Father’s Pearls Of Wisdom

"You don't have many options," Oliver said. "You already paid the registration fee for 12 colleagues to attend the exhibition. They wouldn’t refund your money.

Sam was disappointed, not only in his friend, Oliver, but the other eleven who one by one had made some lame excuse why they couldn’t attend. He had shelled out $120.00 for each one for the hotel and the three hour exhibition on birds by environmentalist David Suzuki.

When he first brought up the idea of attending the Exhibition in St. Louis everyone was gung ho and said to go ahead and set it up.

The words of his father came suddenly to mind,

”No good deed goes unpunished.”

The thought of his father’s loud infectious laugh and numerous sayings to lighten any situation turned Sam’s mood around and he had to smile.

Intuitively Sam knew what his father would say if he knew of the situation,

Ahh Son, you have empty pockets right now but better than an empty head or empty heart.”

At the office the next morning, Sam sees Mandy coming his way. He pushes sweaty hand in his pockets and tries to act nonchalant as a whiff of her perfume teased him.

He threw her a nod. "I think my wrist is broken." were the first words out of her mouth as she stretched out a limp right hand. Not, “Good morning Sam” or how was your weekend.”

At that moment Sam wondered why he had been so smitten by her. Mandy was Sam’s idea of the perfect woman with her beautiful smile and long blonde hair. Although she had told him numerous times she was in a relationship, she always lovingly touched his arm when they chatted. Now the broken wrist story was irking him and he didn’t believe her.

He knew what his old school father would have said,

”You young uns, try thinking with that noggin on your shoulders not your heart. Love should be easy, your situation with Mandy sounds uncertain. Find a woman who loves you more than you love her.”

Sam didn’t agree with all his father’s advice but was starting to feel he would never get this relationship thing figured out.

Later that afternoon, in the office breakroom, a foursome were playing cards and Mandy was sitting alone by the window. Sam pulled up a chair beside her and noticed a filled in crossword puzzle on the nearby stand.

”I thought your wrist was broken yet you could do a crossword?”

”I’m truly sorry Sam. I slipped on the dock while getting on Peter’s boat or I would go to St. Louis with you. Sad to say not only my wrist broke but my heart as well. Peter and I agreed our relationship wasn’t working.”

This was the opening Sam had been waiting for but held back, still unsure of her intentions. He went back to his office and checked his bank account. With the cheque withdrawn for the $1440.00 he barely had enough to pay his rent.

Sam looked up to see Mandy coming into the room. She slapped an envelope down on his desk.

”Sam, I’ve collected the money everyone owed you and my $120.00 is in the envelope too.”

Sam could hear his father’s voice saying,

”Don’t sit there with your mouth open. Grab the bull by the horns, young man and ask her to dinner.”

...end of weekend freewrite

Prompt for each five minutes is in bold print.

Above photo of Great Blue heron taken by me and edited in VLLO.

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