- Raven said, "You two can have three days of honeymoon, at my place... if you want."
- Angel began to cry. "Thanks Rav."
-
- After Raven left, Angel and Doug plopped down, side by side, on the soft over-stuffed sofa. Each took a deep breath.
- "Well daddy, and now my husband - what now?"
- Doug looked at her and said, "I’m not sure. We need a real place to stay and some money."
- Doug looked around at Raven’s lavishly furnished living room. "It looks like Raven has money to burn." He fingered the soft velour fabric of the sofa. "Does she have some sort of other income? I mean other than what she makes, well did make, above the VFW hall?"
- "She’s never said anything about how she lives. This place is a surprise to me. It’s huge!"
- "Did she charge extra, for... her services?"
- "No. I don’t think so. She does do some work on the side but that only happens maybe once a month. You know, specials, like she’s going to do in Olympia and Seattle this weekend."
- Doug fingered the fabric on the sofa again. "Maybe she robs banks."
- "Yeah, that could be it.", Angel giggled.
- "Yeah, that’s probably it. She probable has guns in the house."
- Angel hunkered down and looked from side to side, "Maybe we should search the house."
- "Maybe."
- "Bandits usually keep their guns in the bedroom, well that’s what I’ve heard." Angel got up and tip-toed toward the bedroom. She stopped and looked at Doug. "Well are you coming to the bedroom, or not?"
- Doug smiled, "The bedroom is the logical first place for us to go... I mean to search." He got up and placed both his hands in her hips, and tip-toed toward the bedroom behind her.
-
- That's the latest from Sanonte, or Sanity
- G, January 26, 2008
1/26/2008
1/07/2008
- - MAD DOG 20/20 - -
- Angel and Doug waited in the reception area of Timberhill Hospital, for Raven to pick them up. Raven was one of the three quick-date gals that had worked with Angel above the VFW hall.
- Raven arrived ten minutes late. She blamed the rain and stupid drivers for her delay, but really she had stopped at Cindy’s Java Hut and bought three large Mocha Delights with extra foam.
- Doug and Angel were going to get in the front seat of the silver Cadillac, but Raven said, "You two get in the back, I’ll chauffeur."
- After they got in, Raven drove the car out from under the hospital’s portico then stopped. She handed the Mocha Delights to them.
- "You two sit back there, take a swig of Cindy’s finest, get a big foam mustache, then give each other a big honeymoon kiss."
- They did!
- Quickly, Raven picked up her camera and took a picture. It was the only wedding picture Angel and Doug would ever have.
- "How about I drive you two to my place, show you where the bedroom is... then leave? I’m scheduled in Olympia for three bachelor parties, one tonight and two tomorrow night. Then I have to go to Seattle and stay with Mom and Dad for a night, to make up for missing them on the holidays.
- She took a sip of her mocha.
- "I was, you know, scheduled, on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. You two can have three days of honeymoon, at my place... if you want."
- Angel began to cry. "Thanks Rav."
-
- Dr. Rasher browsed his wine rack. He picked the most expensive bottle of French Chardonnay he had. He had bought it at a wine auction for $126. One dollar above the other guy’s bid.
-
- Dr. Rasher drove around the circular driveway of Mrs. Jenkins’ estate and parked. By his wristwatch he was four minutes early. Looking at the watch brought back a bad memory, he cussed the watch. "Piece of crap!"
- He had bought wristwatch at the hotel gift shop where the wine auction had been held. A week later, one of his patients noticed the watch, and rolled up his sleeve, and showed Dr. Rasher the same watch. The patient said, "I’m surprised you shop Wal-Mart."
- That afternoon, Dr. Rasher put on a baseball cap and sunglasses and sneaked into Wal-Mart. He learned he had paid $63 too much. Wal-Mart sold them at the ‘Clearance Corner’ in their jewelry department.
-When he got to his office, he tossed the watch in the trash.
- The next morning his nurse handed the watch back to him and said, "I have no idea how this got in the trash, but here it is. I’m surprised you shop Wal-Mart."
- A few days later, Dr. Rasher went to McDonald’s for a lunch salad. Behind the counter was a young girl, another of his patients.
- He finished his salad and left the watch on the booth’s table... that was intentional... leaving his money clip on the booth’s seat wasn’t intentional.
