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Who'll Mend This Broken Man

Many of you may still be recovering from Labor Day, so I'm offering you a chance to sit back and read an excerpt from my Blessing or Curse Collection. Some stories end happily, others not. Some characters are nice, others are not.

Today's particular short story, called Who'll Mend This Broken Man, is about how a wife copes with the
heartbreak of her husband's Parkinson's Disease. Over eleven years ago I watched my own mother suffer from this debilitating disease, and it's something I'll never forget.

Excerpt:

Ah, the wonderful love they’d shared. Why must it end this way?
“Diego, eat,” Consuela Morales said, holding out a spoonful of puree to her shrunken, wheelchair-bound husband. His dry parched lips remained obstinately shut, his gray eyebrows furrowed.
He wanted to die and she didn’t blame him. God help her, sometimes she wanted him dead too. Till death do us part seemed a long time to live with half a man.
Placing the spoon into the jar with a clunk, Consuela gazed morosely at her husband.
Mamacita, God rest her soul, had warned her not to marry a man twenty years older, but the ripe, chestnut-haired Consuela had paid no heed, choosing passion over common sense.
Diego of the raised eyebrows, straight black hair and cocky mannerisms had fevered her young blood, making her come alive as no other man had.
Though almost twenty-five years had passed, she still remembered the exact moment Diego strode into the basement of her friend Isabella’s brownstone. As their eyes met, her heart raced beneath the confines of her ample breasts, almost drowning out the sounds of New Year’s Eve revelry.
Quickly averting her eyes, she whispered to Isabella, “Who is that guy?”
Isabella glanced at the new addition, and frowned in concentration.
“Oh, that’s got to be Alessandro’s cousin, Diego. He’s hot, if you go for father figures.”
“My father never looked that good. That man steams. I need to cool off some.”
Consuela crossed to the bar and reached into the tiny refrigerator for a wine spritzer. When she turned, there he was, in front of her, almost in her face. She could barely breathe as she gazed at his magnificence.
As if on signal, the strains of When I Fall in Love began.

Thanks for letting me share.
                 


Experience the diversity & versatility of Morgan Mandel. For romantic comedy: Her Handyman & Girl of My Dreams. Thriller: Forever Young: Blessing or Curse.  Science Fiction/Romance Sequel: Blessing or Curse CollectionRomantic suspense: Killer Career. Mystery: Two Wrongs. Twitter:@MorganMandel Websites: Morgan Mandel.Com Chick Lit Faves 

Comments

  1. "Who'll mend this broken man?" Have you been evesdropping on my wife's phone conversations, Morgan?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That topic is covered in my other short story called Too Much of a Good Thing. lol
      Morgan Mandel

      Delete
  2. Sounds like a powerful story, Morgan. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Heidi and Kathryn!
    Morgan Mandel

    ReplyDelete
  4. Enjoyed the excerpt. Good luck with the new book.

    ReplyDelete

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