From the author of: "The Pink Reich", "The Transient Realm", "Falling Hard in Hollywood" ---Ted is a licentious, arrogant man who enjoys the company of other men. He has the looks that afford him the privilege of being selective when seeking a short-term participant in his lascivious activities. In what is best described as a karmic reckoning, fate delivers a harsh dose of humility. His days of seeing others as inferior ended abruptly. --- Jody is a simple man who never experienced the amorous adoration of many. His life has been pervaded by the misdeeds of others and yet, he managed to avoid the detriment that befell his older siblings. Previously disrespected by Ted in what was intended to be a platonic interaction, fate brings Jody and Ted together again at an unexpected crossroads. The mid-life pairing of two humble souls takes their past adversities from that of despair and delivers a promising future. --- Once the better aspects of two lives gone awry were blended into an unexpected relationship, a long-overdue harmony of life prevailed. Friends served as surrogates to resolve the familial abandonment of abuse and bigotry. Resolution was not coming. Shame prevented it. Time is a constant reminder that we all have an expiration date. In their later years, Ted and Jody found what was assumed in their earlier days to be unattainable. Marriage was sanctioned and the adoption of children that nobody else wanted became their legacy. In the end, love overcame the adversities of two beleaguered souls.