Meet Butch Addison: Strength in Differences? Or Maybe not
Blogger’s note: As I get ready to launch Operation Javelin, I want to share a little bit more about the characters you’ll be reading about. Today, you get to meet Butch Addison, Shelly’s boyfriend, and hear what’s on his mind as he heads to the Big Island to see Shelly.
I’m supposed to tell you where I stand? Right here on the soil of Last Chance Ranch outside of Flagstaff. Hah. I know. Call me smart mouth. Seriously, it’s December here in Flagstaff. Feels like it too. At least I know I’m headed for Christmas in paradise. That’s right. I’m going to go and hang out for a couple of weeks with Shelly.
Lots of folks probably call us the Odd Couple. And believe me when I say that when I first met her over four years ago, it definitely was not love at first sight. When I first saw Shelly, her curls were a frizzy mess, she wore frumpy clothes, and she didn’t seem to know how to act around me. Call me shallow, but I’m a guy, meaning I’m a visual creature.
We’re also different in educational background. I mean, she finished high school at twelve, college at sixteen, and got her doctorate at twenty-one. Me? Well, I barely finished high school. Turns out I had undiagnosed dyslexia. And a classroom just ain’t for me either. Yeah, I did wind up getting an associate degree in business at a local community college because I realized I needed some sort of education to manage and run a small business. And I spent ten years in the Army where a lot of learning was tactile. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that she would even be interested in me. That’s how she crept past my defenses.
We became great friends. For all of her braininess, Shelly has a compassion about her that I love, a zest for life that enthralls me, and a gift of painting that’s created much beautiful artwork. Then she really caught my attention when our friends, Sana and Suleiman, married. Shelly was the maid of honor, and she confessed to me later that Sana told her bridesmaids to focus on her and not the bride. Like I said, we guys are visual creatures We went out a week later, and after that, I was putty in her hands. That Christmas, I gave her a diamond heart necklace to let her know where I stood. With her.
Yeah, so now I’m headed out to the Big Island tomorrow. I’ve missed her these past few months, but I know she’s enjoyed her time working there. I loved visiting her over Thanksgiving, and the second after I returned to Flagstaff, I started counting the days until I could see her again. Of course, we’ve talked since then. Something seems off with her, and I can’t figure it out. Maybe I’m imagining it. We’ll see when I spend some time with her.
Question: Shelly hinted that something is bothering her. How can Butch pull it out of her?
No Comments