Installment #11 Alfredj424

     Tucker ran his hand over his face.  He was tired.  Work had been a pisser this last week.  Nothing had gone right.  Oh, his plans were right, but a series of mistakes by inept help had put him behind schedule and cost him several thousand dollars.  Nothing could be done about it now.  It was a long weekend and it stretched before him like an endless highway.  His eyes fell on the computer.  When had he last visited match.com?  He punched the power button and drummed his fingers as the machine booted up and opened the startup screen.  He clicked the dating icon and then leaned forward.  He had an email.  It was 6 days old.  Truckinduck.  He actually toyed with the idea of not opening it, but that would be counterproductive since he paid good money to get something like this from someone he did not even know.

     “Coffee?”  He remembered the email that he had sent saying “Hello.”  Seemed fair.  He suddenly remembered that long, lonely weekend  ahead of him and a plan began to form. 

     He typed “Starbucks at 4^th and Abriendo Saturday?”  He chose “send priority” and set back to see if she would answer.  Nothing happened for 10 minutes so he stood up and walked to the refrigerator.  That was bare.  He opened the cupboard and found the Cream of Wheat.  Microwave bowl, water to right there, 2 Tablespoons of Cream of wheat, stir, punch 2 minutes on the timer pad.  Then he heard his email click.

     He looked at the screen and read the 2 word answer. “What time?”  This was going to be a go!  He typed “10:00 A.M.” and hit the send button.  And then his microwave dinged and his Cream of Wheat was ready.  And as he stuck his spoon in the bowl and it stood up, he smiled.  Perfect!  He realized that he gave new meaning to Cream of Wheat, but that was how he liked it.  Tomorrow he would make his first social contact in Pueblo.  Might not be such a bad weekend after all.  He had picked that Starbucks because it was right by the realtor office and he knew where it was.  Usually when he was meeting someone for the first time, he managed to show up late.  This way he was not out a cup of coffee if the broad was a dog.  No reason to waste his money.  If she was a looker he might buy her a hamburger.  Or not.  No sense throwing good money after bad.  He clicked on her profile again.  No, she was not pretty.  She did have those green eyes and a nice smile.  She would never be a looker, but she would have to do until something better came along.

     And with that he headed off to bed and knew he would not need to set his alarm.  He would be awake plenty early to make it to Pueblo and the Starbucks by 10.

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Do not be confused by the title. Chapter One simply means this is my first book. There may never be another, or there may be many more. I am very proud of this endeavor and guarantee you will enjoy the book in it's entirety. Lou Mercer

From the back cover

Chapter One...Loose Ends
Lou Mercer

Meg Parker led a simple life.  She was a widow of three years and lived on a chicken farm at the foot of the mighty Rockie Mountains.  Life was good and her little store on eBay made her extra spending money.  But snow and wildlife were not the only things lurking in the forest above her house.  Nor did it stay in the forest for long.

Marshall Purcell came home a wounded veteran from vietnam.  He still had his dreams, but they were of an incestuous past that threatened to consume him.

When Meg and Marshall met it seemed an inconsequential meeting, but it changed both their lives forever.  And change is not always a good thing.

This is adult fiction at its best without all the sex.  Well, maybe just a little bit. 

About the author.  Lou Mercer was born in Nickerson, Kansas. She came to Pueblo, Colorado in 1977 and is now a product of the majestic Rockie Mountains