Novel Excerpts–The Boaz Stenographer, Chapter 2

The primary aim of the "Novel Excerpts" blog category is to showcase my creative writing, specifically from the novels I've written. Hopefully, these posts will provide a glimpse into my storytelling style, themes, and narrative skills. It's an opportunity to share my artistic expressions and the worlds I've created through my novels.

The Boaz Stenographer, written in 2018, is my fourth novel. I'll post a chapter a day over the next few weeks.

Book Blurb

Walt Shepherd, a 35 year veteran of the White House’s stenographic team, is fired by President Andrew Kane for refusing to lie.

Walt returns to his hometown of Boaz, Alabama and renews his relationship with Regina Gillan, his high school sweetheart, who he had ditched right before graduation to marry the daughter of a prominent local businessman.  Regina has recently moved back to Boaz after forty years in Chicago working at the Tribune.  She is now editor of the Sand Mountain Reporter, a local newspaper.

Walt and Regina’s relationship transforms into a once in life love at the same time they are being immersed in a growing local and national divide between Democrats and traditional Republicans, and extremist Republicans (known as Kanites) who are becoming more dogmatic about the revolution that began during President Kanes campaign.

Walt accepts two part-time jobs.  One as a stenography instructor at Snead State Community College in Boaz, and one as an itinerant stenographer with Rains & Associates out of Birmingham.

Walt later learns the owner of Rains & Associates  is also one of five men who created the Constitution Foundation and is involved in a sinister plot to destroy President Kane, but is using an unorthodox method to achieve its objective.  The Foundation is doing everything it can to prevent President Kane from being reelected in 2020, and is scheming to initiate a civil war that will hopefully restore allegiance to the U.S. Constitution.

While Walt is writing a book, The Coming Civil War, he is, unwittingly, gathering key information for the Constitution Foundation.

Will Walt discover a connection between the Foundation  and the deaths of three U.S. Congressmen in time to save his relationship with Regina, prevent President Kane from being reelected as the defacto head of a Christian theocracy, and the eruption of a civil war that could destroy the Nation ?

Chapter 2

It was almost 8:30 p.m. before the moving van arrived. After Ed and Larry parked the van and left for a hotel, I drove to Walmart to pick up a few things.  As I was loading up on ten kinds of yogurt, I glanced over and saw an attractive woman at the milk cooler pulling out and returning several gallons of milk.  The woman had on tight jeans and a sleeveless pink top.  I had a feeling I knew the woman but all I could see was her profile.  

After she finally selected a gallon of milk, placed it into her buggy, and headed towards me, I knew exactly who she was.  “Regina

Gillan, is that you?”

“Who’s asking?”  She replied looking towards me for a second before abandoning her cart and walking over to the eggs directly opposite the yogurt coolers.

“Walt Shepherd is asking.”  I said.

She then ignored her need for eggs and walked over and hugged my neck without saying anything.  We just stood and looked at each other for what seemed like a minute or more.  By now, I couldn’t help but notice her pink top was exposing just enough cleavage to remind me she still had a teenage figure.  Even though I hadn’t seen her in nearly 50 years, memories of our last conversation flooded my mind.

“I can’t believe this.  Last week I heard you quit the White House and now you’re in Boaz Walmart?”

“My story isn’t as good as yours Miss Gina.  Not long ago at all you were giving President Kane hell in editorials at the Chicago Tribune.  Now, you’re checking out expiration dates on twenty gallons of milk in Boaz Walmart.”  I said.

“You always were a smart-ass Walt Shepherd.”

“Seriously Regina, you here for a New Year’s visit or still hanging around after Christmas?” 

“Neither.  As of ten days ago I am the Editor-In-Chief of the

Sand Mountain Reporter.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.  Why would the editor of the editorial page for the Chicago Tribune jump from that high pedestal and fall so far south?  Living around a bunch of liberals is one thing, but living amongst red-neck Christian fundamentalists can get you killed?”

“Not only a smart ass but rather insulting too, aren’t you?”  Regina said.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.  It just seems such a radical move.”

“It wasn’t as sudden as it might appear.  I’ve been wanting a change for a while.  Over forty years in the windy city is enough.  Since our class reunion in 2012 I’ve been homesick of a sort.  It was surprising that my nostalgia from hanging around a bunch of our classmates, all who still live around here, didn’t go away.  No doubt, it was a post-midlife crisis of a sort.  By the way, why didn’t you come to one of our class reunions? 

We’ve had them at least every ten years.”

“I didn’t want the pain.”

“Pain?  What the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s a long story, but you are one of the leading characters.”

“That’s a story I would love to hear, but now I have to get back.  Mother needed milk for her banana pudding.  She makes me swear to triple-check the expiration dates.”

“It was nice seeing you.”

“Oh, I forgot to ask.  What are you doing in Boaz?”  Regina asked.

“I not only quit the White House Stenographic staff, but have moved back home, home as in right here in Boaz.  I just got in town around an hour ago.  I guess you could say I’ve retired.”

“Walt Shepherd, you will never retire.  You can’t sit still.  Come talk to me at the Reporter.  I’ll be in the office first thing Monday morning.”