Episode Sixteen In the Kingdom of Robesson

Episode Sixteen  In the Kingdom of Robesson

    “Isabella!  Bella!  Are you hurt?”  An older man with long grey-white hair dressed in a flowing white robe over a green gown and wearing a beautiful golden crown hugged Sam gently.  “I honestly felt that you were lost to me forever, My Precious Child.  I feared you were dead.”
    “Father!  No, I’m fine.”
    “You look, uh, very bizarre.”  She pulled off the red wig, tousled her hair, and smiled at him.
    “Ah, there’s my girl!  Tell me, Bella, did you recognize any of your captors?”
    “No, Father.  But everything is all confused.  I feel like I’ve been tugged and dragged and pulled apart.  And I have a nasty headache.”
    “That is to be expected.  That damn mirror transporter jangled your brainwaves.  Rest a bit, My Child, and then we’ll have something to eat.  Cook made soup.  And then, maybe I can help you unravel some of your confusion.  I’m sure you’ll want to dress in something a little more, uh, um, appropriate.”
    “Yes, Father.”
    “Justin! Cora!  Come here!  Bella is home!”  Justin and Cora came running. 
    “Please accompany Isabella to her room, and stay close to her.”  The three walked down the hall and up the stairs holding hands with Bella in the middle.
    “You’re safe now, Bella.  Justin and I will protect you.  Are you okay?” Cora whispered as she hugged her.
    “Yes, I’m fine.  Confused, tired, and I have a nasty headache.  But I’m okay.”
    “Good, I’ve missed you very much, my friend.”
    “I’ve missed you, too, Cora, but I don’t think I’m …”  Justin opened a door and Cora and Isabella went in.
    “We were so worried about you!  What can I get for you?” 
    “Nothing, Cora.  Cora, listen to me, I don’t think I am Isabella.”
    “Oh, of course, you are!  Who else could you be?  You’ve just had your brainwaves jangled.  Your father said this was likely to happen.  It’s the mirror transport.  He would like you to rest.  You have been through a harrowing experience.”
    “No, Cora.  This is more than brain jangles.  I’m Samantha Blake.  Sam.  Do you know what happened to me?”
    “Wouldn’t you rather rest and hear the official Robesson version from your father?”
    “No.  I want to know what you know first, the unofficial version that resembles the truth more than the official royal version.  Come on, Cora.  He’ll never know what you tell me.”
    “Well, all right,” Cora plopped down on the sofa.  “The high and mighty, smelly old Count James of Henderson came to the king with news that you had been targeted by the Galtari Nationals.  They were going to kidnap and murder you.  So the king hid you on an off-planet, some bizarre modern place, Earth he called it.  These Earthites look just like us, I hear.  I begged him to send me with you.  Justin and I both wanted to come with you, so you wouldn’t be all alone, but he said no.  Then he was informed that you had been abducted from your secret hiding place by the Galt tracker who was sent to kill you.  We all feared for your life.  Many thought you were already dead.  But your father never gave up hope.  The king has been sending raiding parties to the off-planet in search of you every day for over a year.”
    “Thank you, Cora.  I think I’ll take a nap now.  I have a pounding headache.”