-He estimated the clip held three of the four twenty-dollar bills he had started with that day.
- That evening the McDonald’s girl brought the watch back to him... but not the money clip.
- Dr. Rasher thought, "The third time’s a charm."
-
- He picked up the bottle of Chardonnay and walked toward the elaborately styled front door of Mrs. Jenkins’ estate. Before he could press the doorbell button, she opened the door.
- "Good evening Sampson. Prompt! Nice!"
- He handed her the bottle. "Were you waiting at the door?"
- "No. I don’t wait at doors. The security system beeped when you entered the main gate."
- She looked at the bottle.
- "Oh! I have about half a case of this in the wine cellar."
- He looked around the foyer and noticed a security panel. Its monitor displayed a sequence of pictures of the main gate, and the circular driveway, and his car. She pressed a few buttons on the security panel then shut its door. He didn’t ask what she had done, but it made him feel like he was her prisoner.
- He sniffed the air and smelled garlic. "Are we having scallops in garlic sauce?"
- "No. I didn’t cook, I ordered Domino’s pizza."
- "Chardonnay and pizza?"
- "No. I bought a bottle of Mogen-David. I love cranberry juice and Mad Dog 20/20 wine spritzers, and pizza with extra cheese... I own Domino’s Pizza in Sanonte."
- She didn’t offer to give the bottle back to him. He glanced at his watch and made a mental note that he had been in her house less than a minute, and already he was out $126 for wine and wouldn’t get to taste it. He felt slightly taken advantage of.
- What he didn’t know was her plans for him that night. She was going to take him to the cleaners... she owned the dry cleaners too.
-
- That's the latest from Sanonte, or Sanity
- G, January 6, 2008
- Raven arrived ten minutes late. She blamed the rain and stupid drivers for her delay, but really she had stopped at Cindy’s Java Hut and bought three large Mocha Delights with extra foam.
- Doug and Angel were going to get in the front seat of the silver Cadillac, but Raven said, "You two get in the back, I’ll chauffeur."
- After they got in, Raven drove the car out from under the hospital’s portico then stopped. She handed the Mocha Delights to them.
- "You two sit back there, take a swig of Cindy’s finest, get a big foam mustache, then give each other a big honeymoon kiss."
- They did!
- Quickly, Raven picked up her camera and took a picture. It was the only wedding picture Angel and Doug would ever have.
- "How about I drive you two to my place, show you where the bedroom is... then leave? I’m scheduled in Olympia for three bachelor parties, one tonight and two tomorrow night. Then I have to go to Seattle and stay with Mom and Dad for a night, to make up for missing them on the holidays.
- She took a sip of her mocha.
- "I was, you know, scheduled, on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. You two can have three days of honeymoon, at my place... if you want."
- Angel began to cry. "Thanks Rav."
-
- Dr. Rasher browsed his wine rack. He picked the most expensive bottle of French Chardonnay he had. He had bought it at a wine auction for $126. One dollar above the other guy’s bid.
-
- Dr. Rasher drove around the circular driveway of Mrs. Jenkins’ estate and parked. By his wristwatch he was four minutes early. Looking at the watch brought back a bad memory, he cussed the watch. "Piece of crap!"
- He had bought wristwatch at the hotel gift shop where the wine auction had been held. A week later, one of his patients noticed the watch, and rolled up his sleeve, and showed Dr. Rasher the same watch. The patient said, "I’m surprised you shop Wal-Mart."
- That afternoon, Dr. Rasher put on a baseball cap and sunglasses and sneaked into Wal-Mart. He learned he had paid $63 too much. Wal-Mart sold them at the ‘Clearance Corner’ in their jewelry department.
-When he got to his office, he tossed the watch in the trash.
- The next morning his nurse handed the watch back to him and said, "I have no idea how this got in the trash, but here it is. I’m surprised you shop Wal-Mart."
- A few days later, Dr. Rasher went to McDonald’s for a lunch salad. Behind the counter was a young girl, another of his patients.
- He finished his salad and left the watch on the booth’s table... that was intentional... leaving his money clip on the booth’s seat wasn’t intentional.
-He estimated the clip held three of the four twenty-dollar bills he had started with that day.
- That evening the McDonald’s girl brought the watch back to him... but not the money clip.
- Dr. Rasher thought, "The third time’s a charm."
