3-2-1 Chapter Review for Anyone But Him

3-2-1 Chapter Review for Anyone But Him by Sheila O'Flanagan.

A widowed mother meets a man old enough to be her son, much to the detriment of her two daughters.

I passed over this book for a few other choices in the local Greek library, but finally it made it to 'best option'. It would have got there a lot sooner if I'd read it before (yes I know - egg before the chicken and all that jazz!). I found Anyone But Him to be right on the outside edge of chick lit, well written and difficult to put down. So here's my 3-2-1 Chapter One Review.

The Good - Andie touches the necklace just gifted to her by her lover, Tom at a moment when she's feeling particularly nervous and you can almost feel Andie gather strength and confidence from it.

The Good - The characters are all very humanised, something to like and dislike about all of them, which is how it should be.

The Good - Andie is attending her shared birthday party and Sheila O'Flanagan sets us up with a lovely little mystery as to why Tom isn't attending too, as they are so obviously in love.

The Bad - Walks across a lawn in posh dress and her posh sandals sink in the mud and she arrives at the door covered in muddy shoes then doesn't go to clean them. I fully recognise I would probably be the only person anal enough to be bothered by this fact.

The Bad - Two small bad for the price of one; I think the agreed spoon gifting was a little overworked and the term 'oneupmanship' was used three times... in one chapter... hmmm!

The Beautiful - 'She wondered if it was actually possible to be the sort of person you knew you should be, or whether everyone's efforts were doomed to failure.'

Purchase Anyone But Him on Amazon

Need To Know - Short Story by Marva G

Need to Know 

By Marva Gregorio De Souza

     The rain poured. A deluge. Dramatic proportions dodged, avoided by the majority; braved and embraced by the few. Abraham and Tina were among the majority and watched the water’s downward process through the window lining their table on loan from the café owner. It was quiet, the settings within any kind of close proximity to them; empty. This suited Abraham’s plans in particular. He needed to talk to Tina. It was time and the matter was sensitive. Six months of dating was his usual marker. Difficult holding back for longer, the jitters difficult to control and mask. He was not sure what would happen if he allowed himself to endure beyond. He could not risk finding out. Control of all factors where possible was the key to his survival.

     Tina, unknown to her, was similar in looks and build to his other girlfriends. His type - desire - need. Abraham readily admitted to himself the connection with Tina was considerably stronger than any he had experienced. He wondered if this would have any bearing on her reaction to his news. Would it be enough for her to make the decision Abraham craved? It was time to find out.  Tina shuddered her wet skin in damp clothes then made eye contact with Abraham and smiled deeply warmly. He enjoyed her smile and its ability to touch his heart. A new experience for him, a relish. How he hoped her response would be wonderful. Taking a deep breath and Tina’s hand, Abraham looked deep into her soul and gathered the words in his mind.

     “I’m sorry I need to go to the loo.” He ran for the burrow, scattering squawking chickens in his wake.

     The mirror questioned him relentlessly. What was he waiting for? Washing his hands, Abraham took some time to collate his answer. He didn’t want it to end. Relationship history had clearly shown what the results of revealing all his dark secrets would be. They were not received well. Once told they could not be ignored. The knowledge and abhorrence of his predicament turned loves into disposable burdens. And he didn’t want to lose Tina as he lost the others. Not Tina. He loved Tina.

     How it was possible, he did not know. Up to this point in his life he had been text book perfect, the type of case professors would refer to in their lectures to drive home well established psychological theories. Regardless. He loved Tina. Her demise would devastate him. Her demise by his own hand as close to impossible as anything could be. Tina was not like the others and he, Abraham would not allow her end to be the same. Conscious of the length of time spent away he quickly finished his removal task of the fifth and final trophy and returned to the living oasis seated by the window.

     “Are you OK?” Tina tilled a small furrow between her brows. Abraham smoothed it away with his calm response.

     “More than.”

     “Shall we have another coffee while we’re waiting this… oh where are your earrings?”

     “I decided to take them out.”

     “Just now?”

     “Yeah.”

     “You’re so strange sometimes. But I guess that’s one of the things I love about you. And besides I thought they were a little on the feminine side.”

     “Do I scare you? Freak you out?”

     “Silly, of course not.”

     “Good. I’ll try to keep it that way. Same again?” Abraham conversed with the virgin bar tender and came back to Tina bearing gifts. Coffees placed on the table. Bottom placed on the seat. Eyes placed on eyes. Abraham smiled then mentally sighed the sigh of the content determinedly confident to overcome the jitters.

     The rain stopped as abruptly as it started.

