Write to Life blog

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 37

I had just made mine and Regina’s reservations with the Hilton Garden Inn in Tifton when Vann walked in.  As usual, without knocking.  It was Monday morning.  Last week we had decided to change our routine from a Saturday session to a Monday session.  I was simply too tempted on Saturday mornings to be with Regina, especially if she had spent the night.

“Pastor Warren sends his greetings.”  Walt said, sitting his briefcase down on the bar before walking over to the coffee pot.

“You two are getting pretty tight, aren’t you?”

“Nothing new.  Been this way since Warren was in high school and found out I wasn’t his typical Christian teacher.  I think he always appreciated my contrarian attitude.”

“Glad you like him.  He’s too much of a Christian opportunist for me.”  I said.

“If you only knew what he’s up to.”

“Okay, are you going to tell me or just bring this up and drop it?”

“Warren and I had breakfast early this morning.  Normally, we meet on Sunday mornings, but he called yesterday to reschedule.  He asked me to assist him in a project.”

“Oh lord.  This can’t be good.”  I said, filling the dishwasher dispenser with detergent.

“I should have known this but him and Justin Adams hold the two top positions in Kane Tribe.”

“Clarify for me, what exactly is Kane Tribe?”

“I thought we had talked about this.  Anyway, it began as a grassroots organization, totally disjointed, when President Kane’s campaign started showing a little promise.  After he was elected, Kane’s son, Andrew, Jr., was enlisted by the President to create a formal structure.  You recall Frankie mentioning a meeting he attended, along with Warren and Justin, during the Inauguration weekend.”  Vann said.

“What’s formal about it?”

“It now has fifty chapters, one for each state, and each chapter has county delegates.  Each chapter obviously has leaders.  That’s what I meant when I said Warren and Justin were the leaders.  Warren is president of religion and Justin is president of politics.”

“So, each chapter is focused on religion and politics?”  I asked.

“Yep.  What else would they be interested in?”

“Deceiving the American people come to mind.”

“Old boy, that’s why Warren sends his greetings.  He knows you and I are best friends.  After he enlisted my help, he said he hoped I could persuade you to attend a local meeting and maybe join the Tribe at some point.”  Walt said.

“Only if I could replace Justin and head up the politics division.”

“I’ll pass that along.”

“So, what is Warren wanting you to do?”  I asked.

“Two things.  Help him with communications and be a sounding board.”

“Communications with who?”

“Just as you would expect, Kane Tribe has an agenda.  On the religion side, Warren is only one of fifty pastors who President Kane has personally selected to mentor him.  One from every state.  I know you recall that Kane stayed with Pastor Warren the night of Justin’s campaign kick-off.”

“How could I forget.”  I said.

“The religion division of Kane Tribe has one main objective between now and the 2020 election.  To motivate citizens in each state to support the pre-selected Republican candidates.”

“What do you mean by pre-selected?”

“Here’s the big picture.  Kane Tribe wants to win re-election, but that’s not all.  It wants to posture and empower the states for a constitutional convention.”

“Oh, so it can amend the constitution?”

“Absolutely.  Warren wouldn’t say what type amendments the convention would propose.  He said that is premature.  He did say that Kane Tribe, obviously a mouth-piece for Kane himself, sees this objective as wholly achievable by 2020.  Of course, the first goal is to win big in the mid-terms.”

“Win big means have Kane type Republicans elected to Congress, both state and federal?”  I asked.

“Yes.  Did you know that currently there are 33 Republican governors and only 18 states where Democrats control at least one house of congress?”

“I know Alabama has a Republican governor and both houses of congress are Republican controlled.  What are the numbers?  How is the control divided in our state?”

“Out of 35 Alabama Senators, there’s only 8 Democrats, and out of 105 Alabama House of Representatives, there are only 33 Democrats.”

“I think I recall that it takes two-thirds of the legislators to vote for a Constitutional Convention.”  I said.  “Let’s see.”  I grabbed a pencil and sheet of paper and started figuring.  “It will take 33 State legislatures to call for the Convention, and 38 to ratify the amendments it proposes.  In Alabama, it will take 70 Representatives and 24 Senators.  Let’s see, there are already 72 Republican Representatives and 27 Republican Senators.  So, Alabama already has enough to both call for a Convention, and to ratify its proposed Amendments.”  I said.

“Yes, assuming all Republicans voted for it.  And, that’s the rub.  As you know, not all Republicans are in Kane’s camp.  Not yet.  But, this is the purpose of Kane Tribe, especially the state chapters.  Warren and the other 49 directors of the Religion Division, are coordinating a plan to minister to all the Republican representatives and senators in every state, including all the new candidates.”

“I figure that Justin and his 49 Politics Division colleagues have a plan to locate, educate, and present candidates that bleed Kane blood?”  I asked.

“Walt, you are a fast learner.  The bottom line for Warren is, as he says, ‘Vann, it’s simple really.  All I must do is share the gospel.  The Holy Spirit will do the rest.’  I assume you have heard that Warren fully believes that President Kane is God’s man, that God himself has chosen Kane to lead American back to its Christian roots.”

“Vann, do me a favor.  Call Pastor Warren and tell him I surrender, that I am willing to do all I can to support his efforts.”  I said with my best sarcasm, but also with my stomach beginning to feel sick and nauseous.