Episode Fifteen Through a Silvery Portal

Episode Fifteen  Through a Silvery Portal

    "Sam, what the hell are we doing?  They'll kill us."
    “Who are they, Jaks?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Yes, you do.  You know them.  They knew you by name.  Now tell me.  Who are they?”
    “What did they want you to do?”
    “Break a code.  Decode a message.  And then encode their answer.”
    “And you did it?”
    “Yes”
    “What did it say?”
    “Who are they, Jaks?”
    “Very bad people, Sam.  Thugs.  Murderers.  International terrorists.”
    “How do you know them?”
    “I’m an international mediator.  I have to sit down with this kind of scum all the time and try to resolve issues that they would rather not have resolved.  But, Sam, Honey, I have to tell you something.  Something I should have told you as soon as we got home.  I wanted to tell you before, but I didn’t know how you’d react.  Remember that I love you more than anything in the world, this world, and all worlds.  Please don’t be angry with me, or think that I don’t truly love you with my whole heart and soul, because I do.  Samantha, I’m not who you think I am.  I’m your Jaks, and I always will be your Jaks, but, Honey, I…”  
    A shiny doorway of silvery, opaque semi-liquid opened up on the brick wall as they walked by.  Hands reached out of the silvery doorway and grabbed hold of Samantha, pulling her inside.
    “Jaks!” she screamed.
    “No!  Sam!”  Jakson held on to her hand as long as he could.   “Sam, hold on to me!  Don’t let go!  Samantha!  No!”  But she was pulled inside, away from him.  He reached into the shimmering semi-liquid for a moment, groping around for her, but she wasn’t there.  Then the shiny doorway disappeared and the brick wall was once again solid.  Jakson ran in the nearest door he could find, surprised to find himself in a pediatrician’s office.
    “Can I help you?” asked the receptionist.
    “Did a woman just run in here? Long straight auburn hair, big blue eyes?”
    “No.  I’m sorry.”
    Jakson walked back out onto the street and ran straight into the hoodlums he was running away from.  They grabbed him and threw him up against the now solid brick wall.
    “Where is she, Blake?  Where is Molly Kasjak?  Where is Samantha Blake?  Werner wants her back.  Now!”  They loosened their grip on one of his arms.  He motioned inside the pediatrician’s office and shook his head, smoothing down the back of his hair, fully aware they wouldn’t believe his highly implausible story.
    “We were running down the street.  Hands came out of a shiny doorway.  Many hands.  They grabbed her.  They pulled her away from me.  I held on to her as long as I could.  But… she’s gone.  Gone!  I ran into this doctor’s office here looking for her.  But she’s not there.  She’s gone.”
    “Gone?”
    “Gone,” he repeated, nodding his head.
    “Gone where?”

VOCABULARY

I thought it would be interesting to post art vocabulary in an entertaining way, to impart morsels of information from which to draw when viewing works of art, with the hope that it will enhance  your viewing experience.

Today's word is  REPOUSSOIR  pronounced (ray-poo-swah).  It is of French origin and means "to push back".  It is a technique used to achieve perspective or spacial relationship.  For example, placing a large figure or object in the immediate foreground of a painting, the artist increases the illusion of depth  in the rest of the picture.

Paul Signac (1863 - 1935), a French Neo-Impressionist painter, used this technique adeptly in his painting "Sunday"  featured above.  Take note of how the large figure of the man further enhances the visual sense that there is distance between the foreground and background.

Other artists employing this method are Paolo Veronese, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Gustave Caillebotte.

Episode Fourteen Jump

Episode Fourteen    Jump

    "Here," he stopped at a door.  "He's in here."  Werner opened the door.  Jakson was tied in a chair, lower lip bleeding, right cheek bruised.  Definitely roughed up.
    “Jaks!” she screamed.  Samantha quickly glanced out the window as she ran to him.  She straddled him and sat on his lap in the chair and began putting pressure on his lip wound with some tissues she found in her pocket.  He said nothing, but his warm brown eyes caressed her lovingly.  And there was something else in his eyes she couldn’t quite read.   Something sad maybe.   
    “Werner, may I have a private moment alone with my husband, please?”
    “What?” laughed Werner.  “You’ve got to be joking!  Absolutely not!  No!”
    “What do you think we’re going to do?  Jump out the damn window?  You want my continued cooperation, don’t you?  I have no problem helping you.  You could’ve just asked me instead of playing ambush at the drugstore.  Give me a few minutes alone with my husband.”
    “Five minutes, Mrs. Blake.  And we will be standing right here outside the door.”  Werner closed the door.  She kissed him, reached behind him, and untied him.  
    “Come on,” she whispered with a devilish grin.  She led him to the window.
    “What are you up to?  What are we going to do?”
    “Jump.”
    “No!  Sam!  NO!  This is crazy!  We’ll break our legs!  And then, they’ll kill us.”  She took his hand and jumped, pulling him down with her.  They landed on the awning below and slide down to the edge, jumping to the sidewalk.  Jakson was apprehensive.
“Samantha!  Have you lost your mind?  And how did you even know there was an awning?”
    “Run!  Been here before.  There’s a great little vintage clothes shop up here on the left.”  She took off, crossed the street, and ducked into a small shop.  He followed her in.
    “We need help.  Clothes.  Disguise.”
    “Cops?”
    “No.  Abusive ex-husband.  The bastard just won’t leave me alone.  And if he catches us, he’ll kill him, and HE’S a very good man,” she said nodding toward Jakson.
    “In here,” said the sympathetic older woman and ushered them into a back room.  She eyed Samantha.
    “Size ten?”  Samantha nodded and the woman disappeared.  In a few minutes, she came back with clothes for Samantha and a long auburn wig, stretchy flats, and a big handbag.
    “Now, you, you tall drink of water,” she turned to Jakson, “you’re going to be a problem.”
    Samantha dressed in the new clothes.
    “Do you have a credit card on you?”  He nodded and pulled it out to show her.
    “Good.  Give it to her.  And I mean GIVE.”  He nodded.
    “Got it.”
    The woman came back in with a long coat, baseball cap, sunglasses, jeans and a Beatles tee shirt.
    “This is the best I could come up with.”
    “Thank you,” said Jakson, handing her his credit card.  “We can’t use it anymore.  It’ll be traced.  Use it.  Buy yourself something really nice.  From us, as a little thank you for helping us.  We truly appreciate your help.”  Jakson slid into a fitting room and emerged looking very cool.
    “Here,” the woman jammed some cash into Jakson’s hand.           “Lunch money.  Take good care of her.  And good luck to you two.”  Jakson nodded.
    Jakson took Samatha’s hand as they left the shop and walked down the street.

