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A Story by Henry Gibson (remember Laugh-In?)

For those who do not recognize the title, I stole it from Laugh-In. I bought a set of CDs of that show. Lots of laughs.

His name was Ronnie or Donnie. Seems like no one was sure. It mattered not a whit as he showed up the first day of Junior High (7th grade) saying his name was Phillippe and he was from Paris. He was a man of dreams.

He never had a girlfriend or boyfriend, througout his school days. He spoke with a dicernable accent, which was not part of his previous repertoire. He was a dreamer & he may have invented something. Whenever he was questioned about the fact that his sister clearly spoke English, he would merely walk away. He loved to talk, mainly about things he could neither prove nor disprove but was not much interested in a conversation. He was never "in" any one clique but he never was asked to leave whatever group he was hanging with. It seems he liked it that way, moving along in his own little world. He came across as being a nice guy. So did Ted Bundy.

Many years later when asked about him, no one had much to say, except everyone was clear about the French accent. No one could even describe his physical appearance, though several students thought his clothes were from GoodWill. The police were frustrated as they also discovered his name was not Phillippe. He had never been to France. He lived on the streets and took care of his sister (she was merely someone who hung around). Meals were scavenged from restaurant alleys. They were frequent visitors to the local soup kitchens. No one knew why the police wanted to find them.

Off we went to college and never thought about Phillippe and his sister, until we saw an old picture on the front page of the newspaper. The old photo was a rare, early Polaroid of poor quality. But the color newspaper photo was great. They had prospered and were quite wealthy. They had 3 children, 2 girls and a boy. Suzanne was a pharmacist, Sophia was a well known, critically acclaimed, artist (large oil canvases). The son, Ronald, was an exceptional athlete. He bought a rather modest, at their insistence, home for his parents. A foundation was established under the name,"Phillippe's respite". He established rules to live by. His son remained healthy and prosperous. His passion became clear early on, to help the homeless. He has no time for the drunks & drug addicts, though often his budget paid for rehab.

One year it was decided and planned that the family would get together all inclusive. Phillippe, his wife Kathryn, the children & grandchildren. They were going to have a beautiful, wonderful family reunion. The guests all arrived on the same day, keeping a Phillippe created shuttle service very busy! The next morning they trekked into the City to see the patriarch's office. It was a beautiful morning and they were having such fun. That evening they enjoyed a fabulous dinner. Phillippe shocked them all when he had a cake brought in. On top were the words, "Happy Birthday....." Readers fill in the blank. See Below.

This could be a story of many people who live, work and love their country & family. Did you expect more story?

Do you like to write? Here's your chance: you write the ending. It must be at least five lines (a line is about 5 inches, 60 spaces) and no more than 10.

You must include at least your first name & e-mail address.

There is one judge & the decision is final.

Make sure to check your spelling & grammar

There is no prize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Send your stories to: [email protected]

So long

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For those who do not recognize the title, I stole it from Laugh-In. I bought a set of CDs of that show. Lots of laughs.

His name was Ronnie or Donnie. Seems like no one was sure. It mattered not a whit as he showed up the first day of Junior High (7th grade) saying his name was Phillippe and he was from Paris. He was a man of dreams.

He never had a girlfriend or boyfriend, througout his school days. He spoke with a dicernable accent, which was not part of his previous repertoire. He was a dreamer & he may have invented something. Whenever he was questioned about the fact that his sister clearly spoke English, he would merely walk away. He loved to talk, mainly about things he could neither prove nor disprove but was not much interested in a conversation. He was never "in" any one clique but he never was asked to leave whatever group he was hanging with. It seems he liked it that way, moving along in his own little world. He came across as being a nice guy. So did Ted Bundy.

Many years later when asked about him, no one had much to say, except everyone was clear about the French accent. No one could even describe his physical appearance, though several students thought his clothes were from GoodWill. The police were frustrated as they also discovered his name was not Phillippe. He had never been to France. He lived on the streets and took care of his sister (she was merely someone who hung around). Meals were scavenged from restaurant alleys. They were frequent visitors to the local soup kitchens. No one knew why the police wanted to find them.

Off we went to college and never thought about Phillippe and his sister, until we saw an old picture on the front page of the newspaper. The old photo was a rare, early Polaroid of poor quality. But the color newspaper photo was great. They had prospered and were quite wealthy. They had 3 children, 2 girls and a boy. Suzanne was a pharmacist, Sophia was a well known, critically acclaimed, artist (large oil canvases). The son, Ronald, was an exceptional athlete. He bought a rather modest, at their insistence, home for his parents. A foundation was established under the name,"Phillippe's respite". He established rules to live by. His son remained healthy and prosperous. His passion became clear early on, to help the homeless. He has no time for the drunks & drug addicts, though often his budget paid for rehab.

One year it was decided and planned that the family would get together all inclusive. Phillippe, his wife Kathryn, the children & grandchildren. They were going to have a beautiful, wonderful family reunion. The guests all arrived on the same day, keeping a Phillippe created shuttle service very busy! The next morning they trekked into the City to see the patriarch's office. It was a beautiful morning and they were having such fun. That evening they enjoyed a fabulous dinner. Phillippe shocked them all when he had a cake brought in. On top were the words, "Happy Birthday....." Readers fill in the blank. See Below.

This could be a story of many people who live, work and love their country & family. Did you expect more story?

Do you like to write? Here's your chance: you write the ending. It must be at least five lines (a line is about 5 inches, 60 spaces) and no more than 10.

You must include at least your first name & e-mail address.

There is one judge & the decision is final.

Make sure to check your spelling & grammar

There is no prize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Send your stories to: [email protected]

So long

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