Charley's Conundrum

by Robert James Warner


Formats

Softcover
£9.25
Softcover
£9.25

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 26/09/2001

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 5x8
Page Count : 108
ISBN : 9780759618756

About the Book

Charles Channing, retired and 70, was the cause of it all because he asked an innocent question. Innocent to him and his two pals, anyway, George Bradford, retired and 71, and Dick Kendrick, retired and 69, but not so innocent to others -- a fact they found out when they tried to find an answer to Charley's question.

Charley asked, rhetorically, at the time, and completely innocently with nothing in his mind but idle wonder: "How do women ride bicycles?"

George and Dick looked at him in surprise for a moment then they both grinned as George said, "They push on the pedals, Charley!"

Dick, grinning widely, said, "They sit on the seat and pedal, Charley!"

George and Dick both laughed softly, and that would have been the end of it, but Charley said, "No no, not that, I know that, what I mean is, how do they sit on the seat? He went on: "What I mean is, it just seems t'me that those dumb bicycle seats would hurt 'em. Those dumb bicycle seats hurt me when I sit on 'em.

George said, "Well, you got that right, Charley, those dumb bicycle seats are too damn narrow 'n' hard for me too, they hit me right square in the ass an' they hurt, dammit, jammed up between your legs like that! I don't see how those bicycle riders stand 'em."

Dick said, "Yeah, that's right, they shore hurt me when I tried 'em, it felt like that seat would cut me in two. You know what, Charley? I don't know how women sit on those dumb bicycle seats either. I never thought of it before. Man, you'd think it'd cut 'em in two", . . . which is how the scientific investigation into the mysteries of how women sit on bicycles started. The three ol' guys go on and meet an almost over-the-hill hooker who agrees to help them with their scientific investigation into the mysteries of how women sit on bicycles seat. Two more almost-over-the-hill hookers join the scientific investigation into the mysteries of how women sit on bicycles seats and then the expected happens, the three ol' guys and the three almost over-the-hill hookers take notice of each other and the fun begins. Charley's Conundrum is all about how to find out how women sit on bicycle seats, and it is also a great love story. After all, love, like gold, is where ya find it.


About the Author

Robert James Warner was born and raised in Long Beach, California. He went to the local schools. He was drafted in to the Navy on March 9, 1944, during the World War II as soon as he finished his last semester in High School. He was discharged from the Navy on June 16, 1946.

Mr. Warner went back to school at Long Beach City College, on the G.I. Bill, taking Mechanical Engineering before he switched to journalism. After about a year and a half at City College, he quit.

Mr. Warner had always been interested in writing, but he had huge handicaps to overcome: he couldn't spell (he still can't); and grammar was then and is now a mystery to him.

Mr. Warner first began to write when he was about twenty.

During the next few years, he wrote some songs, poetry, and short stories, but his output was quite low.

From 1947, after Mr. Warner left City College, to 1950, he had a number of different inconsequential jobs--the longest, at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach where he worked in the blueprint department for eight months until he quit and loafed awhile.

In 1950, he enlisted in the Active Naval Reserve as a Weekend Warrior, so that he could learn seamanship and get paid doing it. He has had a life long love affair with boats (building his own) and fishing.

About three months later, the Korean War started and Mr. Warner was called back to active duty in the Navy Aircorp for a year. He was discharged in August 1951, serving on three aircraft carriers, operating off of Korea in the China Sea, bombing and strafing the communists!

After Korea, Mr. Warner went back to City College for awhile, then got a job on a freighter as a deckhand. He then made two trips to the Hawaiian Islands, about thirty days round trip, hauling bulk sugar for C&H Sugar in Crocket California on the Sacramento River.

Leaving the ship in Crocket, he went to Santa Rosa, California, where he washed dishes in a few restaurants and got a poem published in the local newspaper--a big day in his life.

Next, he went to Yosemite and washed some more dishes before going home.

Mr. Warner has cleaned chicken dung from under the pens; he owned and operated his own auto wrecking yard; owned his own 2nd Store; was half owner of a Yacht Landing; speculated in Real Estate; and worked at some other odd jobs, going to work for the Long Beach Fire Department in 1953 for the next twenty-six years, retiring in October, 1979.

Mr. Warner got married in 1961, had his son in 1963, and got divorced in 1973.

In 1974, Mr. Warner and his son, Jeff, drove to Alaska during the summer. On his return, Mr. Warner wrote his first novel.

Since 1974, Mr. Warner has written 15 novels, about 125 short stories, 2 Civil War history books, and 2 poetry collections.