Installment #12 Starbucks

     Cynthia handed the lady behind the counter a ten dollar bill and accepted $6.10 in change.  She peeled off a dollar bill and put it in the tip cup.  She smiled at the girl making her Soy Latte with one pump of Carmel.  She glanced out the window.  She had no idea what kind of car alfredj424 drove, but there was very little traffic in the parking lot this morning.  She was sure she would recognize him when he came.  He was 6’2” so that was unusual.  He had gray hair and glasses so that narrowed it down even more.  And those blue eyes.

     As she settled in at the corner table she was glad she had brought a book to read.  Well, it was more a study book then just something to kill time with.  The Artist’s Way was supposed to help teach discipline and teach you how to overcome writer’s block.  Not that she was a writer, but she would like to be.  She sipped her latte and checked her watch.  10:20.

     Well, one thing was for sure, he was not punctual.  She did not like setting here alone and then the possibility suddenly hit her that he might stand her up.  She suddenly hoped he would.  She was not ready for this!  What in the hell had she been thinking?  She put her book in her purse, picked up her drink and headed for the door.  She suddenly froze with her hand on the latch and watched as a shiny green Corvette pulled into the lot and a very tall man in a newsboy cap stepped from the car and turned to the coffee shop.  Their eyes met and Cynthia suddenly knew that the chance for escape had eluded her and as Tucker Fuhrman looked into her green eyes with his sky blue eyes she suddenly heard Willie Nelson singing, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”  She knew this man!  She knew in her soul that she knew him.  She knew with every fiber of her being that she had always known him. Whoever alfredj424 really was she was sure he was her destiny.

     Whoever truckingduck was she was not just another page on match.com.  As Tucker gazed down into the green eyes that were slowly changing to hazel and then to gray, he suddenly felt an emotion he had not experienced since he left St. Louis many years ago.    Tucker Fuhrman, 6’2”, 205 pounds, successful business man and self-confidant man about town felt an emotion completely alien to his whole being.  Tucker Fuhrman felt fear. A comfortable feeling enveloped him, but inside the warmth of her eyes he also felt fear!  He knew that life as he had known it, was over!

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.

#############################################################

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 #10 Truckinduck

 

     Cynthia nervously opened the email from alfredj124.  She smiled as she stared incredulously at the one word, “Hello.”  Well, whoever this alfredj124 was it was apparent that he was a man of very few words.  She clicked on his profile again and then held down the ctrl key while she rolled the mouse wheel bringing his picture closer.  She looked into his sky blue eyes and tried to imagine what was behind the facade.  His eyes were intelligent, but cold.  Cold and far away.  And that hat.  What was with that?  Looked like the one Anthony Quinn had worn in that Zorba the Greek movie.  Oh, yeah, a newsboy hat.  Back in school they were called “Go to Hell” hats by the Allen Ginsberg followers.  “I belong to the Beat Generation.  I don’t let anything trouble my mind.  I belong to the Beat Generation, and everything’s going just fine.”

     Good Lord!  Where did that come from?  Long ago and not very far away, but another life time.  Was alfredj424 an old Beatnik?  She toyed with the idea of asking him.  She looked at him and his dog.  There was just something about the two of them.  It was definitely a posed picture and even the dog was posing.  That would be a trick getting Daisy and Elvira to pose or to even hold still.

     She looked once more into the cold blue eyes and then hit the “reply” button.  Now what to say…”Dear man with the most beautiful blue eyes…” (delete).  “Carry my own suit case?  I can throw it over your house if I want to.  And my weight according to my height?  What is your ratio?” (delete)  She stared at the blank page for a long moment and then typed only one word; “Coffee?”  Before she could change her mind, she hit the send button.

Installment #9 AlfredJ424

     Tucker hit the email icon and watched as his mail loaded.  He was surprised to see that someone had winked at him through his match.com site.  He had been on this dating site for 2 years and it had become his social life.  He knew he was supposed to find a woman to marry on there, but that just was not happening.  All of the women he had met through match.com were on the quest of finding a husband.  And theoretically it should work that way, but it wasn’t happening for him.  He made dates and took them out to eat and if he found them interesting, he made a second date.  Usually on the second date they brought their toothbrush and overnight bag. 

     Tucker did not like that.  He liked to sleep alone.  He liked to wake up in the morning alone.  He did not want to have to entertain some woman just because he screwed her the night before.  Sex was something he could take or leave anyway.  He had not been very active on the dating site lately, but since he paid for it every month, he felt he should check in occasionally. 

     He clicked on the wink and then clicked on “view profile.”  Truckingduck’s profile came up with her picture.  She was kind of cute.  A widow.  52 years old.  5’1” Kids grown and gone.  Pueblo.  Now that was Karma.  Not that he believed in Karma, but this was his first link to anyone in Pueblo except for George Farley and his wife Geraldine, the realtors.  She had animals.  2 dogs and a cat.  Oh, and some ducks and geese.  Must live on a farm. 

     He hit the email button.  Ok, now what?  He looked at her picture again.  She looked very friendly.  Not like those other women that had professional pictures and not a hair out of place.  Truckingduck just had a simple smile and the picture was taken by whoever had the camera.  Her face had been lifted from a picture that had other people in it. At least one person.  His work in photography told him this much.  She was kind of homely if the truth be known, but he would never tell her that.   What to say now was the stumper.  A thousand things went through his mind.  Lines that had worked on many women before were now inadequate in the scrutiny of those hazel eyes.

