blow-dry my hair and threw my clothes on. I grab my shoes and jacket and briefcase and out the door to my car and I‘m on my way.

The rest of the day goes by in a blink of an eye with one meeting after another. And by the time I arrive home I‘m exhausted and decide the package can wait until Saturday when I‘m off from work.

It was a rough week, but somehow I made it through. I got home late on Friday and fall into bed at 9:30 PM. The following morning I woke up with the nagging feeling that I had forgotten something important. I can’t put my finger on it. And then while taking my shower it comes to me. The package, the package I forgot all about it. After I towel off I throw my clothes on that I wear when I’m going to work in my garden. I double-timed it down the steps.

I grab the package and shake it. It sounds like something small is in there and fabric or clothes are muffling the sound of whatever else is in there. I try guessing what it is. I look at the return address. It’s from my parent’s lawyers. My parents passed away suddenly last year when they were involved in a multiple-vehicle accident on the New Jersey turnpike.

As soon as I realize it must have belonged to my parents I start to cry and choke up. The sudden loss of my parents was devastating. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. My parents were only in their early sixties and had just retired and were looking forward to many more years together. And now I had no living relatives left in the world. I never married and didn’t have any children. Every morning since I found out about my parent’s deaths I wake up and think how I’m an orphan and I don’t have single-loved ones in the world.

I sit there for ten minutes until I gather the courage to open up the box and look at the contents. I can’t imagine what it could be since their lawyer had said their estate was settled. I wondered why he didn’t call me and let me know there was some kind of outstanding business. And then I remember he had called me at home and on my cell and left me several messages asking me to return his call. I ignored the calls because I didn’t want to reopen that wound again. I couldn’t bear any further bad news.

I stare at the box and shake it again. And then I gather my courage and tear off the brown paper and open the box. I hold my breath and take out a letter which surprisingly bares my name in my mother’s handwriting. It says, Dear Angela if you are reading this letter it means that I am no longer living. I want you to know how much I love you and always have.

I should have told you about this a long, long time ago. When I was quite young about nineteen years old I fell pregnant. This was before I met your father. My parents were extremely strict and I was afraid to tell them I was going to have a baby. The father of the child was someone I met after I graduated from high school. He was drafted into the military. This was during the Viet Nam War. He was only twenty-two years old. I didn’t find out I was pregnant until after he left. I was devastated by his death. I didn’t know what to do. My parents figured out I was pregnant but it was too late to get an abortion. So, my parents took me to a place where young pregnant girls stayed until their babies were born and then they were put up for adoption.

I was told I would not be allowed to see my baby again. I had a difficult delivery and was heavily sedated during the birth by cesarean. I tried to move on after that since I really wasn’t given the choice of keeping the baby. About five years later I met your father and a year later we had you. I never told your father that I had a baby and gave him up for adoption. I was ashamed of getting pregnant and of giving the baby away.

After we had you I tried not to think of my first child. But he was in the back of my mind my whole life. I never really got over it. About five years ago I hired someone to find out where my son was living. It took about six months but I finally found that he was living in Philadelphia only about forty-five minutes from where we lived. I still didn’t tell your father. I know I should have told you both. But, what can I say I was a coward. I didn’t want you to think badly of me.

I left this letter with our lawyer and told him to give it to you if anything ever happened to me and I passed away. I have enclosed the address of your brother, who was named Joseph. His parents’ names are Helen and Robert McElliot. Your brother is six years older than you. I hope you will contact your brother and have the opportunity to get to know him. Since you have no other family. I know you will probably be angry with me, but I hope someday you will forgive me. All my love, Mom.

I read the letter over and over. I was having a difficult time comprehending the fact that my mother had this secret all of her adult life and never told anyone except her parents. Who also kept the secret. It was incomprehensible. I didn’t know if I was angry at my mother or not. I wish she had told me long ago. But she didn’t and the past can not be undone. But I knew one thing for sure. I was going to find my brother and contact him. I hoped with all my heart that he will want to meet me.

The rest of the day I kept picking up the phone and then putting it down. I couldn’t decide whether I should contact him by phone or just show up in person. But then I realized that I could probably find him on the internet. And then maybe I could get a better idea of what was the best way to get in touch with him. And sure enough, I found him and he only lived about forty-five minutes from my house. He was married and had a young child. I couldn’t believe it I had a brother, a niece or nephew, and a sister-in-law. I have a family. I wasn’t alone in the world anymore. This turned out to be the best day of my life.

