Water Signs: A Story of Love and Renewal - Page 83/169

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Back in her Ocean City bedroom, Madeline wiped away a tear as she

struggled to come to terms with life as it stood right now. Why were men so

unbelievably hurtful? First Jake, then Ken and now Jim-not to mention

Gary. In each case, she'd been simply minding her own business, focused

on enjoying the moment, not even consciously seeking male

companionship. And when her natural exuberance attracted them, she'd

behaved as a lady should, allowing them to pursue, while graciously

accepting dates without a hint of coyness.

Unlike many others she knew, Madeline lacked the innate ability and

burning desire required to effectively play head games and put on

pretensions; that kind of childish, inauthentic behavior repulsed her. All

she wanted was the love and devotion of a good man who would

appreciate her for who she was. And when Ken came along, it appeared

the search was over. But sadly, he turned out to be no different from the

rest.

Maddy reclined on her twin bed, staring up at the ceiling fan. God

knew, she was trying! Trying to uncover the hidden meaning in these

experiences, searching for the lessons the experts on her motivational

tapes assured her existed in every happenstance-which of course, was a

misnomer since nothing in the Universe occurred at random. On the

contrary, every seeming coincidence was actually a planned and

purposeful event meant to aid in one's soul progression. Her job was to

locate the underlying pattern so she could shift her awareness and create

the life she always dreamed of. And while all of this sure sounded good in

theory, in practice it was downright exhausting.

Her mind wandered back to a sunny early-summer afternoon when

she'd cold called another insurance company in the Rosetree Corporate

Center. Impeccably dressed for business in a navy and white pinstripe suit,

Maddy had approached the "gatekeeper"-a friendly, middle-aged

administrative assistant-to determine the competition and ascertain her

agency's chances at filling personnel positions at this particular

organization.

Engrossed in friendly chatter, she barely noticed the dark-haired

gentleman who passed her by on his way back to his office, though he did

call out a greeting to his fellow co-worker before closing the door behind

him. And though she hadn't so much as said hello to this man, later on

back at her place of employment she received an unexpected delivery-a

gorgeous bouquet of white roses similar to the ones Ken had brought her

on New Year's Eve.

Although they hadn't been properly introduced, the insurance guy-

whose name was Gary Snyder-had tracked down her business card after

she'd left. In the attached note, he'd expressed a sincere desire to get to

know her. Touched by the gesture, Maddy called to thank him with

genuine appreciation, initiating a series of promising dates that seemed to

be headed in the right direction-until one fateful night in Ocean City

poured icy cold water on her renewed relationship hopes.

He'd invited her to come by his summer rental, which had been

conveniently located on West Avenue, just a few blocks away from the

Rose home. An ebullient Maddy drove to the Shore after work with an

optimistic attitude, imagining a fun-filled weekend spent in Gary's

company. Instead, she got the brush-off. When she arrived at his place as

planned, an aloof and hostile Gary rudely cancelled their evening and

practically escorted her out the door with the dubious claim of having to

pick up his drunken roommate in Sea Isle.

A dejected Maddy was left to explain what happened to her

sympathetic and angry mother a few minutes later, when she arrived back

at the house.

"You know, I just don't understand these guys," Monica had sighed.

"Join the club," Maddy responded, before her mother tried to lighten

the mood with talk of her daughter's goodness and her fervent belief that

God had a special guy in mind for her; it was simply a matter of time.