Frank and Dalia: A Chance Encounter

By James A. LaMonica

You will be astonished as you accompany Tom Dutton, Frank's loyal friend as he searches for Dalia's cousin Carrie. Carrie and Dalia were separated after the fire at aunt Jessie's house.

The times and conditions that kept Dalia from knowing about her parents and grandparents created the little girl that grew to be an angry, frustrated and desperate woman. If not for the chance meeting with Frank, Dalia never would have blossomed into the bright and respected woman that she became.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 12, 2008
• ISBN: 9780595865772

James A. LaMonica

James LaMonica is a semi-retired businessman. Whether in sales, management or running his own business, he always kept focused on the human element and the belief that people from different lifestyles and backgrounds share the same basic human feelings of love, hate, grief and hurt. He lives in upstate New York where he makes his home with his wife of 45 years. He enjoys music, reading, writing and traveling. His first book Jimmy?s Quest was for the eight to twelve year old reader.

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Frank and Dalia

A Chance Encounter

Copyright © 2008 by James A. LaMonica

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-0-595-42239-5 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-595-86577-2 (ebk)

Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

EPILOGUE

This book is dedicated to all the people in the world who are or have been abused and mistreated. There is hope. And to all the people who are able to help, you can. Just reach out. It’s easier than you think.

A lot of people unknowingly contributed to this book. By that I mean people I met over the years had characteristics that many of my characters have. The main character, Frank could have been my father, my brother or either one of my brothers-in-law. These are people who help others for no apparent reason except they want to make another person’s life a little better, even if for just a little while.

Thank you to the very few first readers. Your comments were not only encouraging but helpful.

A special thank you to my niece Ann who was always able to help me find the right word or phrase to complete the thought. I’ll always treasure the times we spent together just talking not only about the story but everything else. Her knowledge and expertise were invaluable in the completion of the book. I know there were times when it wasn’t easy for her to meet with me and I’m sure that her family made some sacrifices too. For this I will always be grateful to Ann and her family.

Finally to my wife who encouraged me all the way. She always knew when to say something and when not to. A thank you for letting the manuscript accompany us on several road trips where we read and re-read the story to make sure we got it right. I hope we did.

PROLOGUE

Sharon had looked for Dalia for more than a year now. Here she was outside the flower shop that Dalia managed, but hesitated to go in. What will she say to me? Will she even recognize me? They said she was a completely different person than the one two years ago. So much has happened in such a short time, Sharon thought.

Last week when Sharon first came by, Dalia was at the suppliers buying flowers for the upcoming Mother’s Day weekend. I knew this was a bad time, Sharon muttered to herself. The owner, Stanley Benson, was in the shop and overheard Sharon. He told her what a lifesaver Dalia was. He went on to explain that if it wasn’t for her, he would have had to close the shop. He wasn’t sure at the time if she would work out, but there was something about her, so he gave Dalia a chance.

She turned out to be the best thing that could’ve happened to me, Stanley said. Despite the fact that she had no formal training in horticulture, she had a natural ability for mixing and arranging flowers. She had told him it was something she had picked up many years ago from her aunt. Personally, I don’t know what I’d do without her.

Stanley lived in the house adjacent to the shop and Dalia was basically the caretaker for her aging boss. He told Sharon that Dalia cared for him like a daughter would care for her father, and he never took her for granted.

Finally Sharon walked in. Dalia was in the back room when she heard the jingle of the front door bells. She walked out, wiping her hands on her apron. As soon as she saw Sharon, she got a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her expression changed and immediately she wanted to run and go hide in the back room.

Neither woman spoke. Dalia stared at her feet. Slowly Sharon moved forward and extended a tentative hand. Then she took Dalia’s hand and both women embraced. They both sobbed, cradled in each other’s arms.

Sharon told Dalia that she has been looking for her for some time. Dalia said she was unable to face her or the rest of the family.

I’m so sorry things turned out the way they did, Dalia said. I never expected Frank to come back so soon that morning. If he waited for just a few minutes, I would’ve been gone and out of his life forever.

Dalia, Sharon said, you never would have been out of my father’s life. You were too important to him. He would’ve found you one way or another. I knew that my father cared for you. I wasn’t too sure how much you cared for him, to be honest. Then I found the letter you left for him that morning. After reading it, I realized what you did was because you loved him so much, you didn’t want anything to happen to him. What you didn’t realize, Dalia, that at the time my father loved you so much, he wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to you. After my father got to know you, I began to see a change. He had a purpose, and the purpose was you. He was happy with you, Dalia, and his life felt complete again. Then Sharon reached into her handbag and took out a small, velvet gift box. She handed it to Dalia and said, My mother always wore this locket. My mother told me that it was a gift from my father when he first went off to school. It wasn’t the most expensive piece of jewelry he ever gave her, but she cherished it. After she died, we couldn’t find it, and figured it must have been lost going back and forth to the hospital. Well, I found it in one of Dad’s bureau drawers. Dalia, I know he wanted you to have it. Sharon handed the locket to Dalia. When she opened it she saw Frank’s and her pictures. Seeing the expression on Dalia’s face, Sharon gently took the other woman’s hand and said, Stay in touch. I think my father wanted you to be a part of his family.

Driving back to rochester, sharon’s thoughts drifted back to the time before dalia entered her father’s life.

CHAPTER 1

Frank Noble settled into his lifestyle. Laura had been gone for over four years now. He had his routine, a small circle of friends, and his family. Frank was still too young to retire, but when Mid Plains Life was outbid by the much larger Consolidated Life Insurance of America (CL), it was just a matter of time before management would trim the fat.

Frank worked for Mid Plains for over thirty years. He started in debit sales and climbed to regional sales manager for the northeast territory. Frank was a gifted salesman and natural leader. He could open a territory with fewer men than any of his colleagues, and knew how to get the most out of his people. Frank led by example, teaching his workers to be fair and honest with all customers, not just those seeking large policies. No account was too small to get Frank’s attention and best effort. He insisted his salesmen do it that way too, simply because that was the only way to do business. Frank was respected, not only by his men and top management at Mid Plains, but by the competition as well. Over the years, Frank turned down several job offers from outside companies because of his unwavering loyalty to the company that first gave him his start in a business he had grown to love.

It wasn’t long after CL bought the Company that things started to change. The most important aspect of the job now was the bottom line. Salesmen were discouraged from spending too much time with customers in lower income brackets. They had quotas to meet on a weekly basis. The pressure was on and morale was low.

It was at this time that Laura, his wife, became ill. Frank was able to take time off because he had qualified and trustworthy staff to take over while he was gone. What became his first priority was Laura’s health. Frank sought out the best doctors and treatment for his wife, no matter where it took him.

*    *    *    *

Laura was the only woman Frank ever loved. They met the summer after graduation, just before he went to college, introduced by mutual friends. Frank was mesmerized with Laura’s stunning beauty. Deep auburn hair, sapphire blue eyes, and a sunset glowing complexion. At first it was just a group of friends hanging out, kids planning and anticipating what they’d be doing after school, their futures. Before long, however, Frank and Laura knew they were destined to be together. It might have been the innocence of the late 1950s, when life was much less complicated, carefree and wonderful, a special and unique time to start a love affair that for Frank and Laura would last a lifetime. Frank’s first year away at college was not only difficult because of his academics, but because he missed Laura so much.

Frank and Laura were married the summer after his first year