     He typed “Hello” and hit the send button.  Then he stared at the screen and wished he could call that back.  How stupid would she think he was?  He quickly turned off the computer and wished the world would go away before truckingduck read his email.

Installment #8 Geraldine Farley

     Geraldine watched the green Corvette pull into a parking place well away from the other cars.  That had to be Tucker Fuhrman.  He had said 20 minutes and it was exactly that.  She watched as the door opened and the man unfolded himself out of the low car.  Ah, yes!  This was going to be an interesting afternoon.  This man looked as enticing as he had sounded on the phone. She had done her homework and knew that he was not married and had a very lucrative business in Denver.   She was not sure which she found more appealing, the commission she would earn from him or the man himself.  He turned and located her real estate sign and then started towards her building.

She waited in anticipation for the buzzer to sound and Lisa to announce him.  Only then did she rise from her desk to cross the floor and open her door.  She smiled brightly at the man before her.

“Tucker!  How nice to finally meet you!  Lisa, hold my calls.  I want to give Tucker my full attention.”  As Tucker entered the office, she quickly closed the door.  She indicated a chair and Tucker took it.  Her bright smile was beginning to worry him.  He was used to women giving him lots of attention, but this one was making him nervous.  He glanced out her window and spotted the Corvette.  He spoke first.

     “Mrs. Farley, I would like to spend this afternoon exploring the different areas of Pueblo.  Can you help me with that?”

     “Oh, Tucker I am sure I can help you with about anything that comes up.”  She smiled slyly.  “And, honey, you can just call me Gerry.  Mrs. Farley is my mother in law.”  She winked.  “I thought we might start with a drink at the club.”  She waited for an answer.  

Tucker did not speak.  He was searching for an answer, and finding none.  His mind flashed back to the Italian Deli and Carole.  Women were just needy, oversexed objects.  Were there no ladies left? 

     “Mrs. Farley, I came here to discuss real estate, not a drink.  I would actually prefer to deal with your husband, since he would know what I want being a man himself.  Isn’t your husband available?  I thought I was clear on my preference when we spoke.”

     Geraldine crossed her arms across her bosom, suddenly feeling very vulnerable under the cold blue eyes of this man.  She saw her afternoon crumbling in her mind and knew that her husband was going to be the one spending time with this gorgeous man and bringing home the big commission, too.

     “Of course, Mr. Fuhrman, I quite understand.  George is in the office across the hall.  Let me take you there.”  Bastard!

 

Installment #7 Tucker Fuhrman

     Tucker slowed the Corvette as he reached the outskirts of Pueblo on I25.  Not a bad looking little town from the Interstate.  The steel mill was not in full production like it had been the first time he came to Pueblo.  Looked like it was about out of business altogether.  Ah, there was a Village Inn.  That would be a good place to grab a cup of coffee and relieve his poor bladder.  That had been a real problem since he had undergone the “procedure” last year.  Doc had been sure it was cancer and the best thing was the “roto rooter procedure.”  So Tucker had turned himself over and asked no questions.  That was what doctors were for, wasn’t it?

     The tests had all come back positive so now there were the chemo shots he had to take every 2 months.  So far his PSA was staying low, so that was good, but he had about as much control over his bladder as the man in the moon.  And usually it came on suddenly, like now.  He stepped quickly through the door, located the restroom sign and headed that way completely by passing the lady wanting to seat him.  There were priorities here and this was top priority!

     Soon he emerged and allowed himself to be seated by the buxom little blonde.  He did like blondes and he sure did like short women, but this one was way too young for him to even look at with anything except paternal interest.  The menu was more interesting.  He ordered coffee and studied the menu.  Not sure just what he wanted he ordered a piece of cherry pie alamode. He did like his sweets.  He added 2 creams and 2 sugars to his coffee and stirred aimlessly.

     He had a good view of the north end of town.  Several motels, 5 gas stations, 3 eateries, K-Mart and off in the distance a Sam’s, Walmart, Home Depot, Cinemax, tire shop, KFC and Captain D’s.  Lot of traffic, but not like Denver.  And this traffic seemed to flow well without a lot of horn honking and finger waving.  And it was about when the rush hour should be happening.

     He fished in his pocket for the real estate lady’s card and looked for a pay phone.  He did not carry a cell phone; didn’t like them; didn’t trust them.  He found the object he sought by the front door.  Quickly he dialed the number and made an appointment to meet her at her office in one hour.  Tucker began to feel warm inside.  This was right.  This was good.  He would not be ready to leave Denver for one year, but he was going to start the process now, and not be rushed.  He did not like to hurry in anything he did and he would be in this place the rest of his life so he wanted to be sure it was perfect.  He would rent a motel next time he came and see what the night life was like in this little town.

     He finished his pie, drained his second cup of coffee and decided he better make one more pit stop before heading to the real estate.  He thought about whistling a tune as he walked to the corvette, but then remembered he had never learned the fine art of whistling.  He had not learned the fine art of a lot of things, but there was still time for that.  Yes, he was going to learn to whistle and a whole lot of other stuff when he became a resident of Pueblo, Colorado! 

************************************************************************
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 #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.

 

************************************************************************
  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