I took a chance Asked her for a dance She inspected me up and down Could she tell I was on the rebound
Her viridian eyes sparkled like forest dew Her smile too, in my field of view I nearly lost my biological processes When she uttered “yes”
The music slowed as if preordained My libido became unrestrained She smiled and said, “You seem rather aroused” I replied, “I think I love you, be my spouse”
She laughed, “Well, don’t you move fast I have yet to examine your mizzen mast” “My ship is safely anchored just offshore But that is not what ships are for”
“So I ask you to come aboard Take a chance,” I deplored “We’ll set sail to lands afar Perhaps a voyage to Zanzibar”
“My, you are a bold one”, was her response “Will you then be my commandant Will I have to cook and clean And be expected to do other things”
“Every sailor has chores on board Good behavior leads to certain rewards Say yes and see what awaits you at sea A life well lived, a life with me”
The band stopped playing, she stepped away “This has been an unusual encounter today I’m glad I accepted your invitation to dance You’ve convinced me to take a chance”
There are moments in everyone’s life that are often unexpected and unexplainable. Moments that take one’s breath away. Surprises so great they change one to the core and truly awaken your heart center. This is one of those stories. The names of the characters in this story are fictional to protect the innocent. Wait…so are the characters. At least I think so, but I’m not sure.
George Jetson was hoping that today would be the day he would find out about his possible promotion to manager, handling mergers and acquisitions. It would be life-changing for his ego and pocketbook. It was a misty April Monday morning when he exited his rented flat in the Camden borough of London. Imagine that. A foggy morning in London, he thought. He was also hopeful of seeing the attractive woman he would occasionally run into when they would both dump their garbage into the community dumpster. I still don’t know her name. I’d like to arrange a merger with her.
Judy Garland left her rented flat in the borough of Camden. Another boring day of work, she whispered aloud while walking towards the dumpster with her bag of garbage. I wonder if that nice man will be there. I still don’t know his name. Judy was to be 31 next month, and she felt as if her life had passed her by. I’ve had the same job for the last 15 years. A stupid sales clerk in a nearby women’s clothing store. Not a great place to meet a man.
George and Judy arrived at the dumpster simultaneously. George took the initiative, still feeling a buzz about his possible promotion. “Good morning. We have to stop meeting like this,” he joked.
He has a sense of humor. I like that. “I suppose you’re right. It’s not very intimate.” Judy turned bright red upon realizing what she just suggested.
George suppressed his laughter the best he could. “Well, I suppose you’re right about that. I’m George,” he shared as he extended his hand.
“I’m Judy,” she shared while shaking his hand. She was stunned for a moment when she felt an electric shock through her entire body while holding his hand. What the… She then shocked herself when she said,“You have such an electric touch.”
George was teetering on the edge. He’d never been so quickly enamored by a woman. Could it be from a past life we shared? Throwing caution to the wind, he approached her, gently took her hands in his, and kissed her. Briefly, both were surprised by their reactions, then passion enveloped them, soaring them to heights neither had experienced before.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never done anything like that before,” George apologized while breaking from their embrace and hoping that Judy enjoyed it as much as he had.
“No need to apologize. I was thinking how nice it would be to kiss you. And then you did. As if you read my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.”
“I did as well.” George threw her trash bag into the dumpster. “I have to run now. I have a big day at work today. I hope to meet you again at our garbage dumpster.”
“It’s a date,” replied Judy. “I’ll be here every Monday morning, even if I have no garbage.”
“Same. Can I kiss you again?” asked George.
“Yes,” replied Judy with a smile that could melt the ice caps.
Three months passed, and every Monday morning, the two met at the garbage dumpsters, sharing kisses and small conversations. Now they only meet at the garbage can in George’s kitchen, where they both live — sharing much more than kisses.
Love is all around us. Even at a garbage dumpster. We only need an open heart to find it.
In the middle of the night, the garden came alive with secrets only she could hear. This was not a new experience for Beth. By age three, Beth began to realize she was different. She didn’t think it was particularly unusual, but she was too young to understand her extraordinary talents. By age six, she was fluent in languages no other human could understand. Her ability to converse with animals and plants exceeded her human language talents. At age ten, she found human conversation boring and avoided it whenever possible.