The End

Opposites

Opposites

By Marva Gregorio De Souza

The evasion of love plagued Anna. It was a one-sided game they played and Anna wanted out.

   

 Of the school friends she kept track of, four were married or in seriously committed relationships. Three of the four would lose in a fight if good looks were the weapon of choice, adding to Anna’s confusion as to the cause of her own affliction of singleness.

      

Proposals came in left, right and center.  Dinner dates. Chats over coffee. Maybe even a movie. But none from the worthy. And they all left Anna feeling deserted in a desert. Anna often wondered to herself, while voicing rather loudly to the female of her friends, and anyone else prepared or unprepared to listen, if there was a prescription for her ailment.

    

There was never a shortage of suggestions. Don’t be so fussy. Catch a millionaire and forget about love. Mr. Soulmate is making his way to you. Patience. Perseverance. Perversion. Anna cried.

      

Craig was tired. Tired of falling in love in spite of his best efforts to remain alone. Love loved Craig.

He left Susan and thought Janet was right. Split from Amanda and joined with Beverly. The process of disentangling himself from Karen resulted in being tangled up with Monica. Every effort to be alone was thwarted. Craig couldn’t catch a break.

       

Dubious and desperate Anna decided to beat love at its own game. This was her last attempt and if it didn’t work, her next internet search would be a list of convents sorted by distance.

Dulled and debilitated Craig decided to beat love at its own game. This was his last attempt and if it didn’t work his next internet search would be a list of wedding planners sorted by price.

      

Anna became unavailable. Signing up for three years of voluntary service involving round the clock observation of the feeding patterns of the crested red back guinea pig only found on a remote section of Peru and facing extinction, meant she would have almost zero human contact for this period. Anna’s game plan strategy was to make things as difficult for love to find her as possible.

    

 Craig became readily available. Instead of running from the crowds he decided to embrace them wholeheartedly on the assumption love wanted to give him whatever it thought he didn’t want.

    

Anna checked in at the airport. Craig was in the airport restaurant joining random women without invitation. A little creepy, but that was his intent.

      

Anna, bags checked and time to kill, went to the airport restaurant to wait for her flight to solitude. Craig, successfully dismissed from yet another group of wary females, pounced on Anna.

     “Where you off to?”

     “Pardon?”

     “Where you off to? You’re travelling aren’t you?”

     “Er… yes.”

     “Well?”

     “Peru.”

     “Perhaps you could consider Paris with me instead.”

     “Pardon?”

     “You heard me. Paris right now, me and you, honeymoon before the wedding.”

     “It’s strange because you don’t actually look like a freak.”

     “But I am.”

     “Obviously. Or perhaps not.”

     “No, I’m definitely a freak. Do you want me to leave?”

     “You’re not a freak.”

     “I am.”

     “No, you’re not.”

     “What makes you so sure?”

     “Two reasons; for one freaks don’t normally know they’re freaks, and you seem extremely confident that you are one and secondly you offered to leave pretty much straight away. You can never get rid of freaks.”

     “Certainly can’t argue with your second point.” Craig gets up to leave.

     “Where are you going? Sit down and entertain me while I’m waiting for my flight to nowhere.”

    

Craig sat down and entertained her for two hours. They shared stories. They shared reasons. They shared predicaments. They shared thoughts. They shared.

Craig made the suggestion. Anna agreed, with nothing to lose she could think of no logical reason to say no. In the gift store they found what they sought, purchased it with legal tender and found a secluded spot in the airport where their vows to each other could not be overheard.

     

 Craig vowed to remain faithful to Anna for the next three years. He would date no one else.

Anna vowed to remain unfaithful to Craig for the next three years. If Anna fell in love she was to release Craig from his vow of faithfulness.

In three years Anna would return and Craig would meet her at the airport and if love had triumphed and Anna was still alone Craig vowed to marry her as payment for his own defeat of love.

Peru was all it was hoped. Her days and parts of her nights were spent; observing through observation holes, eating food prepared on her camp heater, washing in the river, counting the stars, being happy. Occasionally taking out her half of the pair of socks she would chuckle to herself.

A healthy change in Anna’s focus left her in a place of extreme peace. Being married was no longer her primary vision, alternatives were now perfectly acceptable options devoid of shame. On the plane home Anna made her decision to release Craig from his vow to marry her and only hoped he had enjoyed his absent fiancé.

Her suitcase back with her, Anna made her way back to their spot. Nothing had changed, including Craig. His smile was brighter than she recalled. And his eyes perhaps a little more intent, certainly less tired. He carried flowers.

