Jack is thirty-five and single once again. He is not, as he as quick to point out, going through a midlife crisis. Still, it would be nice to have a partner.<br><br>So he sets out on an adventure to find the one-time love of his life, Bing, a man he hasn't set eyes on in more than fifteen years, a man who has seemingly vanished off the face of the planet. With the help of his family and friends -- plus the family dog and, of all people, his high school bully -- he goes searching for Bing, only to unearth an ages-old mystery that puts them all in grave danger.<br><br>In this hysterically funny tale of romance and self-discovery, the question remains right up to the surprise ending: can we return to our past in order to create better our future?

Midlife Crisis

He looked away and stared down into his coffee. In a low voice, he said, “I can relate.” He looked back up. There was a sadness in his eyes, a sadness I recognized all too well. “I’ll get you the address, Jack. I’ll get it, but that’s it. No more favors after that.” He stood. He locked eyes with me yet again. Butterflies suddenly took wing inside my belly. “I’ll leave the address with your mom.” He reached out his hand. We shook. His hand lingered for just a second longer than necessary. I sensed he wanted to say more, sensed also that he knew better than to do just that.


I stood and smiled. “Thanks, Dave.”


I left after that. I drove home and stared at the houses and trees on either side of the road. Nothing had changed, not in all these years. It gave me a strange sense of comfort. Life could be chaos, but the house on the corner of Main and Jackson was always brown with yellow shutters.


I drove up the driveway. Ma was waiting for me on the front stoop.


Chapter 22