Her parents did their best to provide Beth with a normal human childhood. They hired language tutors and enrolled her in many after-school activities. However, all their efforts could not change the fact that Beth found humans boring. Eventually, her parents relented and chose to homeschool her during her high school years.
A typical evening for Beth involves wishing goodnight to all her animal and plant friends in her garden. But in the middle of this evening in May, she was surprised. Her best comrade and confidant, Rocky the Squirrel, frantically circled her. “Beth! Beth!” he shouted. “We need your help!”
“It’s okay, Rocky. Calm down and tell me what the problem is,” she replied.
“Sheryl the Crow was the opening act for The Eagles last night. Glen Eagle warned her about a coming catastrophe that would affect all the Byrds in the neighborhood. He even went so far as to say it could affect all life on earth.”
“Calm down, Rocky. You know Glen always hogs the stage and thinks he’s the star of the show. I’m sure it’s nothing to fret over. What was this world-ending event he was preaching about?” she asked.
“That’s the thing, Beth. It made no sense to me. He kept singing; It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it.It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. I’ve never seen him so agitated.”
“It sounds to me like Glen Eagle flew too high again today. You know how Glen can get when he flies too high. Or maybe he was listening to Janis Bluebird sing Fly Too High again. I think Glen is jealous of her voice.
Anyway, I wouldn’t be overly concerned, Rocky. If you think this is bad, you should watch the human news. Every little thing is the end of the world as we know it. And humans are stupid enough to make it happen. That’s why I checked out and now hang out in the garden with all of you.” Beth gently held Rocky in her arms and swayed him to sleep as she sang Three Little Birds.
She slept that evening, knowing she had resolved another garden catastrophe. For this, her gratitude knew no bounds.
“Mom! Is my costume ready yet? Halloween is tomorrow!” shouted nine-year-old Oscar as he entered the door, home from school. He received no answer. Where’s mom? She’s always home after school. He began his search. Not in the kitchen or the basement. Not in the yard. He was beginning to worry. He checked the garage, and the car was still there. Where is she? Back in the house, he went to the bedrooms. His parents’ door was closed. What’s up with that? They never close their door until bedtime.
He knocked on the door. “Mom, it’s me”. No answer.He called her cell phone. Again, no answer. Tommywas beginning to worry. He ran next door to ask Mrs. Rogers if his mom was there are if she knew where she was.
“Sorry, Oscar. I haven’t seen her all day. Maybe she ran to the store for something.”
“Her car is in the garage,” he responded.
“Someone probably just came by to pick her up. I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure she will be home soon,” encouraged Mrs. Rogers.
“You’re probably right. Thanks anyway, Mrs. Rogers,” Oscar said with a still concerned voice.
Mrs. Roger sat back down at her kitchen table. “Are you sure about this?” she asked Tommy’s mom, Cybil.“Tommy seemed very worried.”
“It’s fine Morgana. Tommy’s powers will be upon him soon. You know how hard it is to train a warlock. Especially in today’s world when anyone with a magical potion thinks they can tackle a witch or warlock.”
“I suppose you are right. I forgot how hard it was on Lucifer and I when we had to break the news to Gerald. He fought the idea for two years before he began to dabble with his powers. I did the same when my parents told me. It’s not easy to hear you are a witch or warlock,” recalled Cybil.
“I better get home and face the piper,” said Cybil.
Cybil was accosted by her son the minute she entered her home. “MOM, IT’S HALLOWEEN TODAY! Did you get my costume ready?”
“Come with me to the family room so you can try it on, just in case I have to make some adjustments.”
Oscar was thrilled by his costume. He instantly morphed into Obi-Wan. He ran to his mom to give her a big hug. “This is great, Mom! I love it! I have to get my lightsabre. I’ll be right back.” Oscar ran to his bedroom and returned with his lightsabre.
“Watch this, Mom,” he shouted as he raised his toy weapon and swung mightily into the coffee table. Just before the lightsabre made contact with the table, it crackled with the energy of a lightning bolt and split the table in two upon striking it.
