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    Kathryn's Summer
    Kathryn's Summer
    Kathryn's Summer
    Ebook108 pages1 hour

    Kathryn's Summer

    By Jim Ricca

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    About this ebook

    Anyone who has ever experienced a first love at the very tender age of thirteen will certainly identify with this story of two shy teenagers. Unsure of their emotions, but positive they’re feeling a brand new sensation and not quite knowing how to deal with it, they embark on that first, bittersweet journey into the unknown world of hope, friendship and love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJim Ricca
    Release dateOct 10, 2013
    ISBN9781301635153
    Kathryn's Summer
    Author

    Jim Ricca

    Jim was born and raised in Philadelphia, and lived there until drafted into the Army in 1971. He served a total of 18 years between the active Army and reserves as a Military Policeman, Artillery forward observer and in the Mechanized Infantry. He attended college on the GI bill and earned a B.A. in Political Science, International Relations from LaSalle University. He held middle and senior level management positions in the transportation, printing/publishing industries and plastics manufacturing field. Jim also served several years as a Special Agent/Special Investigator for a Federal agency. Jim is the author of the four book, Circle of Wounded Souls series, in addition to, Legacies; an American Journey, Hunting and Hunted in Alaska, The four book Alien's Reward series with Journey to Another Earth. In addition to, Der Schatten Teufel, The Shadow Devil, and Running Down Terror has been released along with: The Replacement Priest, and Escape from the Asylum. Jim resides in Maryland's Eastern Shore where he divides his time between writing and fishing the Chesapeake Bay and surf fishing along the shore..

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      Book preview

      Kathryn's Summer - Jim Ricca

      Kathryn’s Summer

      By Jim and Cheryl Ricca

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2013 Jim Ricca

      Smashword Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

      This book is available in print at most online retailers

      Preface

      Some people realize too late that being tough isn’t about how much pain and suffering you can inflict on others; it’s about how much pain and suffering you can take, and then come back for more with your spirits intact and your head held high.

      This book was written for my favorite niece, thirteen year old, Kathryn Way; the toughest person I’ve ever met.

      Chapter One

      Bongiovanni Boffolino had two serious problems, or at least they’d be considered serious by any 14 year old boy.

      First; he was madly in love with a beautiful young lady who rode her horse across the meadow on her daily outings. He’d surreptitiously watch her from a distance, admiring her long blonde hair, beautiful smiling face and skill at handling the big horse.

      His second problem was simple; he had no idea who she was, and he was too shy to approach her.

      Normally, most young men would just satisfy themselves with quietly observing their dream girl, and then eventually get over it and move on to other more exciting pursuits, like fishing and hunting or finding ways to earn money so they could go fishing and hunting. But Biff, as his buddies called him, was smitten with the distant young lady on horseback and no amount of teasing or enticements by his friends could change his mind. The kid was stuck and there was nothing anyone could or would do about it.

      After spending several hours each day for over a month standing in the heavy underbrush on the edge of his fathers property, just to catch a brief glimpse of the blonde; he decided to ask his good buddy, Wacky Thompson for some advice.

      Wacky wasn’t his real name; it was given to him by the guys in the neighborhood after he’d pulled off a few really crazy stunts several summers back. Everybody’s parents warned their kids to stay away from Eustace Filbert because of his propensity to get into trouble. But all the guys in the neighborhood knew him to be a good guy, and could always be counted on to come up with at least one or two things to do that would be fun. So one day while they were fishing down at the creek, Biff decided to ask for help.

      Hey Wacky, Biff said quietly after casting out his line, I need your advice on something that’s been bothering me for the last couple of months. Biff knew Wacky was smarter than most kids his age and his advice was always sound and well thought out.

      Wacky turned to his life-long friend and replied, Is it about the girl on the horse?

      Biff looked back at his buddy with wide-eyed amazement, and while he scratched his arms, he replied, Yeah man; I don’t know what I’m going to do about her. I can’t stop watching her ride, and she’s so darn pretty that I want to meet her something awful. But I can’t bring myself to walk out there to talk to her.

