Celeste

By Marianne Dora Rose

Dorothy Paula Freda writing under her pen name Marianne Dora Rose presents a clean inspirational Christian romance entitled CELESTE. Two young women, Celeste and her long-time friend, Florence, each mired by two failed relationships, each in search of a man who can love them and commit to them with all his heart and soul, have lost hope of ever finding true lasting love. But there are two such men for them waiting to be discovered, if these two young women will but look past the physical and into the soul.

Excerpts: ... As soon as she felt that Celeste was ready to meet a morally decent man to capture her heart, Aunt Sadie set about arranging blind dates for her, young devout Christian young men she considered worthy of her niece. Among them was Girard, a tall, slightly stout, broad-shouldered, pleasant-faced young man. He had sung in the Church choir since childhood, and as his voice deepened with maturity, so did his devotion to the Lord. His piety filled his mellow tenor hymns, and often brought tears to the Congregation as they attended Mass. ... Girard responded favorably to Aunt Sadie’s attempt to match him with Celeste. Unfortunately, although Celeste admitted she found him the nicest of the blind dates, as he was a gentleman, kindhearted and respectful, a gentle, good-humored soul, she had her eye on another boy, Barry, wilder, less devout, more worldly. They attended the same college, majoring in business courses, and decided to live together, study together and save on expenses. Midway their education, Barry’s father passed, and left him and his mother a sizable insurance benefit. Barry announced flatly that he was leaving the college and their apartment, and registering for Med School which he now could well afford. And that was that. Once again, Aunt Sadie tried to match her with Girard. But once again, unfortunately, she had already met Jake.

... “You were right about Jake,” Celeste admitted to her aunt. “But he’s out of my life now.”
“Come in dear. I’ll help you with your luggage.”
“Thank you.” The warmth of the kitchen, and heady scent of pie and newly perked coffee, emanating from the opened door, lightened the pang still gnawing at her heart at the mention of Jake. She turned to take the heavier of the two suitcases.
“Let me,” the man in the grey and black hooded button-down sweater, coming up the two steps to the front porch, offered.
“Girard,” Celeste gasped. “What are you doing here?” She didn’t wait for his answer and turned back to glower, “Aunt Sadie, you promised!”
“He’s not here for you. He’s here for the Apple Pie. You know I always invite him when I bake one.”
Girard said, “Not to worry, Celeste. I’m here only to welcome you back, and yes, for a slice or two of your aunt’s scrumptious pie.” He lifted the heavier suitcase. “Come on, let’s go have that pie.” He moved past her into the small foyer, and climbed to the upstairs hallway. “I’ll be right down for the other one.”
“All right,” Celeste scolded with a helpless glance at her smiling aunt.

... The receptionist addressed Celeste. “Mr. Michaels, Manager of our Installation department will see you as soon as you’re finished filling out your application.”
“Girard?” Celeste whispered to Florence.
The receptionist turned to Florence. "Your interviewer will be Mr. Brian,”
Florence asked, “Mr. Brian, as in William Brian?”
“Yes, that’s right. Mr. William F. Brian, the head of our Personnel department.”
“Wil,” Florence whispered. She glanced at Celeste. “I should have guessed.”
Celeste nodded. “They always were the best of friends.”
“But how did they know we were applying?” Florence remarked.
“I’ll give you three guesses,” Celeste said.
In unison, the two friends harmonized, “Aunt Sadie, who else.”
“I’m tempted to leave,” Celeste said.
Her friend entreated, “We’re desperate, remember?”
“Yes, we are,” Celeste replied, miffed. “Okay, let’s play their game.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marianne Dora Rose
• Release date: Mar 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005772499

Marianne Dora Rose

About the AuthorDorothy Paula Freda, is also known under her pen names Paula Freda and Marianne Dora Rose. Herbooks range from Fiction and Non-fiction Adventure, Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Poetry, Articles, Essays and How-to-Write Instructional complete with Lessons and optional assignments.Homemaker, mother of two grown sons, and former off-the-desk publisher of a family-oriented print small press, (1984 thru 1999), The Pink Chameleon, that she now publishes on line, Paula was raised by her grandmother and mother, and has been writing for as long as she can remember. Even before she could set pencil to paper, she would spin her stories in the recording booths in the Brooklyn Coney Island Arcades for a quarter per 3-minute record. She states, "I love the English language, love words and seeing them on display, typed and alive. A romantic at heart, I write simply and emotionally. One of my former editors kindly described my work, '...her pieces are always deep, gentle and refreshing....'" Paula further states, "My stories are sensitive, deeply emotional, sensual when appropriate, yet non-graphic, family fare, pageturners. My hope is that my writing will bring entertainment and uplift the human spirit, bring a smile to your face and your soul, and leave you filled with a generous amount of hope."

Book preview

Celeste

By Dorothy P. Freda

(Writing as Marianne Dora Rose)

© October 25, 2021 by Dorothy P. Freda

(Also known under Pseudonyms - Marianne Dora Rose and

Paula Freda)

Smashwords Edition

Bookcover photo and interior photos licensed by

Dorothy P. Freda from Dreamstime.com and

iStockphoto.com

Verses from The Hound of Heaven,

poem by Francis Thompson

(public domain)

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof. This is a work of fiction; names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

DEDICATION

With thanks to my Dear Lord Jesus and his Blessed Mother Mary whose strength, guidance, and her Holy Rosary, are my anchor in this troubled world, I dedicate this book to my husband, Domenick, whose love, patience and kindness over 48 years kept my dreams and view of the romantic alive and vibrant.

