So Much
Depends
A Novel by C. Spittler
previously titled
The foibles, frailties and education of a lucky man
At Gillhooley's Saloon , Ed Frink wins eighty-two million bucks in the
twenty-two state lottery. In the flip of a bouncing red powerball, his life as a Carp
Springs handyman, living in a shack with no windows, disappears out the door.
...................
“Well, I
frame, roof, drywall, and finish. I pour cement, weld and sweep chimneys. I do
electrical and plumbing. I fix washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, air
conditioners, radios, tv’s, stereos, toasters and alarm clocks. I paint and
wallpaper, repair cracked plaster, mend fences and do some fixing of broken farm
machinery. I’ve trimmed tree limbs, planted crops and picked harvest. And when
I’m not busy, I chop and deliver fire wood.”
In truth, Ed fixes the broken things in life. The
plot moves forward, backward and upside down, past ornamental Polish chickens,
exotic musical instruments, a passel of stray cats and some little known facts
of life.
...................
At every turn Ed bumps into opportunists, cheerfully intent on taking advantage
of Ed's generous spirit, including his lifetime buddies, Buzz and Sputt, who
lead him through a spree of sin and celebration: at the nearest chili cookoff, a
masseuse equipped houseboat, and Room 3 at the Catfish Fingers Motel. It's
not surprising that Ed's poetic young soul zooms off course on a few wild rides.
He invests in three Harley-Davidsons, two sports cars and a blue pickup.stman,
the barber, and the carry out boy make an impressive dent in Ed’s monumental
bank account, the rest of the citizenry is trying to figure out why a mysterious
stranger is sweeping out the chicken coops at night.
Things heat up
when Ed’s stepmama, Pansy, rings the doorbell with Melville Herman, her high
finance fiancee at her side.
"What
next," Ed wonders.
