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A Hand on My Shoulder - The Life of Todd Franklin (completed)
Next: Meeting Fate
This is my first story, so bear with me! It starts off a little fuzzy, but hang in there... it gets better!



This is the story of Todd Franklin, a 24 year old guy living on his own. He grew up in a small town just north of Riverblossom Hills with his mother. His father left them when Todd was just a baby. His mother raised him the best she could as a single mother in a small town. Because he was raised by his mother, he learned how to clean, take care of a house, and most of all, cook. His mother was an excellent cook with a collection of her own very unique and tasty recipes. She taught Todd everything she knew about cooking. When Todd was only 17, his mother died in a tragic car accident. He went to live with his aunt, the only other family he had. He stayed with them for a while trying his best to call the place home. Seven years after moving in, his aunt planned to remarry and told Todd he would have to find his own place. He was forced to quit his job as a dishwasher and move to Riverblossom Hills, the only place he could find quickly.



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Because he didn’t have much money, his options were very limited. He found a neighborhood in Riverblossom Hills that rented trailers for low prices. Although they were cheap, Todd didn’t have enough money for the down payment on any of their nicer trailers. They showed him a small trailer toward the back of the neighborhood. The house was run down and dirty, and they said they couldn’t make anyone pay to live there. They told him he could stay for free in exchange for fixing the place up. Todd agreed, and soon moved in with his dog and his best buddy, Jake.


He lived there for about 2 months, looking for a job and trying to get on his feet. Money was running low and jobs were scarce. He was losing hope of ever finding a stable life. He passed by his neighbors a lot of the time, but never really talked to any of them. Todd was shy and preferred to stay to himself.



One afternoon, some folks from the trailer court office stopped by. “Todd, we let you move into this trailer for free because it needs so much work. Now the conditions were for you to fix the place up in the meantime.” A lady with a very expensive coat said. “You’ve been here for a while now and it looks to me like you haven’t fixed a thing! Not to mention the holes that your dog has dug in the front lawn! When do you plan on starting?” Todd got nervous. “I’m sorry, I want to fix it up ma’am, I just don’t have much money right now and I’m having a hard time finding work.” He looked around. “I promise just as soon as I get on my feet I’ll have this place looking great!” The lady looked unamused. She looked at Jake and turned up her nose. “We’ll see about that.” Todd followed her to the door only to see a strange looking woman standing outside.



She didn't look like one of the office folks. "You look rather lonely here. How about letting me set you up on a blind date? For a few dollars, I can find you someone to share this place with!" Todd hung his head. "I don't have much money, ma'am." He said quietly. "Otherwise I would say yes." The gypsy smiled. "Well, how much have you got?" Todd dug into his pockets. "Well, I've only got about 30 bucks I can spend. I'm trying to save money until I find some work around here." The gypsy caressed his arm. "What could be more important than finding love, my dear?" He pulled the money out of his pocket and hesitantly handed it to her. The gypsy snatched the money out of his hand. "Well, with this kind of money, I can't promise anything, Todd."



The gypsy gazed into her ball, said a few words Todd didn't understand, and suddenly there was a beautiful, sweet looking blonde woman with pigtails standing before him. Shyly, she took his hand. "My name is Madeline." She said. Todd was at a loss for words. "I'm... um, I'm..." The gypsy walked by them. "This is Todd. Have a nice evening you two." Then she left.



"Yes, Todd. My name is Todd." He looked down at the ground for a moment. "I'm new to this town" Madeline said. "I don't know very many people yet, so..." She smiled. "So what do you get when you cross a chicken and a donkey?" They both laughed. She looked into his eyes and smiled. It was the most beautiful smile Todd had ever seen. All of a sudden, he felt like he'd known her for years. He started talking about where he grew up, his family that he never sees, and how he'd love to find a good career in this town but never could find the means. She held on to every word.

Chapter 2 coming soon.

Click Next: Meeting Fate to continue...

 
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