Neath The Red Umbrella

By J.T. Evergreen

I met him casually at a soup and sandwich bar and was taken by his calm presence, and I was interested until I found out he was from another planet called Sakoon directly opposite Earth on the other side of the Sun. At first, I thought he was nuts but then I began to wonder . . . why me?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.T. Evergreen
• Release date: Mar 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463219522

J.T. Evergreen

OCCUPATION - Retired from the grind. Reflecting on successes, failures, and regrets. Exploring new aspects of self, writing that book which will get me an Oscar, staying out of trouble - well, small amounts of trouble are ok. Bringing joy into people's lives with random acts of kindness - the ones who aren't expecting it are the best. Cheering up check-out clerks at WalMart.ABOUT ME - Alone in blessed singleness. Wicked sense of humor, enjoy my own company, glad I'm not young any longer. I do miss the intimacy of being in love. A good catch . . . at least I think so. Enjoy the possibilities of every moment, an imagination that won't quite, a master weaver - give away everything I make, excellent portrait painter, a national treasure - though no one agrees with me, a good listener, intuitive, a good conversationalist, avoid boredom and boring people at all costs - that's a career all by itself.INTERESTS - Intelligent conversation: hard to come by these days, metaphysics, mysticism, my pups - Charlie, Max, and Bailey, seeing the funny side of life, going to Macy's at Christmas time - kicking Santa and punching an Elf. If I had a singing voice, which I don't, I would sing all of the time, wherever I was - even in WalMart. Wouldn't that be enchanting? When I receive the Oscar for the book I'm writing, I will have some baritone sing On A Clear Day, and I will lip sync his voice. It will wow the audience.PUBLICATIONS – Short Stories to celebrate the NEW YEAR - 23 delightful short stories; Alone at the Beach 25 short stories to keep you company, Home Alone, 8 Great Stories to keep you company, Born in the Twilight, Injun Summer, This’nThat, Short Stories for a Summer’s Day. Holiday Short Stories, With All My Love, Father Frederick Monahan, Shangri la, Stepping Stones to God, I’m Gay Mother – Get Over it, The Olde Book Shoppe, Naked Before God, The Italian Call Boy, The Silence of Healing, Death of a Pope, The Best Short Stories Ever, and My Love Affair with Father Tomas McTavish, working on a new character, Father Gibbon with Sister Mary Magda in TheAdventure of Father Gibbon with Sister M. Magda - it's about murder. I get choked up when I re-read some of my sentimental stories. I’m told that’s a sign of being a good writer.LOVES - Color and lots of it, strawberry jam, hiking up Yosemite Falls, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, sourdough bread, only made in San Francisco. Hearst Castle, Big Sur, sea air, Adams peanut butter, chocolate milk, rainy days, canaries singing, chocolate chip cookies my mother made, Greek yogurt with honey - oh, yum. Laughter. I make it a point of doing this many times a day.HATES - Stupidity, insensitivity, bad table manners - come on, how difficult is it to hold a fork properly - it's not a shovel for God's sake. Snow, ice, slush, freeway traffic, lima beans - what was God thinking, sleepless nights, people who are late, texting - it's a cop-out, tobacco, alcohol, red meat,FAVORITE BOOKS - The Spiritual Journey of Joel S. Goldsmith, How to Win Friends and Influence People - I collect this book and give them to people I hate - there's a waiting list.FAVORITE MUSIC – Let's Talk Dirty to the Animals – Gilda Radner - funny lady;; Joplin’s Peachrine, Ahmad Jamal - Country Tour - the absolute best jazz - never tire of it. Someone Waits for You – Carly Simons, Helen Kane singing Button Up Your Overcoat and I Want to Be Bad – I relate to the lyrics. And the Tenor who sang Springtime for Hitler in the Zero Mostel version of The Producers. No one seems to know who he is. What a voice.FAVORITE FILMS – The Celluloid Closet, Witness for the Prosecution, It Could Happen to You, Maltese Falcon, Inherit the Wind, 12 Angry Men, Harold and Maude, Murder on the Orient Express, Hope and Glory, Sorry Wrong Number, Speed, Practical Magic, Apollo 13, Where the Red Fern Grows, The original Producers - touch me, hold me - Estelle was terrific, and Zero - what can I say.FAVORITE TV SHOWS - I don't watch TV any more, but when I did . . . 2-1/2 men - when it was good. Everybody loves Raymond - some great writers; best sight gagsFAVORITE QUOTES – The poetry in writing is the illusion it creates: by me. Lord Chesterfield: “Sex: the pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous, and the expense damnable.” The saddest words of tongue or pen are these - It might have been - indeed they are. If you want to make a success out of old age, you better start now: my mother when I was 15. On a clear day, you really can see forever - you just have to look. I may be rancid butter, but I'm on your side of the bread. Inherit the Wind.FAMILY – A father who was emotionally absent, a mother who provided all the necessities of life and nothing more. An older brother who is a classic socio-psychopath and made my childhood a misery. I hide from everything just to survive. My right of passage came when I was 18 and joined the Naval Air Reserves. In boot camp I hide in the back row the first day, and guess whose name they called to be the Company Commander – me. But it was the best thing that could have happened and I bless that moment. I had to lead those 50 plus men and boys for 90 days. The night of graduation we drilled in front of the audience and it was perfect. The guys carried me from the hangar in triumph. I came out of the shadows that summer and never went back. I'm a louse when it comes to cleaning house, too many other more enjoyable things to do.“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor WitShall lure it back to cancel half a Line,Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”Omar Khayyam

Book preview

Neath The Red Umbrella

Copyright 2019 J.T. Evergreen

Published by J.T. Evergreen

at Smashwords

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Khris Lawrentz for his tireless proofreading.

Neath The Red Umbrella

As told by Annabella McCarthy

We were married at seventeen and divorced by twenty-one. Charlie and I came to the sad conclusion early on that we had nothing in common. We were more like brother and sister. We made the effort to make it work but in the end, it was having an ill effect on our friendship which we cherished.

I hung up on my mother the day she said ‘I told you so’ and haven’t spoken to her since. I’m not sure if I will ever resume that relationship. What I need now, more than ever, is a little understanding . . . on what my needs are.

We kept the Victorian house we renovated and rented it to a nice family. Then Charlie suggested something I never would have thought of. It was his unreasonable reasoning that convinced me it was the right thing to do. We had a lawyer draw up an agreement stating that whichever one of us got married first would relinquish his or her ownership of the house to the other one. We did not want to make another mistake – this was an incentive to restrain the impulse to marry again.

I did a fair amount of soul searching before moving back into the social scene with a few single girlfriends who were more than happy to help. But, I didn’t care much for the bar scene. All we seemed to do was sit around analyzing the male patrons. Marge was the most verbal. She’d start and keep going until the last one fell to her judgment. Wimp, loser, loser, major loser, too angry, too vague, too desperate, too happy, total sleaze bucket . . . I wasn’t having much fun.

And then one rainy afternoon, I took an early lunch and headed for the Lola Palooza Soup and Sandwich Bar on Lake Street in downtown Chicago. I had gotten to know Claudette, the barista. We always enjoyed chatting with one another as she busied herself with her patrons.

Afternoon, Annabella. What’ll you have this beautiful rainy autumn day?

Oh, I don’t know, Claudette. Something to cheer me up. Give me a minute.

Okay, take your time.

As I pondered the overhead menu, someone sat on the stool next to me.

Claudette moved the used dishes out of