A Year in the Life of Peter Short
by
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We stroll along the surf's edge hand in hand. Few words are spoken but the warmth between us is palpable. As we approach the far end of the beach, we sit in the sand and look at the Pacific. We see a million dancing lights as the bright midday sum sparkles off the rippling waters. The breaking waves are only a couple of feet high, but the constant roar is impressive. It is a calming roar as the the waves break left, right, and center in an undefined random order. I remove my shirt and lay it on the sand behind us. I lay back and reach for Sallie to join me. She snuggles up against my side, lays a bare leg over my thigh and runs her fingers the the hair on my chest. I close my eyes and will my brain to take a memory photo of this moment. I try to recall a more perfect moment in my life but nary a one comes to mind. Here lies this middle-class kid from Chicago on the finest beach in North America with the most gorgeous woman he has ever known. I could marry this woman just for moments like this. Despite Sallie's doubts about building lasting relationships, maybe we can make it work.
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About the Book
Peter Short is a Northwestern University graduate student in the mid-1960s. He is bright but not worldly when he meets the beautiful Sallie Barnes, a performer in the Ice Follies. Peter meets Sallie in a Chicago bar in the fall of 1965. He visits her in Buffalo over Thanksgiving, and she spends Christmas with Peter and his family. When he lands a summer job, Peter heads to San Francisco, where the Ice Follies prepare for the new roadshow to start in the fall. Sallie exhibits subtle signs of emotional instability along the way. However, Peter’s untrained eye does not perceive the true nature of the driving forces behind her erratic behavior. At times they seem headed for a long-term relationship, but something always happens that blows their bond apart. Along the way, Peter has interesting encounters with a handful of other women and renews an old friendship with his roommate from undergraduate school who now lives in California. His up and down relationship with Sallie continues as he pursues her across the country. Peter grows up fast as his life becomes all about a woman—and a heap of worries.
About the Author
The author is using a pseudonym. This is his first novel.