And with due thanks and gratitude, I also dedicate this novella to my dear friend, Florence, my sister-in-Christ for well over fifty years. Our loyal friendship and affection, despite from a distance, has never wavered. God Bless her always. I thank the Lord for placing us in the path of each other’s life.

The Lord is our anchor, the anchor we cling to, that keeps our souls afloat, no matter how stormy the sea. Jesus, Son of God, our lifeline. His mother Mary, Blessed Lady, our lifebuoy. Joseph, our cloak, and the Holy Spirit, our wisdom, the map, the path to the Lord.

CHAPTER ONE

Throwing on his winter coat, tan like his chiseled features, Jake flung open the front door, I’m Done! he said, hazel eyes flashing with anger and disdain. Unexpected silence met his declaration. He turned to stare at Celeste. She sat at the kitchen table, coffee cup half-finished in hand, her face crimson with arguments too often voiced to repeat.

No doubt, he thought, her stubborn optimistic streak holding back the tears brimming in her proud dark grey eyes that once had fascinated him, recognized he wouldn’t be back. You can pack my belongings. I’ll have them picked up, he said.

The lilting voice he’d once found alluring croaked, Don’t bother to give them the apartment number. Just tell them to look in the trash bin!

He didn’t answer. Just pulled the door shut behind him, in time to miss her flinging her half-full coffee at his arrogant smile.

Celeste heard his footsteps pounding the hall tiles on his way to the elevator. He was a tall man, broad-shouldered with a sturdy build, and a heavy stepper, qualities the first months of their relationship had attracted her before the continuous arguing back and forth, two years-worth, had destroyed their initial attraction.

What was it her best friend, Florence, would advise? There’s plenty of albatross feeding in the North Pacific. Specifically, the Oregon coastline where she and Florence had roomed until she met Jake and decided to lease an apartment with him.

No way! she bellowed. Two failed relationships are enough. I’m through! Albatross and fish alike.

Aunt Sadie would agree with her. The gentlest, kindest, most affectionate and deeply religious aunt she considered fortunate had reared her.

Aunt Sadie warned her before both her relationships, that neither man was her idea of morally decent. Old school, she believed there were God-fearing good-natured men both beautiful inside and out, ready to love sincerely and commit to marriage before consummation.

Celeste was only twelve when her father walked out of their lives for a younger, sexier, less overworked woman. Overworked, Celeste ruminated, loathing her father. His slothful habits had made it impossible for him to hold a steady job, and forced his wife to work a full-time job, and another on the side, to keep her family under a safe roof and fed properly.

Eventually, when the younger, sexier woman had a taste of what he expected of her, she left him. By that time Celeste’s mother had passed. Aunt Sadie swore to Celeste’s mother, her sister, Reggie, lying with a failing heart in the hospital, a heart broken by the man she loved desperately, to care for Celeste as if she were her own daughter. Aunt Sadie had never found a man she could love enough to marry. She’d say, We missed being born close enough in the same century. We’ll meet in the next.

Deserted, Celeste’s father attempted to lure Sadie into his lair. Sadie ordered a restraint order placed against him to keep him away from her and his daughter. He disappeared from their lives completely. Two years later, Celeste learned from one of his relatives that he had suffered a fatal heart attack during one of his drunken bouts in a bar.

Aunt Sadie breathed a sigh of relief from the fear he might return. And as soon as she felt that Celeste was ready to meet a morally decent man to capture her heart, she set about arranging blind dates for her, young devout Christian young men she considered worthy of her niece. Among them was Girard, a tall, slightly stout, broad-shouldered, pleasant-faced young man. He had sung in the Church choir since childhood, alongside her, and as his voice deepened with maturity, so did his devotion to the Lord. His piety filled his mellow tenor hymns, and impassioned and often brought tears to the Congregation as they attended Mass.

Girard responded favorably to Aunt Sadie’s attempt to match him with Celeste. Unfortunately, although Celeste admitted she found him the nicest of the blind dates, as he was a gentleman, kindhearted and respectful, a gentle, good-humored soul, she had her eye on another boy, Barry, wilder, less devout, more worldly. They attended the same college, majoring in business courses, and decided to live together, study together and save on expenses. Midway their education, Barry’s father passed, and left him and his mother a sizable insurance benefit. Barry announced flatly that he was leaving the college and their apartment, and registering for Med School which he now could well afford. And that was that.

Once again, Aunt Sadie tried to match her with Girard. But once again, unfortunately, she had already met Jake.

Returning to the present, midst tears of self-recrimination sliding down her flushed cheeks, Celeste gathered and packed Jake’s clothes. Despite her anger and hurt, she wasn’t the type to carry out her remark about the trash bin. She left his luggage outside the door and alerted him with an e-mail to pick up his belongings and leave her the key. He’d chosen a good time