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    An Act of Kindness
    An Act of Kindness
    An Act of Kindness
    Ebook108 pages1 hour

    An Act of Kindness

    By J Bennington

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    About this ebook

    Act of Kindness - A mysterious letter appears in Danny’s mailbox in Dover, DE. Martina Banks sent photos and talks about a vacation where they met in Bermuda. Her face is intriguing. He wants to find her. She suddenly appears in Dover and corrals his girlfriend and a homeless woman she knows from the past. Through a series of kind acts, coerced or otherwise, Martina solves seemingly unsolvable problems.

    BONUS:
    Gift From A Creek - A homeless man living in a cardboard box mansion finds a gift floating in a retention pond nearby. It’s a recliner chair. He spends a great deal of time to retrieve it and dry it out. When he naps in it for the first time, he wakes in a far distant state where the family does not like his constant appearances. He denies it and the mystery is on until there is a resolution. Then, oops!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJ Bennington
    Release dateJan 21, 2019
    ISBN9780463447314
    An Act of Kindness
    Author

    J Bennington

    J Bennington: Fresh out of High School, I spent 21 years in the Air Force, serving in Viet Nam, Thailand, United States, and Germany. After retiring from the Air Force, I drove a limousine under contract for Conrail, moving train crews from stations to trains, and anywhere needed. I wrote 5 books, longhand, while waiting in rail stations, State Prison fields at 2 A M, and forlorn rail crossings right out of Stephen King novels with all the demons and terror. Following that interesting but tiring job, I tackled a few independent businesses that failed. Worked two years in a restaurant as the salad bar manager. Worked 1 year as Electric Meter Reader for the City of Dover, DE. Then a friend arranged a part-time clerical position in the State Probation Office. From there I applied for full-time positions and worked 20 years for the Department of Transportation, selling Hauling Permits to truckers or trucking companies, billing companies for Outdoor Advertising, and later I paid the bills to State Contractors. I retired in February 2014 and now I’m doing what I love, writing and working to publish the books collecting electronic dust over the years.

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      Book preview

      An Act of Kindness - J Bennington

      An Act of Kindness

      Copyright 2016 J Bennington

      Published by J Bennington at Smashwords

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgements

      A Mysterious Letter

      Martina Leaves Waco

      Forgotten Appointments

      Walking the Dogs

      Candice Plays w/Danny

      Deeper Investigation

      Martina Arrives / Lily

      Candice Meets Martina

      Help Lily First

      In Candice’s Bedroom

      The Doctor’s Visit

      Evening Discussions

      Dining Out

      Bonus Story: A Gift from the Creek

      About J. Bennington

      Other Books by J. Bennington

      Sneak Preview

      Connect with J. Bennington

      Acknowledgements

      Cover design by Betibup33.

      More covers available on: http://thebookcoverdesigner.com/designers/betibup33/

      Inspiration Writing Prompt From: http://www.creative-writing-now.com/

      A Mysterious Letter

      Danny Moore woke on Saturday morning, showered and donned his dress-down-don’t-bother-me clothes and opened his front door to check the weather, take a breath of fresh air, and retrieve his daily stack of mail. He sat at the kitchen table to sort through the envelopes, dividing them into small piles: Bills, Junk Mail, and Charitable Requests for donations. At the bottom of the stack he found one envelope without a postage stamp, post office meter stamp, or return address. It bore only his name and address in elegant calligraphy.

      He used a letter opener from a Kahlúa coffee cup on the table that held pens and pencils and a small pair of scissors to open the envelope. Inside was a letter, two photos, a blank business card with a sticker of Hello Kitty reclining on a chaise on a beach, and a Bacardi Rum advertisement card with a magnifying lens in the middle. It touted that Bacardi Rum could help you focus on the finer things in life. He lay everything aside, but the letter and read it first:

      "Hello, Danny. Did you forget that weekend in Bermuda? I didn’t. I can’t. It was wild. We were crazy. We had so much fun. Wow! I felt so happy, frolicking in your love. What did you do with your share of the money we found in that old handbag in the wrecked boat? I invested half in Hello Kitty Stock and it’s done very well for me. The rest is sitting in my bank for a rainy-day fund, a Carpe diem adventure, or a spontaneous replay of that awesome vacation. Hope you did something first-class like you said you would.

      I miss you, Danny. I never counted on meeting someone who is so memorable, intelligent, kind, and loving and all wrapped up in one handsome man like you. You are my first choice for the one partner to wake up with, go to sleep with, read with, play with, live for, die for, be barefoot and pregnant for, and love beyond all eternity.

      I went back to Bermuda last month, but it was cold. It felt like the first ever blizzard hit the island, because your warmth and love were not with me, holding me, touching me, stroking my skin with your soft and hot hands. I wish you had been there to play with, but I spent the time alone and disappointed 4 (men?) who can’t compare to you. I bothered the hotel clerks, flirting with them until I sweet-talked one into giving me your address.

      Write me back, Danny. Please? I miss you and I’d really love to reconnect with you again, whether at the beach or somewhere else. The location doesn’t matter, so long as we’re together.

      Love you dearly, miss you sadly, need you strongly,

      Martina

      He felt strange because he could not remember being in Bermuda or playing with a Martina but she sounded so familiar when he read it. He laid the letter aside and checked the photos again. The smiling brunette had to be Martina, with a Spanish hint surrounding her impish face. From forehead to throat, she had henna lines running vertically with an occasional knot to make it appear her face were carved from a tree. She was beautiful and appeared sweetly mischievous, but he could not recall ever meeting her. The second photo, though, showed a side profile of both kissing at sunset on a beach. He could tell it was him because of the watch with rubies mounted on silver plates on the band, a hand-me-down from his grandfather, and the rings on the third and fourth fingers of his left hand.

      Wow! He propped the photos up against the salt and pepper shakers to view them and read the letter again.

      You’re beautiful, but the two of us in Bermuda? Money in an old handbag? That’s me with her, kissing her, but why don’t I remember it? Was it after one too many Mai Tai drinks, straight rum shots, or did my brain freeze in the Bermuda Triangle on the way home? I know I’d remember a hot chick like you. Like wow! I could just sit here and stare at you all day.

      He scrutinized the business card again and recalled all his girlfriends over the last few years. They numbered five, but only one had an affinity for Hello Kitty. It was on each bra cup and later he found it on her panties. However, that was Kelly and she was blonde, and they never left Delaware while dating.

      She was definitely wild, but it couldn’t be her. The Hello Kitty underwear worried me about her being too childish, but she was far from it when she let go and let me in. I miss her sadly. Damn that used-car salesman anyway. Prick. Hope he gets Incurable Erectile Dysfunction on his birthday. I’d help him if I could.

      He turned the card over and on the back was a bright orange lipstick kiss mark near the middle. On the bottom right corner, he discovered what looked like a stray pen mark, except he could make out letters that he could see but not read. He used the magnifying business card and read it:

      Martina Banks kissing and missing you with unbridled passion

      He sat back and studied her photo with a huge sigh. "Well, Martina Banks, it must be you who had a brain freeze or bad PMS trip or something. I’ve never met you. I’d like to, if I could be the Danny, you think you met and kissed in Bermuda. Hot damn, what a woman!

      However, we have a small problem, or at least I do. You didn’t include your return address on the envelope or on anything inside the envelope. And right now, that’s very frustrating, because if truth be told, I’m longing to meet you. I mean my imagination is running 100 miles-per-hour to know what the rest of you looks like and end your missing me sadly.

      He tore up the piles of donations and junk mail and dropped them in the trash. He passed the table and picked up the envelope on the way to his den to turn on his computer.

      "Wait

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