Memories of Love, Ashes, And Orcas

"e;Memories of Love, Ashes, and Orcas"e; is the romantic tale of how two strangers, Patricia and Mike, from extremely different backgrounds, meet and fall in love, literally at first sight and touch. The setting is the San Juan Islands in the northwestern area of the state of Washington. The islands lie between the northwest coast of Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Patricia, now divorced, is recovering physically and psychologically from a dysfunctional, very bad, physically abusive marriage. Her goal is solitude, healing and hopefully a new beginning. Mike a never been married, recently retired Army Officer is on the way to his family's home in the islands to make arrangements for his brother's memorial service and the subsequent disposal of his brother's cremains. The story of their love at first sight meeting, en route to the Islands on the inter Island Ferry, is revealed in the remembrances of a 92-year old Mike, a year after his beloved Patricia's death. Their first erotic meeting comes in the form of daydreaming of the memories of that first meeting. This romance and its erotic sub story is a testimony to the truism that love is sine qua non for a functional, meaningful bonding of bodies and souls. And to paraphrase the words of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh: "e;True love is something eternal. The aspect may change, but not the essence"e;.