Sharon K Schiller

Boondoggle Sharon K Schiller

Natalie Strawn, a single empty-nester recovers in her apartment after her rebound from a lamp post located on the corner of Second and Sycamore near the Historic Climbing Rose Hotel. She experiences existential loneliness despite the visitation of her adult children during Christmas, as her brief but intense romance with Brian Bronson had chilled like winter sleet. After the New Year, she follows the advice of Tiffany's sister Barbara, a social worker, and goes into talk therapy with a real psychiatrist in the newly-refurbished Veteran's Administration outpatient clinic. The people around Natalie think she is suffering from severe depression, but Natalie feels it is nothing that abnormal, but more a problem with her surroundings and an unfair system which keeps people in poverty rather than allowing them to naturally thrive. Natalie moves into a manufactured home park on the west side of Wheatville at the suggestion of her mother Sophia, who helps her out by buying an inexpensive mobile home and has her pay space rent. There Natalie befriends her neighbor Celia, who is also receiving disability, but makes extra money in activities considered immoral or possibly illegal. Celia later gets in trouble and dies being held in the county jail. In a state of grief, Natalie goes to the visitor area in the county jail and holds a personal rosary vigil on a padded waiting bench. Bella, who had considered Natalie her foe, shows up during break from her job at Parks and Recreation. Natalie informs Bella that the woman who died in jail the past weekend was Natalie's friend Celia, and Bella feels guilty because she had caused a scene outside the food bank with Natalie and Celia and had phoned the sheriff's deputy, blaming the disturbance on them. Bella and Natalie, both in a state of loneliness and grief, agree to meet for coffee on Saturday, and become good friends. They make a pact to help each other find ideal mates, and embark on a weekend adventure to Seaport which involves Natalie seeing Brian Bronson as well as some other legendary rock and roll radio deejays at a radio museum which displays old broadcasting equipment. This book, as well as others in the series, contains graphic literary descriptions of sexual encounters. There is no visual pornography as well as any illustrations in any of the three books of the series.