“I’ll let him know Wednesday night at prayer meeting.  Now, we must focus on our book.  “Last week, our homework was to brainstorm a title for our magnum opus.  What say you?”  Vann said, removing his notepad from his briefcase.

For the next two hours I let Vann do most of the talking.  I couldn’t concentrate.  The only thing I learned was that next week, during our book session, we would get right to work after Vann arrived. 

We would not discuss anything beforehand.  

After Vann left, I sat back down at the bar and noticed he had left his notes.  It contained twelve suggested titles for our book.  One was circled.  The Coming Civil War.  I hadn’t even heard Vann suggest it out loud.  Maybe he hadn’t.  Maybe he had simply written it down.  Either way, I found it a satisfying name.  It exactly encapsulated my feelings for what lay ahead.

 

 

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 36

I had spent most of Friday afternoon at Paradise Storage in Albertville with the contents of ‘Clinton-5.’  The owners had been generous to allow me to use a spare office in the main building.

Over my thirty-five-year career with the White House, I had accumulated 35 of these plastic, file-storage boxes.  The Clinton years, 1993 – 2001 consumed seven boxes.  This afternoon, I had been focused on the dark months of 1998 and early 1999 which were enveloped with Clinton’s impeachment process.  I knew the transcripts did not contain anything from any Congressional hearing, either the House of Representatives or the Senate, since I had no duties there.  It was my personal notes that I was after, the ones I always had created after each Presidential conference, meeting or event, I had recorded.

One note had caught my attention.  It was made late on the 23rd of December 1998.  Clinton had called a meeting of the full White House staff.  The purpose of the meeting was for him to apologize for lying.  It was apparent to me that he was truly remorseful for having lied.  He gave us explicit details of two times that he had been untruthful.  He first referred to the now infamous statement he had made earlier in the year, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”  Later in the meeting, he quoted the second lie he had told, this one in his Paula Jones deposition, “I have never had sexual relations with Monica

Lewinsky. I’ve never had an affair with her.”

I will always have high regards and respect for President Bill Clinton.  He, like every other President, had about as many enemies as he did friends.  By him feeling it important to meet with his staff and by him encouraging us all to always be totally truthful, my faith in him multiplied.  I will forever remember the final statement he made before our meeting disbanded, “There is nothing more important than the truth.  Never let your personal well-being tempt you to lie.  I wholly failed to fulfill my personal and professional commitment.  I will never be able to fully restore my reputation.  Please don’t make the same mistakes I made.”

As I returned Clinton-5 to my storage unit, I couldn’t help but relive my last meeting with President Kane.  He and his Chief of Staff had openly and unashamedly demanded that I lie.  Clinton’s reputation certainly was negatively impacted by his lies, but Kane seemed absent of a moral center to begin with.  Lying for him was as natural as breathing.  It seemed he believed lying was simply another tool, like a podium or teleprompter, to enhance and clarify communications.  

Enough of Presidents and lying for one day.  As I passed Industrial Boulevard, all I could think of was Regina.  I couldn’t wait to prepare her favorite Lasagna and to hold her in my arms.  These were nice thoughts.  I wasn’t as confident about describing to her last night’s conversation with Ginger.

After we both ate two servings of my mother’s Lasagna design, we were in no mode to talk.  Ever since Regina had returned from her recent Chicago trip we had spent frequent quality time in my bedroom.  It would be no different tonight.  No doubt I valued our love-making.  It was so radically different from what I remembered about mine and Jennifer’s sex life.  I also had become quickly addicted to our ‘post-play’ as we called it.  We would lay side by side, usually me on my right side and her on her left, with my right arm under her head.  She would snuggle down into my shoulder.  Mutually, we had adopted a rule, our talks during ‘post-play’ were limited to us, our relationship, our hopes and dreams, and fears.  Tonight, we had engaged in a little dreaming.  

“Don’t let this scare you or make you feel threatened in any way.  Okay?”  Regina asked, as the fresh lilac smell from her hair made me think of the ocean for some strange reason.

“Too late.  I’m already scared.  Just laying here with you is scary. 

I’ve given you my body and now you want my soul.”

“Goofy.  Hush.  Let me talk.  I have a question.  Where do you see us in five years?”  Regina asked raising up on her left elbow and pouring her baby blues into me.

I closed my eyes and hummed.  “Oh, mystery woman, I see you a much fatter woman.” I said as I continued to hum.

“Quit.  Walt, I’m serious.  You are making fun of me and us.”

“You know why?  Because I love you when you get a little agitated.

“Thanks, now answer my question.  Seriously.”  She said laying her head back down on my shoulder.

“Let me first say I’m very biased.  I see what I want to see because I am heavily under your persuasion and influence.  I see us married, you pregnant, and me pastoring my first church.”  I said.

“Let’s go watch TV.  You think I’m joking and you’re making fun of me and my question.”  Regina said, beginning to sound truly angry.

“Baby, lean over and look at me.  I’m sorry.  Now, let me tell you the truth, my hopes, my dreams, for us.  Regina, I love you with all my heart.  I never want to lose you.  I want us together forever.  I’m not crazy about following tradition and being formally married but I’m not against it.  Whatever it takes to make you happy and make you feel secure, that’s what I want.  Do you see what I’m trying to say?”

