Good day, fellow travelers, and welcome to the sixth posting of volume four of the Blog. This week contains Valentine's Day. It's a day where lovers the world over celebrate their connection to each other. I believe that all have equal rights to love. However, there are those people who think that only the kind of love shared between men and women is the right one. Any other combo is wrong. Love is no sin, I believe, and if you really love someone, no matter their gender, you should share it.
Recently, I had to place "The Melting of the Iceberg", the book I was writing, on the back burner. I was unable to write further because the story was getting away from me. To be specific, I was writing three different plot lines and felt they weren't doing well. However, I haven't stopped writing. Instead, probably because of the holiday, I've moved on to a romantic tale. The genesis of this story is because of a movie and how it titled itself. Confused as to what I mean? Be confused no more, I will explain myself.
A movie in theaters right now is "Side Effects". It's a drama about what, I know not. I've only seen TV trailers for the movie and it struck me that the movie being advertised was wrong. I mean in the sense of its title. To me, the title "Side Effects" does not reflect the contents of the movie. I leave it to you to decide a more useful title. The title, to me, says "romantic comedy". The movie should have been about how a medication leads to a goofy and interest romance, with laughs a plenty and characters with 2D souls. A nice picture ready for Valentine's Day.
Coupled with that idea, I've been noticing how channels like Lifetime and Hallmark have managed to run the male-female romance dynamic into the ground. In short, the whole thing is a parody. This, in a country where 3.4% of the population are LGBT, is a shame. So, I made it my mission to write a same-sex romantic comedy. The two ideas merged in my idea as I thought over the title "Side Effects". With combo in hand, I have set to write a book with those elements. I even been writing it in a unique style sure to be a hit with readers the world over.
Now, with that out of the way, time for the fiction. Since we last met, I have figured out what I'm doing here. The story being told is its own. "The Life of Oddley" was a nice title for the four-part story in 2011 that started the series. Originally, that was all there was of the series. The idea of assigning different titles to the stories didn't really occur at first. It was when I was beginning on episode five that I felt a need to title the stories. The first four, however, remained untitled because I couldn't think of one.
After presenting last week's piece as the new episode five, I feel a new need to address the different story branching out of the first four. The first storyline to branch out of the first four was a two-story set where Oddley makes his way to the ocean. That wasn't the intent of the second story. Instead, the original untitled second story was Oddley traveling with Wanda Lee as she found herself. At one point, it turned into a long time going as Oddley made it to the west coast, lost track of Wanda Lee, and headed back east alone.
I don't know how many installments that storyline would have taken. Here, the story is different enough to earn its own title, separate from the first four. That title is "Two Weeks in Peoria". That should tell of what's next in the story. Last week, we left Oddley as he was being driven out of Chicago against his will by a runaway housewife, determined to find herself. That is simple enough a recap. So, without further ado, I present to you Part 2 of "Two Weeks in Peoria"
After presenting last week's piece as the new episode five, I feel a new need to address the different story branching out of the first four. The first storyline to branch out of the first four was a two-story set where Oddley makes his way to the ocean. That wasn't the intent of the second story. Instead, the original untitled second story was Oddley traveling with Wanda Lee as she found herself. At one point, it turned into a long time going as Oddley made it to the west coast, lost track of Wanda Lee, and headed back east alone.
I don't know how many installments that storyline would have taken. Here, the story is different enough to earn its own title, separate from the first four. That title is "Two Weeks in Peoria". That should tell of what's next in the story. Last week, we left Oddley as he was being driven out of Chicago against his will by a runaway housewife, determined to find herself. That is simple enough a recap. So, without further ado, I present to you Part 2 of "Two Weeks in Peoria"
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As the car passed from the city to the Illinois countryside, my heart felt heavy. I was leaving my snug confines for open space. I looked over at Wanda Lee, intent on going further and me, wanting the opposite. I was trapped.
I knew that if I let Wanda Lee continue her trip, who knows when she would feel up to returning to Chicago. Therefore, I needed to have a plan. It needed to be a good plan for it to succeed. I needed to make a deal with Wanda Lee.
"Wanda Lee, we need to talk." I said to her.
"There's nothing to talk about." she said.
"Yes, there is. I may have two weeks more of my vacation but if this little trip continues beyond two weeks, I'll be in trouble." I said.
"So, what do you plan to do about it?" she asked me.
"How about... I stay with you for two weeks. If you wish to go on after two weeks, just give me the money to ride a bus or train back to Chicago." I said.
"I don't know if I wanna make a deal with you. I've made deals with men my whole life. This time, it's my turn to make the deal." she said.
"So, what's your solution to this problem?" I asked her.
"How about I drop you somewhere and you find your way back to Chicago?" she said.
"How about I help you and you help me?" I then said.
"How can you help me?" she said.
"I can tell that you're one of those people who wants to find themselves." I said.
"I'm 36 and I still don't know who I am." she said.
"So, let me find the person you are and help me get back to Chicago." I said.
"Sounds like a plan. Not a good one." she said.
"I need the two weeks off anyway. Hopefully, we can get somewhere before I must head back." I said.
