Gumption

Russ, an eighty-two-year old widower, is awakened one blustery winter night by a phone alert from an emergency monitoring center—his best friend Rich has pressed the Help button. The situation that night is more than just some quick action for Russ. It’s a wake-up call to the dark reality of Rich’s failing health. Now Russ will have to consider his loyalty to the remaining cohorts in his self-made support group of old guys eating together. Limited to the six that fit in a car, the Gang, as they are known in the rural Minnesota town, has a reputation, even in the neighboring counties. Russ’s loyalty will be tested again when Agnes happens by with her home cooking and woodsy pleasures. But how can Russ, “the driver,” let the Gang down? Will Agnes’ can-do attitude with a bit of savvy timing set them all in motion?

Faye Berger of Golden Valley, MN Maybe it was the twenty years as a paralegal that prepared Faye best for the pure joy of creative writing. Material too was abundant from years of her dad’s stories and from her own experiences growing up in small-town-America—Morgan, Minnesota. In 2004, Faye submitted “Russel Albrecht, The Soldier,” to The Veterans History Project in Washington, D.C.—stories she compiled from her dad’s narration of his experiences in Europe 1944 to 1946. In March 2006 Running Times Magazine featured “Cross-Culture Running with Faye’s South of the Border.” Faye has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota. She volunteers at Ambassador Good Samaritan Nursing Home in New Hope, Minnesota, and for Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. She and her husband reside in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and, for three months each year, in Manzanillo, Mexico. For more information, please visit www.fayeberger.com