Book Title: The Widowmaker 1200 Short Story

Chapter Three: The Search for the Holy Grail of Chrome

Three Disappointing Shop Stops

The Two-Wheel Trust: This dealer is "everything I secretly dreaded." The lead bike, the 'Reliant Rider 400,' is a "pure, unadventurous dependability" cruiser, offered in the soul-crushing sand dune beige. Dad loves the low-speed touring capacity and high safety rating, while Bruce is miserable, seeing only a leaf blower's engine.

Chrome City Customs: A stark contrast, this shop is loud and filled with bikes plated in chrome or covered in flames. Bruce spots a gorgeous, terrifying cherry red 'Road Reaper,' but it costs seventeen thousand dollars, far exceeding their budget and maturity level. The only affordable option is a solid cruiser painted an unappealing 'Neon Puke Green.'

Big Bob's Big Bike Emporium: Overwhelmed and pressed for time due to the National Golf Open, Dad gives Bruce 30 minutes to look. Bruce is momentarily excited by a sporty, metallic emerald green bike, but the only "red one" in stock turns out to be a tiny, embarrassing scooter called the 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah 125.'

The Last-Ditch Effort

Frustrated by the beige, neon, and scooter options, and desperate to catch the golf tournament, Dad is ready to quit. However, Bruce begs for "just one more" stop at a dealer called 'The Iron Horse,' which he saw on the way. Dad agrees, making Bruce promise a major parental sacrifice—taking up synchronized swimming—if he misses the final golf putt. Bruce is willing to risk anything for one more chance at two-wheeled redemption.

Would you like to hear about Bruce's visit to the final dealer, 'The Iron Horse'?

Book Title: The Widowmaker 1200 Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-widowmaker-1200-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Widowmaker-1200-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV3V1ZLH

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Widowmaker-1200-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FVT2YK47

Book Title: The Widowmaker 1200 Short Story

Chapter Two: The Six-Month Freeze & The Sweet Smell of Freedom

Bruce is immediately hired by the perpetually sticky Mr. Henderson, who introduces him to the job's main enemy: the "Concrete Scoop," the physically demanding act of scooping frozen, hard ice cream flavors. Despite the "shame" of the teal polo, the paper hat, and the pervasive smell of vanilla, Bruce views every painful scoop as a deposit toward his dream bike, the Widowmaker 1200.

Over the next six months, Bruce endures the monotonous routine and the eccentric customers, viewing the work as "character-building" and "grit." He develops extreme fiscal discipline, saving every paycheck, duct-taping his worn shoes instead of buying new ones, and even walking to work to save on gas. His parents watch with a mix of pride and horror at his newfound minimalist genius.

Finally, after half a year of hard work, Bruce hits his goal, earning $3,000.17. He excitedly shares the news with his parents. His father, Patrick, is overcome with paternal pride, declaring Bruce has "earned his freedom." His mother, Jill, immediately shifts from fear to action, planning safety gear. The chapter concludes as Bruce and his father head out to the dealership to buy a sensible, pre-owned Japanese bike, with Bruce ready to "trade in the scoop for the throttle."

Book Title: The Widowmaker 1200 Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-widowmaker-1200-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Widowmaker-1200-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV3V1ZLH

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Widowmaker-1200-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FVT2YK47

Book Title: The Widowmaker 1200 Short Story

Chapter One: The Widowmaker 1200 & The Parental Contract

The chapter establishes the dynamics of the Fettles family: a home filled with Dad's overly complex brewing projects and Mom's excessive baking, all underscoring their boundless, though often overwhelming, parental aspiration. Bruce's desire for the cherry-red, chrome-plated Widowmaker represents everything the tranquil suburb is not, freedom, speed, and rebellion.

At dinner, Bruce cautiously drops the "M-bomb," asking for a motorcycle. Predictably, his mother instantly fears the danger, while his father views the request as a perfect opportunity to instill the value of hard work. Instead of the full-scale war Bruce expected, his parents present a surprisingly generous "Parental Contract."

They propose a fifty-fifty deal: they will pay for half the cost of a "sensible" motorcycle, and Bruce must earn the other half of the money by getting a proper job. They immediately promise to deposit their share, three thousand dollars, into a new savings account to show the goal is real.