“I do.  And, back to your funny little statement.  Of late, I’ve wondered many times what it would have been like for us to have married after high school and had children.  Now, at 63, I very much regret not having babies.”  Regina said with a tear forming in her right eye.

“Baby, all I can promise is that I will do all I can to help you make a baby or two.”

“There you go, making fun of my seriousness.”

“Babe, if I could go back, if I could do it all over, I would have rejected Jennifer and chosen you.  I would have married you and helped you make as many babies as you wanted.  You do believe me, don’t you?”  I said.

“I do.  And, I’m totally thankful we had this conversation.  I love you Walt and I am yours as long as you want me.”

“Finally, you say it.  Forever it is.  Now, let’s go downstairs for some Black Walnut.  I picked up a bucket today.  Also, I have something to tell you.”

“Okay, go on down.  I’ll be down shortly, after I fix my face.”

“That may take a while, but I’ll wait.”  I said as I dressed in a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt.

After I ate two cups of our favorite ice-cream, and two bites of Regina’s, I told her that I had taken on another part-time job.  At first, she didn’t like the idea, thinking that the very word, ‘undercover’ sounded too dangerous, but then after I told her it wasn’t anything like what she was thinking, anything like being an undercover cop befriending a drug dealer, she came around.  I think it was because of her mutual dislike, virtually hatred, for President Kane and his shrinking but still strong constituency. 

“Will you have to go to Chicago much?”  Regina asked.

“I’m not really sure.  All I know right now is that you and I have to be in Tifton, Georgia the weekend of July Fourth.”  I said, hoping she would be available.

“What in the heck is in Tifton, Georgia?”

“Ginger has assigned me a job there, a couple of depositions in a Federal case that Maynard Cooper & Gale is involved with.  She said they had requested I be the court-reporter if possible.”

“Sounds like a business trip.  Why am I going?” Regina said, getting up from the couch and carrying our empty bowls to the dishwasher.

“It’s the Fourth of July.  Ginger knew that we, you and I, would be doing something together.  She offered to pay for a couple of nights hotel and meals if you would go.  Ginger thought that would help me make the decision whether to accept the assignment.”  I said.

“That was nice.  She didn’t have to do that, but I’m glad she did. 

Hey, that’s our first trip since we’ve been going steady.”

“It’s also our first trip since you started making me massage your body.”  I said hoping Regina would come back to the couch.

“Sorry, to make you such a slave.  Oh, here’s an idea.  Let’s do some shopping while we’re gone.  You know we’ve been talking about replacing your bedroom suite.  You know the one upstairs in that ugly brown-walled room with green carpet, the one with the bed your ex-father-in-law bought you and Jennifer?

“I guess we could, but that bed still presents some wonderful memories.”  I said.

“I’ll wonderful your memory Walt Shepherd.  Seriously, at least let’s look around.  We might get some ideas.”

“Okay, if Tipton is anything like Boaz, it will have an antique store or two.  You did mention antiques a few weeks ago.”  I said.

“Good.  Now I’m getting excited about our trip.”  Regina said sitting in my chair slipping on her walking shoes.

“Since I’m being a good puppy dog, you sure you don’t need another massage?”

“Funny, now that you’ve planted your ‘wonderful memories’ in my mind.  I wouldn’t want to put you out in the least.”

“Don’t worry.  I’m honored to serve you any way I can.”

“I bet you are.  Let’s go for a walk Fido.” 

 

 

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 35

Zel and Ginger arrived at Trump Hotel & Tower in Chicago Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.  They checked in as Tom and Emily Carter from Atlanta, Georgia.  The concierge led them to their room on the 4th floor, where the married couple unpacked their luggage, enjoyed an east view of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, exited their luxury spa suite, and rode the elevator to the twenty-seventh floor.  At 4:00 p.m., Thaddeus Colburn was waiting to open the door after Zel’s five-tap knock.  Marc Anderson, Michael Gasaway, and George Perrot were already seated around the large dining room table in the grand deluxe suite.

“Perfect timing.”  Thaddeus said as he opened the door, hugged Ginger, and shook Zel’s hand.

After ten minutes of chit-chat and family news, the six settled down for serious conversation.

“Each of you have our agenda before you.  It’s rather simple.  Develop an action plan to combat the current articles of impeachment.”  Thaddeus said.

“Actually, there are three separate articles before the House Judiciary Committee.  They are attempting to review and determine which one, if any, should be presented to the full House.”  Marc said, all knowing he was referring to the House of Representatives.

“I’m betting Steve Cohen’s articles have the best shot of passing the Committee’s approval.” Michael said.  Everyone present knew that Cohen’s articles contended that President Kane should be impeached and removed from office because of his failure to condemn the horrible actions by neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Klansmen in Charlottesville, Virginia less than two weeks ago.  Cohen particularly condemned the President’s statement that ‘there were very fine people on both sides.’

“How close is the House to voting to impeach?” Ginger asked.”

“Currently, there are 240 Republicans and 194 Democrats in the House.  One seat is vacant.  Assuming all Democrats voted ‘yes,’ it would take only 24 Republicans for a majority vote.  Our present assessment is that there are only ten Republicans who would cross the aisle.”  Thaddeus said.

