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Chelle knew she was too old to get married 
or even meet a man now
She was living at home, working as a bookkeeper for her dad. 
She would be doing this until she died, she imagined. 
An old maid, she said. Who would have guessed it?

Chelle is twenty-seven years old, totally long in the tooth.
It is 1967; she lives in a small hick town in middle earth, 
Bible belt, USA.
There are no unmarried boys now. 
People stay married until they die.
Eighteen-year-olds who graduated two days ago are all getting married this weekend.

Chelle has resigned herself to the fact that it is just her, 
Mom, Dad, and the Elvis, their dog.
Her path as a spinster is clear.
She will die reading a romance novel,
dreaming of what might have been and what never-will-be.

Her mother will have none of this feeling sorry for yourself nonsense; she thinks Chelle has a good life. 
They love her don't they? 
She drags a reluctant Chelle to the church parsonage 
to help paint it. A new family is coming.

The family arrives early. Except it is not a family. 
It is a young Reverend, fresh from divinity college.
He is twenty-eight, ready to settle down and preach from his heart. He notices Chelle right away.

She is standing on a ladder that starts to slip, and she has gorgeous legs. He races to help.
Steadies the ladder with a firm grip. 
She turns to thank her mother. But it is not her mother.
His smile nearly makes her fall on her petootie.

It is someone new. Someone handsome and young.
A handsome man of twenty-eight -her new Reverend.
“My name is Reverend Jim,” he tells her. 
She can barely speak, blushing. He has gorgeous brown eyes.

“I'm Chelle,” she says. “Thank you for saving me.” 
That night she thanked God for being so good.
At last, instilling a little hope that there might be a chance
to not live the life of a spinster. 
I am happy to report they saved each other.

Written 5-19-2019
Contest:  The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
Sponsor: Craig Cornish
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