Episode Thirteen Encryption

Episode Thirteen  Encryption

    The back doors of the van swung open.
    "How touching!  Such a sweet, loving couple.  I've got to hand it to you, Blake," said the man who seemed to be in charge of the other three, all standing there with weapons drawn.
    “Get out of the van,” he ordered.  “Move slowly.  Molly Kasjak, put your shoes on.”  Samantha looked up.  
    “I’m Samantha Blake, not Molly Kasjak,” she said calmly and confidently.  “You’ve kidnapped the wrong person, Bozo.”
    “Put your shoes on, whatever the hell your name is.”  She crawled around the floor of the van looking for her shoes while two men pulled Jakson roughly out of the van and pushed him around the van toward the back of the warehouse.
    “No!  I’m staying with my wife.  No!  I’m not leaving her alone with you.  Sam, run!  Let me go!  Don’t you even touch her,” she heard him shouting as they dragged him away.  She crawled out of the van and walked in front of the man in charge.  He motioned her to the side door.  They went in and up a flight of rusty, old, rickety metal steps to a clean, well-maintained office. 
    “Sit, Molly.” Samantha sat in the office chair near a desk, leaned back, crossed her legs, and got comfortable.  She looked around.  One exit.  Barred windows.  She took a deep breath, eyeing her captor.  Light complexion, blue eyes, balding.  Medium build, muscular, about middle forties.
    “Sam.  My name is Sam, not Molly.  And what exactly do you want with me, Mr…?”
    “Your cooperation, Sam.  You may call me Werner.”
    “And if I don’t cooperate?”
    “We will kill Jakson Blake.” 
    “Where is he, Werner?”
    “Being subdued.  He tried to get away from us, to be with you, I’m guessing from his rants.”
    “May I see him?”
    “In due time.  After you complete a project for us.  We need you to decode a message.  And then encode our answer.  As soon as you are done, and the message is sent, received, and acknowledged, you may see Jakson Blake.
    Some papers were laid out on the desk.  Samantha looked them over and began to concentrate.
    “What is this?  Nothing makes sense to me here.  I need...” she started.
    “Don’t try it!  If you irritate me, Blake will pay dearly.  I am not a patient man.”
    “I need paper and some pencils, and a pen.  I’m not stalling, Werner.  Don’t hurt him.”
    Supplies were brought in and set on the desk.  She got to work. She drew out a table and put values in the chart.
    “A calculator would really speed up this process.”
    He handed her one from his shirt pocket.  She got back to work.  She worked as quickly as she could without forsaking accuracy in solving the equations.  Hours passed.
    “Okay.  This is it.  It makes absolutely no sense to me, but there are no errors.”
    Werner took the paper, read it, wrote an answer and handed it back to her.  She quickly encoded it and handed it back.  He typed it into his laptop and waited.  It beeped a notification.
    “Message received and acknowledged,” he smiled.  “Good work, Samantha Blake.”
    “Now may I see my husband?  Please.”  Werner motioned to the hallway with his gun.  They walked down the hall.

INSPIRATION AND IMAGINATION

Artwork by Parker Kaufman

 

 

Throughout my life I've studied under some ardent and wonderfully talented art teachers.  I was always encouraged to create works that were truly reflective of the world as seen through my eyes and experience, regardless of what the popular definition of "art" was at the time.

Having a visual challenge, I never saw the world as it "really is".  Color, texture, and perspective, wasn't the same for me as it was for  a person with 20/20 sight.  In my youth, I didn't comprehend  that I had quite a unique view of things.  I eventually came to realize I was blessed with the ability to see something that "isn't"  there, in something that "is" there.

