Love Comes To Charlie Wilson

     I'm writing a short story and one of the characters popped out to me - he could stand on his own, so I quickly wrote this quirky little story about what happened to him!

    This story is also published on A Quick Read, a short stories app for the android phone. If you want to view their webpage, click on the link in the sentence above. On their web scroll down to the area that says read on your computer and click. Love Comes To Charlie Wilson is posted under Heart-Warming stories. Or read it below.

Hope you enjoy.
                                                                                           Audrey

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Love Comes To Charlie Wilson

     How had it happened? He was the guy in his fifties who had sworn off romance. After ten years of marriage his wife left him for another man. If that wouldn't turn any faithful husband off he didn't know what would.

    Strange how it came about. He owned Charlie's restaurant and one night his manager, Lance, asked him to sit in on a date he had with this gal and her mother.

     “Why me?” he'd asked. Seems Lance wanted time with this Nancy. He hoped Charlie would keep the mother occupied. Charlie accepted with reservations. What if the mother was old, unattractive? Heck, it was only one night, so why not?

     When Nancy and Ellen Blair walked into the restaurant that night, Charlie's eyes widened. This was the mother? Tall, lean, with brown hair and azure eyes that sparkled. Not bad at all.

     “So, Ellen,” he asked when they were seated in the booth. Tell me something about yourself.”

     Ellen shrugged. “Not much to tell. Married twelve years, went through a nasty divorce, now I'm just content to wing it on my own. One man in my life was enough to turn me off men forever.”

     Charlie's eyes narrowed. A looker like her, didn't want another man in her life? Until now he'd felt the same. This one was different. She had a vulnerability and past sadness he wanted to explore.

     When they left, Charlie got her phone number and address from Lance. Something screamed at him. He had to follow up. The next morning he dialed Ellen's number, then drummed his fingers on the table waiting for someone to answer. Why was it taking so long? His heart beat somewhere in his throat. Suppose she refused?

     “Hello? Ellen here.”

     He almost hung up in panic. A pause, then “Uh, good morning, Ellen, it's Charlie. It's a beautiful day. I wondered if you'd like to take a walk in the park and maybe stop for coffee somewhere?” He felt like a jackass. Why would she want to see him again?

     “That would be nice, Charlie,” she said quietly. The softness of her voice mesmerized him.

     He almost choked at his end. He'd pick her up in an hour. He checked through his closet. Gotta look spiffy for a lady like that. He finally settled on a dark blue suit - sort of emphasized his gray hair - and a pale blue golf shirt. Yeah, that ought to do.

     He rocked back and forth waiting for Ellen to open the door.

     “Hello, Charlie, it's good to see you again.”

     Right then and there he knew he was a goner – this woman just dazzled him.

     Walking side by side with Ellen under the emerald trees in the park, Charlie wanted to take her hand. Nope, don't rush it. Did she realize how beautiful she looked in a lavender outfit and brushed back hair?

They found a small bistro by the side of the park. They sat under an outside umbrella and ordered black coffee. It surprised Charlie that she didn't order one of those fancy drinks. Down to earth woman. He liked that.

     “So, Ellen,” Charlie said, adding three packets of sugar to his coffee, “ I was wondering about what you said last night. What happened to turn you off men?” His heart beat wildly in his throat. He wanted to know, so maybe he could change her mind. He already knew this was the woman he finally wanted to open his heart to. Could he open hers, too?

     “Charlie, It's not a pleasant story,” Ellen said, slowly sipping her coffee. “ Why don't we talk about something else?”

      Charlie took her hand. “Last night you opened my heart to the possibility of finding someone to love again. You need to do that, too.” A flush crept over his cheeks. Would she realize he meant her?

      Her eyes softened as she squeezed his hand. “ It's so ludicrous, I've never wanted to bring it out in the open.”

     “Tell me, Ellen. It can't be that bad.”

     She wiped a tear from her eye. “ I guess it's time to let go of the past.”

     Her lips trembled as she told him about the afternoon she came home early and found her husband in bed with another man. He had tried to explain his new love, she couldn't listen.

     “I was totally disgusted,” she continued. “After so many years, he left me for a man. I'd have known how to fight another woman to win him back. But a man? I felt helpless and ravaged at the same time. I had become the other woman.”

     Stunned, Charlie could only imagine what that had been like. He reached over and kissed her.

     “Ellen, I was hurt, too. Not as bad as you, but we have something in common. I want to build on that. I want to hold you and love you forever.” He kissed her again and felt her respond. There was hope for them. Her kiss, shy as it was, told him they did have a future. He'd never let her hurt again.

      Ellen reached over and cradled his face in her hands. “I guess we could try, Charlie. I guess we could try.”

If It's Gonna Happen, It'll Happen To Me

I decided to put gas in my car today, since prices were down a few cents. Why not take advantage? I turned off the engine, and got out my debit card. I don't know how it happened so quickly, but it slipped off my lap and slid down between the two front seats.

I could see it, but couldn't get to it. Went inside the store, explained what had happened and asked the girl there if she had something long that I could squeeze the card out with. It didn't work so I went back to the store and returned this sliver of metal to her.

