HomeSTORY OF THE MONTH
My First Lover
by Buck Dopp
I kept our relationship a secret from my parents. When Mom found out about us, she told me flat out, “She’s no good for you.” Mom might as well have been yelling in a thunderstorm because I didn’t hear a thing she said.
I’ll never forget the first time I held Marley. She was slender and hot, and I liked the way she smelled. We were alone in my bedroom with the lights off. She made my head spin and took my breath away. I had never felt like that before, and I wanted to feel that way again, as soon as possible.
Every time my lips touched her, she made my heart gallop like a wild horse. We did our thing in my parents’ car and when we walked in the woods. The more we did it, the more I wanted her. I looked for every opportunity to be alone with Marley.
Dave, my best friend, told me, “Dump her. She’s a drag.” He meant well, but he didn’t understand. Sure, she had burned me a couple of times, but each circumstance was my fault. Dave didn’t understand how much I needed her.
Eventually I realized she was not good for me, but I still had a hard time breaking off our relationship. Our separations only made me want her all the more. We finally parted ways when I was thirty-six-years old and dropped the pack of Marlboros into a trash can. I walked away and never looked back.
CONGRATULATIONS, BUCK! NOW TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF.
1) Why did you decide to write your story?
It was a writing prompt from the Lake Havasu City Writers Group’s April 5th meeting. We meet on the first Saturday of each month and are asked to write a 250 word story on an assigned topic. The topic that month was “First Love.” We also meet on the third Saturday of each month and submit a 1000 word story—the writer can choose the topic.
2) Do you have any projects you’re working on right now?
I’m writing feature stories for the local daily paper, “The Today’s News-Herald,” as a freelancer and working on my second novel, “Payback,” which centers around a returning war vet and his difficulty adjustment to civilian life.
3) What things are you doing to improve your writing?
To improve my writing I’m getting in the habit of writing at a regular time each morning, making sure I write something every day. I read all kinds of genres and writers to absorb style tips. I study the fiction in the “New Yorker” magazine to see what top writers are doing. I’ve subscribed to “Writer’s Digest” for five years and find most everything in it helpful. Most important of all, I eat lots of chocolate.
4) What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
These books are always within arm’s reach and I’ve read most of them more than once: Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark, the AP Stylebook and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. The Merriam-Webster online Dictionary and Thesaurus, my Dell Laptop and my reliable HP laser jet printer are invaluable.
5) What author do you admire, living or dead?
Ernest Hemmingway. I’ve read every book he ever published. I learned from Hemingway not to use a big word when a small one will do. Also, rather than telling the reader what the character is feeling, make the reader feel it by the details you write.
6) What recent book made an impression on you?
“I, Alex Cross” by James Patterson. I learned from him that chapters can be short—a single scene— and only a page or two in length. It keeps you turning the pages.
7) For what one accomplishment would you most like to be remembered?
A man who loved God his whole life.
8) Tell us about your family.
Stephanie and I will be married 41 years this December. We have four children and four grandchildren and one who will be born any day now. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without her love and support. Our happy marriage is my proudest accomplishment.
9) What would you like our readers to know about you?
I didn’t start writing seriously until I retired at 58 in 2009. I supported a family of six and had to put food on the table as my first priority. I always dreamed of the day when I could write full-time. I want readers to know that it’s never too late to start writing and it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Never give up on yourself or your goals.
10) Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
The Lake Havasu City Writers Group has been there for me for the last four years to encourage, inspire, and teach me how to be a better writer. The assignments keep me writing stories and the critiques by other members are positive and inspiring.
11) Is there a message in your story that you want your readers to grasp?
Tobacco is an addiction and it is a cruel and selfish lover. She’ll spend your money, make you sick and send you to an early death.
12) Finally, do you have anything else to add?
Long Story Short’s ezines have been a tremendous source of inspiration and improvement of my writing skills. The editors are committed to advancing writers and I wouldn’t be at the level I’m at right now without reading the poetry and stories. Some of the best writing advice I ever got came from LSS.
Buck Dopp was born in Des Moines, Iowa and grew up living on a Minnesota lakeshore. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English at Saint John's University in Minnesota before moving to California where he met Stephanie. Dopp says marrying her was the smartest thing he ever did, and they’ve been married for 41 years. Together they raised four children and have four grandchildren with one on the way.
Dopp retired in 2009 after a 27-year career in business management in telecommunications to pursue his life-long dream of writing full-time. His first novel, Kingpin and Eli, was published in 2013 and is available on Amazon and Kindle. Dopp is currently a freelance writer for the Today’s News-Herald in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Long Story Short has published 23 of his stories since 2011. His short stories have also appeared in The Oasis Journal (Imago Press, Tucson) in 2010-2012 and 2014. He is the past president of the Lake Havasu City Writers Group, which has published his stories in its anthology, Offerings from the Oasis. Visit the author’s website at www.buckdopp.com.
