Sitting on a Rainbow: A 21st century Irish American Morality Tale Excerpt
Tossing his black Tumi shoulder bag across to the passenger seat, Patrick braced himself, thrust his folded chair in the open back, and pressed up and into his beloved silver bullet. Beloved for its utility and dependability, certainly not its sex appeal. A decade-old minivan is anything but sexy. He was sick to death of this same old routine. But what choice did he have? What reasonable choice, that is? He used to do it joyfully, for his family, his clients, and his own self-interest, of course. But not now, not like this. The idea of it had become nearly unbearable.
Scooting down the brick-paved driveway, he glimpsed the early morning, sun-sparked chop of the Intracoastal Waterway before turning west past lush tropical foliage. Usually taking more interest in the architectural nuances of his historic neighborhood, he blew through it this day, his mood anything but leisured. He was late for a meeting. One he had no interest in attending. Dialing his Sirius radio to the Classic Rock channel, Richie Havens’s “Freedom” coursed through the cabin like an urgent cry. [1] Turning right at Olive and heading north, he moved along briskly. The heavier commute hadn’t finished showering yet.
Patrick Connelly—Pat or Paddy to longtime friends—was moving steadily through his fifth decade and feeling every bit of it. Two grueling years spent in the entanglements of divorce had seemed like ten. The textured plaster and beamed interior walls of his Mizner-inspired house were lined with boxes he hadn’t yet labored to open. He retained the structure in the settlement only because Becky wasn’t interested, but its soul was long gone, in addition to most of the furniture. The process hadn’t been pain-free, that’s for sure. Going their separate ways was little different than their twenty-five years of wedded bliss had been. A daily grind where nothing came easy. Two well-meaning but mismatched people, each deserving better, he’d ascertained.
In pursuit of that idealistic outcome, the brutal process of decoupling had left him wholly diminished, especially financially. That was the toughest part because finance was his business.
#SittingonaRainbow #JamesPatrickRooney #LiteraryFiction @jamespatrickrooney @authorjamesrooney @AuthorRooney
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/