Pat Ritter. Books

[patritter]

'Dynamic OMR Stories' - Story 17:

My Least Favourite Restaurant

Without a doubt – McDonalds. Although their franchise is one of the largest in the world, I hate going to McDonalds. My reason is fast food, quick service, and cost.
To give you an example let me share with you a story when I take my grandson to McDonalds. I'm inadequate to order the food because of my age. I don't understand the choices. Therefore I tell my grandson, 'order what you want.' He doesn't worry about the cost because he's not paying.
With a flurry of words, clearly understandable to him, he recites from the menu which I haven't a clue what he's ordered. The person standing behind the cash register interprets his order without a blink of an eye, 'do you want fries with that?' The cashier added.
The cashier says, 'that'll be forty-four dollars and twenty cents.'
'What!' My mind gushed with astonishment. Withdrawing my plastic card from my wallet and slide it into the grove of the machine.
'Do you require any cash?' The teenager behind the desk asked.
'No, thank you, only the food.' I answered with tongue in cheek.
'Your account and password,' the teenager completes the transaction finishing the order to ask the customer standing next to me for their order. They don't let grass grow under their feet.
Within seconds our order is delivered. Do we stay inside to eat our calorie induced food or take it with us? We decide to stay indoors; this way at least I'll be able to read the local newspaper while I eat my order of fish fillet with no chips combined with a vanilla thick shake.
My grandson golloped his food down in a couple of mouthfuls, 'Pop, can I go to the playground?' I nod between eating my fish burger, slurping on the vanilla thick shake and reading the newspaper. He's gone faster than Flash Gordon.
What did we do before McDonalds came along? We had our local fish and chip shop when we purchased as many chips to feed an army, wrapped in newspaper and pay only sixpence. This became our Saturday outing for my mate and me.
How times have changed with drive through service, coupled with not leaving your motor vehicle, to receiving home service delivery either over the internet or telephone.
We can't escape this phenomenon of fast food in today's society, but please it would be nice to slow down a little to smell the fat and feel grease run down your arm after purchasing hot chips wrapped in a newspaper with one end torn open. The heat of the chips burn when your fingers grab one to place in your mouth. They were the days.
Word count: 453
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[patritter]

'Dynamic OMR Stories' - Story 18:


My Life As A Former Alcoholic

This is not a confession. I admit I am an alcoholic. You understand one cannot be a former alcoholic, because as the saying goes, one drink is too many and a thousand not enough. I tried many times to stop drinking alcohol but fortunately at the age of twenty-eight years old on 13th January 1977 I drank my last drink of alcohol.
Although this is a long time on the wagon from not falling off, since that day my life changed forever. At twelve years old I drank my first glass of beer, cold, straight from the wooden keg, to my lips. This sent a direct message to my brain to tell me how good it was. Within the next hour I was pissed out of my mind.
Three years later I celebrated entering the workforce by again cold beer entered my mouth, drain down my throat and into my stomach. An electronic circuit from my taste buds direct to my brain by-passed my organs and stomach. Within consuming three drinks, I became drunk.
Over the next thirteen years I consumed more beer, on a regular basis, to fill Sydney Harbour three times over. I loved the stuff and it liked me. These periods of drinking placed me into another world, a safer world where I could be myself. At the time my drinking effected my wife and two children.
I put my wife through hell. Never abusive or threatening, only thinking I needed one more drink. We were always the first to attend a party and the last to leave, me pissed out of my brain. Something needed to give. I was headed for a car crash.
On the morning of 13th January 1977 my wife threatened to leave me and take the children if I didn't do something about my drinking. Honestly, it never occurred to me I had a drinking problem. My mother always put up with my father's drinking. My wife wasn't my mother. Standing upright I said, 'I promise you I will never drink again!' Beer hasn't passed my lips since that morning I made the promise to my wife.
Changes needed to be made and my change to stop drinking alcohol immediately, 'what was I going to do with myself', echoed through my mind, 'my mates drink and they go to the hotel. 'What am I going to do, drink soft drink.'
An alcoholic angel sat on my shoulder the morning I asked the publican to give me a non-alcoholic drink. He poured a clayton's tonic. This drink saved not only my marriage but more important my life. I had a substitute drink which was non-alcoholic.
Years passed and I continued to drink clayton's tonic still continuing my usual life. This time I didn't frequent the hotel as much as I used to. Eventually I never attended the hotel and worked to broaden my life skills. Before I stopped drinking alcohol I thought there wasn't anything left in life but to drink and get drunk.
At aged forty-three years old I answered an advertisement to be an 'Alcohol and Drug Counsellor.' My alcoholic angel sat on my shoulder that faithful day because I got the job. Little did I realise at the time this journey led me to understand 'why' I became an alcoholic.
I worked at the coal face of intoxication counselling people, men and women, seeing their demise of one day having the world at their feet and next hit the slippery side to reach the bottom of existence. Witnessing people go into spasms, shaking, screaming, sweating and finally collapse. In my heart I wanted to help these people, however, like myself many years before the penny never dropped.
Questions raced through my mind, how did I do it? I was lucky my wife wasn't co-dependent, she realised if I didn't stop drinking our marriage was over. This didn't answer my question. What caused me to drink in the first instant? I studied the affects of alcohol on a human being. These learnings showed me I'd leant how to drink alcohol at an early age. Reason for drinking so young became apparent, I wanted my father to know I was worthwhile. I'm not saying my father caused me to become an alcoholic, only his actions toward me wanting his love. Unfortunately, from the beginning I was on a flogging to nothing to receive his love because I learned many years later, he didn't possess the skills or knowledge to tell me he loved me.
I became a Rescuer. A person who always wanted to rescue others. At forty-five years of age I finally threw the shackles of this Rescuer tag from my shoulders with the help of my wife to understand why I become an alcoholic. This became one of the best days of my life!
Word count:813
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[patritter]