“I personally don’t think Cohen’s articles measure up to the legal requirements. The Constitution is clear.  The President must have committed ‘treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.’  Failing to condemn the actions of even the Devil don’t appear to me to meet the requirements.” George said.

“I agree with George.  This just means we must get more aggressive with our plans.  We all know that sooner or later, the President will do something to clearly fall into one of the legal requirements.  When that happens, our entire approach changes radically.” Thaddeus said.

“I know we are running a reverse play here: our true mission is to arrange things so that Kane is elected in the 2020 Presidential election, all while telling our level two players, Walt Shepherd for example, that we are trying to stop Kane.  Here’s my concern, in the grand scheme of things, what is so bad about him being impeached?  Either way, he is out of the Oval Office.”  Ginger asked.

“I think it is simple.  Impeachment leaves Republicans, especially the evangelical right, the argument that Kane was treated unfairly, that the articles of impeachment, in other words, the indictment against Kane, and then a vote to impeach by the Senate, was all political. I can hear them now, ‘politics as usual, the old guard won again.’  This, I’m afraid, would embolden the Right and possibly empower them to continue the Revolution they embraced when Kane initially announced his candidacy back in 2015.  On the other hand, if Kane loses in the 2020 general election, the Right has the wind sucked out of their sails, but they are not completely dead.  Don’t any of us ever forget.  What we are after is to create a civil war after Kane is reelected to then give his Tribe an opportunity to create a Christian theocracy.  This will allow all true Americans to rise up and defeat the traitors, kind of like the Union did with the Confederate traitors in the first Civil War.”  Thaddeus said.

Ginger seemed to understand, but asked, “so we continue to eliminate the House representatives who are likely to cross the aisle and vote for impeachment?”

“Exactly.  This is exactly what Kane wants to happen.  He obviously wants his Republican brand in every seat in the House.  The death of Kip Brewer, to all rational people, would be a gift to Kane.  It would cause many to ask themselves, ‘could Kane be behind this murder?’  Marc said.

“These same folks would also ask themselves, ‘why would Kane have U.S. Senator Ralph Evanston from Massachusetts killed?’”  George said.

“That order was a mistake.  It was premature.  We should have eliminated another Representative.  We are back on track now.  Articles of Impeachment, their failure to pass the House of Representatives, has to be our focus.”  Thaddeus said.

“Let’s take a break and return here at 5:30 to discuss our next move.”  Michael said. 

At 5:30, Thaddeus announced Kyle Turner from Georgia would be their next target.  “I’ll let George to relay his plans.”

For the next forty-five minutes George described how the life of Kyle Lawrence Turner would end.

Turner was elected as a Republican to the House of Representatives in 2002.  For his first six terms (12 years) he never crossed the aisle.  He always voted straight Republican.  In 2015, he tested the Democratic waters by voting for increased spending to fund President Obama’s decision to increase troop deployment to Afghanistan.  In 2017, Turner voted against President Kane’s legislation to repeal Obama Care.  Turner comes from a district including Macon that typically votes Democratic but surprisingly, voted for Kane by over 60 percent.  

“We believe, with Turner out of the way, Republican Governor Talbot will appoint a diehard Kane supporter, and in the next election, the people of the Sixth District will vote the appointee to a full term.”  George said.

“What’s your plan to eliminate Turner?” Thaddeus said.

“Something like what we used with Brewer.  The closeup murders are too risky.  We are still dealing with serious fallout from the Massachusetts killing.  Death from a distance will eliminate Turner.  Initially, I had thought it best to use a new assassin, but Marc believes we should stay with the Ivankov brothers from St. Petersburg.  Sergei did the honors with Kip Brewer.  Semyon has been tapped to dispose of Kyle Turner.  Marc, if you will, describe our plan, my sinuses are pouring, sorry.”  George said.

“Semyon will enter the country stowed away in Gustav Neilson’s King Air from Toronto.  The Ivankov brothers have been hiding out there since the Brewer assassination.  Turner is scheduled to speak in Macon on the morning of July 4th at the city’s annual Independence Day celebration.  That afternoon, we believe, from reliable sources, that Turner will participate in his family’s annual reunion at Fulwood Park in his hometown of Tifton, retiring at his home that night and spend the next day on Lake Patrick in the Paradise Public Fishing Area.  He has followed this routine for the past several years, and we’ve caught scuttlebutt from his Congressional staffers that is his current plans.  We have detailed plans for Semyon to camp on the eastern shore of Lake Patrick from July 3rd up until the assassination on the 5th.  Our initial plans include extricating him via the Henry Tift Myers Airport two nautical miles southeast of Tifton, but this isn’t final.  We’re working through a couple of major issues.  Don’t worry, we’ll be ready before July 3rd.” Marc said.

This didn’t satisfy the group.  For the next hour Thaddeus and Michael quizzed George and Marc about the risk involved in using a public airport so soon after the shooting.  At 7:20 p.m., Thaddeus moved the group to vote whether his idea to use Walt Shepherd and Regina Gillan to unknowingly transport Semyon Ivankov to Boaz, Alabama, was less risky.  The motion passed four to two.

