by R. J. Blacks
The two-dozen guests, friends, cousins, neighbors, and those that came out of respect for Fargo, have all departed, leaving us alone, to ponder the day’s events in solitude.
I am comforted, in a strange sort of way, by the conviction that Will is free at last, unencumbered by the problems of the world, free to dance among the clouds, and free to be with his own people, his ancestors, until such time the earth itself ceases to exist.
We get about halfway to the Jeep and then Fargo gently takes my hand and stops. I turn to face him and see him gazing at me.
“Do you have to leave so soon?” he asks.
“I start Monday.”
“Could you put it off for a while?”
“Well, I suppose I could request an extra week or two.”
“I was thinking more like... forever.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If you think about it, we’re alike in a lot of ways,” he says.
“I can think of a lot of ways we’re not alike,” I answer.
“Well, we both have a passion for the natural world. We both have no family to go back to. And today, we both lost someone we dearly love.”
“What are you saying?” I ask.
“I’m saying... I don’t want you to leave.”
I feel speechless for a moment. Fargo has never before given me even the tiniest inclination he wanted me around, in fact, I always felt like an outcast, an irritant to his structured life, like a spec of sand in an oyster shell.
“What would I do here?”
“Does it matter?”
I lock eyes with him, and suddenly, the realization rushes into my brain how stupid I’ve been. All those things I’ve struggled for, over the last decade, the luxury cars, the big home, the designer clothes, and the exotic vacations, these were all eye candy, a distraction from what I really wanted. And what I really wanted was right here, at arm’s length, and even if it cost me my six-figure job, I would gain a lifetime of experiences beyond my wildest dreams, and more importantly, a lifetime of love.
And at that moment, that very moment, I knew, with absolute certaintivity, my life with Fargo would be good, very-very good!
The End
List of Characters
In Order of Appearance
Name Description
1) Indigo Wells......................Protagonist
2) Ben....................................Benjamin Franklin Statue
3) Will Dane (Franklin)..........Homeless Man
4) Dr. Logan Smith................Professor of Microbiology
5) Dean Haas........................Dean of the University
6) Eldridge Broadhampton....CEO of Global World Ind.
7) Ellis Grimes.......................Chief Counsel for GWI
8) Sid.....................................Restaurant Owner
9) Stan...................................Engineering Student
10) Rafael Eduardo Torroja.....Doctor at General Hospital
11) Dr. Jessica Parker..............PhD at Gainesville University
12) Carl...................................Car Salesman in Philadelphia
13) Damon..............................Psycho Killer
14) Rajesh Patel......................Motel Proprietor
15) Dr. Brad Kelly....................Owner of Alligator Farm
16) Katy Robertson.................Reporter at KTV News.
17) Fargo Dane.......................Will’s Brother
18) Detective John Bolt..........Detective, State Police
19) Judy Swass, Esquire..........Lawyer for GWI
20) Dr. Doug Carpenter...........Owner of Semi-Environmental
21) Berkeley Janson, Esq........Lawyer - Plaintiff
22) Dr. Tom Benson................Chief Scientist - GWI
23) Kevin Stewart....................Victim of Alligator attack.
24) George Stewart.................Victim’s Father.
25) Victoria Stewart................Victim’s Mother
26) Sandy Harris......................Victim’s Girlfriend
27) Clarence Fullbright............Lawyer - Defendant
28) The Judge (No name)........Judge at trial in Baltimore
29) Bailiff (No name)..............Bailiff at trial in Baltimore
30) Jim Bateman.....................Reporter, Orlando Sun.
31) Pam..................................Police Investigator
32) Trish..................................Fargo’s ex-wife.
.
About The Author
R.J. Blacks started his career in Philadelphia as an engineer, creating high-tech components for the space industry. His designs have been launched on many commercial satellites and were an integral part of the Mars Exploration Rover Missions which began in 2003. His passion for writing started at an early age and was expressed in articles written for technical journals. He was commended by the Hewlett Packard Company for a tutorial he wrote on the advanced operation of special test equipment. He currently lives in Florida with his wife of 26 years. This is his first novel.
.
About The Writing
The reader of this novel, Alligator Park, will probably notice it is written in first person present, rather than the traditional third person past tense. Why is that?
When I consulted the handbooks of some well-known authorities on writing, they acknowledged that third person past is by far the most widely used point of view for fiction. But they also pointed out that the first person point of view can provide a better sense of intimacy, and that was the effect I wanted to exude. I wanted the reader to feel like they were there, watching it happen, as the story played out.
Unfortunately, first person present is far more difficult to implement. For instance, the only thing the reader can know is what the narrator knows, and the narrator can only know what he or she has personally seen or been told. That can present some problems for the writer.
Nonetheless, I have always liked a challenge, so I experimented with first person present on the first few chapters to see if I could pull it off. As the story progressed, and I had not reached any major stumbling blocks, I continued to use it. And such is the result.
.
cer-tain-tiv-i-ty
noun
the state or extent of being certain
.
To The Reader
This book has been checked, and rechecked, at least a dozen times before publication. But with 135,000 words, it is possible, and in fact likely, that one or more errors have slipped through. We apologize for the inconvenience.
If you do spot a mistake, we would appreciate hearing about it. Please email us at the address shown on the copyright page. Thank you for your assistance.
