No Time for Green Bananas

By Charmaine Gordon

Celeste Hamlin, the seventy-five year old widow, CEO of O.U.R. Airlines specializing in chartered vacations, has a goal... She needs to once more conquer the six mountains in the Saranac Lake region before deciding what to do with the rest of her life.

Sixty-two year old Professor Paul Harris, is on sabbatical to hike and relax. When he meets the dynamic Celeste, he recalls the last words his wife said before she passed. “Find another love and begin again.”

What happens next between an older woman and younger man is a story of gentle
passion and discovery of The Beginning... Not The End.

• Language: English
• Publisher: VanillaHeart
• Release date: Nov 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311223777

Charmaine Gordon

Charmaine Gordon writes books about women who Survive and Thrive. Her motto is take one step and then another to leave your past behind and begin again. Six books and several short stories in three years, she’s always at work on the next story. The books include To Be Continued, Starting Over, Now What?, Reconstructing Charlie, Sin of Omission and The Catch, and her series of Mature Romances, The Beginning...Not the End.“I didn’t realize at the time while working as an actor in NYC, I’d become a sponge soaking up dialogue, setting, and stage directions. I learned many tools of writing during the years watching directors like Mike Nichols and actors including Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins, and Billy Crystal. And would you believe, I was Geraldine Ferraro’s stand– in leg model, my first job giving me entrée into all the Unions needed to work. When the sweet time ended, I began another career and creative juices flowed.”You can reach Charmaine athttp://authorCharmaineGordon.wordpress.comAnd on her FB page http://www.facebook.com/charmaine.gordon

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No Time for Green Bananas

by Charmaine Gordon

Copyright 2013 Charmaine Gordon

Published by: Vanilla Heart Publishing on Smashwords

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No Time for Green Bananas

by Charmaine Gordon

Acknowledgements

I first read the expression No Time for Green Bananas on my dear friend, Sandra Pesmen’s Widow’s Blog. Ah, a title for the Beginning. . .Not The End series and a seed grew in this author’s mind. Writing this series of short stories about Mature Romance and Sexy Seniors has given me so much pleasure the past few months.

Thanks to Yogi Berra for his It ain’t over ‘til it’s over words to live by.

Dedication

Kimberlee Williams, fearless and patient leader, we’ve gone from you saying, How about another story and soon, to When’s the follow-up? Are we having fun or what as friendship grows and new ideas pour from the creative juices flowing. This senior is having a proverbial ball working in the best congenial atmosphere ever imagined.

Chapter 1

Straighten Up and Fly Right. Celeste Hamlin couldn’t get the old song’s lyrics out of her head knowing they held true. From this day forward she’d straighten up and watch out for buzzards circling to grab what she and Matthew had worked for all the years. She glanced around to see hugs and waves from grandchildren waving bye bye to their grandparents at another gate. Calls of ‘have a good time’ rang out in high sweet voices. Where were her grandchildren all grown up and capable of keeping in touch with their remaining grandparent?

Matt’s words of wisdom came to her, Don’t look back. Fix it when you return, m’love. Alone for the first time, she placed her backpack and rolling case on the slow moving track, credentials and watch in a box, Celeste knew they wouldn’t ask a woman over seventy to remove her shoes. Then all hell broke loose. Security personnel rushed toward her. The new hip replacement set off the buzz of the metal detectors. Arms raised as high as old bones allowed, she said, THR. Total hip replacement. I forgot about the metal. My head’s in the clouds and we haven’t taken off yet.

Move over here. Boarding pass, please. The stern uniformed woman checked her pass. Oh, Ms. Hamlin, her tone softened, I have to pat you down. Times have changed. Security has beefed up and changed regulations at every airport, big or small. Charter or regular. Step behind the curtain. Please.

Celeste Hamlin grinned after the frisk. Delia, when someone does that to me I expect moonlight, roses, champagne, and a great dinner. My compliments to you and the training program. You do a great service to our country.

Ms. Hamlin, I’ll have someone escort you to Gate 4 where you’ll board right away. Safe journey.

It’s just a hiking trip to see if I can handle mountains again. Been a while.

Just a hiking trip. A tinge of sorrow accompanied the words. Celeste was ushered into her favorite chartered plane, the Gulfstream G550 and chatted with the pilot, co—pilot and attendants. They all worked for O.U.R. Airlines, the company started when the Hamlin’s were young, fiery, and ambitious. O.U.R. They had laughed when they decided on the special name because it excluded the world. Laughed and had sex on the old couch in the small office, giddy with plans, determined to succeed. Half the fire went out since Matt died. I’ll manage. My goal is to prove I can conquer the mountains again, all of the six. And don’t fly home without the proof. The Gulfstream was a bit over the top for this short trip but what the hell. The advertisement paid off.

Opening the itinerary folder, Celeste reviewed her instructions. The jet from Teterboro Airport close to New York to Lake Placid would be met by the tour guide. They’d travel the short distance to Saranac Lake, check in at the well known lake side Inn Celeste had stayed with her husband every year. No hiking for him. He paddled his own canoe while she tackled the mountains. The passengers aboard, all vetted, a mix of married couples and one widower,