Installment #6 Margie Dwyer

     Margie turned from the stove and smiled at her husband, David as he closed the door from the garage.  “Rough day, honey?”

     David returned her smile.  “No. Piece of cake.  And a very lucrative piece of cake at that.  I like this advising millionaires and doing it from home and never having to see them is the best part.”  He dropped a kiss on her cheek and opened the cupboard for a wine glass.  He held it for her inspection and she nodded yes.  He got another glass, opened the fridge and selected a dark red wine.  Not sure what was on the menu tonight, but dark red wine sounded good to him.

     “Tucker signed the contract today.  One year and I am out of a job.  Is Jackson happy with the deal?”  Margie turned to look at David as he poured the wine.

     “He is ecstatic!  He thinks he can turn First Mechanical into a multi-million dollar company.  He just wants to clear up a few things before he commits to full time.  You know, Tucker has done pretty well with no formal business training.  He knows all the codes and layouts and everything that needs to happen in the plumbing, heating and air conditioning aspects of a building.  But he does not know how to do it.  He is just an architect, but a damn good one.  Cheers!”  He lifted his glass and downed the wine.

     “Honey, you are supposed to sip that!  Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes.  I found a lovely Basil Chicken recipe.  Just have to finish the pasta and voila!”  As she buttered the slices of French bread to put under the broiler, David took plates from the cupboard and silver from the drawer.  The best part of this marriage was the need to not communicate.  It was very comfortable.  David was a very good husband and as much as she loved her nieces and nephews, she was glad they had not had children.  Once she had felt guilty about her decision, but her need to be an artist was all consuming and children would have been in the way.  She drained her glass and dropped a kiss on David’s head as she reached for the oven knob and turned the broiler on high for just a moment.

 

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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

Installment #5 Tucker Fuhrman

 

     Tucker swiveled his chair away from the desk and looked out across Denver.  He loved this city.  It had been good to him.  He leafed through the offer on his lap.  One year.  It was a good offer and he knew the man would take good care of the plumbing business he had operated for the last 8 years.  But this offer was for a year down the road.  Why couldn’t he do it now?  But there was an advantage to this.  In one year he would have more money put away and the business would be all paid for.  He could walk away with a clean slate and over $500,000 in his pocket.  This would give him time to find a place probably in Pueblo or Colorado Springs and establish some sort of social life.

     He had started the business just to see if he could.  It had been boom times and his bids at the hospitals and medical centers were fair and honest and this led to more work.  He had expanded several times and was now set for retirement.  He could begin to wind things down and by the time all his contracts were finished the year would be ending.  He picked up his pen and signed the contract.  Then he buzzed the intercom and spoke to Margie, the office manager.  “Margie, this contract is ready.  Want to do that for me?”

“Of course, Tucker, be right in there.”  She clicked off. 

http://www.shop.loumercer.com

Installment #4 Cynthia Browder

     Cyndi stared at the match.com email on her screen.  Where had that come from?  She could join free for ten days on a trial period.  What was there to lose?  Nothing.  She moved the cursor over the try it free box and clicked.  Oh, dear, she needed a name.  She looked out the window and there was a delivery truck with a duck on the side.  Truckingduck.  There!  That sounded good!  She picked a password and made a note of all this in her book she kept by the computer.  The next screen asked her personal information, what she expected from a man if she did indeed want a man.  She filled in hobbies, interests, religion, height, weight, hair color, eyes, build, marital status, children, pets, and then she was done.

     The next page opened and the search box came up.  Sure.  Female seeking male age 55-65.  That seemed about right.  Height?  6’ would do.  She liked tall men.  She hit the search button again and was amazed at the men that popped up.  She idly ran the cursor down the first page.  Nothing caught her eye.  She hit next. Whoa!  A cowboy.  She liked cowboys.  65 Likes to ride.  Has a ranch.  No kids. Widower.  2 dogs. Something was not right.  Next.

     This was a rather plain man in some sort of “go to hell hat”.  At least that was what Cynthia called it.  6’2”.  Now that sounded good.  There was also a picture of him with a big black Poodle.  He liked animals.  She opened his profile.  “Successful business man looking to retire in Southern Colorado.  Seeking a good hearted woman with a sense of humor.  Must be able to carry her own suitcase and weight in proportion to height.  Well, a few pounds is alright and I might help with the suitcase.”  Cynthia smiled and hit the wink button.

She checked out a few more, winked at another one and then took a second look at AlfredJ424.  He did have beautiful blue eyes.  She closed the window, checked her email and turned off the computer.  It had been a very long day and she was ready for bed.

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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

Installment #3 Tucker Fuhrman

Installment #3      Tucker Fuhrman

     Tucker slid into the drivers seat of the now black BMW.  This felt good.  This felt right.  John had taken the car into the paint shop and now the brown BMW was a muted black.  Exactly what Tucker wanted.  Green was a good color for a ‘vette, but a BMW was a conservative car and said that the man at the wheel was a success; a man who had reached the top.  And black was a serious color.