'Dynamic OMR Stories' - Story 19:

New Years Solution

Normally people work on resolutions for a new year, like for instance, reduce weight; cut back on their alcohol consumption and many other resolutions. This year however I’m looking at a New Year Solution.
This year I intend to win lotto or pools. Now you may ask what solution I’ve come to solve in selecting the winning numbers. I’m pleased you asked.
Weekly Gold Lotto’s played and drawn each Saturday night. Sunday morning bright and early I turn on my computer, select Golden Casket website to see the Saturday night draw. On Monday afternoon I again check on Golden Casket website to see the draw for Pools.
One good thought always runs through my mind – if I’m not in it I can’t win! How to win is the solution. This year commencing from the first draw of the year I entered twelve games of Gold Lotto and twelve games of Pools, which in the first week won sufficient money to place the similar games for the following week.
To give myself a winning chance, I need all of the luck of the Irish to win, I print out the most frequent numbers from the Golden Casket website. Once these numbers are printed, I select from the most drawn numbers and use these numbers in the twelve games I play.
For instance, number 8 in Saturday night Lotto been drawn more times than any other number since Gold Lotto commenced.
I select number 8 as my main number to have in each game. From there I select numbers which have been most frequently drawn to the least drawn to make up the twelve games thereby I’ve selected each number possible.
This way I believe I’m giving my chance of winning better odds than selecting random numbers. No one has a foolproof plan, only wish I am on the right track and lady luck rides on my numbers each week.
Since this is my New Year Solution, I look into the crystal ball for 2014 and see what I’d do with the winnings. You’ve got to have blind faith in what you do otherwise why do it!
Naturally I’d share the winnings with my life partner, than split some winnings with my two adult children. I’m certain they’d each love me more if I handed them a huge amount of money. For myself, I don’t need much money. The thought of my numbers coming home would be sufficient or perhaps a new motor vehicle or something like that would satisfy me.
I’ve read about people winning huge amounts of money when after a couple of years they’re back to where they started before they won. I’d like to have the feeling of knowing my New Year Solution worked out so I could continue it into next year.
Word count:479
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'Dynamic OMR Stories' - Story 20:


