CHARLES CUPID

The upcoming week in Paint Bank will be a much anticipated and busy one. After all, the entire world; just about, celebrates the one day in history that was memorialized for one of our native sons...Charles Cupid...or as his best friends call him...Chuck. Back around the turn of the century when Paint Bank was in it's "Hey Day",Chuck was a very prominent, and well thought-of citizen. In the early 1900's, Paint Bank lauded a population of around 2000. It had it's own school house, marching band, dentist,lawyer,you name it, and it even had it's own marriage counselor...you guessed it...the well know imminent counselor of love...Chuck Cupid. Now Chuck could not claim being degreed in this field, heck, Chuck only had a third grade education, but he did have the reputation of being quite the ladies man and boasted more girlfriends that anyone else in the valley. Now at the onset, one might think this was a pretty good position to be in, but for Chuck it would prove fatal. One day, as the train made it's daily run from Ripplemead to the Paint Bank Depot, a beautiful and somewhat alluring young woman dis-embarked the train. Well, Chuck being the self-appointed welcoming committee was johnny-on-the-spot to offer her assistance from the train and at first glance of her was hopelessly and uncontrollably smitten,so much so that no words, at least discernible words, would come out of his mouth. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't make sense when he spoke. She said, "Hey, my name is Val, can you tell me where the hotel is"? Chuck blubbered..uuupd...uuupde..rrr. Val just smiled and walked in the direction he was pointing. Without asking, he bent over and picked up her small brown Samsonite suitcase and walked behind her, muttering all the way. Now what a terrible thing to happened...especially to someone with Chuck's reputation and prowess for the "gift of gab" and by the look in his eyes, you could tell it was getting the best of him. At this point,Val stopped cold in her tracks and with a movement as light as air movement, turned to Chuck and asked "Is there someplace to get a cup of coffee? His reply was something you wouldn't want your worst enemy to experience. The slobbering and contortions his face took on was humiliating...and you could see right then that this wasn't just temporary...this would be a life long affliction. As she took her suitcase and ascended the steps to the hotel lobby she turned to Chuck and said with the slightest " Mona Lisa smile" on her lips,"you've been so kind"...that's it..that's all she said, nothing really. No innuendos, no come hither look...nothing...just"you've been so kind", but to Chuck, this was earth shattering, monumental, a declaration of undying love....to which his reaction was an instantaneous SWOON, not just an ordinary swoon, mind you, but the swoon of all swoons to which he dropped to the ground with such an earth-shattering force that it registered a 6.9 on the Richter Scale 30 miles down the road at Virginia Tech. From that point on, Paint Bank was known as the epicenter of love and Chuck Cupid was dubbed the official Cupid of Love, all because of the day that Val was in town....or as the blubbering Chuck would say...valentine....you got it Valentine Day. Man that was painful..bet you thought I'd never finish(refer to the word of the day)
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Come on down to Paint Bank and help us celebrate Chuck Cupid's Day...Valentine Day...stay at The Depot Lodge with your sweetie and get a gift certificate to the Swinging Bridge Restaurant...we still have a few rooms left. If I run into Chuck, I'll tell him your coming.

40 days till spring!


Word for the Day...Blatherskite - A blustering, talkative person.