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Meet Michael aka Otin, a 44 year old Construction Foreman who spent his youth in New Jersey and lived in different parts of the state. After graduating high school, he started working in a restaurant for a number of years until he decided to take a job with the family construction business. Internal family problems drove him to move to North Carolina where he has lived for 14 years. Michael recently started using his pen in addition to his sledge-hammer and started writing about eight months ago. I love visiting his blog to read his short stories. He also enjoys boating and fishing in addition to his writing and blogging. "You may agree or disagree but I hope you'll at least be interested". Michael enjoys taking Road Trips to meet his fellow bloggers. Go and visit his blog Wizard of Otin and read some of his wonderful writing.Michael especially composed an original story for this weeks Monday Male.You're a sweetie, Otin! Thanx again.OPPORTUNITIES MISSED (Copyright)Phillip had always been all about advancing his career and doing his best to build a business that would provide for his family. He departed the house each morning before the sun came up and often did not return home until eight or nine in the evening.He had missed a lot in the past twenty years. Anniversaries and birthday celebrations were not very high on his priority list. Vacations and family get togethers were always put on the back burner, usually for business reasons. Eventually the children grew into adulthood and the house became just a place for him and Maggie.Maggie did not ask for anything special from Phillip. She knew that he worked hard and that he did it for her and the kids, but she had always hoped that he would do something spontaneous. Maybe buy her some flowers, or a pretty necklace, or even just tell her that she was loved.Maggie felt very neglected in the love department. There was no romance, no affection, and very little in the way of sexual pleasure. There was almost nothing. She never stopped hoping. Maggie had many pportunities to stray into the arms of another man, but never acted upon her womanly desires.One evening, while sitting at his desk and going over the same redundant paperwork that he had been going over for the past thirty years, Phillip began to gaze out of his office window. There was a whole big world out there. A world of glitz and entertainment. Maggie was right, life could not be all about working. He left the papers on his desk and grabbed his coat. For the first time in so many years, he would leave a project incomplete, and it felt kind of good.Phillip stopped at the florist and picked up a dozen roses. He had to make one more stop and then he would head home and work on trying to plan a family vacation.He parked the car, grabbed the flowers and made his way through the front gate and up the walk. He laid the flowers at the foot of the headstone which read: MARGARET SANDERS Loving Wife and Mother.Sorry Maggie,” Phillip said out loud, the tears rolling down his cheeks. “I should have listened to you years ago. Can you ever forgive me?”He felt a warm breeze caress his body. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but he took it as a yes. Phillip drove home and called his children, who now were grown up and had their own families. They were all up for a family get together.Maggie was happy now. Phillip had brought her flowers.
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