The Man Who Loved Gabriel

By Shannon M. Finnie

Meet Gabriel Bartoletti, a passionate aspiring writer who lives in a small town located in the heart of Massachusetts. He has always wanted to visit London to see all of the historical landmarks. He believed he was destined to find true love, but never stepped out on a limb. Now his life is about to change course as he embarks on a journey that will open his heart and change his life forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shannon M. Finnie
• Release date: Sep 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310788932

Shannon M. Finnie

When I was a child I loved the thought of living in a world of Make-Believe. I would pretend that gumdrops were precious gems and broccoli were enchanted trees. Today as an adult I still find ways to escape the realities of life. I do this by playing video games, writing fiction, or by simply daydreaming. I enjoy writing because it allows my imagination to run to it's full capacity, giving me an unconditional outlet.

Book preview

The Man Who Loved Gabriel

By

Shannon M. Finnie

Smashwords Edition

© 2015 by Shannon M. Finnie

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced or used in any way without the written permission of the author. The characters, shops, and restaurants are fictitious.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1: The Contest

Chapter 2: Takeoff

Chapter 3: Hello United Kingdom

Chapter 4: Out and About

Chapter 5: Wine and Dine

Chapter 6: The Meet and Greet

Chapter 7: His Castle

Chapter 8: The Letters

Chapter 9: Emotions

Chapter 10: Time is of the Essence

Chapter 11: Home Sweet Home

Chapter 12: Love In London

End

PROLOGUE

Meet Gabriel Bartoletti, a passionate aspiring writer who lives in a small town located in the heart of Massachusetts. He is of Italian decent. His father was born and raised in Florence, Italy and his mother Bari, Italy. His parents moved to the United States for a better life, in which they had five children. Gabriel was the second oldest of three boys and two girls. He still lives with his parents along with four younger siblings. He works a part-time job at a local antique bookstore and has an easy-going personality. To visualize Gabriel, he is 32 years young, 6'1" in height, about 150-160lbs, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a bit pale in color. Gabriel is also gay and being gay in today’s society has never been really easy. It has been frowned upon by many for decades and even with the changing in legislature for gay rights, it is still frowned upon. In most cases it is harder to come out of the closet to family and friends than to strangers. In Gabriel's case it didn't really matter what the world thought of his orientation of being gay. His family and friends were very much in support of him and loved him unconditionally. Aside from wanting to be a writer, he has always wanted to visit London to see all of the historical landmarks. He always believed he was destined to find true love, but never stepped out on a limb. Now his daily routine of living is about to change course as he embarks on a journey that will open his heart and change his life forever.

CHAPTER 1: THE CONTEST

It all started when the town’s local library was hosting a short story contest for amateur writers. For weeks now the local library has been advertising this short story contest. The grand prize winner would win an all-expense paid vacation to Europe for a week. Gabriel wasn't really interested in the contest because he didn't see where it would do him any good in the long run. True enough that would be a nice vacation, and he wanted to visit Europe, but just didn't want to make the unnecessary effort. Shortly after weeks of seeing the contest advertised throughout the neighborhood, Gabriel decided to give it a go. He figured he didn't have much to lose. He loved to write and he is always imagined himself touring London. That evening Gabriel met up with his best friend Monique to share the news. Wow Gabe, that's fantastic! Monique exclaimed. He knew he could always count on her unconditional support. They grabbed some coffee and cupcakes from Gabriel’s favorite bakery, The Gourmet Shack. Practicing the Two heads are better than one theory, both brainstormed on a title for the short story. After hours of coffee and concentration, they reached a verdict. Pleased with the choice, the two called it a night.

The contest was in exactly one week and Gabriel was pretty content. He started on his short story titled The Journey of Mordecai the Magician, a fictional story about the hardship of a performer on a life's long journey. Gabriel has always been a fan of fantasy and all of what it consisted of. He often found himself living in one at times. It was a cool breezy night when Gabriel started on his short story. He loved writing on nights like this, when the winds are misbehaving with a slight chill and the tree branches tapping the windows. Gabriel was more than halfway finished with his short story, but he grew tired. That night he said a special prayer for his chances at winning the contest. Next, lights out and off to bed.

The rest of the week Gabriel thought of ways he could end his short story. By the main character going through so many hardships, he thought he would end it in a way that the character would have a happy ending. On the other hand, he thought he would just have the character mimic his own perceived life, and live miserably to the end. Either way, he just needed an ending to complete it.

It was now the night before showdown and Gabriel was putting the last finishing touches on his creation. Feeling more positive about his chance at winning, he decided to go with a happy ending. It was time for him to stop living such a gloomy life and step out into the sunshine. That night he went to bed already feeling like a champion.

The time has come and Gabriel has awakened bright and early to prepare himself for the contest. You're going to be late! screamed Monique who was waiting in the car for him. He hardly had the time for a proper breakfast, as he grabbed an apple, rushing out the door. On the way over he quickly skimmed through his story for errors. Gabriel you are going to do just fine. Monique said. As they approached the library, Gabriel remembered one thing. He didn’t care for oral presentations. He hated them. Minutes later, they arrived at library where he would either make or break this contest. His stomach had knots, his hands were clammy,