     “I sure appreciate this, John.  I just don’t like brown.”  He pulled his checkbook out of the back pocket of his jeans.  “Let me give you a check and I will pick it up tomorrow afternoon when the paper work is all done.  OK?” 

     John nodded and opened the door to the office allowing Tucker to enter. As he watched Tucker filling in the zeroes he envisioned Holly welcoming him to the apartment love nest.  Maybe he would even move in with her.  Leave that fat wife of his in the house in the suburbs.  What had he been thinking?  Holly was so warm and welcoming and the little lines they sometimes shared just added to the excitement.  He reached for the check and shook Tucker’s hand.

     “Thanks, Tucker.  It has been a pleasure.”  As he watched Tucker climb back into the Corvette, reverse and then move easily into traffic, he licked his lips and reached for the phone.  He listened as the phone continued to ring on the other end.  Why that stupid bitch!  Where was she now?  She was no doubt out screwing her dealer for her daily fix.  In a moment of clarity he saw it all before him.  He would go home to Margaret.  Holly was fun, but Holly was a player.  A man with kids in high school and a car dealership had no business with someone like Holly.  There was talk of him being a candidate for city council.  Politics and whores did not mix.  When he reached the top, Holly would follow.  Maybe it would not be this Holly, but another one.  He dialed his home phone and this time there was an answer.

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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 enirety. 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.

Installment #2...Cynthia Browder

Installment #2

Cynthia Browder

 

     Cynthia pushed the gear shift up to “P”, set the emergency brake, and turned the key to the off position.  The little Mazda quietly shut down.  She loved this car.  There was just something about a Mazda and the way it handled.  Sporty.  That was it.  Blue would not have been her first choice, but when Rick had seen it on the lot and knew it was the owners demo car he had lit up.  That would drop the price several thousand dollars and he had been looking for something dependable for Cyndi and he had found it!

     And he was right.  It was a four door, but small with four cylinders.  The inside was as nice as a luxury car at an economy price.  The gas mileage was phenomenal and that was good.  He drove a little Mazda Sundowner pickup that he loved, but Cyndi needed a car.  So the deal had been made. 

     Before she opened the door, she remembered back to the visit from the state patrol a year ago.  Rick had been late getting home from work and she had began to worry.  She knew when she opened the door why the trooper was there as soon as she saw him.  The little gray Sundowner pickup had been no match for the big Ford ¾ ton pickup that had crossed the center line and hit him head-on.

     He was in the hospital and he would drive her there.  It was not good.  Was there someone the trooper could call?  No one near.  The kids were back in Kansas.  Oh, wait!  Yes, he had kids.  Right here in Pueblo, Colorado.  Right up the street actually.  Yes, call them.    Thank you. 

     And so she had met the two girls at the hospital.  Allen and Fred were further and would be flying in as soon as they could get a flight.  She had set through the night with Angie and Martha.  Rick was still as death.  Since there was no one to tell them not to, the EMT’s had placed him on life support.  They prayed, but there were no signs of life.  The boys came the next day and it was the same.  And so it stayed in that limbo for three weeks.  Feeding tubes giving him nourishment, a respirator breathing for him, a catheter to empty him, nurses to bathe him.  The boys went home.  The girls returned to their lives.  And Cynthia waited.

     When the waiting became too much, she hired an attorney.  Yes, he could be unhooked.  There were no signs of life on any of the screens.  And so she called the kids together.  She presented the facts.  She told them the cold, hard facts, which they already knew.  Five signatures later, with hospice in the room, the ventilator was turned off, and the room echoed with Rick breathing in the same rhythm as the respirator had breathed when it was hooked up and working.  Cynthia knew a moment of hope.  She held that hope for the next few hours.  She knew it was just muscles doing what they had been trained to do, but still she hoped.  At 5:26 the next morning, that stopped and Rick Browder’s spirit left his body.

     She was a widow at the age of 51.  She would have no one to hold her when she cried.  No one to share her joys with at the end of the day.  She would eat alone, walk alone, dream alone.  She suddenly began to cry alone in the stillness of the car.  The road ahead that was her life suddenly became very long and desolate.  Life was not fair and her sadness was slowly replaced by an anger that threatened to consume her.  Then she laughed.  She was remembering the single piece of paper that the hospice worker had given her.  The title had been The Normal stages of Grief.  Yes, as surprising as tonight had been, it was normal. She sighed as she picked up her purse, opened the car door and headed into her home.

*****************Buy my Book*******************

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

Long Ago and Not Very Far Away Installment #1

Long Ago and Not Very Far Away

Installment #1...Tucker Fuhrman

Tucker Fuhrman brushed an invisible piece of lint off his trousers. He knew he was going to buy this BMW, but he did not want the salesman to know his plans. Let him sweat. It was just exactly what he needed to make him feel good about himself. His new company had taken off in a blaze and he had the money. He did not do things like this very often, but today he would.