Overwhelmed but thrilled, Bruce accepts the challenge. He sees the motorcycle as tangibly achievable, a dream half-funded and waiting for him to catch up. Despite the inevitable parental oversight and the need to find a job that meets his mother's safety criteria, Bruce is determined to earn his $3,000, motivated by the exhilarating image of the motorcycle soaring through the air.

Book Title: The Widowmaker 1200 Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-widowmaker-1200-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Widowmaker-1200-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV3V1ZLH

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Widowmaker-1200-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FVT2YK47

Book Title: The Italian Kiss Short Story

Summory:

Fifteen-year-old Lilly Shetlar just wanted to spend the summer online, but her cheerfully clueless, middle-class parents had other plans: a month-long, forced "cultural immersion" across Europe with her annoying five-year-old brother, Freddie. The adventure begins in disastrous fashion in cold, judgmental Paris, where frustrating language barriers and a crushing digital blackout send Lilly into a spiraling existential crisis.

The family's strained journey finds a temporary reprieve in Spain, offering warmer weather, friendlier locals, and a tenuous lifeline of slow Wi-Fi. But it's in sparkling Italy that Lilly’s entire perspective shifts. Granted the sanctuary of a private hotel room and blessed with high-speed internet, she is finally free-and then she meets Marco. Charming, charismatic, and cruising on a vintage Vespa, the Italian boy utterly captivates Lilly's heart.

Their whirlwind three days together, sealed with a tender kiss and promises of forever, transforms the trip from a prison sentence into the best month of her life. Back home and completely smitten, Lilly is obsessed with bridging the Atlantic divide, only for her newly "relaxed" parents to drop one last bombshell: Mom is pregnant. Lilly's life just went from chaotic to completely uncontrollable, and all she can think about is Marco.

Chapter 1 - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/vwpublishing/episodes/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-Chapter-One-The-Sentence-of-Summer-e39iigm

Chapter 2 - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/vwpublishing/episodes/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-Chapter-Two-Paris-Land-of-the-Disconnected-e39k194

Chapter 3 - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/vwpublishing/episodes/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-Chapter-Three-Spain-The-Slow-Wi-Fi-Salvation-e39n01r

Chapter 4 - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/vwpublishing/episodes/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-Chapter-Four-Italy-The-Arrival-of-Marco-and-Meaning-e39nrta

Chapter 5 - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/vwpublishing/episodes/Book-Title-The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-Chapter-Five-Back-Home-and-Big-News-e39rur6

Books › Teen & Young Adult › Literature & Fiction › Social & Family Issues › Family

Book Title: The Italian Kiss Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-italian-kiss-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0DCLJB73X

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV1SR61M

Just back from a month-long European tour with her family, Lilly is readjusting to life stateside. The trip was a whirlwind of highs and lows: from the crushing boredom of Paris to a life-changing encounter in Italy. After nine hours of a miserable plane ride home, she is ready to spill all the details of her transformative trip to her best friends, Sarah and Maria.

In this episode, Lilly recounts her disastrous time in Paris, a city she describes as a "digital death sentence," and a more tolerable, albeit uneventful, stay in Spain. The real turning point of her trip, however, was Italy. There, she not only found a decent Wi-Fi connection but also a charming Italian boy named Marco, complete with a vintage Vespa and a kiss that felt straight out of a movie.

But the drama doesn't end there. Just as Lilly begins to settle back into her routine, her parents drop a bombshell that will change everything. Tune in to hear about Lilly's European adventure, her budding transatlantic romance, and the big family news that leaves her reeling.

Book Title: The Italian Kiss Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-italian-kiss-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0DCLJB73X

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV1SR61M

Welcome back to The Shetlar Family European Disaster Tour: The Podcast. If Paris was a frown and Spain was a shrug, Italy is a full-blown cinematic experience—complete with perfect lighting, rolling green hills, and a soundtrack that swells every time I step outside.

The upgrade is instant: a gorgeous hotel with a terrace overlooking the sea, a private room (a miracle!), and the holy grail of travel: 98 Mbps Wi-Fi! Forget cultural exchange; this is a digital rebirth. I’m back online, uploading everything, and no longer feeling like a castaway.

