Right Train, Wrong Track
The Lakeside Fairy Tales: Volume One
by
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Opening “You gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me, man!! You’re not serious, are you?!?!” An exasperated Saul Bilkman berated the stressed-out ticket agent waiting impotently at the end of a very long, snaking line of pissed-off travelers. All of them quickly realizing that just like that asshole, Saul, yelling at the poor service rep at the front of the line, they too had each and all just been equally and royally fucked. Nothing to do but wipe off the mess and goo and get up and move on now. Cry about it if you want. But you’ve already been fucked. Now it’s just a ‘clean up on aisle 7’ was the sudden epiphany. Unceremoniously cast into the pit of travelers’ oblivion the whole lot of them. Chapter Two When Saul got to the dining car it was jam packed. “Damn!” He muttered under his breath. He had looked forward to drinking and reading the paper and not needing to talk to anyone or be fake-nice for the rest of the day. No such luck. He leaned over the counter and asked the head server, “Where can I get a drink AND sit?” The server pointed towards the back far end of the car. “I think that man at the end with the dog is eating alone this trip.“ From the back of the head Saul spotted the man. He was wearing a denim jacket, and his dog was sitting next to him on the booth bench. With a matchy-matchy matching denim jacket on his companion Bichon Frise’ beside him. As Saul walked up to the table, he prepared to say hello and invite himself to the empty opposite side of the table. As he got closer, he came to see that the man was not just dressed in a denim jacket like his dog, but he also had on a denim shirt and blue jeans too. His eyes put the other shades of blue to shame though. Saul subconsciously noted that as he saw them sparkle as they picked-up the mid-morning sunlight barely trickling in trough the window.
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About the Book
Saul Bilkman is a slick lawyer on an accidental cross-country train ride when he meets Francis Toussant and his dog Begonia. Fran is soft spoken and sweet, and Saul feels the need to keep talking to the guy. Saul soon learns that Fran is a widower who lost the love of his life and is still grieving. Despite their differences, the Angel of Fate has put these two older men together on this particular train for a reason. The train goes in its correct and expected direction—but not so much Saul and Fran. These strangers become lovers, and despite their intended destinations, end up in much different and far better places instead. In this modern day fairy tale, Saul and Fran are transformed by the power of love, need, and hope. Their meeting is no accident but the will of fate. These men began their journey as lonely strangers but will end up as hopeful lovers finding their ways home to each other.
About the Author
Doc Mingo is a physician, teacher, artist, author, entrepreneur, philosopher and father. He proudly served the entire community as one on Chicago’s South Side for nearly 30 years to care for his neighbors. After a near death cardiac arrest and four months in the ICU, he came out of the closet, lost 150 pounds, and has changed his methods of caring for his neighbors. After decades of using words to heal, these stories and images represent more than just attempts to entertain or share an idea. These stories are also meant to heal. As a proud father of two beautiful and wise daughters, he firmly believes the most important lessons to ever teach are to always seek to do good, never to do harm, speak your truth with gentility, never to give up, and never to surrender. Every gray cloud has a silver lining. Curses can be blessings in disguise. With tenacity, hope and faith all things are indeed possible in a universe filled with love and magic by the waters’ edge.