And Eve Said Yes: Seven Stories and a Novella, Scheel Mark

And Eve Said Yes Seven Stories and a Novella presents the reader with a compelling assortment of characters wrestling with life challenges against the backdrop of various world religions. A Jewish stockbroker on Long Island must decide whats the moral course of action regarding his traumatized daughter and an innocent client about to incur a steep loss. A contemporary Catholic foursome--Matthew, Mark, Luke and John--encounter brutal exploitation, murder and a shocking apparition on the mean streets of L.A. A Vietnam veteran fights nature in a crushing ice storm only to re-experience his agnostic nemesis. One man (whose daughter is marrying a Buddhist) offers a humorous take on Buddhism to his buddy in a sports bar. A woman struggles to overcome the bitterness of a failed marriage while attending a breakfast at an Islamic cultural center. A Hindu woman doctor, studying in the U.S. on a medical fellowship, is assisted, when tragedy strikes, by a disabled loner with a compassionate heart. Finally, the novella, And Eve Said Yes, reprises some elements of the different faiths introduced in the preceding short stores as the reader follows the quest of one Jason Hunter for a renewed spiritual connection, absolution of guilt for the accidental death of a coworker and the discovery of a true soul mate. Jason, a Navy veteran now a stockroom supervisor, is without family or a clear sense of direction. Following a severe storm, Jason and a young woman stranger save the life of an elderly woman in a dark flooded street. Jason feels a profound attraction to the young woman but has no idea how to locate her once more. He entertains counsel from those closest to him--his Jewish landlady, an earthy night watchman friend, an old college buddy involved with the SRF church in L.A. and a Jewish coworker who teaches Hebrew. At last, a chance encounter with a former college professor who taught comparative religion in a class Jason had taken years before provides an avenue of hope. The professor had had a near-death experience and invites Jason to attend a spiritual study group in his home. Its there that Jasons search takes a most unexpected turn and his path begins to bend in a whole new direction toward a possible resolution.