Sheila's Holiday
The old man looked out his flat on Broadway St. It was a quiet night and the streetlights illuminated the fog with a diffused glow. He loved this very early time of night. The din of the bars and strip clubs had died down and the streets were quiet. In his younger days he had relished the night life and tourists that populated his San Francisco neighborhood. When he was younger he used to dress in his Armani suit and hit the many night clubs in the area. He remembered all the beautiful women and the fun he used to have. The days of the dot com boom were long gone though, he thought. Now he was just an old, frail, man with insomnia looking out the window at 3 a.m.
As he gazed out the window he saw a young woman in a coat run across the street and go into all night diner down the way. Probably one of the exotic dancers; from Centerfolds, he thought; going to have breakfast after work. He had seen her many times before, while looking out the window, on many of his other sleepless nights. She was a tall redhead. Maybe, 28 or so he thought. As she ran her long, legs kicked open her knee length raincoat. It stirred his memories of his youth. He thought "in the old days I would have been chasing after her not just watching her."
The old man turned up the radio to listen to the news. Same old wars and bad news he thought. Then he heard a story of how no one had died in San Francisco for the last two weeks. Yeah, right he thought. Just another attempt by the media to throw a "feel good story" in at the end just to make everyone feel better. You can't make me feel better, you bastards, I'm dieing and there is nothing I can do about it. I can't sleep, I can't die, and the world is going to hell. He knew this was just his insomnia getting the best of him. He decided he would go down to the diner and have coffee. Maybe, that would help him take his mind off things.
As the old man walked into the diner he saw the young woman sitting at the counter. He sat down beside her and ordered a coffee. Hi, said the woman, my name is Sheila. The old man said " I'm Jack." "You work at the strip club don't you?" "I see you running across the street every night after work". "oh no, Jack, I'm a ER nurse at the hospital, up by Coit Tower." " I just cut through there after coming down the Hayes Street stairs, she said." "You don't remember me do you." " I was your ER nurse when you came in last week after your heart attack." "Don't remind me", he said. "I haven't been able to sleep since then" "Jack are you ok, you look a little pale?" " Just, getting old Sheila" "Maybe I should go home I'm feeling a little tired" "Jack at least let me walk you home"
Sheila got Jack back to the apartment and sat him down on the couch. "Thanks, Sheila, you can go home." "I'll be fine, he said" "No Jack, I'm here for you, let me help you" She sat down on the couch next to him. Jack noticed a small cross tattooed on her ankle as she sat down. "Nice, tattoo Sheila, you sure you don't work at Centerfolds?'. "Back in my day women didn't get tatoos" "No, Jack, I really do work at the hospital, she laughed" "How come I didn't see you then when I came back for my check ups the last couple weeks?" "I was on vacation the last couple weeks, visiting my father, she said." "You sure you don't work at the club?, Jack said". "Jack, come on now, you need to get some rest" " I can't Sheila, I just can't go to sleep, too many things for this old man to worry about." "Here, Jack, she said." "Lay you head on my shoulder and try to rest." "I'll stay with you as long as you need."
Jack laid his head on her shoulder. Her soft red hair caressed his cheek. Jack could smell the sweet lilac smell of her perfume. He slowly drifted off to sleep dreaming of happier days. Slowly, his breathing became shallow, his heart slowed. Jack drifted off in a deep, deep sleep. Suddenly, Jack awoke to the sounds of a choir and a bright light. He felt young and refreshed.
Sheila, covered Jack with a blanket and got up to leave. She wished that she was still on vacation. I'll never get used to this part of my job she thought.
David Alexander
© 2009
This is a very rough draft of a story I am writing. You all get to see it first. This is the very condensed version and I am not sure it works well in this short form. It was hard to shorten it to fit here, but I like showing my writing to you all first.
David
I enjoyed it and hope to read more.
Hmmm-----, and I always thought that the figure of death wore a shroud like garment and carried a scyth, certainly not a good looking redhead. Interesting David, interesting!
I hope that I get to read --the rest of the story. Please finish it, David.
I too, want to read it.
Good luck, David..........can't wait.
OK, David...I've been gone too long and missed you putting this on here...Don't leave your audience hanging...What happens next??
VERY cool
Thanks everyone I will let you know when I fill in the story. This is the start and end of the story. In the meantime I will give you something to ponder.
Who is Sheila?
Archangel Michael
Archangel Raphael
St. Francis of Assisi
All of them
I will let you decide for yourself. There is not necessarily a correct answer.
