title: While Homer Roared: Clean limericks, to warm the chuckles of your heart
author: Basil Wentworth
description: Basil's first love is for his family, with words and music tied for second place. He has a devouring interest in languages and in language -- the meanings and history of words, and the way they sound. He accepts the fact that puns are the lowest form of humor -- in fact, the foundation of humor. His life's work has been eclectic, including over 6 years in the U. S. Navy, 5 years as an engineer, and nearly 24 years as an officer in the United States diplomatic service. He and Jocelyn have completed the first 55 years of their honeymoon, and have two children and two grandchildren.
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  CHAPTER 1
  
    
  
   _ **Dakota - Now**_
  
    
  
  > ON A COLD spring morning, I stepped into Joe’s Java Junction and shook the
  > rain from my hair. At the order counter, a tall gentleman took his cup of
  > coffee and turned toward me. Our gazes connected with the impact of two
  > colliding automobiles. He froze in his steps, lips pursed to blow on the hot
  > liquid, and drew in a sharp, startled breath.
  
  > I stared into a set of familiar eyes over the rim of his cup as he took a
  > sip. Recognition flared then extinguished in their depths. A tremor of panic
  > shook my fingers, and I fought to maintain my composure. In all the years
  > I’d lived in the city, I’d never once run into anyone from my past. I took
  > comfort in the anonymity of living far from the small town where I’d grown
  > up. In retrospect, I’d been a fool to believe my past was forgotten or that
  > I could escape it so easily.
  
  > We stood facing each other, shocked into wordlessness, until a woman touched
  >