We’re sometimes forced to face impossible
circumstances. Tom’s story shows why true love is the answer to life’s most
difficult questions.
EXCERPT
A thunderous roar
erupts from the Camaro's engine. Tom puts the pedal to the floor and races past
traffic on the highway. There's no destination in sight. Speeding through
obstacles is the only outlet within immediate range to channel the anger and
frustration pumping through his veins. He weaves left then right. After finding
a straightaway in the right lane, his rage comes to a boil as he attacks the
steering wheel with a barrage of blows from his fists. Nearly clipping a
semi-truck with his driver-side mirror, the escalating danger of the situation
suddenly floods his mind. Confronted by this realization, he jerks the wheel
and swerves onto the shoulder in an attempt to slow things down. While his
vehicle comes to a skid in the dirt, a horn from the car traveling behind him
blares loudly into the night as it passes by.
He shuts down the
engine.
"Why can nothing
work out the way it's supposed to? This was the last good thing left that was
ours."
Tom's words echo in
the car. The silence that answered was a reminder of just how alone he was.
Defeated, he crosses his arms upon the steering wheel and lays his head between
them.
Several minutes pass
and the only sound that can be heard, apart from the distant highway traffic,
is the rhythmic cooing of an owl. He lifts his head and peers out the
windshield to find the source of the noise. In the faint moonlight, he can
barely make out the shape of a bird perched upon a tree branch. He flicks on
the headlight switch and the blast of light causes the owl to take flight and
come to a landing on top of a sign about thirty yards to the front left of
Tom's car. The sign, now illuminated by the headlights, reads "Allegany
Mountains – 30 Miles".
It was immediately
clear where he needed to go. With a turn of his key, Tom starts the engine and
pulls back onto the highway.
~
* ~
The sound of twigs
snapping, combined with the rustling of leaves, was cause enough to scatter a
pair of foraging squirrels. Tom clears a path through the dense forest and
emerges from the bushes to the small lake.
He pauses and scans
the area, remembering the many times he's visited this place. It was as if the
unrelenting force of time was rendered powerless in this one speck of earth.
Throughout his entire life, not one shade of detail had changed in any
discernible way. The placement of the rocks, the slope of the water bank, the
positioning of the trees; all remained unyielding to time's grasp. Digesting
the thought left a pit in his stomach.
How can it be that
God has the power to leave this spot unchanged but does nothing to keep the
good things in my life untouched?
The stars were
shimmering brightly upon the lake. Tom approaches the water's edge and squats
down to look into its glassy surface. The stars surround his reflection and
he's soon enveloped in a blanket of sky. He slowly becomes lost in the space.
His eyes close and the melding of space and time becomes a cozy bed that he
wishes he could remain in forever.
Michelle leans down
beside him to gaze into the abyss. She's so close that he can feel her next to
him. The hint of familiar perfume and warmth radiating from her body is
overwhelmingly comforting. He instinctively reaches to caress her face but she
disappears into ripples of water.
AUTHOR BIO:
Jonathan Dimmig was born and raised in Buffalo,
NY. He earned a BA and MBA from the University of Rochester. After graduating,
he worked in the field of Corporate Finance for nearly a decade before quitting
his job and moving to Las Vegas to become a professional poker player. In 2014,
he won a World Series of Poker event that had almost 8,000 players. Around that
same time, he had an unusually vivid dream that inspired him to write "Today’s
Special". He hopes the story in this book will impact others as much as it
has impacted himself. Jonathan currently resides in Las Vegas, NV. He is often
found at the poker tables, playing ice hockey, or working on creative
inspirations that can positively impact the world. He can be reached at
zpuckman@gmail.com.
REVIEW:
Today's Special
Author: Jonathan Dimmig
Reviewed by Jeffrey Ross
Five Stars—Eerie and very
interesting!
Readers of author Dimmig’s
Today’s Special may be hard-pressed to place it in a specific genre. On one
level, this text is a case study of the Gilded, a struggling restaurant in
Buffalo. The lives and relationships of the major characters are intertwined
both in the past and present—and at work and play. But this thoughtful book is
far more than a slice-of-life-study of chefs, servers, food critics, menu
boards, and invoices. The tragic death of the owner’s wife inspires him—and the
restaurant gradually moves forward because of his amazingly-creative homage to
her. Jonathan Dimmig proves to be quite knowledgeable about recipes, community,
support, and enduring love in his powerful—and pleasing—novel.
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Email address (where we can get
hold of your best):
zpuckman@gmail.com
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