But all of that is just setting the stage for Marco.

I spot him sitting on a vintage Vespa in a tiny village—dark, messy hair, a mischievous smile, and an accent that makes the word “ciao” sound like a love song. My cynical, band-hoodie-wearing teenage heart officially short-circuits. He invites me to see "the real Italy," and against all middle-class parental logic, Mom and Dad actually agree (after an intense background check, of course).

Join me as I trade my stained athletic shorts for cool denim, hop on the back of his Vespa, and experience the pure, wind-in-my-hair freedom of a hidden beach. We talk, we laugh, and in a perfect, golden-lit moment outside my heavenly hotel room, the Italian rom-com reaches its climax with a soft, gentle, heart-stopping kiss.

I’m no longer just surviving the family vacation; I’m living the dream. But with only three days of perfection and a transatlantic distance ahead, will the fast Wi-Fi be enough to keep a forever promise alive?

Tune in to find out if I make it home—or if I’m already planning my next flight back.

Book Title: The Italian Kiss Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-italian-kiss-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0DCLJB73X

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV1SR61M

Welcome to The Shetlar Family European Disaster Tour: The Podcast, where one perpetually misunderstood teenager documents her parents' questionable taste in travel and the slow descent into middle-class chaos.

After escaping the "Tiny Parisian Box of Germs," the next leg of our forced cultural education takes us to the sun-baked, salt-scented glory of Spain. The air is warm, the people are genuinely friendly, and I have actual space to deploy my 'I Survived Paris' band hoodie. It's almost... enjoyable.

Almost.

The universe (which clearly has it out for the Shetlar family) immediately reminds us we can't have nice things by losing Mom's entire suitcase—the one with her sensible skirts and her high-end SPF. This forced minimalism is a catastrophe for her, but for me? It's hilarious. For the first time ever, my control-freak mom is forced to live on the edge, rationing concealer and wearing Dad's ridiculously oversized vacation T-shirt.

But the real miracle of this chapter isn't the sunshine or the tapas; it's the Wi-Fi. It’s agonizingly slow—dial-up slow, the kind of speed where you can age waiting for an image to load—but it’s unlimited. This digital lifeline, stretched thin and constantly buffering, restores my connection to the outside world, making me an international traveler with slightly laggy social media access.

Join me as we navigate lost luggage, a semi-luxury boat tour with surprisingly good tapas, and the quiet, nightly ritual of reading Jack: The Dentist to my little brother, all of which somehow turns my initial horror into a lukewarm, almost pleasant acceptance.

The dread is gone. I’m surviving. But will Italy deliver the holy grail of family travel: high-speed fibre optic?

Book Title: The Italian Kiss Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-italian-kiss-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0DCLJB73X

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV1SR61M

A nine-hour flight that felt like 80,000, a suffocatingly small hotel room, and the utter betrayal of slow Wi-Fi. Fourteen-year-old Lilly is not having the Parisian adventure her parents, Elizabeth and Bob, promised. From the moment they touch down in France, the trip is a masterclass in middle-class travel disappointment.

Join us as Lilly navigates the cultural minefield of her family's ambitions. Listen in as Dad, in "The Intrepid Explorer" mode, attempts a seizure-like mime to get a taxi, Mom struggles to maintain a polite veneer in the face of a "Petite Chambre Familiale" the size of a walk-in closet, and Lilly grapples with the agonizing reality of being digitally banished with a tragic 0.5 Mbps Wi-Fi connection.

This week, we recount the saga of The Louvre Debacle (where the Mona Lisa is judged for not smiling), the Eiffel Tower Washout (where they pay to stand inside a cloud), and the Unfriendly Locals who confirm Lilly's hypothesis that Europeans are just too cool for them. Trapped in a tiny, slightly damp room with a snoring father and a suitcase privacy partition, Lilly starts a countdown to freedom. Paris isn't beautiful enough to forgive. Next stop: Spain.

Book Title: The Italian Kiss Short Story

Author: Warren M. Walker

Publisher: V & W Publishing

https://publishing.irishknights.co.za/the-italian-kiss-short-story/

Available on Amazon.com:

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0DCLJB73X

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/The-Italian-Kiss-Short-Story-By-Warren-Walker/dp/B0FV1SR61M