-
- He picked up the bottle of Chardonnay and walked toward the elaborately styled front door of Mrs. Jenkins’ estate. Before he could press the doorbell button, she opened the door.
- "Good evening Sampson. Prompt! Nice!"
- He handed her the bottle. "Were you waiting at the door?"
- "No. I don’t wait at doors. The security system beeped when you entered the main gate."
- She looked at the bottle.
- "Oh! I have about half a case of this in the wine cellar."
- He looked around the foyer and noticed a security panel. Its monitor displayed a sequence of pictures of the main gate, and the circular driveway, and his car. She pressed a few buttons on the security panel then shut its door. He didn’t ask what she had done, but it made him feel like he was her prisoner.
- He sniffed the air and smelled garlic. "Are we having scallops in garlic sauce?"
- "No. I didn’t cook, I ordered Domino’s pizza."
- "Chardonnay and pizza?"
- "No. I bought a bottle of Mogen-David. I love cranberry juice and Mad Dog 20/20 wine spritzers, and pizza with extra cheese... I own Domino’s Pizza in Sanonte."
- She didn’t offer to give the bottle back to him. He glanced at his watch and made a mental note that he had been in her house less than a minute, and already he was out $126 for wine and wouldn’t get to taste it. He felt slightly taken advantage of.
- What he didn’t know was her plans for him that night. She was going to take him to the cleaners... she owned the dry cleaners too.
-
- That's the latest from Sanonte, or Sanity
- G, January 6, 2008
1/04/2008
- - X. L. R. (IT SEEMED APPROPRIATE) - -
- At 12:22 AM Dr. Rasher called Millie Jenkins. Her bedside phone awakened her, she had forgotten to switch on the answering machine.
- "Who is this?", entered Dr. Rasher’s ear, he looked at the time.
- "Hello, Mrs. Jenkins this is Dr. Rasher. I’m sorry to call you so late but I think..."
- Millie interrupted him. "Have you been drinking?"
- "Uh...yes... wine, a nice Chardonnay... French, but I’m not drunk. I think..."
- "How very pleasant to receive a call from someone I don’t like, and so considerate of you, to call in the middle of the night! Thank you all to hell, Sampson! May I call you Sampson?"
- "Uh... yes. And again, I apologize Mrs. Jenkins, truly I... uh... may I call you Millie?"
- "No! You may call me in the morning!" Millie hung up, switched on the answering machine, and pushed the ‘Mute’ button.
- She noticed there was one message waiting. She pressed the ‘Caller ID’ button. Her son BJ had called. She checked the message’s time. He had called when she was in the shower. Or, as she would say, "Enjoying my evening ablutions." She thought if BJ’s call was important he would have called a second time, he hadn’t. Millie smiled after thinking of how she snubbed Dr. Rasher. She lay back in bed, and looked at Harold’s pillow. "Harold... I miss irritating you like that. I think your doctor has figured out how to weasel out of his problem." She patted Harold’s pillow. "Goodnight dear." She giggled, "No Harold. Not tonight. I have a headache." She moved around, found the warm spot, and went back to sleep.
-
- BJ had called his mother to tell her he wasn’t going to meet her for breakfast the next morning. Instead he was going to be the Best Man at a wedding.
-
- A little past 9 AM, while sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, Angel and Doug were married.
- After saying their ‘I DOs’, there was a small wedding reception. The wedding cake was two Twinkies, cut in half, and coffee in cardboard cups to replace Champagne.
- BJ gave his Best Man speech in which he told them they could check out of the hospital the next day, and if the twins continued to gain weight, they could go home too... within a week or so.
- Angel thought BJ’s speech was the best speech ever given at any wedding reception. Her only concern was that there was no home, to go home to. Her apartment above the VFW no longer existed. There was no longer a second floor to the building. The early December storm had demolished the roof, and the building had been rebuilt into a single story structure. And while they were in the hospital, Doug had been evicted from his apartment.
-
- After completing her activities as Bridesmaid, Nurse Louise Rencher was given the honor of entering the twin’s names into Timberhill Hospital’s computer system. She entered the name Mark in the, ‘FIRST NAME’ box, then replaced ‘Left Foot Trauma’ with the letter ‘L’, and finally entered Furr as the baby’s last name. She entered Luke R. Furr as the second baby’s name.
