by Janell M. Ramos

Waiting for Odysseus is a story inspired by the bond shared by Homer's classic characters Odysseus and Penelope. It doesn't tell of ancient mythological beasts and exotic adventures, but rather the unexpected events and trials of living and loving.and losing love. You will be swept deep into the human heart and soul with a courageous and oftentimes voyeuristic honesty. You will be moved to believe that a 'like-minded' love inspired from ancient lore is possible, even in the modern world. The characters Jessica and John were embarking on a new life together. Three months before their long anticipated wedding day, Fate forced a fatal change. Instead of wedding vows, Jessica found herself delivery a eulogy. She would be compelled to live her life with and without her soul mate, her 'Odysseus.' She vowed to wait for a time when they would be reunited in spirit. But as her aloneness haunted her, and John spoke to her in dream states, she found herself living between life and nowhere. Circumstances forced Jessica to face familiar demons that she would have to conquer to heal and find peace. A brief adulterous affair brought her respite from endless grief only to become a reminder of what she has lost. An epiphany in a mission chapel garden gave her the puzzle piece she was missing all along: the knowledge that life was meant for the living.