Both of them were shocked by this event. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t know it was a real lightsabre,” said Oscar as he stood dumbfounded.
“It’s okay, honey. You have to promise that you won’t even pretend to use your toy as a weapon tonight when you are trick or treating. It would be horrible if you hurt someone. Promise me?”
“I’m not even going to take it. It scared me. I’ll still have fun. I hope Dad won’t get mad at me.”
“Everything will be fine, Oscar.” I should have had that talk sooner. I hope the werewolves don’t run into him tonight.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL YOU GHOSTS AND GOBLINS OUT THERE!
It was a cold, dreary late October day. The sleet was assailing them horizontally, making their umbrellas useless as they worked their way towards what she was told was the fresh burial site of her husband’s coworker, John. Suddenly Donna stopped dead in her tracks. “What’s that noise, she asked?” while she grabbed her husband’s arm for security.
“It’s probably just some squirrels playing in the trees. Let’s hurry this up so we can get warm and dry,” replied Jim.
“That’s no squirrel, Jim. Besides, it’s coming from that fresh gravesite,” she said while pointing to an open gravesite still waiting for its occupant to arrive.
“You’re crazy, Donna. Come with me,” he said as he took her arm and led her to the grave. “I’ll prove to you that your mind is just playing tricks on you.”
He led her to the edge of the site. They were both surprised to find a wooden coffin occupying the grave. “That’s weird. Why wasn’t this coffin buried when they put it in the grave?” he asked.
Just then the noise Donna heard earlier startled her. This time there was no denying its source. It was coming from the coffin. Scratching, scratching. A desperate, scarifying sound that curdled the blood flowing through her veins.
Jim came to place his arm around Donna. Not to give comfort but to throw her into the grave. He then calmly walked over to the tractor beside the grave and proceeded to bury his wife alive with the still living person in the coffin. The same person he witnessed his wife cheating with just days ago. Never cheat with a gravedigger’s wife. It can have grave consequences.
Her alabaster skin is a whiter shade than pale She shuns the sunlight for safety’s sake It matters not to those who witness her beauty For it outshines the sun, she’s a cute patootie
She wields her womanly wiles Her most potent weapon is her seductive smile The corners pointing upward toward mesmerizing eyes Which is impossible for her to disguise
As she walks away her gait is suggestive While sashaying toward me it morphs provocative Ironically she appears unaware of this display Of this unintended foreplay
And her laughter is impossibly contagious Unintentionally flirtatious As she dances into my welcoming arms I’m smitten, a captive prisoner of her charms
Choosing a destination vacation is a challenging task for a seventy-year-old man. I’ve done the beachy hotspots. I’ve been to mountains and deserts. I dove off Key West and San Diego.
Now I am searching for that unique vacation. Listed below are some that I am considering.
A trip to the banks of Gitche Gumee of the Shining-Big-Sea-Water. Seriously. Who wouldn’t want to experience the… ‘old woman, pointing with her finger westward, O’er the water pointing westward, to the purple clouds of sunset, fiercely the red sun descending.’ ~ The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A trip to Vienna to waltz with my love in my arms (when I’m not tripping over my own two feet). Where we can find… ‘There is a fragment of tomorrow in the museum of winter frost. There is a thousand-windowed dance hall.’ ~ Little Viennese Waltz by Federico Garcia Lorca
Perhaps a trip to recall a past life in Camelot. ‘Willows whiten, aspens shiver. The sunbeam showers break and quiver. In the stream that runneth ever. By the island in the river. Flowing down to Camelot.’ ~ The Lady of Shalott (1832) by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Then I thought why not go where no one has gone before? ‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.’ ~ The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
I could visit the home of my boyhood hero. ‘Robin Hood is here again: all his merry thieves. Hear a ghostly bugle-note shivering through the leaves, Calling as he used to call, faint and far away, In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day.’ ~ Sherwood by Alfred Noyes
Now as intriguing as all these might sound, they would all require great effort on my part. I would have to leave my recliner. I do this for only special occasions. For the pizza delivery guy and the Amazon Flex driver. It still irks me I have to walk 20 ft. to my mailbox six days a week. And let’s not even talk about trips to the bathroom. So exhausting.