Old Habits Die Hard

Recently I visited a friend for morning tea at her home. ‘Good morning Jean,’ I said as a welcome and hugged her, ‘you wouldn’t have the lotto numbers from last night?’ I asked taking a seat at the dinning room table.
‘Look behind you on the tray,’ she continued making morning tea. I stretched behind reached for sheets of paper clipped together with lotto coupons on top. ‘They should be there.’
‘What are all these coupons?’ I inquired.
‘Don’t worry Pat, I take lotto games whenever it’s played, they are the numbers for five weeks at a time, the numbers from last night’s lotto on the top coupon.’ She repeated whilst she filled the cups and saucers on the table with fresh steaming tea.
I gazed at the numbers and the thickness of the coupons, ‘do you take entries in each lotto game?’ I said wondering why my lotto numbers didn’t win.
‘Each time lotto is played I have an entry.’ She shared.
‘Lucky they don’t play lotto on a Friday or Sunday.’ I joked, thinking of the cost Jean must pay for these entries
‘When I check each coupon at the newsagency, I get a thrill to win any prize,’ a smile came across her aged face, ‘what else can an old lady of my age get a thrill out of these days.’
‘What’ll happen if you ever win the big one?’ I ask sipping my tea and eating a piece of bun Jean sliced and left on a plate on the table.
‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful?’ She exclaimed smiling to herself. If one could’ve seen the vision in her mind no doubt would’ve showed how pleased she was to think she’d win the big one. ‘My nieces and nephews would be happy. Anyway, what else am I going to do with my money, I love playing lotto and you know Pat, if you’re not in it, you can’t win!’
After farewelling Jean I thought of her plight to win lotto. My senses wished her the best of luck and thought of my own desire to win first prize. Instantly my mind went from thinking about Jean to my own plight.
What would I do if I won lotto? A feeling of happiness flooded my mind seeing dollars instantly placed into my bank account. What are the chances? Then I considered how long I’d gambled through my life, which started at an early age of twelve until the present day.
Would I ever stop gambling or playing lotto? I don’t think so because old habits die hard.
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'Dynamic OMR Stories' - Story 21:

Possession Is Nine Tenths Of The Law

On my twelfth birthday I received a football. This football went everywhere with me, to each game I played with my friends, even to bed. I loved this football.
In those times we didn’t need to brand our name on each item we owned because we trusted others not to steal our property. In my case one morning I awoke to find my football missing. I searched high and low failing to find my football.
Throughout the day I searched for this football. I’d recognise the stitching along the top, partly broken. No matter where I searched, my football couldn’t be found. I’d lost my best friend.
One afternoon, soon afterward, I visited a friend who lived not far from where we lived. Inside their outside laundry, a football. My friends weren’t home. In my mind; and gut feeling, this is my football, I thought.
Up until this point in my life I’d never stolen anything. Each Sunday attending Sunday School after church service, our Minister drilled into our minds stealing is one of the Ten Commandants and we would be sent to the fires of hell if we broke any of these commandants.
Deciding to take this football, I said to myself, ‘if I burn in hell, then so be it.’ I picked the football up in my hands, tucked the football under my arm and casually walked from my friend’s laundry to the side of their home.
With all my power I kicked the football across the road and to stop on the other side. I walked across the road, picked up the football and walked home. I had my football back safe in my bedroom.
Was this my football? I couldn’t tell if it was mine, it did look similar to the one I had and I believed this one to be the same as the one I’d lost.
For days afterwards when I meet my friends from whom I’d taken the football, nothing was said. To my relief I never again seen them nor heard any other person suggest I stole a football from them.
When everything was said and done I believed in my heart this was my football and possession is nine tenths of the law so I took personal ownership of it.
Word count:389
IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE OF THESE STORIES CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/501597.

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'Dynamic OMR Stories' - Story 22:

