Richard Ascher

All is for the Best Richard Ascher

Richard Ascher continues his stories of the tribal rituals of New Yorkers 1945-2010. The characters are his friends and neighbors. Some are delusional some psychotic. All all are self absorbed. Some commit murder and some attempt it and fail. They steal, lie, and cheat their way through life, fall in and out of love and try to rid themselves of "high maintenance" spouses. All the while they believe in their own goodness and best intentions. They are heavy drinkers and avid Knick fans. All go through life hoping for the best, which they know will never come. A slum lord threatens to kill his wife"s lover if he doesn't marry her. Two lonely seniors fall in love until she finds out that he's been in prison. A handsome young partner in a prominent law firm lusts after a middle age cleaning lady. An old maid hires a man to kill her mother. A former girlfriend surfaces after 40 years. Their memories differ. A retiree facing bankruptcy tries to marry a rich widow. She wants him for a chauffeur, gofer and general cleaning man. A dead woman talks to her boyfriend through her answering machine. A man wanders aimlessly through the winter city streets after being fired from a job of 30 years. Strangers tell him,"All is for the best." Is all for the best? You got to be kidding me. These stories and many more are taken from real life, told to him by friends or friends of friends. Most of them are almost true. From the author of "Bobby's Song".