Sharon and Gladys Copywrite P. Audcent 2014
Gladys lost her husband three years back and, as she had a large house to take care of, she thought long and hard as to what to do. Her friend Susan recommended selling up and buying a small apartment. Her other friend Clarice suggested renting out a part of the large house, so she invited both her friends for dinner one day to discuss the potential of either suggestion. Well after two hours of debate they all decided that Gladys could rent out a part. The main reason was Gladys husband Edward had spent both time and a fortune on planting out the garden and Gladys still wanted something close to her that retained something of Edward. She often loved to sit in the double swing seat that they both enjoyed, and on a sunny day she still sat there clasping a cup of drink as she watched the birds dipping and diving into the concrete bird bath Edward had made.
So once decided, she put a notice in the newspaper for a companion to rent a portion of her home, three rooms in all and prefably someone who enjoyed gardening and preference to be female. She had a box number for replies as she did not want a hoard of people arriving at her front gate. It was a weekly newspaper so she had to wait some time before they rang and asked her to collect her box mail. She did the following day by catching the local bus into town. She found four letters to answer so she hurried home, eager to open them.
The first letter was from someone called Sharon, it had been on the bottom of the pile and therefore Gladys had thought it probably was the first placed in the box and there fore the earliest. Sharon turned out to be a single mother with a little boy baby five months old, but with an odd skin complaint. It was this fact that Sharon had unfortunately not found a place to stay as she was currently living with her parents.
At the end of her letter she asked what was the rent and would Gladys mind about the baby? Gladys put it aside and opened the second letter.
It was from a Gregory Richard Gordon, in the back of her mind somewhere she recognised that name. But she wanted a lady not a gentleman, so she was just about to return it too the pile. However since he had written she felt obliged to read on. Mr Gordon was a young executive and was willing to pay any rental as he wanted to live close to the work place which in fact was two blocks away from her home. He said he was quite, home loving man without any faults. That 'any faults' rang a bell and she searched through her pile of old newspapers, found nothing so went on the internet and typed in Mr. Gordons full name. Ah yes, he was accused of manslaughter of an elderly lady two years ago and it was two blocks away, the block that held the Courts of Justice.
No, she said that is what I will reply.
She picked up the last two and strangely she recognised the writing from both so she carefully slit then open to fine a letter from Susan and another from Clarice. She sighed, they both loved her husbands garden and she knew Susan had a certain feeling for Edward although she was Gladys friend. And Clarice could be such a pushy person and frankly a bore, even a day with her could be fraught with resentment. So she wrote to these last three explaining why she would choose an unmarried woman with a young baby to stay with her. Of course she was extra careful to thank her own two friends and in doing so in such a way to thank them for their wonderful consideration.
To Sharon she set out a reasonable monthly rent and suggested, that if she would like to do some cleaning and general housework, she could reduce the rent considerably.
Then she gave her address and asked Sharon to call to see if the three rooms would be suitable.
Now there are three ways I could end this story so its for you the reader to choose one, I will say now two are awful and horrible as they have just this moment leapt into my mind. Ah, you thought I was going to leave a lovely gentle paragraph about the little baby boy growing up in a household with his mum, with love and support for Sharon and himself giving Gladys, who by the way was childless herself (sorry I did not mention that before) was given affection and care for the rest of her mortal life.
Well you may like to have that so don't read on because it gets worse!
Sharon turned out to be Mr Gordon's sister so she did away with Gladys and installed her feckless brother into the house, Gladys pension fund was purloined by forgery and a will was also forged, whilst the garden was dug in one spot to accommodate the body of poor Gladys.
The second ending happened like this, Sharon's little baby had an shocking decease which poor Gladys caught and died soon after. Sharon had to move as the house was sold and she died of a broken heart. Well that one brings up a host of questions, like why didn't her parents catch the disease, or Sharon, or the hospital. So lets leave it at two only to choose, one good one bad.
By the way Edwards garden still looked beautiful, but the roses really did bloom extraordinary well each summer!
xxx