Where Is Carrie ???

Where   Is   Carrie???

     For me Carrie is, figuratively speaking, “the girl next door”.  (Literally, she is the girl in the next block.)  Or was.  Until today.  When she disappeared.  Which I discovered when I saw that her car was not in her driveway – where it should have been!  A large sheet of paper affixed to her refrigerator told me to go to “you know where” – that secret place in her study – where I found her brief good-bye note:  she had made her decision to go to the mission field, something she had long spoken of as a possibility.  Details, she said, would be supplied to me by Martha, who would stop by this evening for that purpose.

     Indeed, I had no sooner read her note when I saw Martha’s car pulling into the driveway, and when she got out of her car – WOW !!  Another shocker!  Unlike her usual quiet demeanor and appearance, Martha was clad in a gorgeous dress and was bubbling over with excitement as she filled in the details of Carrie’s great fortune in finding exactly the kind of work she was hoping to do:  work to which she now will be devoting the rest of her life!    Martha was very aggressive in forbidding me to feel sorry that Carrie is now gone from here and in exhorting me to rejoice that she had found her vocation.  AND, before I knew it, I began to rejoice with ever more gusto; AND before I realized what was happening I had fallen MADLY in love with Martha.  To cut to the chase – we will be married tomorrow – she already has the license!  Whew!  As the Bible says, “you never know what a day may bring forth!”.     

Forrest W. Schultz

February 13, 2015

Last year I wrote my fortieth short story.  So, this is my 41^st.  The numbers in 2015 add up to 8, the number of new beginnings.  So, this is my new beginning! Oh, yeah, and, guess what – tomorrow is Valentine’s Day – go figure!  F.