A Imagined Story

All I wanted was a quiet dinner, enjoy the new book I just downloaded, and then go home to watch the new Castle episode.  Then suddenly she walked into the room and my heart skipped a beat.  She was confident, head held high, beautiful but not gorgeous, and dressed, as they say, to the nines.  She must be six feet tall, without her stilettos, with long chiseled legs accented by her short skirt, her flowing blonde hair highlighted bright green eyes.  I couldn’t keep from staring, as did every other male in the place.

The hostess told them that it would probably be an hour wait, that the bar had a few seats left if they would like to wait there.  She looked at me and said something to her friend, who then walked over to my table.  Her friend wasn’t near the woman that the Princess was.  She did have the most beautiful eyes, which made her attractive, but up against the Princess, she didn’t have a chance.

“Could my friend and I join you?  There seems to be a lack of seating here tonight, and we think that no one should eat alone.” 

“Sure,” I said, “I have just ordered and would love the company.”  I smiled as the Princess came over, at least my eyes would be well fed tonight.

I stood as they sat, the waiters falling over each other to pull her chair out, and the friend said, “My name is Katie, this is Diana, we have an engagement tonight and couldn’t wait for a table, I hope we’re not imposing.”

“Certainly not, I was going to read a boring book to make the time go by, I will enjoy the conversation.  My name is Ross, but everyone calls me Ross.”  OK, I know, stupid sense of humor, but Katie laughed out loud, Diana just looked around to see who was looking at her.

During the evening, Katie and I bantered back and forth, with Diana just giving a smug smile every now and then.  By the end of dessert, I was wondering how someone like Katie could hang out with a dull head like Diana.  Diana, the princess who had it all, except a personality, who took the room by storm when she walked in, paled in comparison to Katie.  I looked into Katie’s big eyes and watched them dance as she told when she had sleep overs, her brother would walk into the room unannounced, trying to catch a glimpse of her friends undressed.  “The little perv would bust in on us until one night we sat a trap for him.  Without him knowing it, we asked my mom to sit in with us.  We then would say something like, ‘Could you help me with this bra strap, it seems stuck,’ or ‘you look so cute in those matching bra and panties’.  He took the bait and busted in only to see my mom standing there with her arms crossed.  She took him by the ear and lead him to his room where she wore him out.  We never had a problem with him again.”  She laughed and continued, “Now that he’s grown, all my friends would like to bust in on him.”

Diana finally spoke, “Finally, something I can agree on.”  Katie looked at me with this big smile, I must have had this shocked look on my face as she busted out laughing, which in turn made me start laughing.

The waiter brought our checks, which I took under Katie's protest, “We should be paying for your meal, you allowed us to joining you.”

“No way, I had a great time talking with…” Diana stood up and walked toward the door in my mid-sentence.  Katie looked at me and shrugged her shoulders, “I guess we’re leaving, thank you Ross, I enjoyed myself so much, I hate that our conversation is ending.”

Open door Ross ole boy, walk through it. “Why don’t we go tell Diana that she needs to find a cab, that we are going to find a coffee shop where we can continue our getting to know each other, and that she isn’t invited.”

“That will be a switch, it’s usually me that’s finding a cab,” she laughed again and my heart skipped a beat again.  She noticed the goofy look on my face, “What’s wrong, you look like someone stole your Popsicle.”

“Popsicle?” I said and she laughed again. “No,” I said, “I have believed since I was a young perv like your brother, that when I met the woman that I would fall in love with, that my heart would skip a beat.  My heart skipped a beat twice tonight, once when Diana and you walked into the room and I thought it was caused by Diana, who you must admit, is a beautiful woman.”

“Yeah, I hear that all the time about her, nothing new there.”

“But just now, when you laughed, my heart skipped a beat again, and I realized something, it wasn’t Diana, it was you my heart was telling me about.  You, Katie, are the one I would love to fall in love with.”

“That, my daughter, is how your mother and I met, twenty years ago today.  By the way, my heart still skips a beat when she walks into the room.”

Why I Don't Write Poetry 2012-2

The rain may fall in Spain
But rarely here on the plains.
Grass is turning light green
The bunny's are running around mean.
Eggs frying on the back walk
Summer has hit full blast
Hoping and praying
It won't last.

Family Reunion

She adjusted her pearls in the mirror as the sounds of her family gathering below flowed over her like the smell of her favorite perfume. It’s been so long since we’ve been together, she thought, now everyone is home. She tugged at her blouse one last time and turned to go downstairs to join the family. Standing in the door watching her was Jed Delaney, her sweet Jed, her beloved husband of over twenty-five years.

“Martha, you look radiant as usual,” Jed said as he took her hand, “the gang’s all here, are you ready?”

“Yes, darling,” she said as she pecked him on the cheek.They descended the stairs into the front parlor, a crackling fire welcoming them.

At the bottom step waiting on them was their oldest son, Michael, who had arrived just a few moments before. Michael grabbed Martha and gave her a big bear hug, “Mom, it is so good to see you and dad, I’ve missed you so much.”Beside Michael was Jackie O, as they called her, a nice Irish girl named Jaclyn Katharine O’Reily before she became Michael’s bride and mother to their two sons, Matthew and Mark, and yes, they are working on Luke and John.

Mary Beth, the only daughter, sat in the overstuffed leather wing chair, looking like the princess she was. As her mother approached, she rose and they embraced, communicating as only a mother and daughter could. Mary Beth hooked her arms through Martha’s and they turned toward Ross.

Ross was the baby of the family and Martha mothered over him as he grew up. Often Martha refused to let him join in with his friends, “They’re such a rowdy bunch,” but Ross never really would mind as he knew Martha would make it up to him somehow.Martha walked over to Ross and adjusted his tie, “A man in uniform can’t have a crooked tie,” she said. “You look so handsome in your dress blues.” She reached down and put a letter in his hand. “You can read it later, it’s just mushy mom stuff.” She looked at Mary Beth and together they straightened the flag that draped Ross’ coffin, Martha looked back at Ross. “Welcome home baby boy, now the family is all together once again.”


Thank you to all who have served this great nation, from the first shot of the Revolution to present day conflicts, you have given, some your all, for me to be able to write this, and the readers the freedom to read it.  You and your family sacrifice are not forgotten, may they never be.