Two magical time-defying tales of love.
“The Whipper Snapper Side-Swipe Caper”: Can romance endure? An adventurous romp through time that mixes politics, corruption, the theater and various disasters throughout history. For a change, age gets the upper hand on youth. Fun and scary!
”Undeterred She Forged Ahead”: A woman artist’s attempts to stay forever young yield a love story for the ages. Her accomplice/partner is the epitome of evil, but he’s undergoing an identity crisis of his own.
Mr. Carrick is a critically-acclaimed author whose story “The Size of the Skip” – found in “Three Scoops” Is A Blast! – was short-listed for the 2010 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Award. In 2011, he received another Honorable Mention in the world-renowned Hemingway competition for “Caboose Follies”, which appears in “Four Scoops” Is Over The Top.
Excerpt
Prologue: 1987
“What’s $100,000?” she asked flippantly.
“It’s $95,000 more than I’ve got,” was his answer.
She was starting to drive him crazy. She had two pre-occupations, money and her research. On neither score, was she in any way practical.
They’d been living together in a basement apartment for seven months while attending Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Their undergraduate programs were coming to an end and it was time to think of the future.
Hudson Hicks was absolutely certain what he wanted to do. He’d run for president of the student council the past year and been narrowly defeated. It was a minor setback.
He loved politics – the dogma and the out-takes, the drama and debates, the gossip and intrigue, the backroom dealings and the time in the spotlight. They were all “crack” to him.
At first, he’d thought his name was a liability. He’d come to understand otherwise. The manner in which “Hudson” rolled off the tongue conveyed class and “Hicks”, for an obvious reason, carried a common touch.
He’d been accepted to law school in the fall. Graduation in the legal profession was a time-tested way to gain a rung-up on the political ladder.
Hudson intended to make his mark serving the public. That’s where his difficulties with Bea started.
On a personal level, he was smitten with her. The chemistry between them was charged. The sex, dazzling. How could it not be? At their ages, they were lithe, vigorous and eager to try anything.
But was there long-term potential in their relationship? His affection for her could easily lead to a firmer commitment. Would her personality be a good compliment to his aspirations?
He had to admit the answer was no.
Bea planned to become a doctor. There was nothing wrong with that. She wanted a portion of the $100,000 to pay for tuition. It was what she planned to do with the remainder that presented the dilemma.
She wished to begin work in an area of research she was sure would pay off in an amazing way.
She had notions about what she could achieve that veered off into the world of speculative fiction. Her musings about scientific experimentation zoomed right over most people’s heads. She ran the risk of coming across as a kook.
Her latest favorite topic, the possibility of journeying back in time, was right out of la-la land.
Hudson realized an attachment to her would take away from the message of rock-solid dependability he wanted to present in his chosen line of work.
He was also mildly put off by her desire for financing. It suggested high maintenance. There was no way that kind of money would just fall in her lap.
It was a shame. They both had incredible drive and were hugely ambitious. Those characteristics led to another similarity.
They shared a sense of frustration. They understood the hurdles they’d have to overcome. Most of them were of the human kind. There were at least two stodgy generations standing in their way.
Hudson and Bea would need to break through formidable barriers before they’d achieve public acclaim.
Briefly, he tried to switch perspective. How was he going to feel, many years from now, when he was being pushed aside by a younger crowd?
Well, that was a long way ahead. He’d worry about it when the time came.
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