I first worked in colored card stock, creating landscapes and celestial scenes.  I soon added computer generated figures and forms printed on white card stock, cutting and gluing them into the weave of the piece.  I advanced to working with textured stock which gave things a slight dimensional quality.  I followed this with layering several sheets of stock together to gain even more depth.

Not long ago I discovered papers with printed patterns, which ignited my imagination and heightened my sense for seeing "what isn't there".

Featured above are two of my works; the top one depicting geese in flight in semi-realism and the bottom portraying the same in the "what isn't there" manner.

What I hope that you take away from this is, your creativity is only limited by what you allow yourself to see and the boundaries you set for you imagination.

Episode Twelve   Ambush at the Drugstore

    "Yes, our wedding day was the happiest day of my life to that point.  I was ecstatic!  I couldn't believe I was so lucky.  You've made such a huge difference in my life, Sam."
    “Oh, just you wait!  I’m not done with you yet,” she giggled and crawled on top of him.  Days turned into weeks.  Samantha was becoming very comfortable with Jaks.         
    “Sam, I need to run to the drugstore to pick up my allergy prescription.  Want to come along for the ride?”
    “Not really, honey.”
    “Oh, come on.  I’m not comfortable leaving you alone yet.  What if you don’t feel good while I’m gone?  Come with me.  You love to walk up and down the aisles of the drugstore and look at all that female do-dad stuff.  And I’ll buy you whatever you want!  We won’t be long.  Come on,” he reached his hand out to her.
    “Oh, okay.  I guess I must really love all that female do-dad stuff!”  They drove to a small drugstore far off the highway.  She walked around while he picked up his medicine and met him at the cash register.
    “There’s a concert in the park tonight,” said Jakson as they walked to the car.  “Those acapella guys you like from Linton University.  Feel like a little outdoors music?”
    “Sure!  I love those guys!  They remind me of...”
     Somebody grabbed her from behind, pulled a pillowcase over her head, and threw her in a nearby vehicle.
    “Jaks!  Jaks!” she screamed, kicking and fighting.
    “Shut the hell up, bitch, or we’ll kill him,” a man growled in her ear.  Samantha froze.  She heard roaring in her head.  She screamed.  Everything started to spin.  Breathing was difficult.  Everything went black.

    “Sam!  Samantha?  Where are you?” he whispered.  “Sam?”
    “Jaks?” she whispered back.  “I’m right here.  Jaks, are you hurt?”
    “No, I don’t think so,” he said.  “Somebody knocked me out at the car.  Are you okay?”
    “Yes, I think.  But there’s something over my head and my hands are tied behind me.”
    “Yes, me, too.”
    “Where are we?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Jaks, what do they want from us?”
    “I have no idea, Baby.  What could they want with us?  It can’t be ransom if they took us both.  Are you all right?  Does your head hurt?  Honey, I heard you scream.”
    “I’m okay, Jaks.”  
    “Can you... can you scoot toward me?  I’ll do the same.  Come on, Sam, come to me.”  She wiggled toward the sound of his voice.  She bumped into him, recognizing his scent.
    “Okay, turn around and try to untie my hands.  Good, good.  You’re getting it.”  His hands were free.  He removed the pillowcase from her head and began to untie her hands.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”  Her hands were free.
    She grabbed him and hugged him.  “I am now.”  She started to cry.
    “Sh, sh, My Darling.  Please don’t cry.  It’ll be okay.  We’ll get out of here, I promise you.”  He held her tightly and kissed her head.  She thought she heard him crying, too.

BLUE LAKE

BLUE LAKE

by 

Carol Ann Kaufman

When Nicole decided to step back into life in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico with Richard, a young British actor who professed his love for her on a daily basis, she mistook his enthusiasm for little more than youthful impetuousness.  She had no idea their unlikely, unconventional love would span the continents and more than a decade of their lives entwining them closer and closer, while career, family, and unforeseen circumstances pulled them farther apart.

This first book in the supernatural love story series, Time After Time, follows a pair of lovers their lifetimes together.

Excerpts of Reviews:

"... a truly epic romantic novel, spanning over ten years in time.  It crosses the United States and the Atlantic to England, Ireland, and Italy, and even a trip to Aruba.  It is a true tale of the Power of Love here and beyond.  If you enjoy romantic novels interspersed with action and the occasional quip that makes you smile, you'll enjoy this book."