- The names weren’t chosen from the Bible. Both Angel and Doug were ‘Star Wars’ movie fans. Doug named Mark as a tribute to Mark Hamill. Angel chose Luke because Luke Skywalker was the name of Hamill’s character in the movie series. The ‘L’ and ‘R’ initials, instead of names, honored Nurse Rencher’s temporary names for the twins, (Left Foot Trauma and Right Foot Trauma). As Doug pointed out, his middle name was just the letter ‘X’, so single-letter middle names seemed appropriate.
-
- Dr. Rasher called Millie Jenkins about the same time, as Angel and Doug’s wedding reception ended.
- "Hello.", entered Dr. Rasher’s ear.
- "Hello. Mrs. Jenkins this is Dr. Ras..."
- Millie interrupted, "Sampson... this is much better timing...are you sober?"
- "Yes."
- "Good! Now you may speak to me."
- "I can give you my third of the bar!" Dr. Rasher blurted out, hoping to avoid an interruption.
- Millie smiled and waited a few seconds. "How very kind of you. When?"
- "After you contest the will!" He waited again.
- "On what grounds?"
- "You can claim Harold was insane, because of his brain tumor."
- Millie nodded when she heard Dr. Rasher’s suggestion. It was the same one she had been talking about with her lawyers.
- "I know some psychiatrists that will..."
- "Sampson! Let’s not discuss this over the phone. Join me for dinner this evening. I’ll cook fish, you bring wine... a nice Chardonnay... French."
- "Uh ... okay."
- "Come at six o’clock. "
- "Okay."
-
- That's the latest from Sanonte, or Sanity
- G, January 4, 2008
- "Who is this?", entered Dr. Rasher’s ear, he looked at the time.
- "Hello, Mrs. Jenkins this is Dr. Rasher. I’m sorry to call you so late but I think..."
- Millie interrupted him. "Have you been drinking?"
- "Uh...yes... wine, a nice Chardonnay... French, but I’m not drunk. I think..."
- "How very pleasant to receive a call from someone I don’t like, and so considerate of you, to call in the middle of the night! Thank you all to hell, Sampson! May I call you Sampson?"
- "Uh... yes. And again, I apologize Mrs. Jenkins, truly I... uh... may I call you Millie?"
- "No! You may call me in the morning!" Millie hung up, switched on the answering machine, and pushed the ‘Mute’ button.
- She noticed there was one message waiting. She pressed the ‘Caller ID’ button. Her son BJ had called. She checked the message’s time. He had called when she was in the shower. Or, as she would say, "Enjoying my evening ablutions." She thought if BJ’s call was important he would have called a second time, he hadn’t. Millie smiled after thinking of how she snubbed Dr. Rasher. She lay back in bed, and looked at Harold’s pillow. "Harold... I miss irritating you like that. I think your doctor has figured out how to weasel out of his problem." She patted Harold’s pillow. "Goodnight dear." She giggled, "No Harold. Not tonight. I have a headache." She moved around, found the warm spot, and went back to sleep.
-
- BJ had called his mother to tell her he wasn’t going to meet her for breakfast the next morning. Instead he was going to be the Best Man at a wedding.
-
- A little past 9 AM, while sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, Angel and Doug were married.
- After saying their ‘I DOs’, there was a small wedding reception. The wedding cake was two Twinkies, cut in half, and coffee in cardboard cups to replace Champagne.
- BJ gave his Best Man speech in which he told them they could check out of the hospital the next day, and if the twins continued to gain weight, they could go home too... within a week or so.
- Angel thought BJ’s speech was the best speech ever given at any wedding reception. Her only concern was that there was no home, to go home to. Her apartment above the VFW no longer existed. There was no longer a second floor to the building. The early December storm had demolished the roof, and the building had been rebuilt into a single story structure. And while they were in the hospital, Doug had been evicted from his apartment.
-
- After completing her activities as Bridesmaid, Nurse Louise Rencher was given the honor of entering the twin’s names into Timberhill Hospital’s computer system. She entered the name Mark in the, ‘FIRST NAME’ box, then replaced ‘Left Foot Trauma’ with the letter ‘L’, and finally entered Furr as the baby’s last name. She entered Luke R. Furr as the second baby’s name.