At eight-thirty Thursday night Ginger called Walt as he was leaving his classroom at Snead State Community College.

 

 

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 34

Thursday morning, I had to fill in for Judge Tyler Broadside’s court reporter, Debbie Simmons, who was sick with the flu.  Ginger had called me at 7:30 a.m., just as I was coming in from a walk with Sandi around the pond.  She urged me to rush and arrive no later than 8:30.

I rushed too much and was stopped by an Albertville patrol car just after passing Sand Mountain Toyota.  The young officer gave me a stern warning but detoured away from a ticket when I confessed why I was speeding.  He knew Debbie Simmons from high school and wanted to help.  For once, living in a small town paid off.  

Once per month Circuit Judge Broadside held a criminal motions docket.  The cases he heard were for defendants who had already been indicted by a grand jury.  These were cases headed to a jury trial unless a settlement agreement could be reached between the District Attorney and defense counsel.  

For six hours, including three hours after a thirty-minute lunch break, I took down every statement made by the lawyers on both sides, the Judge, witnesses, both for and against the motion.  The cases ran the gamut, from sexual abuse to rape, from assault to murder.  The motions included requests to set bond, to reduce bond, to revoke bond, to suppress all types of evidence.  A typical defense motion to suppress concerned traffic stops where incriminating evidence was found.  The defense naturally wanted to prevent things such as illegal drugs and dead bodies from being revealed to the jury.  

There was one case where I thought Judge Broadside was going to throw an overly aggressive lawyer from Huntsville into jail.  Derrick Pratter, in a statutory rape case, was arguing his motion that Judge recuse himself because the alleged victim, a 14-year-old cheerleader from Guntersville, lived in the same neighborhood as Judge.  Pratter put on a witness who testified that the Judge was friends with the girl’s parents, and all three had attended Guntersville High School.  After the third witness to the Judge’s alleged close relationship with the victim’s parents, the Judge shut Pratter down, telling him, for the third time, his motion was denied.  As Pratter returned to counsel’s table, he threw his notepad down and said, I think intending to whisper, “damn Republican.”  Judge ordered Pratter cuffed by the bailiff.  The only thing that saved him was a local attorney, Bradshaw I believe, asked to speak to Judge in a sidebar.  Judge waived me off, so I don’t know what was said.  Whatever it was, Judge went back on the record and after a stern warning to Pratter, ordered the bailiff to set him free.

However, the most interesting case was a bond hearing for two brothers from the small town of Grant, Alabama.  The 33-year-old twins, Ben and Glen Selvidge, were charged with attempted murder.  They had attacked a group of blacks from Huntsville who were visiting Cathedral Caverns State Park, north of Grant.  The group was from Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.  

The brothers had graduated in 2003 from DAR High School, a privately-owned school in Grant, that was opened in 1924 by the Daughters of the American Revolution.  According to the District Attorney, about the only thing the brothers learned from DAR was patriotism, and, over the years, their brand had transformed them into white supremacists.  Their defense counsel argued the brothers had a legal right to a reasonable bond, but the DA contended, at a minimum, Judge should postpone his ruling.  The brothers lived on Winkles Road in an old dilapidated mobile home less than half-a-mile from the southeastern boundary of the 482-acre Cathedral Caverns.  They had a reputation of intimidating blacks who visited the cave that held the world record for the largest opening of any commercial cave.  In less than a month the Southern Baptist African-American Association was scheduled to hold its annual picnic at the Park.  The DA urged the Judge to prevent an explosive situation.  The Judge finally agreed to a $100,000 professional bond for each defendant but forbid the brothers from going within 1,000 feet of the mouth of the Park, warning them, if they did, they would be re-arrested and stay in jail until their trials.

The hearings ended a little after 3:00 p.m.  Vann was waiting on me at the back of the courtroom.  I had reluctantly agreed with Regina’s plea to go with Vann to visit Frankie Olinger at the Marshall County Jail.  She believed she had no choice but to help Belinda who had called last night, desperate to do something, anything, to help Frankie get released.  Belinda had argued he was being set-up and that they were going to lose their home if he couldn’t get back to work.

Vann knew the jailer who let us visit Frankie in an AttorneyClient interview room.  This way we avoided having to talk through the glass and over a phone.  I was shocked to see that Frankie had lost nearly fifty pounds.  He argued the food was “hog-slop and wouldn’t support a puppy.”  I sat beside Vann at a small table with Frankie across from us.  I questioned my sanity for coming, realizing that I was suffering from the love bug.  Why else on earth would I be here?

“Vann, please help me get out of here.”  Frankie leaned over and whispered to Vann.

“What makes you think I have any such ability?”

“You and Pastor Warren are good friends and he’s a powerful man, helped put the DA in his job.”

“Frankie, let’s say, just for fun, that I had the power to unlock these doors and set you free.  Why would I want to do that?”  Vann asked.

“Because I’m innocent.  You guys know me.  I’m sometimes a sorry shit, sometimes a bully, but I never killed anybody.  You’ve known me since elementary school.”

“Why should we believe you?  The evidence seems strong against you.  The bullet that killed Kip Brewer was fired from your gun, the gun the Sheriff found at your house.”  Vann said.

