Beverly Louise Oliver-farrell

The Songbird / Volume One Beverly Louise Oliver-farrell

"The Songbird / Volume One" "The Parking lot to the beach was empty. Spring was working its magic; The air was warmer than usual with a good breeze. Everyone had Spring fever, and he was glad he had chosen one of the smaller beaches. Some early sun worshippers were sure to be checking the shores. He sat in this car and looked out at the water. Dusk was coloring the sky, but there was still enough light to enjoy the view. Whitecaps rolled into shore. This is really nice, he said out loud. The ocean's distinctive smell followed the breeze in through the car's open window and he decided to get out and walk. This was definitely a good move, he thought as he walked toward the beach area. Standing on a small knoll, he caught sight of someone in the distance near the water. It must be a girl. Her long hair would be caught in the breeze and she would turn deliberately and let it fan out behind her. It looked like a dance as she turned toward the wind and let her hair fly in it. As he watched her, he thought that she must do this often because her movements were like a rehearsed dance. Turning and slowly walking in the wind, she moved along the shore. She moved nearer to where he was, but he was far enough back from the shore to allow her some privacy. He could barely distinguish anything about her except the long hair in the wind. He smiled to himself thinking how his life was so exciting that he was actually enjoying watching a girl dance in the wind. The thought suddenly struck him that he shoudn't be so obvious about it. Since becoming a medical student, he felt he had to be conscious of everything he did. What did it look like? Was it proper? Being in medicine sometimes felt like he was in a huge cage that got smaller and smaller. He kicked the toe of his shoe into the soft sand and looked up. "Oh shit," he thought. She had stopped dancing and was looking right at him. "Nice going Doctor," he said to himself, turning to walk away from her on the beach in the opposite direction. He could hear running footsteps behind him. "I hope its a jogger and that they run past me." He pleaded to the air. The last thing he wanted was to have a confrontation with a girl over invasion of privacy and beach rights. "Dr. Chang?"" The Songbird is a story about Jeniel, a young woman from a small town in Nebraska who believed in fairy tales, a prince charming, and happy endings. She goes on a quest to find herself before the "conveyor belt" of responsibility forces her to accept a lesser existence. In her quest for superlative, she almost destroys herself and the lives of those around her. Jeneil works in the records department of a New England hospital. She finds her Prince Charming in Peter, a Chinese gang kid from the streets of New York's Chinatown, who is a doctor in his final year of residency. The Songbird is their LOVE story. Add Steve, Peter's best friend, also a doctor finishing his residency to the mix, and Peter's Grandfather who teaches Peter about The Songbird and you have the fundamental beginnings of one hell of a story. The Songbird is a story of love, communication, murder, mystery, danger, betrayal, suspense, honesty and dignity, and a look at life which covers the trials of human relationships. It is steeped in a reality that will cause everyone who reads The Songbird to identify with their own life experiences and share a oneness with the characters. The author has laid out The Songbird from beginning to end, stacking one incident on top of another like a set of logo blocks, carefully interlocking the past, present, and future together in a not so perfect world. The author, who leaves clues and dangles unanswered questions throughout The Songbird is very adept in navigating the reader through a maze of twists and turns and surprises in tying it together, yet is able to keep the end of the story a secret until the closing pages. You may have trouble turning out the light with this one.