Peeking Into My Mailbox

Peeking Into My Mailbox

Our friend Marsha, the angel who bought my car, sends such wonderful feedback to the chapters and I really appreciate it. Here is where I will let you be a voyeur into my e-mail box.

Marsha: The trip sounded so wonderful. And I loved reading about it. You are so descriptive that I can almost feel the fog around the bell tower, taste the pizza, hear the silence on the deserted streets, and I loved it! This is a chapter I will read over and over.

Responding to this, I mentioned to her that I was going to rewrite some of the earlier chapters, edit all of it, and then try to get it published when we reach whatever natural conclusion to stop writing this occurs. I thought I had saved the particular reply from Marsha, to this statement, but I cannot find it so I will tell you from memory.

Marsha’s response to this was that I would need to add more suspense and sex to really make it a bestseller. She suggested that I be hanging from a tram that was going 60 miles an hour, by my fingertips and Ron had to rescue me. (Folks, if this were ever close to reality, let us just plan my funeral now).

Ron read Chapter Nineteen and said to me, "We still had plenty of time waiting for the train after I got my tea (four minutes), but you made it sound like we were running for it. I said, "You read what Marsha wrote about adding more action and sex to have a best seller.” So, with Marsha’s ideas in mind, I rewrote the Vienna scenario and e-mailed it back to her. The rewrite goes like this: Ron insisted on getting tea at the Vienna train station, knowing that we only had minutes to catch the train. Just as he boarded the train took off one the minute printed in the schedule. I had to run mightily to catch the train as it was speeding down the tracks at fifty miles an hour. With one last shred of energy left from my marathon race, I took one leap for the door Ron held open for me. By my nails, I was able to grasp the frame of the door. After a time, Ron was able to drag me into the safety of the train car, but only after my body was battered and abused as I was flying in the wind like a tattered flag, from hitting, trees, poles, and people who thought that the piñata had finally arrived in Eastern Europe. By the time I was rescued, we were so grateful for my salvation that we…” (If I tell you the rest, you will not have a bit of incentive to purchase the final book.)

Ron responded, "Okay, I will not complain anymore."

Marsha: Oh my Gosh, that made me laugh out loud and everyone came to stand in my doorway to see what was so funny! The tattered flag and piñata parts really got me! So! I see you have it in you, for the trashy novel big money maker bestseller type of book, as well as the travel Arthur Frommer type. Thanks for the best laugh of the day. Actually of the week! Love you. Marsha

I may save this and make sure it appears on the back cover of the final product!

In the meanwhile, our friend Leinani has been a busy one shopping for some essentials for us. I found that on Bank of America online, I could set up anyone at all as a payee. So, Leinani is getting me another pair of black Lee jeans, since I only have one pair that fit with the weight loss, Norton SystemWorks computer software (I could get it here, but only in Hungarian), chap sticks for Ron’s delicate lips, and a bit personal, Metamucil. She shopped around to get the best deals around and sent it out in the mail.

Ron had been aware of this shopping excursion of some time, added, and deleted things from the list as we found them here. When I told him that the goods were on their way, he panicked at the cost of mailing in addition to the cost of the items sent. It was too late; she had mailed them that day. He asked why I could not get jeans here instead? Well, since a shirt cost me $30.00, I think the $28.00 Lee jeans with postage are still a better deal. Here they cost over $50.00 and do not look like they are the same quality. Since it was a done deal, there was no turning back now.

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