Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Congratulations Jillian!
Jillian's Bio:
Jillian Buckwald resides in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, a city not far from Toronto, Ontario. She lives with her husband and three children. Currently, she is a stay at home mom and runs a daycare in her home. She is new to the world of writing, but hopes to make a career out of it someday soon. Her course in writing for children, through The Institute of Children's Literature (Long Ridge) is close to completion. She has written a dozen short stories and articles but has yet to try to have any published. This was her first contest, and is delighted to have been chosen to have her story published.
Honker Brooks
"I can't believe you're marrying our seventh grade teacher!" I exclaimed to, Sophie my longtime childhood chum. "We thought he was ancient then, how old must he be now?"
"Come on, Chris," Sophie laughed. "In seventh grade we thought anyone over twenty five was ancient. He's only thirty three years older than we are. I prefer to think of him as distinguished."
"Only thirty three years? Have you gone mad?" I cried exasperated. "I need some air." I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the piercing sun as I pushed open the heavy oak door of the church to step outside. A giggle caught in my throat. This was hilarious! I had flown back to my home town to be Matron of Honor in Sophie's wedding, only to discover that she was marrying our seventh grade History teacher.
Mr. Brooks. I remember exchanging notes in class and roaring with laughter hysterically about his taped horned rimmed glasses and the enormous honker that held them up. How could Sophie, the most sophisticated girl in middle school be marrying "Honker Brooks"? I actually used to be jealous of Sophie. What was I thinking?
She had called out of the blue three weeks ago to announce her engagement to the most amazing man she had ever met. I thought it was a sudden announcement but Sophie always had been a fly by night kind of gal. So I told her I wouldn't miss it for the world. No wonder she was secretive about who he was. She was insane to be marrying a man more than a quarter of a century older than her.
As I turned to go back inside the door flew open. I fell into the arms of the most gorgeous older man I had ever laid eyes on.
"Pardon me, Christine. Sophie asked if I would come find you. We're about to start the rehearsal."
I recognized the voice instantly. How could I not? I'd been reprimanded enough by that voice to have it permanently imprinted in my memory.
"Honker Brooks?" I stammered. "I mean, Mister Brooks?" I stood there stunned, my legs like jelly, about to collapse at any second.
"Christine, how long has it been? When Sophie told me you were going to be here, all I could picture was that lanky, freckle faced girl that whispered in my class all of the time. You've really changed."
I'd really changed! Did he own a mirror? This man was tall, dark and gorgeous! He must have had a fantastic plastic surgeon. A real miracle worker!
"I see you two have finally gotten re-acquainted," Sophie was grinning from ear to ear as we headed down the aisle to the front of the church. I raised my eyebrows in return, knowing full well what that mischievous grin was about.
Sophie hadn't gone mad after all. Now I just had to find out if tall, dark and gorgeous had an older brother!
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