"Me, too." I overheard her say to herself.
The car then continued its roll down the roads of Illinois. The signs around me said that we were on the road to Peoria. As the morning sun rose higher in the sky, I wondered where Ogden had gone after that day with the farmer. I checked his house every once and while but he never returned there. My best guess was he had left town.
It appeared that, like us, Ogden had disappeared into the Illinois countryside. The time ticked away as the mileage between us and Peoria got smaller. I can't recall the exact numbers but it did seem we really making good time. That's saying something when you have no real destination to go to. I knew that Wanda Lee was looking for herself.
Our little journey continued as the time on my watch showed it to be noon. I hadn't had much of a breakfast to start with. My stomach was beginning to tell me that it was empty. I looked over at Wanda Lee and I could tell her stomach was saying the same thing. Her eyes were scanning the horizon for a place to eat. This being the wilds of the state, anything would do.
That anything turned out to be a nice country diner. As we pulled up, I knew that the appearance of me, an unwed person, with a wedded woman, would be considered by someone as wrong. However, with the diner being out in the sticks, I felt safe enough to eat with Wanda Lee. As we entered, we saw mostly farmers having their namesake lunch.
Me and Wanda Lee took a nice booth. As the noonday sun poured into the place, I look for a waitress. Luckily, one came up to us. She handed us our menus and told us that she would be back to take our orders in a few minutes. I just took my menu and buried myself in it. I was confused about how to help Wanda Lee so she'd help me. It was already the strangest day in my life, but don't say that too soon.
"I can't believe that I'm out of Chicago." I said to Wanda Lee during our meal.
"Me, too. I just decided to leave at the breakfast table." she said to me.
"Just like that, you decided to make out on your own?" I said.
"I did. Something inside me just snapped and I packed my bags and left." she said.
"I could never do something like that. I like planning what I do." I said.
"You've never just done something?" she asked me.
"Well... never anything you'd like to hear." I said.
"I'll take your word for it." she said.
We finished up our meal in quick time. Soon, we were back on the road. The Illinois countryside remained flat as we rolled on down. Me and Wanda Lee were again making excellent time towards the nowhere we apparently we were heading to. That nowhere would have something for her and something for me. I hoped so in the form of a way back to Chicago. Noonday passed into afternoon as the mileage signs started referring to a place: Peoria.
The first sign I saw for that said we were 90 miles away. Next one said 84 miles away. Then to 74, to 63, to 59, to 54, to 48, and so on. Like a countdown, the number got smaller. From 45 miles, to 41, to 37, to 32, to 29, to 24, to 19, to 14, and to 10. Finally, we reached the single digits. I also noticed that Wanda Lee seemed to be following those signs. Then, as we reached the mileage sign, reading 8 miles to Peoria, Wanda Lee made an annoucement.
"Oddley, my new friend, we're running low on gas." she said without fail.
I knew that sooner or later, we'd need to refuel the tank. Luckily, the mileage signs soon did a really countdown. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 miles to Peoria. Finally, we reached Peoria as the gas gauge reached the red area next to the "E". I had never been to Peoria before. I was kinda happy to reach there. I knew that a means of returning to Chicago was here. Meanwhile, Wanda Lee began a search for a gas station. Fortunately, she found out before long.
"Now, let's just sit here and let the gas man fill the tank." she said as we pulled up to the pump.
"Does this place still have full service?" I asked.
"I don't know." she said.
"We'll see." I said.
There was a attendant on hand to pump the gas. However, I needed servicing in the bathroom department. My bladder needed emptying. Quickly, I got out of the car and ran to, first the service desk for the key, then to the restroom. After emptying said organ, I returned the key to the service desk. As I walked back to the car, my eye was struck by the sight of Peoria. As I saw that Wanda Lee was busy arguing the finer points of things, I decided to take a quick tour.
My quick tour began as I walked over to the sidewalk next to the station. My walk came to a stop for a moment before I decided to walk across the street and see what was there. I remember the next few moments clearly. I looked one way, then the other. I did it quickly, so I really didn't see what was coming. I then proceeded across the road. As I reached one quarter of the way, I heard a horn. The next thing I knew, I felt a sudden impact and my body hitting the roadway. Everything then went black...
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Is Oddley doomed? Has a automobile ended our story? We'll see what happens next week on the Blog. Meanwhile, before I go, I must say a few things. First things first, this week has been crazy for the world. When the week starts with the Pope saying he's retiring and they say it's the first time since 1415 that's happened, it's not gonna be better for everyone. A cruise ship loses power and turns a pleasure trip into a detour through Hell. Crazy enough? Not according to that great thing we called the Universe.
To complete the week, while the world watches one asteroid, a thing half the size of a football field, pass by our planet at 17,000 miles away, another one gives us a sucker punch in our Russia. I believe no one was watching that. Of course, according to Neil deGrasse Tyson, there are objects too small to be seen from Earth that are coming at us. So, if I were you, I looked not right and left, but also up. It might give you time to step out of the way. Just ask a Russian and they'll tell you what's what.
