Renewal 10 - Blind Force (11 page)

It did come. He knew even through his introspective haze, because Aggie appeared before him to give him a shove once again. “Come on, old man! I see you over here, gathering wool. It’s time to get started.”

Bill smiled at her usual approach to command. “I’m coming, My Dear.” He took her outstretched hand and let her lead him through the back door of the church. She gave him a long look followed by a quick kiss, the tears already beginning to form in her eyes. He watched her dress swirl around her long legs as she went to take her place outside.

Bill turned to see the most amazing sight. There was Sam, full-time proprietor of the tavern and part time pastor for the community. Instead of his typical stained white apron, or even his Sunday shirt and pants, Sam was wearing a suit. Bill’s brain chugged several times before he connected the smiling face to the well-dressed body below the collar.

“Hi, Sam. Thanks for doing this,” Bill said, giving the older man a thumping hug.

Sam leaned back and looked Bill in the eyes. “Wouldn’t miss this for anything. Sally getting married... That’s like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s a true blessing, Bill.”

“I know. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. Just one less worry in life, I suppose.”

“Bill, I’ve married off two daughters of my own, and I can tell you that your real worry is wrong. She’ll always be your little girl, ok?”

“Ok, Sam. Thanks. Now shut up before I start crying like a little girl.”

“You better brace yourself then.” Sam stepped to the door of the church office and gave it a gentle knock. “You ready, Miss Sally?”

“I’m ready,” Sally voice said through the door.

Three seconds later, the door opened, and Bill saw an even more amazing sight. His daughter in her own wedding gown. The dress was simple, yet the most perfect thing Bill had ever seen. Sally’s red hair was pulled up on top of her head, braided into a crown and woven with delicate late summer blossoms. Her eyes were sparking with a light of their own from above rosy, freckled cheeks. The color of her hair and skin was vivid against the crisp white gown. Her long slender neck flowed seamlessly into the line of her dress, which fell to the floor in feminine strokes of grace and beauty.

Bill was in trouble. The tears flowed freely, which brought a scowl to Sally’s face. “Daddy! Stop that or we’ll both be stuck in here for hours.” Her own eyes were brimming as she smiled at him.

“Yes, Princess. Your old man will try to behave.” Bill pulled a handkerchief from an inside pocket and dabbed his eyes. A few seconds later, he extended his arm for her. “Shall we?”

She beamed up at him as she folded her hand into his elbow. “I think we shall.”

Sam stepped to the outer door and gave a wave as he left Bill and Sally in the church. The community band smoothly transitioned to a fiddle-based version of the wedding march. Sally used her thumb for one final sweep across her father’s cheek and they stepped out the door.

Terry’s best man almost knocked him over with an excited elbow when Sally appeared. Terry didn’t see it coming. He was far too distracted by the sight of his bride. “Easy, Big Seth,” Terry whispered, garnering a chuckle from the crowd.

Sam took his place behind Terry, who was noticing his parents in the front row. He had an old life and a new life, and for the first time, both were in the same place. In a few short minutes, all of it would be wrapped into another new life in the form of the beautiful woman walking in his direction. Then as if time were skipping beats, she was there. Sally was given. Vows were said. Rings were exchanged. Declarations were made.

From his sympathetic view on the front row, Bill saw Terry swept away. The slightly dazed look on his face, the power of the moment. When the call came for a kiss, Bill saw Terry’s look of tenderness, and he felt happiness for his daughter. When he saw the passion and possession of her kiss in return, Bill remembered a day long ago, when Aggie had first claimed him as her own, and he felt hope.

That hope was the breath of life for his people, and it soared on the cheers of a happy crowd as the next generation turned to face the embrace of a better future.

End Part 10 – End Renewal

Author’s notes:

So here were are, at the end of the Renewal story.

First and foremost, I want to thank my wife. She not only allowed me the time to work my way through this experiment that became a story, she spent many hours looking for my mistakes, of which my pathetic six-digit “typing” yields many. She sniffed out awkward phrasing like a bloodhound, and forced me back into line whenever I was running amok with poorly poetic thoughts.