Okay, let's see if I can get my hand down there and pluck it out. It was a tight squeeze and after three tries I realized my right hand was bloody – I mean blood was oozing all over the place. The cuts weren't deep, but my blood is so thin and, of course, so is my skin. I'll admit I started to panic. You can't buy anything without one of those plastic cards and I only have that one and no cash on hand. I don't like credit cards because sometimes they can get out of hand. If I don't have the money I just stop spending. I took out a paper towel, wrapped it around the cuts which kept oozing blood, so for the third time I headed back inside.

The clerk looked horrified at the bloody towel. I told her not to worry but wondered if there was someone with thicker skin who could get the card out. She was the only one in the store and couldn't leave. Then a young man in a UPS uniform walked in. He looked as horrified as the clerk. Really, it wasn't as bad as it looked. I just needed someone to try and pluck out the card. He was very tall and thin with long slim fingers. Maybe he could get it out?

Well, it took him two seconds to reach the card and hand it to me. Like I said, the cuts weren't deep but my hand is black tonight. No pain, just ugly looking.

There are some nice people in this world and lately I've been running into them.

"Trouble On The Reef" published in Stepping Stones Magazine

 

Stepping Stones Magazine

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While Stepping Stones strives to be a place for new and established artists to experiment with their craft, acceptance is not automatic. If your work appears in our magazine, then it deserves to be here.

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Trouble On The Reef by Audrey Frank published in Stepping Stones Magazine.

I was pleased that my story Trouble On The Reef was published in Stepping Stones Magazine, an on-line magazine. You can link to the story and read it by clicking HERE or on the story title under the photo. If you like my story, please click on the stars and register a five star vote!

Angels Among Us

    

     With all the chaos going around in this world, I found my personal angel yesterday.

     Someone had driven by and ripped off my left outside rear mirror a few months ago. My neighbor had fixed it back then, but with the scorching heat we're having now, the tape melted away. The mirror was hanging by a thread. My neighbor was out of town. What to do?

     I headed to Home Depot and purchased some heavy duty glue and extra strength duck tape. My plans were to try and fix it right there in the parking lot. I couldn't open the glue, so back inside I went. A very young employee was standing just inside the door.

     “Could you please open this glue for me?”

     “Be happy to,” he replied. Then he looked at me.”You gonna use it right now?”

      I explained what had happened and he said he'd see if he could help me out. Off to the car we went.

      That young man, Scott, took over completely. He put on the glue, waited until he felt it was dry and then meticulously kept adding duck tape until he was satisfied that the mirror was going to hold. We were out there for over a half hour. Another person might have just given him a few dollars and driven off. I felt Scott deserved more than that.

     “Can you take me to your manager? I want to tell him how helpful you were.”

     Scott grinned. “Yes, mam!”

     As I told the manager about the incident, he started to smile and Scott was turning red.

“If the world were filled with more young people like Scott, it would be a better place to

live” I ended.

     The manager shook my hand and said “Most people just come to me with complaints, never praise. Thank you for taking the time to tell me about Scott.”

     Before I walked away, I reached up and hugged Scott. “Just want you to know you made my day.”

     I've been telling my friends to ask for Scott when they go to Home Depot. One day I want to see him as manager of the store.

The Days Of Wine And Flowers



     Finally Spring has sprung here in St. Augustine after a very cold winter. Trees are filling in with new green leaves - let's not mention all the dead leaves on the ground because I was too lazy to rake them up - Azaleas are blooming, and my heart is filled with the thought of the summer ahead and all the annuals I plan to set out in pots in the back yard.

 

     I hadn't started out to the grocery store with the thought of buying a bottle of wine. I am not a wine drinker. Still, there was this beautiful bottle of rose wine that caught my attention. Not the wine. The bottle - it had such a quaint design on it that I added it to my grocery cart on the spur of the moment.

 

     I got home, looked at the bottle and decided to pour out the wine and use it as a vase on my kitchen window sill. It didn't look that great until I added a few artificial flowers in it and surrounding it. Okay, I cheated. I didn't want to wait until I could get some fresh flowers. So now my window sill pleases me. And if I never get fresh flowers instead of artificial, I still think it looks cute.

Second Time Around Short Story

This is the second story I've had published on A Quick Read, a short stories app for the Android Phone. If you go to their website and scroll down and click on the computer image it will take you to the list of stories. "Second Time Around" is under 'Heart-Warming' Stories. Read about the app and my other story on an earlier post here.

I hope you enjoy Second Time Around, printed below!

The day had been rough, and Joan felt every bone groan. She plopped down on the couch like a bag of cement. Her eyes drooped and she fell into a deep nap. It didn't last long.

The kids came slamming through the door.

"Hi, Mom," they yelled. "What's for snacks?"

"Check the fridge," she called back, pushing herself off the couch. Who needed a nap anyway?

They were already chomping down cold pizza.

"How was your day at school?"