Craig’s heart skipped a beat as he saw Anna approaching. The flowers in his hand trembled slightly. He realized for the umpteenth time the next few minutes would determine the direction of the remainder of his life. He tried to see if there was a ring on her finger but her left hand was hidden by her grip on jacket and luggage. Her smile was as vibrant as he remembered, possibly even more so. As for her walk, the new confidence lit her path ahead and left a luminous snail trail behind her. Craig shifted his feet: a nervous reaction.

Standing directly in front of him Anna giggled. How could a stranger feel like her oldest friend?

     “Craig, I release you from your vow of faithfulness. You’re free to go.”

     “Oh.”

     “Yeah, I had so much time to think out there and get a real perspective on life, finding that ‘someone’ is no longer my ‘be all and end all’.”

     “Really?”

     “Really. So there’s no need to marry me. You’re free to walk away. Did you have fun on your own? Were you faithful?”

     “I was faithful. But somehow still managed to fall in love.”

     “You’re kidding! Who is she?” The vague feelings of jealousy made no earthly sense to Anna.

     “That’s what I’m planning to find out. I met her three years ago and haven’t been able to get her out of my mind. Haven’t wanted to get her out of my mind.”

Craig and Anna faced off. The answers were in the eyes and the odd socks peeping over Craig’s shoes.  Anna put her bags down, took her sock out of her pocket and put it on the opposite foot by pure coincidence. They matched.

The kiss probably wouldn’t go down in the world’s history books of momentous moments but it would be carried by Craig and Anna for their life time.

The End

The Long Day - a short story

This story has been included in Pocket Full of Bleeding Posies but you can still read it for free right here right now!

The Long Day

by Marva Gregorio De Souza

Another hot, sticky day and Amanda wondered how many more she could take.

She sat at the table, in front of the fan with her eyes closed, and imagined herself in the Antarctic, freezing cold. Her feet are blocks of ice and walking is painful. Peeping through the small opening in the hood of her coat, she blinks her frozen eyelashes and looks up at the weak sun, which starts to get stronger and stronger until the snow melts and Amanda feels like she will suffocate in all the layers she has on. Damn, she can’t even get cold in her imagination.

On the pavement just outside her apartment window an old bag lady walks by struggling with the trolley with all her belongings crammed inside in no particular order. The trolley kept insisting on rolling down the dip in the pavement and refused to understand the old lady just wanted to carry on straight down the road to wherever it was her destiny was leading her. Amanda considered going out to help her, mulling it over in her head until the homeless was out of sight, then out of mind.

Amanda looked to the tops of the trees lining the avenue with quiet majesty. The leaves were at their greenest. Summer was in full swing and, as if they knew their time was short, they danced in the sunlight and gentle breeze as though there was no tomorrow. Maybe there was a lesson to be learnt. A cyclist sped by and distracted her. Maybe not.

She flicked her eyes at the clock. A record was set for the morning, a whole four minutes since the last time she looked. It would be a very long day if she continued checking the time every 30 seconds or so.

And this was probably the last clock she should be looking at, today of all days. This was the one he’d bought her on that day ordained by magical fairies to be the best one of her life. Perfection reigned from start to finish. It was not so much the activities he planned, it was the fact he had planned. He’d given it so much thought; the flower delivery to wake her up, closely followed by a hired chef to make her breakfast in bed (Roger was fully aware of his lack of culinary skills) and then his full attention for the remainder of the day. Once he was sure everything was running smoothly he even made a point of switching off his phone, his life line to all aspects of his life. He never switched it off, only on that day. And only for her. While out walking through a quaint antiques market, the results of Roger’s research, he had found the clock. He commented on the beautiful rhythm of the ticking, the smooth walnut and purchased it, saying that as long as it was ticking Amanda would know he was thinking of her. The clock had not stopped once.

Every day since had been measured against that day and fallen short. It was not the sign of change Amanda longed for. Roger’s desire to make her smile waned and now was as if it had never been. He never switched his phone off again.

And this is why she was sitting by the window, waiting for him to come home so she could hand him the divorce papers carefully placed in front of her, just out of reach of the effects of the manufactured breeze. They were neat and clean, ready and waiting to fulfill their destiny. Their one purpose on this earth was to obtain Amanda’s freedom from the misery of being ignored.

Roger’s reaction would be as she expected it to be. Angry. He wouldn’t get violent because he never got violent. He wouldn’t cry because he never cried. He would be angry because he was always angry, at everyone and everything. And now Amanda was angry at herself, for taking that one glorious day and building her life on it. Fool! Prize fool!

As she got up to put some coffee on, her eyes automatically looked at the clock. The record remained in tact. Roger would not be home for another 6 hours or so. It was going to be a long day.

THE END