Pranked Ideals

By Ed Gentle

Have you ever dreamt of fulfilling your ideals or greatness? Have your dreams ever been pranked and what do you do about it? Have you aspired to be more than your wildest dreams or to find true love. The answer key to some of these lifelong questions is contained in the short stories and poetry in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669851868

Ed Gentle

Ed Gentle was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 17, 1953. He has a BS from Auburn, an MS from Miami, a BA and an MA from Oxford, and a JD from Alabama, completing his formal education in 1981. He received Danforth, Maytag, Hugo Black, and Rhodes scholarships. He has practiced law for over thirty years and is the founding partner of his law firm, which specializes in the settlement of mass torts involving medical devices, chemicals, smelters, contaminants, taxes, ERISA claims, antitrust, and other claims. He began fishing at age two and is a tournament bass angler, qualifying for the Bassing America and BAIT Classics. He was married twice, is divorced, has three sons, and lives alternatively in two lake houses with his lab, Charlie.

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Copyright © 2022 by Ed Gentle.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/14/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

846864

CONTENTS

Foreword

Charter Boat Shenanigans

I Haven’t Been So Drunk Since Joe Died

Old Man Bart

Orphan Scouts

Plaudits

Self-Pity Personified

Hatchery Bird Hunts

About the Author

FOREWORD

These stories and poems are steeped in ideals, such as aspirations to be a park ranger or a wildlife biologist, dreams of success or love. Aspirations collide with reality, and the fallout must be addressed.

We all have such life lessons. Here are some. Youth and well-meaning mentors are sometimes obstacles to the right choice in such fork-in-the-road situations. The choice though belongs to the idealist, for good or bad.

The stories are fictitious but are grounded in truth.

Ed Gentle

CHARTER BOAT

SHENANIGANS

In 1975, my initial try for a Rhodes Scholarship failed, so I got a Masters at Miami. Loving water, I was at the Marine School.

In another