Runaway Lovers

My wife lost her fight with cancer two years before. After her passing I never intended to find anyone else. I’ll never forget a fortnight before she died; she said to me, ‘I want you to find someone else’. I couldn’t believe my ears. Fate has a funny way of directing us where to go.
After thirty-one years of marriage, being in love, worshipping the ground she walked on; another lady came into my life. She lost her husband only ten weeks after my wife passed on. I couldn’t believe my feelings toward this person. Was I falling in love again!
We declared our love for one another in a solemn moment of honesty and declaration. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever consider meeting another person to fall in love. I was happy to live my life alone.
Being in love again felt wholesome and divine to place my mind on another planet, this love rocketed through me like erupting volcano sending lava of love through my body and placing me on cloud nine.
We were adults. Our next stage of our relationship to share our declaration with our families, to tell each of our adult children, two each, how we found one another and fell in love.
Although at first each family member appeared overjoyed with our happiness, either didn’t condone our relationship, however, they didn’t jump with joy to witness their parents falling in love with another person, at their age.
We took their feelings on the chin. After three months into our relationship we decided to give our children time to accept our relationship and to ‘runaway’.
Where should we go? Who cares as long as we’re together and have a great time? Over the next couple of months we travelled the eastern side of Australia visited places neither of us had ever been before. This became bliss, no care, no worries and in love.
I remember one morning about two weeks into our journey when my new partner received a telephone call from her son, ‘where are you Mom?’
‘Overlooking Bass Strait on the northern end of Tasmania,’ my lover answered. I knew at that moment our running away wasn’t in vain. We’d accepted one another for who we are and intended to live the life we wanted.
This event happened eight and a half years ago and we’ve runaway many times since and enjoyed each time. Our children have ‘got used’ to their aged parents finding love at their ‘old’ age and if they can’t accept this love for us then too bad, we’ll runaway again.
Word count:438
IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE OF THESE STORIES CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/501597.

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'Dynamic OMR Stories' - Story 23:

Santa's Secret

Over the past sixty-six years I've been fascinated how Santa delivers presents to each child across the world in one night. Way back as far as I care to remember, probably my sixth Christmas I waited until twelve midnight for Santa to place a gift under the Christmas Tree.
Before he arrived at my home he must've sprinkled sleeping dust because I slept through the whole visit without seeing him. He'd drank the glass of milk I left and ate the biscuit I placed on a plate beside the milk. Next morning when I awoke to find a present under the Christmas tree addressed to me from him. Over the years Santa never appeared. I must be nice for him to leave a present I wanted?
What was his secret? How did he deliver all of those presents to children across the globe in one single night? I took it upon myself to find the solution to this puzzling question. First I searched to find his home. The North Pole I discovered after much reading. We didn't have computers in my day so I visited the local library to seek out where the North Pole is located.
Santa's Secret became my obsession. Where he lived and once a year left his home with his reindeers headed by his favourite, Rudolph to deliver presents throughout the night to all homes. Before I went to bed on Christmas night I searched the sky for Santa and Rudolph. To no avail he must've been delivering his presents on the other side of the world and would reach my home before I woke next morning.
As clear as clockwork the next morning there under our Christmas tree my present. How am I going to solve this problem? On the 25th December each year exactly the same happened after I went to bed to wake the following morning. The present under the tree. Didn't matter we moved houses and lived in a different city or town, exactly the same happened each year.
Growing older didn't make any difference for once a year my present would be found under the Christmas tree after Santa's visit the night before. At fifteen years old I thought I had the answer when around midnight on Christmas Eve I awoke to find presents under the Christmas tree. Someone left these presents. A shadow of a person left the room where the Christmas tree stood in the corner. I jumped from my bed to meet my father who walked towards his bedroom.
'What are you doing up this late?' His question puzzled me. I could ask him the same.
'I wanted to see Santa before he left.' My mind became suspicious when I noticed remains of milk around his mouth.
'He's come and gone and told me to drink the glass of milk and eat the biscuit you left him. If you go outside you may catch him flying home.'
I rushed outside and looked up into the sky. To my amazement a bright light far away shone brightly and thought to myself, that must be him. If only I'd got out of bed a couple of minutes earlier. I returned to bed and dreamed of my present from Santa.
Many years later after I married and had a family of my own I remembered the night I almost seen Santa. Thinking back to that particular night I thought of my father's actions and his belief to show me there was a Santa and he visited all of the children in the world. I still had a grave concern on how did he visit each child on Christmas Eve.
Recently I found my answer which has puzzled me since I was six years old. On television there is an advertisement showing Santa sitting comfortably in his chair after delivering his presents to all of the children in the world. Mrs Claus asked him, 'how did you deliver all of those present?'
He replied, 'I bought a Jeep.'
After sixty-six years I finally found my answer to Santa's Secret.
Word count: 682
IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE OF THESE STORIES CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/501597.