Robert Kugler - The Last Good Day: Avery & Angela, Book 1

The Last Good Day

Robert Kugler

Copyright 2018 Robert Kugler

The Last Good Day: Avery & Angela, Book I

Published in association with Four Leaf Publishing, LLC

Jungleland by Bruce Springsteen. Copyright 1975 Bruce Springsteen, renewed 2003 Bruce Springsteen (Global Music Rights). Reprinted by permission. International copyright secured. All rights reserved.

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever Copyright 1994 Curious? Music UK (PRS) (adm. in the US and Canada at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission..

There is a Light that Never Goes Out and The Garden by Robert Kugler. Copyright 1994 Robert Kugler. All rights reserved.

Front and Back cover photos taken by the author. Cover design by GermanCreative

All rights reserved.

ISBN:1983483338

ISBN-13:9781983483332

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my wife, in appreciation of her constant support and love. Also, I dedicate this to my children, in hopes they will always remember that anything is possible.

This is also offered in memory of my parents,

who loved the shore.

Our story in three Days

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to my amazing Beta Readers. Its a job whose only perk is getting to read the unpolished versions. Theyve been positive, helpful, critical, and the book would simply not exist without them. Well, it might, but it would really stink. So, to Amy Groetsch, Steve Young, Jen Ehmann, Ginny Kochis (NotSoFormulaic.com), Alison Johansen (MotherNova.com), and Judy Baltas, I say thanks.

Drinks are on me.

I want to thank my children. Their belief and encouragement kept me going when I felt like every word was utter garbage. They gave me the confidence to silence my inner critic. I like thinking that Ive modeled something positive for them, but in truth, their honest and thoughtful support has been a model for me more than they probably know.

Both of my parents are gone now, but I think they would have liked this story in particular. Wildwood is where they met and its been a vital part of my familys life ever since. It is not merely as a setting in this story, but a supporting character. My parents would have liked that.

Without the support of my wife, Heidi, none of this would exist. For over twenty years shes been my biggest supporter and loved me unconditionally, which could not have been easy. Shes supported every dream and always brought me back from the brink of my often crippling self-doubt. She never gave up on me and never let me give up on this story.

So, as Gram would have said, Ill just say thank you.

All the people mentioned above have made this a better book which I hope you enjoy. They also made me a better person, and, as someone once said: thats not nothing And you know what? It really isnt.

The Day Itself

CHAPTER ONE

Angie has been my best friend since the first day of ninth grade. We met in third period Phys Ed. Id been nervous all day since I was coming over from private school and I really didnt know anybody. She sat right down next to me in the bleachers and started talking like we were old pals. I found her forwardness and quirkiness immediately appealing. That, and her plan to keep us from having to start the year in health class. I hadnt been paying attention, but since our last names both started with Y, and the PE department inexplicably starting signups with the As, we were almost out of choices.

Come with me if you want to avoid health class shed intoned in her best Terminator voice, which it turned out was not very good at all. I followed her, though, and we were soon enthusiastically signing up for badminton. We made a good team then and have been pretty much inseparable ever since.

Then we graduated and I barely saw her all summer. I knew she was traveling and stuff, and I was supposed to spend a good chunk of the summer staying with Nana and playing whatever shows my guitar and I could book in Philly. Plus, I had that scholarship audition in New York to prepare for, but I had no idea how we got to the end of August and found ourselves planning our last day together before I left for Boston and she went across town to Princeton, having barely seen each other since the week after graduation.

Wed talked pretty much every day. But Id be lying if I said I hadnt really missed her. What bugged me the most is once I kinda looked at the calendar of the summer, I still didnt totally understand where shed been and what shed been doing for parts of it. It was a mystery I hoped to solve during our last day together before we had to be apart. I mean, I had really hoped wed goof around all summer like we had in the past, especially since college was looming. But shed been really hard to pin down, except for that last day.

So, lets talk about that.

We drove moms car down to Wildwood. Im still surprised her silly little Mercury Tracer made it there and back. I picked Angie up at six in the morning. She was sitting on the porch when I pulled up. We hugged and she climbed in and promptly dozed off before I got on 539 South towards the Parkway. I almost got caught in that dumb speed trap in Allentown by the bridge, but I remembered to slow down in time. I was amazed they had a guy out there so early, but I think that speed trap might be the towns only revenue stream. Pretty sure the officer was asleep, but whatever. He certainly couldnt have been snoring like Angie, though. Im used to it by now, and she looked really cute and peaceful with her feet curled up on the seat and her hood over her head.

Like I said, this was the first time Id seen her in weeks and now that we were together I realized how much Id missed her. The drive was quiet until she woke up, suddenly full of energy and pulled out her phone and cued up the Soundtrack for Wildwood playlist as she called it.

This playlist has been meticulously researched and prepared for our journey, she commented all perky and stuff, making jazz hands or spirit fingers at me as she hit play. I always get those two confused. Moms stereo only had a cassette deck adapter so I plugged that in and we were on our way.

I rolled my eyes a bit when The Indigo Girls Closer to Fine came on first, but I know its one of her favorites. Her mom was a huge fan of them and Cowboy Junkies and 10,000 Maniacs and that sorta stuff, and it stuck with her. Angie sang along too loudly as she always does. She still makes me play it for her sometimes, but I dont really mind. I pretend I mind, but I really dont.

So, we drove south, and we listened to music and we talked and she wanted to hear about my classes that started next week and all that stuff even though Id told her it all over the phone. I remember looking over to her as I was telling her about my music theory class and noticing that the sun kind of set off the slight reddish highlights in her hair. Shed added those for Prom, and while theyd faded, the rising sun accentuated them in a way that made her look pretty.

After wed driven a while longer I asked her why she wanted to go all the way down South to Wildwood when we could have gone somewhere closer like Seaside or Manasquan or Spring Lake.

Dear Avery, you know Seaside is an armpit.

Yeah, theres that, but the other two

Manasquan and Spring Lake are fine. But they are not Wildwood. Wildwood is, in fact, the only shore for a day such as this

I expected as much, but I really had no idea what our plan was besides going there. Id been a few times with Angie and her family before and it was definitely her peoples beach. Her Aunt Jenny and Uncle Bob lived there and they always let them stay in one of their houses. The beach itself was huge and nice I guess, but Mom and I were never much for the shore. My vacations growing up were mostly going to Nanas. I remember one week in the summer when I was maybe eleven and we drove out to Long Island, NY in moms old Sentra. I was certain that rust bucket was about to explode. We went to visit Uncle Ted and whoever he was shacking up with/scamming then. Pretty sure it was the Yoga lady who lived over the Walgreens. I remember she smelled like Vicks Vapo-Rub, and the beach we went to was all loaded with rocks and cigarettes. Pretty sure I saw a few hypodermics before Mom had seen enough and took us to dinner at The Ground Round since they had free popcorn. Outside of that epic journey, we mostly kept to Nanas.