And then I started wondering if he knew he was adopted. If he did, would he even want to meet me? I decided there was only one way to find out, and that was to get in touch with him. I found out he worked at a business that just so happened to be one of my company’s buyers. I decided that I was going to call his company and set up an appointment with Joseph McElliot as soon as possible.

I made an appointment for this coming Friday morning at 11:00 AM. I could hardly sleep the whole week. I couldn’t think about anything else. I wake up in the middle of the night and never get back to sleep. I took the whole day off. I waited outside his office until his office manager called me in. “Come right in, won’t you? Mr. McElliot this is Ms. Angela Brown.

“Hello, Ms. Brown what can I do for you?’

“Well, first I have to tell you that I came here under false pretenses. I do work for the company but I came here for personal reasons. I would like to show you some documents first and then I’ll explain why I’m here.“ I hand him the letter and documents my mother had given me.

Mr. McElliot looks over the documents. And then he sits back in his seat and takes a deep breath. “Well, this is certainly somewhat of a shock. I thought about searching for my birth parents for years. But I never did it. My parents, that is my adoptive parents were wonderful people. I’m sorry I didn’t pursue it now. I should have. Now I’ll never meet my birth mother. On the other hand, I was an only child since my adoptive parents weren’t able to have children of their own. And now I find out the wonderful news that I have a sister.”

Angela sighs in relief, she had been holding her breath the whole time he looked over her mother’s letter and the documents she had left Angela. “Really, oh I’m so happy to hear that. I don’t have any family left now since my parents passed away. Our mother was such a caring and loving person. I wish you had gotten to know her. You know you bear a striking resemblance to her. Would you mind if I gave you a hug? This is one of the most amazing days of my life. I’d love to take you out for lunch or dinner sometime soon. “

“I think that I’ll give my wife a call and tell her all about this. And you should come to dinner at my house and meet my wife and child. Because now you’re a member of my family and you’ll always be welcome there. What do you say?”

“I say unequivocally, yes, yes, yes.” And then the siblings give each other a warm embrace. And Robert says,”why are you crying, Angela? Surely this is a happy event?”

“Yes, one of the happiest. I will never forget it.”

“I hope that we‘ll create many happy memories in the future. Life has a way of coming up and surprising us when we least expect it, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it surely does, Robert. It really does.”

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BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

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All my life, I’ve tried to do the right thing. I’ve worked hard. In fact, I’ve never missed a single day’s work. And yet here I am in debt up to my eyeballs. Why, you may ask? Well, the fact of the matter is that my wife has an addiction. No, not a drug addiction.

She has an addiction to plastic surgery. It all started when someone jokingly mentioned to my wife that she shouldn’t put her chin down because she had a double chin. For the first couple of weeks, I caught her staring at her reflection in the mirror at her profile. And then, one day she came home from work, she informed me that she was getting a facelift.

I said, “What for Pamela? There’s nothing wrong with your face. I love your face the way it is. Please don’t.” 

I went on a business trip, and when I came back, Pamela’s neck and chin were wrapped in bandages. I stared at her for several minutes without saying a word. And then I all but screamed, “what have you done to yourself, Pamela?”

“What do you think? I got a facelift. And I think I’m going to get my nose done too and I’m going to have injections in my lips. My lips are too thin. I’ve always been self-conscious about it. My nose has a big bump in the middle. It’s awful. As soon as my face is healed, I’m getting my nose done. There’s no discussion. I already made the appointment.” And then she went into the living room and turned the TV on loud. She didn’t say another word for the rest of the day. I didn’t know what to say to change her mind. I went upstairs to our bedroom and unpacked my things. And sit down on the side of the bed. I really had no clue what to do. I was afraid of what would happen next.

The month went by before I knew it. I kept telling Pam, “I love you just the way you. Please don’t get the nose job done. But the following week, when I came home from an overnight work trip, she had a bandage across her nose, and her eyes were black and blue. It looked like she had been in a fight and came out the looser. I said, are you alright, Pam? Are you in a lot of pain? Please, please tell me you’re done now?”

” She said,’ I’m fine. Don’t fuss, Tom.”