- The names weren’t chosen from the Bible. Both Angel and Doug were ‘Star Wars’ movie fans. Doug named Mark as a tribute to Mark Hamill. Angel chose Luke because Luke Skywalker was the name of Hamill’s character in the movie series. The ‘L’ and ‘R’ initials, instead of names, honored Nurse Rencher’s temporary names for the twins, (Left Foot Trauma and Right Foot Trauma). As Doug pointed out, his middle name was just the letter ‘X’, so single-letter middle names seemed appropriate.
-
- Dr. Rasher called Millie Jenkins about the same time, as Angel and Doug’s wedding reception ended.
- "Hello.", entered Dr. Rasher’s ear.
- "Hello. Mrs. Jenkins this is Dr. Ras..."
- Millie interrupted, "Sampson... this is much better timing...are you sober?"
- "Yes."
- "Good! Now you may speak to me."
- "I can give you my third of the bar!" Dr. Rasher blurted out, hoping to avoid an interruption.
- Millie smiled and waited a few seconds. "How very kind of you. When?"
- "After you contest the will!" He waited again.
- "On what grounds?"
- "You can claim Harold was insane, because of his brain tumor."
- Millie nodded when she heard Dr. Rasher’s suggestion. It was the same one she had been talking about with her lawyers.
- "I know some psychiatrists that will..."
- "Sampson! Let’s not discuss this over the phone. Join me for dinner this evening. I’ll cook fish, you bring wine... a nice Chardonnay... French."
- "Uh ... okay."
- "Come at six o’clock. "
- "Okay."
-
- That's the latest from Sanonte, or Sanity
- G, January 4, 2008
1/03/2008
- - DR. RASHER’S DILEMMA - -
- Pete, the hawk-nosed, bartender at Cuck’s Bar and Grill, had just gotten the channel-select button to work, on the bar’s TV remote. He was euphoric, he was going to call the bar’s owner and brag about his victory, but it was after midnight..
- The bar’s owner wasn’t asleep.
- Dr. Rasher, was in his Jacuzzi, drinking a glass of wine and mulling over a dilemma.
-
- He was a Baptist, and also a one-third owner of Cuck’s Bar and Grill, and that paradox caused his dilemma... Baptists don’t own bars.
- Not many Baptists drank alcohol either, but he wasn’t going to stop having wine while inside his own home.
-
- Dr. Rasher was a proficient enough doctor, but he had a harsh bedside manor, which was interjected with sharply-worded judgments of what the patients had done wrong, which had therefore caused their illness.
- Most patients he scolded, changed doctors. His practice was barely profitable. Money from the bar, allowed him to payoff his credit cards, and to afford expensive wine.
-
- His dilemma had two parts, as all dilemmas do.
- He couldn’t afford to lose any patients. Most of his patients were non-drinking Baptists, and if they found out he owned a bar, many would change doctors. If they did, then his practice would become more of a hobby than a source of income.
- He wanted to keep his patients and his one-third ownership. One would have to go.
- He couldn’t get out of being an owner. He hadn’t bought the one-third ownership. It had been willed to him by Harold Jenkins, Millie’s husband.
-
- Harold and Millie’s courtship and marriage had been a mixture of hate and love. It boomed and sparkled like skyrockets on the fourth of July.
-
- There was a prenuptial agreement!
-
- Millie didn’t like Dr. Rasher, and changed doctors. She urged Harold to do the same, he didn’t, and that irritated her.
- Harold weighed all the factors. He didn’t like Dr. Rasher either, but irritating Millie provided enough pleasure to offset the pain of Dr. Rasher’s sharply-worded reprimands.
- Millie’s IQ was almost high enough to qualify her to join Mensa. She quickly realized why Harold had remained Dr. Rasher’s patient.
- With that knowledge, her whole attitude changed, and her revenge began... a double-cross. She faked being irritated at him knowing that he would remain a patient and accept the pain of Dr. Rasher’s criticisms, as long as he thought, he was irritating her.
-
- A few months ago, Harold began having headaches, he called and made an appointment to see Dr. Rasher.
- There were tests... and more visits... and more tests.
-
- A month after the tests started, instead of Harold calling Dr. Rasher, Dr. Rasher called Harold, and asked him to come in... there was an explanation for the headaches.
