Romantic Shorts

By Tarry Ionta

ROMANTIC SHORTS is a collection of eight short stories about relationships. They have been previously published in anthologies consisting of mixed genre stories entitled A POCKETFUL OF SHORTS of Shorts and A PAIR OF SHORTS. These are now reissued in this volume for those who prefer to purchase a specific genre of short stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tarry Ionta
• Release date: Dec 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310923340

Tarry Ionta

Born 1933 of Italian parentage. He served in the RAF and worked at various occupations before entering Glasgow University at thirty, to study Maths, Physics, and Astronomy. He completed one year before dropping out to become a telegraphist. Finally, completing his working life with British Telecom Finance Department. His Interests and hobbies comprise mainly of chess, and reading science fiction. He has also had a keen, practicing interest in computing and martial arts (Judo and Shotokan Karate) and music (Saxophone, Clarinet, and Piano - Over twelve years with City of Glasgow Military Band). Now retired and no longer active in those fields, he prefers to concentrate on writing. He has been writing since 1988, having written over fifty varied short stories, a few articles, novellas, novels, and a children's fantasy book. Several short stories have been published in anthologies and on the Internet. A few have also been short-listed in the WRITER'S NEWS monthly competitions. He continues to write.

Book preview

Romantic Shorts

by

Tarry Ionta©

Copyright 2013

E-book edition ISBN: 9781310923340

Paperback edition ISBN-13: 978-1494424527

License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to the owner and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Any resemblance to actual people and events is purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction.

The original image used to form the cover of this book is in the Public Domain. If anyone knows of anything to the contrary, please inform the author at:

[e-mail]

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Contents

The Coming of Spring

All That Glitters

The Last Straw

A Bird in the Hand

Reunion

Mightier Than the Sword

Three's Company

Reconciliation

The Coming of Spring

Norton-on-Sea had come to life. For seven months of the year it is a quiet sleepy seaside town, typical of many such resorts on the west coast. With the first blossoms of spring it awakens. Gradually it transforms into a busy, bustling holiday resort, alive with hoards of visitors enjoying the sun and sands by day; hotels, theaters, and amusements by night.

But for Elma, little ever happened that broke the monotony and misery of life. For years her existence had alternated between the local drapery where she worked, and the constant care her ailing mother had demanded. There had never been enough time for anything else.

Looking at herself in the mirror, pale and plain, she was not happy with what she saw. There’s more to life than this, she told herself, her eyes searching out the few strands of gray hair and minute creases that were beginning to show around the eyes. Mother’s been dead for six months now. It’s time I did something with my life.

The guilt she felt was strong, smothering the feeling of freedom that was beginning to well up inside her. Why should you feel so badly, the image told her silently. After all, didn’t you give her your best years? Go on! Admit it! She was a selfish tyrant. So why feel guilty?

Still, the feeling persisted. Could she have done more

for her mother? Had she deserved more?

Defiantly she remembered the jibes and taunts that had often been tossed at her. A plain Jane? True, her mother had been right on that score, but that no man would ever look at her twice? That, she would not, could not accept. Somewhere there was someone who could see beyond her plainness; beyond the mere exterior. Someone who could see her as she really was.

She was alone now. The house had suddenly become very lonely, the four walls seeming to close in on her. It was time to break free.

Elma spent some time re-discovering the town. The bright lights and the sounds all seemed strange to her. It had been so long since she had mingled with so many people. The heady feeling of freedom kept her wandering around for hours. But after a time, the jostling, and the noise from the amusements became too much for her. She headed toward the river where it was peaceful and quiet. The silent contrast from the hullabaloo of the town brought her an almost frightening relief.

She stopped suddenly. In the dim lighting of