The Beautiful and the Absurd: Stories for Our Times - Paperback

by Freeman J. Wong (Author)

[From "Unbelievable Therapist in the Morgue," p. 105]
"It's like sex therapy. I follow a self-created standard procedure in stimulating deceased women to bring them back to life."
"You think this is quite the joke, don't you?" said the prosecutor. "No," said Steels. "Everyone knows that somewhere between eight thousand and fifteen thousand patients die in Canada every year because crowding in the emergency department delays them getting treatment. My patients are among these pitiful people.
Some of them may be declared dead before they really are. I have a simple therapy that works for some of them. I love them. I try my therapy on all of them. I enjoy doing it."
[From "Never Came Back" p. 202]

"I hate you, I hate this house, and I'm leaving for good!" Teenage Jed was furious that his father had destroyed his computer. He began flinging clothing into a reusable shopping bag.
"Go and don't ever come back," Mr. Brave shouted back, as furious as his son. [Unfortunately, he never came back.]

Contents
Love and Romance
Ageless Romance Reunion 7
Oh, Life! 13
Triangle Marriage 29
Lover's Shoelace 37

Heartwarming Anecdotes
A Father Who Shines 44
Ray's Favorite Saying 58
Forgotten Favors 68
Love and Joy 77
A Lovely Dental Patient 83

Crime and Punishment
Miracle Escape in Toronto 86
Unbelievable Therapist in the Morgue 93
Heroic Mother and Daughter 108
Surprise Arrests 116
Brutal Animal Cruelty 123
Telling the Truths in the Dark Room 132
Screaming Woman in the Clinic 137

Landlords and Tenants
May and Her Tenants 139
American Dream in the Making 146
Cause of Eric's Tragedy 150
A Landlord Speaks Out 159

Children under Protection
Perfect Candidate for a Bravery Medal 167
Foster Parents at Work 179
Fleeing Father 182
Christmas Gift for Chalway 185
A Fight Between Father and Son 189
Harvard University Boy 193

Parenting at Issue
Never Came Back 201
A Child in Pain 204
"My Daddy Touches Me" 206
A Daughter That Is Not 209
Parents' Meeting on LGBTQ2+ Issues 213