-
- In his sharp-tongued explanation , Dr. Rasher accused Harold of poisoning his body with drugs, during his youth, and with alcohol, tobacco, and wrong-foods throughout his adult life. He told Harold he a brain tumor, and that the cancer had spread to his lungs, kidneys, liver and pancreas. There wasn’t any treatment, and he was going to die within a month... two at the most.
-
- Harold sat on the edge of the examination table and went through the classic five steps of grief in slight less that five minutes. Harold astounded Dr. Rasher.
- Denial took less than a minute. Anger about the same. Bargaining took the longest. Depression was dispensed with quickly. Acceptance was quick too.
-
- When Harold left Dr. Rasher’s office, both were smiling.
-
- A week later, Harold discovered Millie’s double-cross. He frowned, he had been out-witted again. He began pacing and drinking Scotch, two things he did while working out a problem. When the second glass of Scotch was finished, he sat down and smiled, the problem had been solved.
-
- In Harold and Millie’s marriage, he had the money, and she had the brains. He had never been able to outwit her, and stay in the driver’s seat of their marriage for very long. She had always managed to unseat him and regain the top spot.
-
- Harold called his lawyer and changed his will.
-
- He gave his one-third ownership of Cuck’s to Dr. Rasher. It was Harold’s last boom in his marriage, his last grapple with his, hated and loved, Millie. He thought he had a way to get back in the driver’s seat, and remain there for at least five years and maybe forever.
-
- Shortly after their honeymoon, Harold and Millie called a marriage counselor. The counselor explained to them that all marriages become games, and the games had names, and the name of their game was ‘Uproar’. The counselor smiled and explained that both of their personalities fitted together perfectly, as the game’s players. The counselor told them that if they stayed married, their life together would be one of punch and counter-punch, it would be filled with absolutely everything except boredom.
- Their marriage lasted close to fifty years, and spawned one son, BJ, who became a nurse and worked at Timberhill Hospital, in Sanonte.
-
- Harold had his lawyer draw up a contract for the transfer of his one-third ownership of Cuck’s, to Dr. Rasher. The contract contained a binding clause that stated Dr. Rasher had to offer to sell his third to the other two owners before offering it for sale to the public. That was a standard clause.
- What wasn’t standard, was a special clause that stated the other two owners could take as long as five years to reject buying Dr. Rasher’s third.
-
- Harold was a salesman and sold Dr. Rasher on the idea of accepting the one-third ownership, even thought it was against Dr. Rasher’s religion.
- When Harold mentioned how much money his portion would be, Dr. Rasher considered accepting.
- When Harold mentioned that if owning it was against his religion, then he could sell it! Dr. Rasher accepted.
-
- What Harold didn’t mention was the special clause.
-
- Dr. Rasher stood up in the tub and turned off the Jacuzzi’s jets. He cussed Harold for not mentioning the five year delay clause. He stepped out of the tub and began toweling off.
- By the time he was dry, he had thought of a way to end his dilemma. Without checking the time, he reached for the phone.
- At 12:22 AM Millie Jenkins was awakened.
-
- That's the latest from Sanonte, or Sanity
- G, January 2, 2008
- The bar’s owner wasn’t asleep.
- Dr. Rasher, was in his Jacuzzi, drinking a glass of wine and mulling over a dilemma.
-
- He was a Baptist, and also a one-third owner of Cuck’s Bar and Grill, and that paradox caused his dilemma... Baptists don’t own bars.
- Not many Baptists drank alcohol either, but he wasn’t going to stop having wine while inside his own home.
-
- Dr. Rasher was a proficient enough doctor, but he had a harsh bedside manor, which was interjected with sharply-worded judgments of what the patients had done wrong, which had therefore caused their illness.
- Most patients he scolded, changed doctors. His practice was barely profitable. Money from the bar, allowed him to payoff his credit cards, and to afford expensive wine.
-
- His dilemma had two parts, as all dilemmas do.
- He couldn’t afford to lose any patients. Most of his patients were non-drinking Baptists, and if they found out he owned a bar, many would change doctors. If they did, then his practice would become more of a hobby than a source of income.
- He wanted to keep his patients and his one-third ownership. One would have to go.
- He couldn’t get out of being an owner. He hadn’t bought the one-third ownership. It had been willed to him by Harold Jenkins, Millie’s husband.
