Stories & Stuff

By John MacDonald

We exist in an ever-changing world. One in which tomorrow is not a given thing. Our choices are prolific. I look around and see the excavation of history and the expanding field of space exploration but at the same time a diminishing protective shield that surrounds our planet due to an increase in temperature from chemical diffusion in the atmo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: Dec 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781947355583

John MacDonald

John Macdonald was a distinguished management theorist, consultant and lecturer who wrote many influential books on management, business and politics. His special interest in the Great War and the fighting on the Italian Front in particular was inspired by a visit to the battlefields in Slovenia and Italy, and he made an in-depth study of the Isonzo battles and the entire campaign. He completed this book shortly before he died in 2011.

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Sophie’s Story

My tale is nothing new, or unusual. It’s like those never ending reruns, on TV, that simply bore the heck out of you. On the other hand, there is this side of life that many of us are familiar with, and still endure, despite the powerful, and painful memories that come to mind. I don’t know about you, but I do know about here, and how much she means to me, even now.

We first met in high school, and yeah, it was at a party, one of those Friday night, let’s get high and forget about tomorrow affairs. There was liquor and pot, and virtually anything you wanted, you could get. It just depended on how much you had to spend. I was kinda loaded on beer, within my comfort zone, when I saw her wandering around, smiling and talking to her friends, but she really wasn’t there. She walked up to me, and asked for a drink. She said that all of a sudden she was very thirsty. She took a drink, handed me back the bottle, and with a shrug, a burst of laughter, turned, and disappeared. I didn’t have the chance to get her name, fool. Yeah, that was me. So, I started my own little trip around the party grounds. I had to know her name. It took a while, a few more beers, a lot of greetings when I saw someone I knew, and there she was. I found her in the kitchen, sitting at the table, with her head down, resting in here hands. I touched her on the shoulder, and slowly she looked up, not really recognizing me, and not really caring about anything at all. But, she smiled, the one that grabs you, and makes you remember, and makes you want to know her so much better. And that’s the way it was, and still is. I think I fell in love with her, without even knowing her name. But, I asked her, way back then, in somebody else’s house, in that noisy, crowded kitchen. She smiled that glorious, vacant smile, and said, Sophie. At first, I wasn’t sure, so I repeated, like a question, Sophie? She nodded, and offered me her hand. I took it, marveling at the touch. Her nails were nothing special, trimmed or bitten, I couldn’t tell. But, for some distinct, and revealing reason, I couldn’t then, just like today, release her, and let her go. I don’t know how long I held her hand. It could have been seconds, or minutes, but it seems like a lifetime to me. I sat down in a chair, beside her and started talking about anything I could thi where I could seenk of. My point being, in this place, this tiny and relentless window of time, I found someone I really liked, and who was just like me. We didn’t care about tomorrow. We were living for today, that was complicated enough. It was the beginning of a friendship, and eventually, the greatest, awe inspiring love of my entire life. All of a sudden, I couldn’t wait to get to school, not for education, or any of that crazy stuff, but, because this was the place where I could see, My sweet Sophie.

We were in our junior year, and to our way of thinking, had all kinds of time. First, to get to know each other, at school, or parties, wherever, and whatever we had to do, to find the time, our time together. Tomorrow would have to take care of itself. The, one day, one morning, I woke up and realized that tomorrow wouldn’t take me anywhere I didn’t plan for, or didn’t work for. I called up Sophie, and tried to explain what had disturbed me, and made me think. At this point, we were so in love. We hung out together all the time, at her house, or mine. I think my folks knew, I mean hell, how couldn’t they, and hers as well? We never kissed in front of them, you know, none of their business. Yeah, right. I had this old beat up Chevelle. It ran alright, well, good enough. I couldn’t afford to really fix her up. But, it got us to the drive I, and home, wherever we wanted to go. During these days, these later high school days, Sophie was doing some harder, some stronger crap. She would get totally screwed up, to where I couldn’t take her home. Maybe that was what she intended, what she wanted, and Sophie usually got what she wanted. I never really got into heavy dope. I just stuck with my suds, so I could drive, and sort of protect her. Those were our days and nights. She was my first love, and my first lover. We learned together, and loved together. There couldn’t be anyone else, because she had become my life, my reason for living. I remember one night, we were parked in our favorite spot. We made out for a while, but I wanted to talk, she didn’t. All she had to say was, let’s get high. I’m so bored with school. Let’s run away. Oh Sophie, that’s crap, and things don’t go that way, and you know it. Then, we had an ugly argument. I told her I thought I might be going to college, to get myself together, and get ahead of the game. I wanted to be somebody, better than my dad, not just