"I don't know, John. I am not sure I like the color. Suppose I could have it painted but it would be quicker and easier to just buy a black one to begin with, don't you think?" He pulled his chapstick from his pocket, removed the cap and applied it to his lips. Colorado was very good at drying his lips, hands and every other part that reached the air. St. Louis had been more humid and he liked that, but he lived here now, so he made his consessions. St. Louis was far away. He let his mind think briefly about Janice and then turned to the lot and smiled at the Corvette waiting there. " I got to go. I will call you in a day or so. In the meantime see what you come up with."

He folded his 6'2" frame into the bright green corvette and inserted the key in the ignition. It sparked to life instantly and he pulled the seat belt across his chest and clicked it into the latch. He hated to leave the BMW alone in the lot, but this was a game that had to be played and it was one he would win. The BMW was brown and brown would never do. The leather upholstery was grey and that was good, but brown was just not in his vocabulary.

Tucker pulled into the parking lot of the little Italian Deli two blocks before he got to his house. He was hungry for something, but not sure what. Italian for sure. He settled for a bowl of spaghetti, two meatballs, some garlic bread and then after a moment of reflection decided he needed a salad. The lower track was just not up to par and something green might be in order. Carole, the server, placed it in the bag, added it up and then asked, "Anything else, Tucker? Something to drink maybe?" She looked at him coyly through her long lashes.

"No, thanks, Carole. I have some wine in the fridge and that will just have to do."

"You know I would love to help you drink that. Don't you ever get lonely? I sure do."

"No, I don't. How much?" He gestured at the sack of food.

Carole glanced at the ticket and announced, "Nine dollars and eleven cents." She pouted a little at Tucker and he ignored her as he laid a ten and 3 ones on the counter, picked up the bag and turned to go. As he exited the door he overheard her snarl at the cook, "Fucking fag! He ain't fooling me."

Tucker made a mental note to look for another Italian Deli in the neighborhood. It was just easier than trying to explain to women like Carole that he was looking for a woman with class and he would not settle for anything short of what he wanted. He was not going to rut around with someone just to pass the time of day so they would not think he was gay. He knew he was straight and he knew what he wanted. Was it his fault that the women in the world he lived in were all just looking for a husband and not really caring about what he wanted? Lord only knows he had spent 55 years on this earth being disappointed and he could sure spend another 55 if he needed.

He pulled into the alley of the condo on Clifton and pointed the opener at the garage door. It raised quickly and he did not hesitate as he pulled in beside his three motorcycles. They were better than a woman any day of the week. As he opened the door of the Corvette he leaned across the seat and picked up his sack. Hooking his keys in the belt loop of his jeans he threw his leg over the Norton and settled his lanky frame on the leather seat. This was heaven. He pulled the bowl of spaghetti out of the sack, fished out the plastic fork and proceeded to devour the meatballs, the spaghetti, the garlic bread, but the green salad remained in the bag. So much for the problem with the lower tract. He ran his hands lovingly over the handlebars of the Norton. Maybe he would take it for a little spin tomorrow. Once more his mind thought back to Janice.

He had planned on marrying her. He really had. But that was 30 years ago, and her mother had not thought him good enough for her. Maybe he hadn't been then. Maybe he still wasn't, but one thing was sure, it had been her final call. He still remembered her standing small beside her ramrod stiff mother. He remembered the tears in her eyes as he turned and walked out the door. He had walked slowly to the Triumph hope against hope that she would run to him and into his arms. But she hadn't. Her mother had won and he had left St Louis and gone to Cleveland. That part of his life was over. Janice was dead to him and St Louis was far away.

Tucker got off the Norton and entered his condo, turning off the light in the garage and on Janice, the lost love of his life. The one he measured all women by in this present life.

Long ago and not very far away...

Looking back it seems I always knew him, but just met him yesterday.  I had just published my first book when he left me.  I had the next one in my mind and wanted to get started on it, but I promised him a couple weeks before he passed away that the next book I wrote would be about him and me if we had met in a different place and time.  He gave me all his past history and I took notes.  Since that time I have tried to write on my next novel, but it is not happening.
So brace yourselves, kiddies, you are about to embark on another adventure and this one is going to be pure fantasy.  I am not sure that we will live happily ever after, but who knows what may happen in this land of make believe?  I will have his brother on board if I need clarification as to his younger days.
But rest assured, I will not use his name or my name.  That is just to protect his family.  My friends knew him.  They knew all about the last 3 years and we can not lose sight of the fact that this is pure fiction.  The only part that really happens is his death.  Just remember,  all fiction is some truth and most truth is partly fiction. 
That being said, I hope to publish my first installment on Monday.  I think this one will go fairly quickly since it is all one big day dream!  In the meantime, you might think about giving a copy of my first book as a Christmas gift to some one who reads.  That would please them and keep me out of the poor house.
Just click right here to find it online.