The Swinging Gate

Phillip always found a late-night fishing trip at the local pier to be a relaxing experience. But one special night would turn out like none other. The unexpected comes to change his life; and likewise give him new life. First will come the vicious attack by a shark, which he survives somewhat intact. Next will come the maiden, whom he saves from drowning in the dark, unknown waters. Which goes to prove: one never knows what the deep might cast up, or what fate herself will conjure...
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Phillip always found a late-night fishing trip at the local pier to be a relaxing experience. But one special night would turn out like none other. The unexpected comes to change his life; and likewise give him new life. First will come the vicious attack by a shark, which he survives somewhat intact. Next will come the maiden, whom he saves from drowning in the dark, unknown waters. Which goes to prove: one never knows what the deep might cast up, or what fate herself will conjure up.
Thus begins the living adventure of Phillip and Maria; an ageing bachelor with no children, and a stubborn young woman with no family. Add to this a swinging gate, which leads to travels back and forth. And add to this a baby born out of wedlock, that no father will claim. And the sum total is a relationship of friendship which all families should be glad to be a part of.
Two careers, higher education, a fastidious midwife, a genial colossus, a quirky nurse, and a godchild baby; all become mixed up in a search for something tied together by sincerity.
As Phillip and Maria both would discover:
"Change is never singular. If one thing is moved, all things adjacent to it must reposition themselves. Such is the balance the natural world requires. A single incident will have ripple effects far beyond the center of action. The eye can never see nor predict how far the wake will flow from an isolated incident. Moralists would argue, this is why every seemingly insignificant act of good or evil has profound reverberations. Some have called it, the law of unintended consequences."