“I know that, but I didn’t do it.  I couldn’t have made that shot.  Hell, I do good to hit the outside of a target with that 30-06.  Even, if it was 200 feet away.  Do either of you think I could have made a shot from, what did the paper say, 644 yards?

“Frankie, you got to tell me more than that.  If you want my help, maybe Walt’s help, you’ve got to come clean.  Tell us what you know.  It is common knowledge you threatened Brewer at the Town Hall and that you are someway tied tight to President Kane’s brigade.”

“Tell the good pastor I am close to spilling the beans on him and Justin Adams.”  Frankie said, whispering again.

“What do you mean?  Frankie, here’s the deal.  You’ve got to be honest with Walt and me.  If you lie and use us to get you out of here, you better know it will come back to haunt you.  Now, let’s hear it.”

“Okay, but you got to promise me you won’t tell Belinda or

Regina.”

“I promise to use my best judgment.  Frankie, you don’t have a lot of power here.  Tell us the truth or we’re out of here.”

“You should know this.  There’s a war going on within the Republican Party.  Kane is trying to clean up the Party, get folks elected in the mid-terms that truly support him.  Warren and Justin are both attached to Kane’s hip.  They paid me to stir up the trouble at the Town Hall, told me exactly how to do it and what to say.  You do know President Kane spent the night at Pastor Warren’s house when he came to Boaz to help Justin kick off his governor’s campaign?”

“That sounds like Warren and Justin, Club Eden for short, put you in a bad place.  Made you the most likely suspect in Brewer’s murder.”  Vann said.

“I knew that.  It was part of the plan, but I was supposed to be out by now.  They’re not keeping their end of the bargain.”

“Do you know who killed Kip Brewer?”  I finally spoke.

“No, but I know it weren’t me.  If I had to guess I would say it’s some liberal, someone trying to frame the President.”

“Is that your original idea or something Warren and Justin may have led you to believe?” I asked.

“I may have heard it when I went to Washington during the inauguration.”

“Tell us about that trip.”

“I got to liking Kane early in his campaign.  Warren knew this and invited me to go with him, Justin, a few others to Mobile for the big rally there.  After the election, Warren persuaded me the importance of going to Washington to show support.  Warren bought me and Belinda a ticket for the inauguration.  There, I went to a meeting with Warren.  Didn’t see the President but saw his son.  He spoke for over an hour and then we broke up into smaller groups.  There was about five or six hundred of us.  They asked us to join a group called Kane Tribe and said that the President couldn’t change things by himself, that he needed warriors out in the field fighting to spread the revolution.” “That doesn’t answer the question.”  I said.

“That night, Warren and Justin took me and Belinda out to eat and told us that the President was going to face tremendous opposition and that he would be accused of fixing the election.  Justin said liberals would try to say that Kane had colluded with the Russians to win the election.  He said liberals would do anything to make Kane look like a criminal.”

“So, Warren and Justin knew something about Russian involvement back then?”  I asked.

“I guess.  Warren said that he wouldn’t put anything past the liberals, even making it look like Kane Tribe was killing off Senators.” “He actually said that?”  Vann asked.

“If I’m lying, I’m dying.  I swear to God.”

“Let me get this straight.  You want me to go to Pastor Warren and tell him that you are going to spill the beans if he doesn’t get you out of here.  Right?”  Vann said.

“You got it.  And, tell him that I also know he and Club Eden is still dealing with the Russian mob.”

“How do you know that?  What are you talking about?” I asked Frankie.

“Let’s just say that I ain’t as dumb as I look.  I got me a little insurance when Warren and Justin were asking me to pull the little Town Hall stunt.  Freddie is part Indian you know.  He’s as sly as a cat.  I won’t talk about Freddie right now.  Do we have a deal?”

“Frankie, I certainly am against an innocent man sitting in jail.  But, I’m not seeing much of a deal here.  All I see is you wanting us to do something for you.  What are you offering to do for us?”  Vann asked.

“Helping you guys with research.  Belinda says ya’ll are writing a book.  It’s about finding stuff out that could help Kane from getting

President in 2020.”

Vann looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.  “So, you’re willing to go underground with Club Eden, Warren, Justin and the rest of them, and feed us information?  Have I got that straight?”

“Yep, if you get me out of here pretty quick.”  Frankie said, straightening up in his chair and holding out his right hand towards Vann.

“We’ll see what we can do.  But, I’m not yet ready to shake on it.  Let’s go Walt.”

After leaving the jail, Vann and I walked silently back across the street and around to the front of the Courthouse. As I was about to get in my car, Vann said, “I never liked Frankie Olinger, but, for some strange reason, I have a gut feeling he’s telling us the truth.”

“Let’s think about it before we do anything.  Frankie is in a desperate situation.  If he’s just a stooge for Club Eden, it seems he knows too much.”  I said

“Call me tomorrow when you get a chance.”  Vann said getting into his pickup truck.

I just stood there watching him drive off, wondering again, why on earth I had agreed with Regina to visit Frankie in the first place.  