      The first thing you have to do Biff, Wacky responded, Is to stop hiding in that poison ivy patch. No girl is going to want to talk to a guy who spends most of his time scratching him self. She’ll think you have fleas or something.

      I didn’t notice it was poison ivy until it was too late, Wack, Biff stated as he stared at the prominent red rash on his arms.

      Then, you shouldn’t try to talk to her after you just finished cleaning the manure out of your dad’s cattle and pig pens. I got to tell ya buddy; she would smell you coming from a mile away, even if you’re upwind.

      But that’s when she takes her ride. I don’t have time to get changed and showered after I’m done my chores if I want to see her. Biff was exasperated that the chores around his dad’s small farm had to be done first thing in the morning, and there was no way he could get around them. He was the last of his family’s 4 boys left at home. All of his older brothers had joined the Army or the Marines to get away from the hard work required of living on a small cattle and pig farm.

      Do you know where she lives?

      I don’t even know her name, let alone her address.

      Maybe we can follow her one day and find out? Wacky was silent a moment and then continued, We can team up to see where she goes. You said she always rides in one direction and never comes back past your observation post. We could follow her horses’ tracks across the meadow as soon as she gets out of sight so she won’t know we’re following her. And if we’re fast on our feet, we might even be able to follow her from a distance.

      That’s a great idea, Wack! Biff remarked as he jerked on his pole and pulled in a small bluegill. While he was removing the hook from its mouth, he turned to his buddy and said, We can do it tomorrow if you can come over at 10:00 because she’ll ride by at 10:30.

      That night, the area was hit by a very strong thunderstorm which unleashed torrents of heavy rain and hailstones, along with thousands of lightning strikes. In addition to numerous bolts of lightening striking the trees, houses and industrial buildings; one particularly big and long lasting one struck a grave in a nearby long abandoned cemetery. The long, brilliant tendril of electricity seemed to linger on the burial site of Günter Grievous; a man who had originally been sentenced to hang for murdering, and then eating his entire family over two hundred years ago. But just as the sheriff set the noose around his neck, a bolt of lightening came out of the blue and fried him on the spot. He was buried that same day in a plain pine box with no grave marker. Ever since then, no grass or even weeds would grow on his gravesite.

      Biff was just finishing his chores when Wacky rode into the yard on his custom, off-road bike, which he’d built himself. The two-wheeler had the front forks extended by a good six inches; an 18 inch tire bolted to it without a fender, and he steered it with a set of ape-hangar handlebars he’d salvaged from his brother’s old motorcycle. The frame was an old English racer with a 28 inch tire on the back. He claimed the little tire in front and the big tire in back made the bike go faster since it was always going downhill. Biff proved him wrong as soon as Wacky showed him his pride and joy, but they both agreed to call it Suicide II since Wacky never figured out how to attach brakes to it.

      The boys rushed to the barn where Biff changed out of his stinking coveralls and into a pair of shorts and a fresh T-shirt. He kicked off his manure-covered work-boots and slipped into what he called, High-performance sandals, which were nothing more than a pair of sneakers with the toes and heels worn away. Then Biff rolled out his own off-road bike that looked suspiciously like a 1950’s Schwinn with two coil springs to cushion the front fork. It was his oldest brother’s and since he was unlikely to ever ride it again, Biff took the liberty of repainting it with whatever paint he found in the barn. He called it camouflage, but Wacky and his buddies claimed it looked more like someone had left it leaning against a wall, where several busy, but drunken graffiti artists failed to notice it.

      You still smell like pig-poop, buddy, Wacky stated with a wrinkled nose as they pedaled across the field to a new hide-out Biff found.

      The wind will blow it off in a while, so don’t worry your pretty little head about it, dude. Biff was in a hurry to get to his hide and pedaled the big, heavy bike across the bumpy field. I even borrowed my dad’s binoculars so we can get a better look at her.

      They parked their bikes in some tall grass and ran to hide behind a big

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