David
My first instinct was Raphael cause he's the patron of healers, but then I looked up Michael just to see and he is the bringer of peace so could be either one but Raphael still gets my vote I guess.
Michael makes me think of the movie with John Travolta :) I just watched it the other day and I just love that movie lol Micheal is my kind of Angel ;D
Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
Francis of Assisi
Went back and read it again.....think I'm changin my vote to Micheal.....i don't know......
Don't forget St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of San Francisco and against dying lonely. Have to keep you wondering. Don't count him out.
Sheila is based on a real, tall, redhead. Sheila the character is a nurse, Jack thought she was a stripper. And you all don't know as much of the story as I do. ;D
I will fill in the story and show you the final version. It is going to be long so it won't be tomorrow or the next day.
Keep thinking.
I am still not 100% positive who Sheila will be in the end.
David
I just looked up 'Sheila' in Wiki, and David with a fertile mind like yours, there are just about a million possibilities! Now I am getting curious! ;)
Quote from: sixdogsmom on June 15, 2009, 04:27:58 PM
I just looked up 'Sheila' in Wiki, and David with a fertile mind like yours, there are just about a million possibilities! Now I am getting curious! ;)
Edie, my girlfriend's name is Sheila, she is tall, she is a redhead, she used to be a ER nurse. But as you may find in the poems that I post I do have a fondness for symbolism.
David
Lucky you! She sounds perfectly exotic, and able to resusitate at the same time? Priceless! ;D ;D
Quote from: Diane Amberg on June 15, 2009, 05:46:50 PM
So I can assume your angel isn't Moroni. Maybe she should just stay who she is.
Sheila, Jack's or mine, is definitely not Moroni. Both Sheilas are angels and that will be the part of the story that I will tell. In the end you will have to decide who Jack's Sheila is and it will be different for us all.
David
You left out the possiblity of St. Jude, Patron Saint of Impossible Causes...Your dying man may have had something impossible in his life that the ministering angel helped him to resolve through a peaceful death...Am I getting close? :o
Quote from: Catwoman on June 15, 2009, 06:38:01 PM
You left out the possiblity of St. Jude, Patron Saint of Impossible Causes...Your dying man may have had something impossible in his life that the ministering angel helped him to resolve through a peaceful death...Am I getting close? :o
Catwoman, the more people that post their ideas of who Sheila is the closer we all get to knowing her. She is who she is and she is who you think she is. We all have a Sheila.
OK, I think I am stating to give away to much of the story. I don't want to ruin it for you all.
David
Quote from: Diane Amberg on June 15, 2009, 08:16:56 PM
We are helping write this, aren't we? With a pick your own ending theme. ;)
Yes Diane, you are helping me write this story. Pick your own ending, no. I have an ending. The meaning, which is the part I left out, will definitely have to be done by the reader. I have my own idea, but I would never tell what it is exactly.
David
Quote from: Diane Amberg on June 15, 2009, 09:05:55 PM
What fun, I can't wait until you finish it. Maybe I can be your angel and you can be mine...or would your Sheila object???? ;D
Thank you Diane I would love to be your angel along with St. Michael the patron saint of EMT's, Police, and emergency workers. You and everyone on the forum are my angels on different days, in different ways. My Sheila, has not seen anything of this story; since it is a kind of a love letter from me to her. She would not object to you being my angel. On account that she really is an Angel :angel: as far as I am concerned.
David
p.s. My dog Kansas Boy is sitting here while I write this story. He is a redhead Brittany (and a good part of his body) and he is also an angel. Having lived in Warrensburg, Mo. I can tell you that a man's best friend is his dog. (Google Old Drum Warrensburg, MO). He thinks the story is about him. :D My black cat Lucky is here too ( I was born on Friday the 13th), she doesn't care about this story. She knows the world revolves around her and we are all just her minions.
David
How about Azrael ?
QuoteShe is who she is and she is who you think she is. We all have a Sheila.
Ahh....I think I know who She is to me ...........:) cool
Quote from: pamsback on June 15, 2009, 10:10:28 PM
How about Azrael ?
[/quote
Azrael is a little too dark for this story, I put him in the grim reaper skeletal figure in a dark robe with a scythe|sickle mode. Definitely not what I had in mind.
Quote from: pamsback on June 15, 2009, 10:21:10 PM
QuoteShe is who she is and she is who you think she is. We all have a Sheila.
Ahh....I think I know who She is to me ...........:) cool
Yes grasshopper. Use the Native American and Buddhist posts from your daily enlightenment thread. Feel the force.
David ;D
;D