Kelly stopped chewing long enough to give Joan a quick hug. She laughed. "It was okay, but I'm glad it's Friday." Jason just nodded agreement.She looked at their exuberant,happy faces. What plans did they have? Would she be included?

It was inevitable she would soon become a lesser part of their lives.

"Hey, Mom, can you drive me out to the skeet range tomorrow?" Jason's question smacked her back to the present.

"Sure, Hon, what time do you want to go?"

Jason shoved the last piece of pizza in his mouth and mumbled, "Early, 'cause there's a new instructor who's gonna teach me to shoot better. He said I need to learn how to follow through on my swing." Jason shrugged. "Dad never really explained that to me."

Jason had learned to shoot skeet before her husband and she had divorced. Phil wasn't meant to be a parent, or a husband, so it had been by mutual agreement. Sometimes she thought it would be nice to be in love again. Still, a single parent was better than two who were always at each others throats.

Early the next morning they headed out to the skeet range. Joan hung back, but Jason raced straight toward his new instructor. She watched them talking. Jason turned and motioned for her to join them. She walked over to where they were standing.

"This is my mom," Jason said, a grin spreading across his freckled face.

"Hi, I'm Steve Brown." He held out his hand.

"Joan," she answered. His strong grip surprised her and a tingle ran up her arm. He was tall with broad shoulders, a shock of wavy black hair, and electric blue eyes. She liked the feel of his hand almost as much as his infectious smile.

"You've got a great kid here, Joan. You must be proud of him."

She nodded agreement.

"Hey, Mom, Steve is new here in town and hasn't had a chance to make any friends yet. Can he come home with us for lunch after my lesson?"

"We've only got sandwiches."

"That would be just fine with me." Steve's eyes met and held hers until she flushed, and felt an unexpected jolt to her stomach.
"Sure," she said a little too quickly. "It's only lunch, right?"

Jason whooped in glee. "See, Steve, I told you she'd like you."

Steve and Jason spent an hour practicing keeping the shotgun slightly in front of the target,then following through before lowering the barrel.

"Pull," Steve yelled, then watched Jason take aim.


If Jason missed, Steve patiently explained, again and again, how important it was to stay in front of the target and follow through. After a while, Jason started pulverizing the clay targets. After each clay explosion, Jason would jump up and down, waving at Joan.


Joan was impressed. Phil never had that kind of patience.

After the session ended, Steve eased his Rambler behind Joan's beat up Chevy and they headed home. Joan's fingers trembled as she put the key in the lock and the door swung wide. It was a long time since a man had been in their house.

Steve followed Jason into the kitchen. Kelly was already putting together left-over roast beef sandwiches.

Steve smiled. "I already know who you are, Kelly. Jason says you're a pretty cool sister."

Kelly smiled coyly. "I've heard a lot about you, too."

Soon all four were devouring sandwiches and cold lemonade. After lunch, Jason and Kelly cleared the table and started washing dishes. Kelly glanced at Joan. Her look said take him outside.

"Would you like to sit in the back yard?" She felt like a teenager hit over the head. When was the last time she had flirted?

They chatted for hours, oblivious to the oncoming purple twilight. The more they talked, the more Joan realized how she had missed male companionship.

Steve looked at his watch and frowned. "I didn't mean to take up so much of your time," he apologized. "I better get going. Will you come to the range with Jason again?"

"Of course, I have to watch how Jason improves."

"That's great, see you soon." As he headed to his car he turned and waved.

Joan waved back, knowing in her heart this was the beginning of her second time around.

Never Take Your Neighbors For Granted

     I had fallen last week and badly bruised myself – scraped arms and a bad back. I hardly went out all week because of the pain.

     I live on a block where there are only five houses, and we're not a particularly social group, except for a casual hand wave if we happened to be outside. The exception is Doris Oswald, whom I became friendly with through the Writer's Group we both go to.

     After my fall, Doris would check in every day to see if I was okay. I'm not sure why but this morning I didn't hear the phone ring. She evidently called several times and I never picked up. Well, that worried her.

     The next thing I hear is a pounding – I didn't realize it was my door being pounded on. The house around the corner has been having work done on it all week, so I was used to the noise and thought nothing of it.

     Suddenly I heard my voice being called and heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Talk about being startled. Two paramedics stood there. “Are you alright?”

     Seems when Doris couldn't reach me, she had called 911 to tell them she thought her neighbor might be in trouble.

     When I walked downstairs, my mouth dropped open. Not only was the EMT truck there, along with a police car, but all my neighbors were standing in front of my house. A swirl of confusion and humility swept through. They cared enough about me to be concerned. I didn't know what to say. I felt humbled and grateful. I couldn't hold back the tears that stung my eyes.

     These people cared for me and I just never had realized how much...

     My one neighbor, Ed, had removed my front door before the paramedics could break it down. Then he put it back up. Now that goes beyond friendship. Doris had called a friend, Terri, who had tried to reach me and was becoming frantic because she couldn't. Everyone standing there because they cared for me, each in their own way.

     People who need people are the luckiest people in the world. Today, and forever more, I will consider myself one of those people.

     Thank you, my neighbors, my friends.
                                                                                   Audrey