And then I must consider the hassle of flying. Getting to the airport and waiting in endless lines for TSA employees to discover that yes, I do have toothpaste in my bag that could be used as a deadly weapon. I even had one try to extract a gold filling with her tongue. However, I didn’t mind too terribly. She was cute. Just another underpaid government employee.
Then there’s the nerve of some countries to insist on driving on the wrong side of the road. Really? Did they accidentally install steering wheels on the right side of their automobiles by mistake and thought, let’s just drive on the wrong side of the road. Thanks to Napolean, most of Europe adopted his decree to use the right side of the road.
Writing this piece has been quite exhausting. My hands are cramping up and my recliner is crying out CHOOSE ME! CHOOSE ME! Furniture has feelings too. Besides, the pizza guy just arrived. I’m open to other vacation ideas so leave me your recommendations.
It has been thirteen months since my wife died. I have been suffering different stages of grief for most of that time. Then about three weeks ago, a switch flipped within me. It became apparent that I would keep waking up each morning so I might as well try to join the living once more.
I kind of went crazy. I put my house up for sale this past Friday. It sold Saturday. Yeah, that fast. For 15K more than the list price. Fortunately for me, a neighbor just put her condo up for rent and I jumped on that. I still have no clue what I am doing with the rest of my life. But I figured I would jump on this crazy real estate market while it’s hot.
After a few years of retirement, I was bored out of my mind. I took a job at the local Home Depot until I quit to take care of Nancy. While working there I made new friends. I worked with Lila (not her real name) for two years in the same department. I’d like to think we were friends.
After some time she moved on and I had not seen her for about two years. Then one day recently I came across her working in Wal-Mart and we struck up a conversation. This occurred several times and we exchanged phone numbers so we could have uninterrupted conversations.
Last week another awakening occurred. I found my balls that had been missing for years. Who knew they were still between my legs? I called Lila. The conversation went something like this.
“Hi, Lila.”
“Hey, Joe.”
“I have a huge favor to ask you. Would you be my guinea pig and go out to dinner with me? I haven’t been out since Nancy died I have no idea what might happen when I walk into a restaurant. I may turn right around and leave. But, I am ready to try.”
A moment of silence on the other end. “Sure Joe. I would like that. Let’s just see what happens.”
Three days later was “date night.” I was on an emotional rollercoaster ride all day. I was fearful that I would just fall into grief again. And I was nervous to go on my first date in 48 years.
I picked Lila up at her home. As soon as she gets in the car I start to laugh. “What”, she says with a smile.
“I feel like a sixteen-year-old on a first date,” I say. We both have a good laugh.
Lila is a gabber. The girl can talk. I’m grateful for that at this moment. No pressure on me to act like a person.
We arrive at the restaurant. We enter. I don’t lose it. I am present. In the moment. I breathe. We have a great time and I take her to my place after dinner just so she knows where I live and can pop over when and if she likes.
We had a nice conversation. It was another eye-opening moment for me. How different a first date conversation is at the ages of 69 (me) and 59 than one we would have in our twenties. We’ve already been there, done that. Marriage (she has been divorced for 10 years) kids, and homes.
She told me that her marriage was mostly loveless. I could not imagine how hard it would be to stay in a marriage that long without love. It takes a strong person to persevere in those conditions. I know the children were an obvious factor in her decision to stay.
I told her how I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by love my entire life. And if there is one thing I am good at it is love. That brought a smile to her face.
At our age, we have reached the point where we can be somewhat selfish. Who knows where this will go. If anywhere. At least I am putting my toes into the water of life again. For the first time in years, I am excited to see if I still remember how to swim.
Through all this recent activity the most striking change in me is the immense spiritual enlightenment I have recently had. Living in a state of consciousness that every moment in the day is an opportunity to make someone else’s day a touch brighter. A smile. A good morning. A compliment. And even pets. I walk in the park every day and it seems every dog being walked comes right to me for a pet. It’s awesome. Loving moments to brighten my day.
To all my Medium family. Thank you for all you have done. You have been a very significant part of my healing process. I have no idea where I would be without you. Thank you for taking this journey with me and having my back in the darkest of times. My gratitude is boundless.
