Rosa Linda is a lovely young woman who is wrestling with some issues of her own. Her mother has had this dream of becoming a Hollywood movie star and has not been a caring, nurturing maternal figure for Rosa Linda. When Rosa Linda arrives in Mad River she is fleeing from a man in the southwest who wanted to marry her.
Rosa Linda is quite independent. She doesn’t need any man taking care of her. When she left this particular one she absconded with some of his money and that has made her a fugitive because she is convinced he is searching for her. Fortunately for Rosa Linda she walks into a diner in Mad River and encounters the owner, a woman named Melva.
Melva sees something in Rosa Linda that is attractive to her. She recognizes in her a younger version of herself, spunky, independent, making her own way in the world. She also wants to mother her. Melva and her husband Edward reside in an apartment adjacent to the restaurant with their ancient lap dog Sugar.
Melva and Edward don’t have children, they have paternal feelings toward Rosa Linda who they invite to move in with them as a live-in maid/helper/roommate. Rosa Linda is at loose ends and she spontaneously decides, why not?
Meanwhile Donnie Ray is moping around the neighborhood, working too much, drinking too much, spurning potential romances. He’s really depressed. When he meets Rosa Linda-there is a spark between them-they both keep denying it. Neither one wants a relationship.
Those are your basics. Rosa Linda has this character flaw, she takes things that don’t belong to her. Melva worked hard and has valuable jewelry Rosa Linda keeps admiring. Then there’s Enon, a pathetic excuse for a man who is obsessed with Rosa Linda.
The author creates tension through Enon’s lurking-this also forces Donnie Ray to decide if he’s going to be Rosa Linda’s white knight and protect her from this menacing man who could pop up at any moment.
Will Rosa Linda and Donnie Ray become a couple? Can Rosa Linda resist her larcenous impulses? Will the threat of Enon resolve itself? Can these characters; Rosa Linda, Donnie Ray, and even Melva, ever find a sense of contentment and happiness? Read “On the Mad River” to find out the answers to those questions.
Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors every Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/programs/book-nook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
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