Right behind her, I thank you. If you’ve made it this far, you have dedicated yourself to the story enough to deal with the cost, the serial releases, and my learning curve, which is only beginning I’m afraid. Those of you who were kind enough to review, trust me. You have my profound gratitude, and I will not forget that you made it happen. Those of you who showed up to comment on my blog, thank you. I know it takes time to share your thoughts, and I can tell you that all the discussions and feedback have gone into a place where I can find them again. I regard this as an endless learning experience, and everything you have to say has value to me. Thanks to the support from all of you, I have the privilege of continuing to write. I wrote the story, but you made me a writer.

I want to say a particular thanks to Dan, who really got this ball rolling. He showed up out of nowhere with a review and some good marketing advice when I was still missing simple things like keywords. I want to thank Liz, who gave me my first real tough feedback. (I’m still trying to break my comma addiction, Liz.) I want to thank Lori and Connie, who have been strong supporters of my writing for several years now. Lori gives good support and Connie gives good orders. Deadly combination of friends... Thanks to Gus and Daysi , first for supporting my depiction of Arturo and Juannie, and second for becoming friends. That’s one of the things they don’t mention in the handbook. (Ok, I lied. I don’t have the handbook.) Readers can become friends. How cool is that? The same thanks go out to Bob, who sharpened the marketing advice considerably and leaves me feeling unworthy of his efforts. Steve, thanks for representing the hard end of the spectrum with your intelligent posts. Sue, thanks for being a real live college English professor and liking my work anyway. Smartgirl, thanks for saying that I’ve totally got it going on. That doesn’t happen very often – or ever, really. Larry, thanks and good luck with your weight loss program. It’s a bestselling diet book in the making. Jynna, thank you and best of luck with that barn infestation problem. Joe, JOE! My thanks and regards for the kind support, wherever the heck you are. Opinion, the mysterious Opinion. Thanks for the great lightning reviews. You should really reveal your secret identity. I won’t tell.

Where does it go from here? First of all, you may be relieved to know that I’m not going to continue releasing novels disguised as serials. If I had known what I was doing, I probably never would have gone this route in the first place, but I can’t feel too badly about it. For whatever reason, it’s working. Now, I’ve scraped together everything I’ve learned, stretched out my typing digits, and set out to write an entire novel in one fell swoop. It’s called
Decay
and it’s the sequel to this series. Now that you have met Ned and Cindy, I can reveal that they are the main characters of the Breakdown story. They have a much longer, tougher, and more aware road to end up in the present timeline, which continues where we left off. Bill’s backstory is not complete either, so the dual story in Renewal will be a two-and-half with a back twist in Decay. There’s a third novel in a very sketchy place in my brain right now, but first things first.

Also, I intend to compile the Renewal story into a single volume at some point. I’d like to apply some of what I’ve learned to the early parts of the story and expand some of the characters a bit. If I do get around to a rewrite, I’ll make sure there is enough new story to make it worth a read, but my biggest motivation is my sad attachment to my characters and the desire to spend more time with them. There, I admit it. I’m not strong enough to kill my darlings yet.

In case I haven’t said it enough, I can’t express the gratitude I feel towards each of you. I get to write, and that makes me incredibly fulfilled and content. It’s a strange feeling that took me a while to recognize. At first I thought it was a Gourmet Veggie pizza, but then I realized, “So, this is fulfillment... Sweet!” My thanks to you all.

About the Author:

Creative people tend to be lousy at self-promotion, and I fit the cliché almost perfectly. After many years of asking myself why I have anything to say that is worth writing, the answer can only be that I have finally, in middle age, managed to make enough mistakes to say something solid about how not to live life. If I hold up a mirror to my own life, I get a backwards reflection that may actually contain some value. More importantly, I have been fortunate enough to know many people who may have suffered, but did so with far more skill and grace than I have, and they set a solid example for a realistic method of how to live well.

In the meantime, I live in Washington with my wonderful wife, who happens to be one of those good examples, and our five rescue dogs, who manage to encompass an entire school bus full of joyous, childlike personalities. And to add to the rapidly mounting collection of loose fur and allergens, I also share the house with two cats; one with no social boundaries, and one who is
nothing but
social boundaries.

I can no longer claim that my blog is a wasteland populated only by Russian women who want to make my fantasies come true. In fact, I have some dedicated commenters stopping by, which makes me want to stop by and write something. Perhaps you would like to visit as well. Thanks for reading!

 http://www.jfperkins.com