When she finally had the bandages off and the swelling went down, I saw her nose looked utterly different. I was shocked. Not only did she have the bump on her nose removed, but her nose also looked narrower, and the tip of her nose was now turned up. I gasped when I saw it. “Pamela, you’re nose looks completely different. What did you do?”

“Well, the doctored suggested that my nose was too broad for my face. And perhaps I should consider getting it narrowed. And then I said, “yes, you’re right, it‘s really wide. And you know what? I always wanted to have my nose tipped up. And voila, I have the nose I’ve always wanted. Do you have a problem with it?”

I stared at her with my mouth opened. ” Problem? Yes, I have a problem you don’t even look like my wife anymore. Are you done now? Please tell me you’re done? I loved you the way you were. Please, please stop.

But she didn’t stop. I became reluctant to go on business trips. I obsessively checked her phone and calendar to see if she had scheduled a new surgery. I didn’t know what she might do to herself while I was away on business. I received a warning from my boss. I worked in the marketing department. Business trips are a part of your job. He said, “either do your job or start looking for another job.”

I didn’t have a choice. And I found that I was going on more business trips than ever. And sure enough, every couple of months, I would come home, and Pamela would have had some additional surgery. Sometimes she would have some liposuction done around her stomach or her thighs. And then Pam started getting implants. First, she had a breast lift and then implants. She didn’t stop with the first implants. She kept getting larger and larger implants. And then cheek implants. Because she always wanted high cheekbones. She no longer resembled my Pamela. The young woman I married. It was surreal.

About eight months after Pamela started the plastic surgery, my health insurance notified me that Pamela had far exceeded the limits of our health insurance policy and that they were not paying any new claims. I received a bill from Pam’s surgeon’s office stating that Pam had an outstanding balance of forty-five thousand dollars. I almost lost my mind when I read the outstanding balance.

I called Pamela and told her that we would have to have a serious conversation about her plastic surgery addiction. Pam had the table set and a wonderful dinner waiting for me when I got home. So I thought, great, she’s trying to make amends. She realizes that she can’t go on with these surgeries.

Pam didn’t want to discuss the doctor’s outstanding bill when I arrived home. She tried to put me off. And then she said, “Tom, I might as well tell you now, you’ll find out soon enough, but all our credit cards are maxed out too.”

“How much do we owe Pam? You better tell me now.”

“I don’t know exactly, but somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty thousand dollars.”

“Another fifty thousand dollars in addition to forty-five that we already owe?”

“Yes, that’s almost a hundred thousand dollars. Have you lost your mind?”

“No, a lot of people have plastic surgery.”

“Pam, this has to end. No more. If you get any more procedures. I’m done. I will file for divorce. You need therapy. This has gone too far. I don’t feel like I know you at all anymore.”

“Tom, you are overreacting. Calm down.”

“Calm down, have you lost your mind? You spent almost $100,000, and you think I should calm down. You need help. You are an addict. I can’t live with it anymore. No more plastic surgery. No more.”

“Well, Tom, I have already scheduled several more procedures. You can’t stop me.”

“I have stopped you already. I have canceled all the credit cards and taken your name off our bank accounts. I have informed the bank that you are no longer allowed to take any money out of my accounts. They are frozen, and you can not open any credit cards in my name. You have no credit. I’m done with your insanity. I’m done with you. I’ve contacted my lawyer and filed for a legal separation. You’re on your own now, Pam.”

“Tom, I promise I’ll be done after these last two procedures. Give me another chance.”

“No, Pam, I’ve given you every chance. And your fixation on the way you look is sick. I hope you find happiness and contentment someday. We’re finished. The next day I contacted my lawyer and told him to go forward with the divorce that we had irreconcilable differences because of Pam’s addiction to plastic surgery. And that she had spent all our money savings and destroyed my credit.

I hope that Pam will find happiness sometime in the future. She needs to believe in herself. That looks fade with time. And that she has value beyond her appearance. The week after I spoke to a lawyer, I found out that Pam had attempted to take a second mortgage out on our house. I contacted my lawyer, and he said, “you can’t get away from this woman too soon. She is out of control.”

So here I am six months after our divorce was finalized. I’m living in a small rented house. I still miss the old Pam. It’s almost as if she passed away. Because the Pam I knew no longer exists. Several friends have attempted to fix me up with single women they know. But I turn them down every time. I can not imagine going through this again. I’ve decided to get a dog instead. If we ever run into each other, I won’t even recognize her. What can I say, “life goes on.”

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