Book Review: The Adventures of Mrs. Browning

   Hey, everyone. I recently bought a book on Amazon by Marcia Carrington. It is titled The Adventures of Mrs. Browning. I have read several of Miss Carrington's books and I like them because she makes me think. Here's the recipe for this short story.
    Mrs. Browning is a woman, no longer young. She dresses in dull clothes of somber hue, mostly browns, blacks and greys. She lives in a modest home outside of New York City. Her husband has been dead for several years. She is much alone and prone to melancholy. Like many of us, her life consists of plain meals eaten in front of the television set, with very little in the way of company or diversion.
    But then, on Friday night, every Friday night, she takes a taxi into the city and indulges in her other life. She travels to a penthouse apartment she owns. She dresses in fashionable clothing and has her limousine take her out to the hot-spots.
     She gambles for a while, then meets a man known as Conrad. They meet at an exclusive restaurant for dinner, drinks and dancing. At the end of the evening Conrad returns her to her penthouse and departs.
    The author leaves the story with her readers at this point. We are left to wonder if Mrs. Browning is just a lonely housewife, having fantasies about the life she had always dreamed of. Sort of like the old Glen Campbell song called Such Are the Dreams of the Everyday Housewife.
    As is my wont, I meditated on this story for a while, as I would on a painting that I found interesting. It is a way of getting into the head of the writer/artist and seeing into the circumstances surrounding the work. Here is the way that I see the story behind the story.
    Mrs. Browning grew up a little, rich girl on Long Island. She and Conrad were childhood playmates. Their respective fathers were Captains of industry. She was a Vanderbilt and Conrad was a Stapleton.
    Conrad, as a young man, was a handsome ladies man and played the field. Miss Vanderbilt and he were still friends as they reached adulthood, and they socialized a good deal, but with no true romantic involvement.
    One day, the girl is leaving her father's downtown apartment building and meets a construction worker named Bobby Browning. Sparks fly and it is love at first sight. It is like the song lyrics by Bob Dylan, "His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean, and you're the best thing that he's ever seen..."
     Much to Mr. Vanderbilt's displeasure, his daughter marries Bobby and becomes Mrs. Browning. She is disowned by the Vanderbilts and doesn't care. The Brownings live happily in a bungalow in Queens until Bobby's untimely death.
    Meanwhile, her dad has forgiven her and upon his own death, has left her with a sizable fortune, including the penthouse apartment uptown.
    Mrs. Browning, in order to honor her deceased husband, continues to live in their humble home. She does, however, splurge on Friday nights with her old friend, Conrad Stapleton. Conrad wants to marry her and they are the best of chums but Mrs. Browning cleaves to her husband's memory. Though sorely tempted, she doesn't consummate anything with Conrad.
    One sunny, spring day, Mrs. Browning dons a drab brown dress and walks a few blocks down the street to a cemetery. As she sits on a rock next to Bobby's grave, Conrad walks up behind her and puts his hand on her shoulder.
 "So, this is your other life, Cherie?"
"Yes," she says simply.
" The past is the past," Conrad whispers, "Marry me and I'll devote my life to making you happy."
    She places her hand on his and squeezes it warmly, grateful for her faithful friend. She stands and turns to face him, before she speaks.
"Maybe it is time for me to move on."
    This book is only 99 cents and I enjoyed it very much. It is both different and thought-provoking. I'm CE Wills.