-
- Harold and Millie’s courtship and marriage had been a mixture of hate and love. It boomed and sparkled like skyrockets on the fourth of July.
-
- There was a prenuptial agreement!
-
- Millie didn’t like Dr. Rasher, and changed doctors. She urged Harold to do the same, he didn’t, and that irritated her.
- Harold weighed all the factors. He didn’t like Dr. Rasher either, but irritating Millie provided enough pleasure to offset the pain of Dr. Rasher’s sharply-worded reprimands.
- Millie’s IQ was almost high enough to qualify her to join Mensa. She quickly realized why Harold had remained Dr. Rasher’s patient.
- With that knowledge, her whole attitude changed, and her revenge began... a double-cross. She faked being irritated at him knowing that he would remain a patient and accept the pain of Dr. Rasher’s criticisms, as long as he thought, he was irritating her.
-
- A few months ago, Harold began having headaches, he called and made an appointment to see Dr. Rasher.
- There were tests... and more visits... and more tests.
-
- A month after the tests started, instead of Harold calling Dr. Rasher, Dr. Rasher called Harold, and asked him to come in... there was an explanation for the headaches.
-
- In his sharp-tongued explanation , Dr. Rasher accused Harold of poisoning his body with drugs, during his youth, and with alcohol, tobacco, and wrong-foods throughout his adult life. He told Harold he a brain tumor, and that the cancer had spread to his lungs, kidneys, liver and pancreas. There wasn’t any treatment, and he was going to die within a month... two at the most.
-
- Harold sat on the edge of the examination table and went through the classic five steps of grief in slight less that five minutes. Harold astounded Dr. Rasher.
- Denial took less than a minute. Anger about the same. Bargaining took the longest. Depression was dispensed with quickly. Acceptance was quick too.
-
- When Harold left Dr. Rasher’s office, both were smiling.
-
- A week later, Harold discovered Millie’s double-cross. He frowned, he had been out-witted again. He began pacing and drinking Scotch, two things he did while working out a problem. When the second glass of Scotch was finished, he sat down and smiled, the problem had been solved.
-
- In Harold and Millie’s marriage, he had the money, and she had the brains. He had never been able to outwit her, and stay in the driver’s seat of their marriage for very long. She had always managed to unseat him and regain the top spot.
-
- Harold called his lawyer and changed his will.
-
- He gave his one-third ownership of Cuck’s to Dr. Rasher. It was Harold’s last boom in his marriage, his last grapple with his, hated and loved, Millie. He thought he had a way to get back in the driver’s seat, and remain there for at least five years and maybe forever.
-
- Shortly after their honeymoon, Harold and Millie called a marriage counselor. The counselor explained to them that all marriages become games, and the games had names, and the name of their game was ‘Uproar’. The counselor smiled and explained that both of their personalities fitted together perfectly, as the game’s players. The counselor told them that if they stayed married, their life together would be one of punch and counter-punch, it would be filled with absolutely everything except boredom.
- Their marriage lasted close to fifty years, and spawned one son, BJ, who became a nurse and worked at Timberhill Hospital, in Sanonte.
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- Harold had his lawyer draw up a contract for the transfer of his one-third ownership of Cuck’s, to Dr. Rasher. The contract contained a binding clause that stated Dr. Rasher had to offer to sell his third to the other two owners before offering it for sale to the public. That was a standard clause.
- What wasn’t standard, was a special clause that stated the other two owners could take as long as five years to reject buying Dr. Rasher’s third.
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- Harold was a salesman and sold Dr. Rasher on the idea of accepting the one-third ownership, even thought it was against Dr. Rasher’s religion.
- When Harold mentioned how much money his portion would be, Dr. Rasher considered accepting.
- When Harold mentioned that if owning it was against his religion, then he could sell it! Dr. Rasher accepted.
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- What Harold didn’t mention was the special clause.
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- Dr. Rasher stood up in the tub and turned off the Jacuzzi’s jets. He cussed Harold for not mentioning the five year delay clause. He stepped out of the tub and began toweling off.
- By the time he was dry, he had thought of a way to end his dilemma. Without checking the time, he reached for the phone.
- At 12:22 AM Millie Jenkins was awakened.
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- That's the latest from Sanonte, or Sanity
- G, January 2, 2008
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