 

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 33

Vann and I, and Regina and I separately, had been talking about my book-writing idea for several weeks.  Regina had said it was a miracle both Vann and I had independently dreamed of a somewhat

similar book for years, even before either of our retirements.  I emphasized to her that my departure from the White House wasn’t exactly a retirement.  “Even more of a miracle she had said.”  Of course, she didn’t believe in miracles, but in ten minutes Vann was scheduled to be here for our first meeting to brainstorm whether we mutually agreed that one, jointly-authored book, would fulfill our dreams.

“Book signings.” Vann said as he walked in from the back porch without knocking.”

“If the door is unlocked just come on in.”  I said, standing up from my lazy boy.  “What are you talking about?”

“Before we go any further, the first thing we need to do is visualize where we dream of having a book signing.”  Vann said walking towards the bar with an old tattered notebook in his hand.

“So, you’re thinking if we have a glorious destination in mind that our motivation will be sufficiently replenished for us to properly complete our project?”

“Something like that.  So, tell me yours.”

“Well, maybe Northshire Bookstore, either store, the original Northshire, in Manchester, Vermont, or the recent one they opened in Saratota Springs, New York.” I said.

“No doubt my dream choice will be Politics and Prose in your old hometown.  You know I was there last June for John Grisham’s, “Camino Island,” book-signing.”  Walt said.

“You must have forgotten about me, you didn’t even call.”

“Check your schedule, you were out of town, G7 Summit in

Taormina, Italy, or it might have been your little trip to the Vatican in

Rome and on to Saudi Arabia.”

“That was all part of the same trip, but I thought that was earlier.”

“Might have been, Deb had me pretty busy.  I might have forgotten to call you.”

“Whatever.  Enough of book-signings and my world travels.  Let’s focus.”  I said, pouring us both a cup of coffee and settling across the bar from Vann.

“I know we’ve discussed each of our motivations for writing a book, yours is to prepare and send a message to voters that President Kane must not be re-elected in 2020, and mine is mainly, to remind all Americans of our Presidential history and its importance to each of our futures.”  Vann said.

“No doubt our goals are hand and glove.”  

“Yes and no.  I think you will be more interested in the individual trees, and for me, my focus is more the forest itself.”

“Enough abstraction.  I hear what you’re saying.  My model reader will be someone who voted for Kane in 2016, but whose support has waned.”

“Mine will be those in the Kane Tribe, the radical thirty-three percent, those who will likely support Kane no matter what he says or does.”

“Vann, you’re not making any sense.  Don’t you suspect that group won’t even read our book?”  I said.

“That’s where you come in, you’re the one who has a storage unit full of Presidential transcripts, from meetings five former presidents held around the world.”

“How does that get into the psyche of folks like Frankie Olinger, assuming he can read.”  I said, surprising myself that I felt a little sorry for him, sitting in the Marshall County Jail.

“I haven’t totally figured that out, but I’m convinced our book has to reach this powerful group.  Maybe, we can communicate our book to them in other ways, ways they don’t have to read it.  Like TV and radio interviews, and a modified town-square idea I’m working on.” “Let’s move on.”  I said.

“I agree.  Let me ask you a simple question.  Why do you think it is important to America, and maybe the world, for President Kane not to be re-elected in 2020?  I want to hear you answer this question, even though I think I know what you are going to say.”

“Two broad reasons.  One, he is unfit to be President simply from a decorum viewpoint.  Even if he were the most competent President we have ever had, he is an embarrassment.  I’m glad I don’t have children or teenagers.  What on earth is President Kane teaching America’s youth?  That it’s okay to be an arrogant, pompous bastard, revealing your wicked heart?  Second, he isn’t competent.  His narcissism controls his actions.  He is a bully and bullies must have their way.  He has no knowledge and appreciation of our history.  Incompetence in any field is dangerous, but an incompetent President, especially one who is, at best, a selfish child, can, and I believe will, get America into a fight it cannot win, or, at a minimum, cause us either thousands of lives or billions of dollars to extricate us from the mistake.”  I said, returning for more coffee.

“I agree, his ability to assimilate relevant material and deduce the best direction to pursue, is seriously compromised by his low intelligence and narcissistic disorder.”

“I’ve never in my life seen anyone who displays such a lack of empathy for other people, and such an insatiable hunger for admiration.”  I said, cutting a slice of pound cake DeeDee had dropped off yesterday afternoon.

“Yes, I’ll take a slice of that.  If all this weren’t enough, Kane’s dishonesty is likely the chief poison America must deal with.  It seems there is no way Kane is going to avoid the Russian investigation.”

“I have a feeling, just a feeling, that Kane’s Russian involvement is on-going.  You probably don’t know this, but some kid found a Red Star, as in a Russian Red Star, at the Kip Brewer murder scene.  Regina shared that Delton, her crime reporter, had picked this up in his investigation.”  

Vann’s eyes opened wide, “that’s either HUUUGGEE,” imitating the President, “or it’s irrelevant.” 

“Now, I’m wondering why on earth I’ve agreed to co-author a book with such a retard.”  I said taking a bite of my cake.

“I’m going to leave on that insult.  Seriously, Deb made me promise to be back in an hour.  You know the yard has to be mowed twice a week now with all the rain we’ve been having.”  Vann said closing his notebook.

“I need to go too, my weekly trip to Walmart, you know.  I’m also going to Paradise Storage and start going through some of my transcripts.  You start formulating your outline.”

