Title: Some Don’t Come Back
Author: Don Meyer
Genre: Historical Romance
Book Blurb:
What if you met the woman of your dreams, but she lived 100 years ago? In a moment of crippling despair, Jack Slater is given the opportunity of living the year 1920 to experience what life would have been like compared to 2020. While there, he interacts with a woman. A woman he could not possibly have imagined would ever have anything to do with him. They fall in love and spend an incredible year together. Their love growing by the day. However, he must return to the present on New Year’s Eve 1920. Could he return? Would he leave knowing he would never see her again? Jack Slater must face that decision. Will he come back? Or will he stay forever in 1920?
Excerpt:
December 31, 2020
"Did you know, not everybody missing actually is. Some don’t come back. They are not missing at all, just not here anymore."
Jack Slater—Jonathan Slater III—stood dressed in a tux, including a face cummerbund. A mask designed like a tux cummerbund. His six-foot, 175-pound frame filled the tux quite nicely. He looked at the old Gypsy woman before him not sure why he stood here. Or what he expected to accomplish.
"Really? You want to clarify what the hell you just said."
The old Gypsy woman sat back in her chair.
"Some. Don't. Come. Back. What's there to clarify?" She looked him up and down. "The real question is, why are you here?"
Jack glanced around the room. The menu board appeared first, the face plastic yellowed with time, but the black letters and numbers still prevailed. A "Slice" at the top followed by "The Deuce," two slices and right below a one dollar up charge for a "Mix and Match." In other words, if you chose a pepperoni and a cheese slice it would be a buck extra. Next line, "A Whole Pie," with a price of TBD. Next listed the "Standard," two tacos, a "Threesome," three tacos and the dreaded upcharge for a mix and match, also a buck. They offered ground beef and chicken tacos, not much of a mix. Jack smiled as he remembered back to what this place used to be.
The cook, an old white guy with a permanent snarl, formed from years of a cigarette between his lips while he prepared and cooked and tried to keep the smoke out of his eyes. He could no longer smoke, but the snarl permanent. The cook contracted covid early in the summer and passed away. He unfortunately gave the virus to the older couple who owned the place and caused them to shut down. The shop closed for good right after Labor Day.
He glanced at the outline of the pizza oven in the dark, the soda dispenser on the left side of the counter next to the register. The small eating area had no tables, just an "L" shaped counter wrapped around the wall to stand and eat if you must.
The table the Gypsy woman sat at obviously not part of the original decor.
"I’m sorry, what did you say?" Jack focused back on her.
"I said why are you here?"
"You mean here, in what used to be a taco-pizza joint? Grab a taco or slice of pizza on the fly kind of place?" Jack took another look around.
"Forget what used to be." She said annoyed. "Let’s concentrate on now."
"You don’t look like a fortune teller lady. I mean, I expected tarot cards. Or a crystal ball. Maybe you're some kind of soothsayer. Or are you one of those lays hands on people?"
The old Gypsy sighed deeply and showed her obvious frustration.
"Look, you walked in here. Why?"
"Well, to tell you the truth." Jack frowned. "I’ve been down on my luck lately. Saw the lights on and thought. Hell, I thought why not, maybe get a fix on what’s ahead. Couldn’t hurt. Has to be better than my life currently is."
The old Gypsy woman nodded as she sat up. In the light she looked like an older, heavier woman, colorful flowing clothes, a full head of graying hair spewed across her shoulders. She spread her arms out, her hands palms up.
"How about you fill me in on the down on your luck remark?
Jack paced across the room. She watched him. Throwing caution to the wind, he spoke barely above a whisper.
"Well, my girl and I broke up the Monday before Thanksgiving. The company I work for told us they were cutting seventy percent of the staff effective December 31, 2020 which included me. It also caused me to vacate my apartment by December 31, 2020. Also Today."
"So, why the tux?" The old Gypsy woman swung her hand in the air.
"An intimate party tonight for some couples." Jack looked down. "Well, minus one lady now, to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Since I had nothing better to do, thought I would go anyway. Even though I don't have a place to stay afterwards. Crash on somebody's couch I suspect. Or sleep in my car until I figure it out."
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Runs July 17 – July 25, 2023.
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Author Biography:
Don Is the author of six novels, A Vietnam Memoir, several short stories, a number of essays and a couple of articles, details of which can be found throughout the site. Please take a moment to look around, you might find something you like.
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