To conclude, some people say that these are the End Times. They're half right. These times we live in are, in fact, the Crazy Times. The time when the world stops making sense as the seven billion members of one species begin to lose their mind en masse. I predict that, as one of my favorite movies "Star Trek: First Contact" pointed out, things are gonna get worse before they get better. In short, the time for humanity is now, before our collective mind goes nuts.
Join me next week, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell
Your Fellow Traveler
That anything turned out to be a nice country diner. As we pulled up, I knew that the appearance of me, an unwed person, with a wedded woman, would be considered by someone as wrong. However, with the diner being out in the sticks, I felt safe enough to eat with Wanda Lee. As we entered, we saw mostly farmers having their namesake lunch.
Me and Wanda Lee took a nice booth. As the noonday sun poured into the place, I look for a waitress. Luckily, one came up to us. She handed us our menus and told us that she would be back to take our orders in a few minutes. I just took my menu and buried myself in it. I was confused about how to help Wanda Lee so she'd help me. It was already the strangest day in my life, but don't say that too soon.
"I can't believe that I'm out of Chicago." I said to Wanda Lee during our meal.
"Me, too. I just decided to leave at the breakfast table." she said to me.
"Just like that, you decided to make out on your own?" I said.
"I did. Something inside me just snapped and I packed my bags and left." she said.
"I could never do something like that. I like planning what I do." I said.
"You've never just done something?" she asked me.
"Well... never anything you'd like to hear." I said.
"I'll take your word for it." she said.
We finished up our meal in quick time. Soon, we were back on the road. The Illinois countryside remained flat as we rolled on down. Me and Wanda Lee were again making excellent time towards the nowhere we apparently we were heading to. That nowhere would have something for her and something for me. I hoped so in the form of a way back to Chicago. Noonday passed into afternoon as the mileage signs started referring to a place: Peoria.
The first sign I saw for that said we were 90 miles away. Next one said 84 miles away. Then to 74, to 63, to 59, to 54, to 48, and so on. Like a countdown, the number got smaller. From 45 miles, to 41, to 37, to 32, to 29, to 24, to 19, to 14, and to 10. Finally, we reached the single digits. I also noticed that Wanda Lee seemed to be following those signs. Then, as we reached the mileage sign, reading 8 miles to Peoria, Wanda Lee made an annoucement.
"Oddley, my new friend, we're running low on gas." she said without fail.
I knew that sooner or later, we'd need to refuel the tank. Luckily, the mileage signs soon did a really countdown. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 miles to Peoria. Finally, we reached Peoria as the gas gauge reached the red area next to the "E". I had never been to Peoria before. I was kinda happy to reach there. I knew that a means of returning to Chicago was here. Meanwhile, Wanda Lee began a search for a gas station. Fortunately, she found out before long.
"Now, let's just sit here and let the gas man fill the tank." she said as we pulled up to the pump.
"Does this place still have full service?" I asked.
"I don't know." she said.
"We'll see." I said.
There was a attendant on hand to pump the gas. However, I needed servicing in the bathroom department. My bladder needed emptying. Quickly, I got out of the car and ran to, first the service desk for the key, then to the restroom. After emptying said organ, I returned the key to the service desk. As I walked back to the car, my eye was struck by the sight of Peoria. As I saw that Wanda Lee was busy arguing the finer points of things, I decided to take a quick tour.
My quick tour began as I walked over to the sidewalk next to the station. My walk came to a stop for a moment before I decided to walk across the street and see what was there. I remember the next few moments clearly. I looked one way, then the other. I did it quickly, so I really didn't see what was coming. I then proceeded across the road. As I reached one quarter of the way, I heard a horn. The next thing I knew, I felt a sudden impact and my body hitting the roadway. Everything then went black...
---------------------------------------------------------------
Is Oddley doomed? Has a automobile ended our story? We'll see what happens next week on the Blog. Meanwhile, before I go, I must say a few things. First things first, this week has been crazy for the world. When the week starts with the Pope saying he's retiring and they say it's the first time since 1415 that's happened, it's not gonna be better for everyone. A cruise ship loses power and turns a pleasure trip into a detour through Hell. Crazy enough? Not according to that great thing we called the Universe.
To complete the week, while the world watches one asteroid, a thing half the size of a football field, pass by our planet at 17,000 miles away, another one gives us a sucker punch in our Russia. I believe no one was watching that. Of course, according to Neil deGrasse Tyson, there are objects too small to be seen from Earth that are coming at us. So, if I were you, I looked not right and left, but also up. It might give you time to step out of the way. Just ask a Russian and they'll tell you what's what.
To conclude, some people say that these are the End Times. They're half right. These times we live in are, in fact, the Crazy Times. The time when the world stops making sense as the seven billion members of one species begin to lose their mind en masse. I predict that, as one of my favorite movies "Star Trek: First Contact" pointed out, things are gonna get worse before they get better. In short, the time for humanity is now, before our collective mind goes nuts.
Join me next week, won't you?
Yours truly, John Maxwell
Your Fellow Traveler
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