Other Shoes, Other Feet

By David Howells

The Baxters seemed the idyllic couple; almost love at first sight. Certainly there was a strong attraction that both passed on to just having the right chemistry. But soon after the honeymoon, things began to unravel...so much so that they now stood before a Judge after their third 'domestic dispute' intervention by local police. Yet, neither could recall what any of the arguments were about. In another time, they might be considered demon possessed. In modern time, they were remanded to court-ordered psychological evaluation. Hypnosis became the tool that unlocked crimes from a past life whose devastating effects continued to be felt over a hundred years later.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Howells
• Release date: Jul 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301117536

David Howells

Doctor of Chiropractic since 11/1984. Former Chief of Nuclear Medicine, Lutheran Medical Center, St. Louis, MO. Volunteer EMT, Hurley Fire and Rescue Squad, Hurley NY. Folk musician, volunteer soundman for the Hudson Valley Folk Guild. Kiwanis Club of Kingston. Society for Creative Anachronism fighter, archer, and chirurgeon. Greetings and welcome to my website. Thanks for stopping by. I welcome you to download VANESSA with my complements and see if you like the style. I'm told by readers the first two chapters are a slow acceleration (others say 'no problem') and then it takes off from there as a great page turner. Each of the four sequels had good reviews on first released a few years back, so I hope you'll try those as well. Time Snap and Hell Rise were more recent efforts I hope you'll like. The short stories have been a lot of fun to write, and are getting good response levels. Thank you all so very much! Long and merry life, best of health, David L Howells PS: I've done my best to filter out errors in the copy, but if you see one on any of the works, please notify me at twosword at earthlink dot net? I'd appreciate it (just include a three word sequence and which title, and I'll fix it with a search and correct). Happy reading!

Book preview

OTHER SHOES, OTHER FEET

A Short Story By

David Lee Howells

Copyright 2013

Smashwords Edition

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Close One Door

A heavy-set, brunette, Caucasian receptionist had just completed another duty that, to her mind, was one of the thousand things she did every day to keep this place running. If it weren’t for her, not one of these falutin’ ‘health professionals’ would get anything done. That couple she just sent to their [down the hall on the right/second door to your left/you are expected] destination was just another grain of sand in her dune of responsibilities. A soft beep announced the next sand grain on her plate.

Bandwidth Mental Health Services, Ms. Lister speaking, how can I help you? [pause]. I’m sorry sir, but Dr. Filbin is on vacation. Dr. Megglenech is filling in for her this week. I can put you through to Dr. Megglenech’s assistant or Dr. Filbin’s voice mail. [Pause.] Very well…

Joyce and Charles Baxter proceeded down the hallway; the receptionist’s voice starting to fade blessedly into the distance. Though professional in bearing, her voice had a certain invading quality that actually had some people sensitive to irritating sounds activate a little-known muscle in the ear canal. The tensor tympanum muscle typically came into play at rock concerts and on the decks of aircraft carriers, when sound levels threatened to vibrate the ear drum to the point of actual tearing. It was the only muscle that acted without another muscle as a partner.

Joyce and Charles weren’t acting like partners, either. Not like they used to, anyway. Despite the narrow hall, they walked side by side not out of solidarity, but rather feelings balanced between mistrust and not wanting to be…to be what? Attacked? Made fun of? Abandoned?

In the journey from home to court-mandated therapy the couple’s minds followed similar paths of consideration. Their first meeting was idyllic; a moonlight river cruise sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Both had individually opted away from the DJ-produced classics of the 80’s and 90’s in the second deck enclosed party room. Both preferred just seeing the moon and stars, and listening as the bow plowed through the historic Hudson’s eventual contribution to the Atlantic Ocean.

They met and connected almost as if programmed to do so, and both had felt that some guiding angel had been given the low down on where to find the other’s soul mate. By the end of the trip, Charles had his arm holding onto hers. It was a bit of a gender role reversal, but that just told Joyce that Charles wasn’t bound to stereotypes. That seemed right to her, and attractive.

Their pastimes were also a little outside the norm. Though both were clearly man and woman in appearance and interests, both also crossed traditional gender boundaries in where some of their interests lay. Joyce liked mechanical things, and belonged to a radio-controlled airplane club, ‘The Buzz Boys’. Charles belonged to a gym, but frequented aerobics classes and modified his free weights program, leaning more to tone and body-fat focus than bulking up. He also liked fiddling with origami. Any co-worker who made fun of him quieted down when he saw how female coworkers appreciated the occasional paper grasshopper or dragon gift. Joyce had a collection of those gifts, and had more than once over the past year considered tossing them into the oven and do an ‘auto-clean’ cycle.

What had happened? The proposal was classic, imaginative and romantic. The engagement could only be described as a blossoming experience. The wedding was the talk of both their extended families, combining meaning with simplicity with elegance.

Two weeks after the honeymoon (a Norwegian