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Wednesday, 07 July 2004 06:54
The Story of Linda and Jim

Once upon a time in a land called Barrie there was a lonely young woman. She had finally come to realize that she wasn't the powerless, inadequate loser she had always thought she was. She was actually a bit of alright. Armed with this new insight, she went out into the world seeking an exciting new life for herself.

She got a new job. Then she lost the new job. She was OK with that though. She hated it utterly and completely and had been looking for a new job two weeks after she'd started. Unfortunately, she'd had no luck. So it was off to the Unemployment Office to collect Pogey (today, I believe they call it E.I.).

She was told of this wonderful new opportunity. She could take a course to learn how to start her own business, something she'd always wanted to do. But to take that course, she had to take a course to take a course! I know. That's the way the government works.

So, she took the two day course at the Unemployment Office. Across a crowded classroom full of a variety of people, there was a man. He had a huge smile, a big booming voice and looked like he was married with three kids. He was a real smartass too, so he seemed like a lot of fun.

At lunch time the young woman walked to her car. She parked it in a lot several blocks away by the donut shop. Parking was free there. That was important, because she was flat broke. The man with the huge smile that looked like he was married with three kids parked his car there too. They sat down together and had a donut and a drink and started talking.

They decided to go for a beer together after class. A few classmates joined them. They laughed a lot and she felt like she could be herself around him. That's when he asked her if she'd like to go on a date. He wanted her to go on a boat for the weekend with his friends. Since she didn't know any of them, she happily declined. I mean, really! Would you go out on a boat with three complete strangers? God knows what they would be like or what they could do...

At the end of the second day, a few of the students decided to have a 'graduation' party at one of the pubs downtown. One fellow with a unibrow told the young woman that she "would be his girlfriend". She told him, "not". Regardless, the group had a few drinks and got a little silly. The man, who probably did have three kids and a wife, dared the young woman to stand on her head. She had bragged that she could do it and he wanted to see her do it because she had a tiny little skirt on. She did, of course, but not without changing clothes with another girl. The man was very impressed, and although he never admits it, probably fell in love with the young woman right then and there. Why not? She was smart, daring and she could stand on her head in the middle of a bar - and on a bar stool, no less!

The man still wanted her to go out on a date with him, so they decided on dinner at his house later that week. It turned out that he wasn't married with three kids. He had never been married and had no children either. He did own a modest little house though, and he was a lot of fun to be with. The young woman never thought it would be a lasting relationship. After all, they had met at the Unemployment Office! That was in 1996.

It's now 2007 and Linda and Jim have been happily married for 8 years.

By Linda Laforge


Linda Laforge is a contemporary celtic artist and creative writer. To see her portfolio and to read more visit her at: http://www.LindaLaforge.com

Reprint Info:
Most of Linda's short stories, poems and articles are available for reprint provided the copyright notice above is included at the end of the article. If you wish to use a piece, please contact Linda for permission. She'll want to see a link to your site or a sample of your publication. Of course, she'd love to get paid where the opportunity is available! All writing must be left fully intact. Please make sure that the link to her site is live and clickable.   

Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 November 2008 05:39