                                                                             - 5 stars by Jeannie 49

"This is a fun, intricately plotted story of two lovers on a wild ride.  I especially enjoyed the tenderness of the love scenes and the candid treatment of the May/December relationship."

                                                                            - 5 stars from Emilia D.

"Good reading with lots of action and locations all  over the globe."

                                                                            - 5 stars from Erika B.

"... a beautiful story, it reminded me of 'The English Patient'."

                                                                            - 5 stars from Salsa T.

Carol's work is available at amazon.com  for the kindle.  Visit her author page, Carol Ann Kauffman, on Facebook.

Episode Eleven    A Little Present

    "Sam?  Samantha?  Where are you?" he called.
    "I'm out on the balcony, Jaks" she called.   He rushed to the balcony and gave her a gentle kiss.  
    “Close your eyes.  I have a little present for you.  Here,” he handed her a tiny box.  “It’s just something little.  It’s something you saw in a magazine.  Before you got sick.  You thought it was pretty.  So I ordered it for you.  It just came in.”
    “Jaks!  I can’t remember anything.”
    “I know.  Just guess.”
    “Okay.  You said ‘it’, so it’s one, not a pair, like earrings.”
    “You’d rather earrings?  You did find your jewelry box, didn’t you?”
    “Yes, I did.  Beautiful pieces in there, I love every one of them, but you told me to guess, so I’m just guessing.  It's too small for a bracelet.”
    “Maybe you should just open it and quit guessing.”
    “Honey, whatever it is, if YOU bought it for me, I’ll love it.”
    “Open it.  You’re killing me here,” he said.  She giggled and opened the box, eyes still closed.
    “It’s a pendant on a chain.  It’s… its a little heart!  Can I open my eyes now?”
    “Yes.  And look, Love, it’s engraved with our names and our wedding date, so you won't… forget.  It may look like silver, but it’s platinum, so it won’t tarnish or discolor.”
    “Aw, how sweet!  I love it!  Put it on me.  I’ll wear it always,” she kissed him.  
    “Oh!  I’ve really missed those kisses of yours.”
    “Really?”  She kissed him again.  “How much?”
    “Terribly.  Achingly.  They’re wonderful kisses, you know.  And highly addictive.”
    “Mmm.”
    “We could… continue this inside… if you want.”
    “What, you don’t want to make love to me right here on the balcony, Mr. Blake?”
    “Mrs. Blake, I'm British, and rather reserved.  But if you insist!”  He closed in on her.
    “No, we’ll go inside.  I wouldn’t want to give dear, sweet, old Mrs.Watchter a heart attack.”
    “So, you remember the old woman in the condo across the way from us, but you don’t remember me?  Am I so damn forgettable?”  He held his head in his hands, pretending to be devastated.  “I am crushed.  So crushed.  I need… more kisses.  Lots of kisses.  Tons of kisses.”
    “Oh yea?”  She giggled.  “And just where would you like those kisses, Mr. Blake?”
    “In the bedroom.”  They made their way to the bed and got comfortable.  Jakson pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead.
    “Jaks, we got married on the beach, right?  I think I’m starting to remember.”
    “Really?  That’s wonderful!  Yes, we got married at the Sheraton right up the beach from here.  Tell me what you remember, Sweetheart.”  He hugged her.
    “I remember… gardenias.  I remember the beautiful fragrance from my bouquet.  It was white gardenias.  I remember Mr. Pendleton and I walking out the back door of the hotel and down the stone walkway to the beach.  He said he was so happy for us.  I remember seeing you near the shore waiting for me, smiling, looking so handsome in your white dinner jacket.  Folding chairs on either side filled with happy people.  Familiar happy faces, no names.  I remember Annette was our maid of honor.  She wore yellow.  She looked stunning.  She carried yellow roses.  And Tom!  Tom was our best man.  I remember Father Guido.  I also remember that was the very first time I ever saw you nervous.  And so excited.  Just so filled with love and joy.  I’d never seen a happier groom in my whole life.  You were absolutely bubbling over with emotion.”

Wonderful Book

YOUNG AMERICA: Treasures From the Smithsonian American Art Museum  by Amy Pastan and Watson Guptill.

I  came across this magnificent book many years ago while taking art courses.    A great source of inspiration, this book is chock full of portaits, still lifes, landscapes, and everyday scenes which are part of a traveling exhibition from the American Art Museum.  It is the embodiment of the wisdom and ideals of our country as it evolved from a handful of single colonies into a united nation.