“I will.  Same time next week, here?” Vann asked.

“Yes, assuming I don’t have a deposition with Rains.” 

 

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 32

For some reason I was nervous, anxious of a sort.  Regina had been in Chicago since late Monday and I hadn’t done a good job of occupying my time.  I hadn’t heard from Ginger.  I hadn’t called her either.  About all I had done was teach my night classes.  I wanted to talk with Regina about my new job offer.  I should have done it last weekend but didn’t for more selfish reasons.  We had talked last night, and she had told me she had made a big decision and would share it when she got home.

Her airplane was delayed, and she didn’t arrive in Huntsville until 8:30 p.m.  She called me on her cell as she was picking up her luggage to let me know that she was safe and should see me soon.  “I can’t wait.”  She had said.  

At 9:45, I heard her drive up.  I met her on the back porch.  She had never been more beautiful.  Her hair was pulled back and her face glowed with happiness.  “You must have learned a way to automate your job at the newspaper, you look so refreshed, or something.”  I said.

She smiled and reached out her hand as she climbed the porch stairs.  We kissed, and she gently pushed me backwards into the house.  She closed and locked the door behind us.  I started to talk, and she pressed her right index finger over my lips while her blue eyes poured into mine.  “Make love to me.”  She whispered into my ear.  Again, I almost said, “are you drunk, what’s going on?” when she pulled my head into hers and kissed me, well, like she never had before.  I didn’t know what was going on, but I wasn’t against it at all.  

She took my right hand and led me upstairs into my bedroom.  She walked over beside my bed and turned off the lamp.  The bedroom was semi-dark, the only light was coming in from the bathroom and a partially opened door.  “Walt,” she said, standing holding both my hands, “the only thing I want and need to say is that I’ve missed you and have, this week, come to truly know, how blessed I am to have you in my life.  I feel you share the same feelings.  We are finally one in heart and spirit.  Now keep your mouth closed unless it helps you show me how much we are in love.”  By the time her words fell silent, I was so excited I couldn’t say a word.  I did manage to smile and sound out a tiger’s growl, or maybe, it was a kitten’s purr.  I’m not sure.

She started unbuttoning my shirt.  She pulled my head down to her mouth and whispered, “undress me.”  I complied.  By the time we stood facing each other, naked, we were both breathing hard as our bodies touched, naturally for the first time.  We lay across the bed and forgot, no, were unable, to engage in foreplay.  Our union, at first, was certainly physical.  At first, I was reserved.  Until she whispered, “Walt, my baby, love me like you’ve been showing me, I’m yours.”  It was like I had been given permission to let go and be myself.  It was like she commanded me to push my feelings, the pent-up loving desires, the ones I had made myself suppress ever since I had seen her last December in Walmart, the first night I had arrived in Boaz.

I can’t explain it, but the physical quickly graduated into the mysterious, into something strongly akin to a spiritual journey.  Our bodies were doing what every other loving couple does, but as she guided my face above hers and asked me to open my eyes and look at her, our movements became a song, almost a rhythm of praise and promise.  It was an experience I had never had.  During all the years with Jennifer, we had only had sex.  I never complained.  I enjoyed it.  Although, after a few years, it became more a physical duty, almost like having to eat every day.  That was that, and this is infinitely unique.

As I looked at Regina and smiled, she alternated between pulling my face in for a deep and sensual kiss and whispering, “I love you.”  My mind transformed.  It was like I believed I was in a dream.  This cannot be real.  I am making love to the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.  I am making love with the woman who loves me and is, for the first time, sharing her sexy young-adult shaped body with me.  I didn’t want the dream to end.

“Walt, baby, wake up.”  Later, Regina told me that as our bodies ran out of steam and fell silent and still, I had dozed off, continuing to lay, with all my weight, on top of her.  She said that she had wanted to stay right there, right there with me and her, our bodies naked and sweating, all night.  But then, she said, trying not to grin, “suddenly,

I had to pee.”

After her little trip to the bathroom, we stood again by my bed and held each other.  A little kissing, but mostly just with me laying my head on her shoulder and swaying to a wordless song that no doubt was playing in both our heads.  

“I’m starved.  Can you promise me one thing?”  Regina said.

“Now, I see.  You take advantage of me, teasing me that you are giving me the keys to the kingdom, but it was all for a purpose, a very sinister purpose.”  I replied.

“No, goofy.  Promise me that our love-making isn’t going to make me fat.  You can’t drain every cell in my body and then go feed me pancakes and bacon.”

“I promise, but, this time, are you hungry for pancakes and bacon?”

“Yes, I told you I was starving.”  Regina said putting on her bra, as I was trying to pull her back down on the bed.

“I’m starving too.  But, not for pancakes and bacon.  I will never get enough of you.  Can I ask you something?”

“Yes but make it quick.”

“What happened here tonight, you’re not going to give me the greatest gift of my life and then take it back, are you?” I said.

“That’s the dumbest question I’ve ever heard.  After what we just experienced, you’re acting as though this was a one-way street.  Walt, my baby, I am the lucky one here.  I am the one who has received the greatest gift of all.  Now, come on, let’s go to Waffle House.  There, I will try to explain to you what it means, what I meant, when I said I love you.”