The sculptures and paintings, 54 in total, were created in the 18th and 19th centuries and are fine examples of life in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.  The works include those by artists like John Singleton Copley, Charles Wilson Peale, Thomas Cole, and Horatio Greenough.

Not only is this an artistic view, it is also an historical testament to the humble beginnings of America.  You will find this a most enjoyable collection of works.

Dear Readers,
    Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments here and on my Facebook Author Page.  I am so pleased you're enjoying  CHARMING DECEPTION.  I've enlarged the type for those of you who requested it, and I've been adding an episode daily instead of three a week, as I originally planned, for those of you who wanted more per week.
     Look for exciting developments coming soon.  After all, CHARMING DECEPTION  is a sci-fi romantic adventure.  So, hold on and enjoy the upcoming ride! 
                                                            Hugs,
                                                            Carol 
                                                                  

Episode Ten  Lost and Alone

    "No, Jaks, it was just an observation."  He accepted that and they cleared up the plates and finished their wine on the sofa.  He laid his head down in her lap.
    “Love, since you’ve been ill, I’m the one who’s felt lost and alone.  And, I’ll admit it, frightened.  Having you with me has been the greatest joy of my life.  You understand me, you think I’m funny, and very charming.  And, um, handsome,” he smiled that faint, sweet smile shyly.  “I’ve never felt so loved, so happy in all my life.  When you woke up and had no idea who I was, I was heartbroken and thought I would certainly go mad, I thought I had lost my mind.  You kept telling me to go away and leave you alone.  And if I came anywhere near you, you’d back away like you were afraid of me, and scream at me.  The love of my life had been torn away from me.  And this identical twin they left in her place?  Well, she didn’t know me at all, and she certainly didn’t like me.  Sam, my greatest fear is that you will never remember me again, or, worse yet, remember me, but… not love me anymore.”
    “Jaks, I know we’re connected, I feel it,” she hugged him and played with his ear.  “I know that you love me.  You show it.  Just be patient a little longer, okay, Honey?  I remembered the lighthouses today.  Maybe tomorrow, something else will ring a bell,” she stroked his head, calming him down.  “Dr. Reynolds said one hundred percent recovery.”  He nodded.
    “We’re in this together, Sam.  I’ll do whatever, Baby, whatever it takes to help you remember, and to keep you safe.  You can count on me.  You’re not alone.”
    “I know,” she nodded.  “I know you’re strong and brave.  I feel safe when I’m with you.”
    “Good!”  He smiled that wonderful smile of his and kissed her fingers, closing his eyes.  He settled back and took a nap in her lap.  She stared at him.  Something about him was so deeply familiar, the dimple, the splash of freckle across his nose and cheeks, those gorgeous quicksand brown eyes.  That sweet, tiny grin, like he was in on a secret.  And that heart-stopping smile.  She knew him.  Knew him well.  Maybe he was her husband.  Maybe she had been with him for a year and a half now.  Maybe all this was true.  Part of her really wanted it to be true.
    But part of her remembered smatterings of a completely different life.  Working for a trucking company.  Being alone.  Living alone in a tiny, frugal second floor apartment near the center of a dusty drab little town.  Within walking distance to work, the drugstore, the grocery store, and the coffee shop on the corner.  The bar around the corner, noise and beer.  A dull, lonely, isolated, meager existence.
    The next few days were filled with relaxing on the beach together, cooking together, sleeping late, strolls on the beach, and laughter, tons of laughter.  
    “Sam, do you want to look at this?  It’s the photo album from our honeymoon in Bermuda.  St. George’s Beach.  I don’t want to push, but I though it might help you remember something.”
    “Great idea!”  She took the album from his hand and sat on the sofa.  “Come sit beside me.  So you like the water in Bermuda?”
    “Ah, yes, it’s pure and very clear.”  She turned the pages slowly. 
    “This place is incredible.  And this is such a beautiful photo album.  So artistically done.”
    “You… made it for us, so we wouldn’t forget one moment of our wonderful, romantic honeymoon.  We used the delay button on the camera and took most of the photos of us ourselves.”  
    They sat and looked at the album together, laughing and joking.  The photos showed a very happy couple that loved each other very much and laughed a lot.  Samantha nuzzled up next to Jakson as he narrated with sweet and funny stories of their two wonderful weeks in Bermuda.
    Happy days turned into pleasant weeks together.  She became very comfortable with the sweet, attentive, romantic Jakson Blake.