October 2, 2025 • 10 mins
This week we meet Pat. Pat got fed up with America. For any number of reasons. The politics. The stress. His marriage.
So Pat split. Headed to Portugal. A nice little beach town on the coast. Where life could not be sweeter.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the ten minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit mini novels on steroids.
This week we meet Pat. Pat got fed up with
America for any number of reasons, the politics, the stress
(00:48):
his marriage. So Pat split headed to Portugal, a nice
little beach town on the coast where life could not
be sweeter. The ex pat look at Pat leaving the
good life out for his morning cycle on the Avenida
Mariano Colada, a slow, easy roll, one hand on the
(01:13):
handlebars of his beach cruiser, the other hand on his
Cafe Comulte. Later Pat might head inland on his road
bike and do some climbing, get a nice little workout,
But mornings he dislikes to turn the pedals, look out
to see and smile at the pretty girls out walking
and jogging. Almost six months he's been in Penuche, on
(01:38):
Portugal's west coast, He's less than two hours on the
A eight from Lisbon, but he's only been down to
the capitol a couple times. When he first arrived, he
thought he'd go into the Capitol at least once a week.
Thought he'd need that urban stimuli, the theaters, museums and restaurants.
(01:58):
But waits in place. He's really digging the small town,
laid back beach five. In fact, sometimes Pat thinks this
is the life he's been wanting to live for the
past fifty years. No stress, no pressure, no car, no mortgage,
(02:19):
no politics. Pat was sick and tired of the politics
back in America. Maybe more than anything else, he was
fed up with the stinking politicians. Trump had been living
in his brain for years. Couldn't get the sick, angry
blabbermouth out of his thoughts. One hundred or more times
(02:39):
a day, that pissant real estate scammer swept through his brain,
destroying any sense of peace or harmony. So when Wendy
ran off with his buddy Hank, Pat took an extended
trip to Spain, Italy and Portugal, and after much consideration,
he put his dough down on a very nice two
(03:02):
bedroom condo right downtown on the Rua Antonio Cervantes. It's
a nice old brick building with a courtyard and plenty
of south facing windows. Pretty spartan so far. There's a bed, sofa,
a little wooden table with a couple chairs where he
eats and writes his medical blurbs for Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.
(03:27):
The work's kind of sporadic, but with the small salary,
his savings and his investments, Pat feels like he has
enough dough to live a long, stress free life right
here in the town and country of his choosing. All
vestiges of his life in America had been severed. Sure,
(03:49):
he gets lonely from time to time, occasionally seeks out
the company of other expats at the local cafes and
turbanas the wounds Wendy and his old buddy Hank inflicted
on him are still too fresh for Pat to seek
the company of women. But he hopes one day and
in the not too distant future, some lovely lass will
(04:12):
roll into his life and fill the empty spaces. Until then,
he cycles and swims and walks for miles and miles.
He has a dream of one day walking the entire
Portuguese coast from Porto in the north to Farrow on
the Gulf of Cadez, a distance of nearly five hundred
(04:34):
and fifty kilometers. If he walks twenty kilometers a day,
he can do the entire coast in less than a month,
stopping in small towns, sunny villages, and staying in charming
pussadas along the way. The walk is something for the
future to dream about and contemplate. Pat he doesn't think
(04:57):
at all about the past, about the regret and mistakes
and things that went wrong, the abortions early in their
marriage when they were young and he wasn't quite ready
yet for fatherhood, and later the miscarriages once he finally
was ready, and that well, that a fair he had
with his secretary. That was nothing, a silly indulgence, but
(05:20):
of course Wendy got herself all worked up over it,
very nearly ended their marriage over it. No, Pat has
deleted the past. Nothing good comes from thinking about the past.
Pat's into mindfulness now, into meditation and staying in the present.
(05:41):
He doesn't bother anymore with the news, except of course,
with events here in Ponouche, police reports and such. His
iPhone he threw away months ago, while still back in
the States. Actually, by the time he finally crushed the
device with its tracking software and tossed it in a
(06:02):
trash can along the side of the road, he was
in Canada, where he'd crossed early that morning at the
border station north of Jackman. All good now, all calm,
all peaceful and stress free. The days slide by. The
weather is pleasant, cool at night, warm in the afternoon,
(06:24):
a bike ride, a walk, some reading on the beach,
a morning coffee with a new acquaintance from London. And
in the evening, Pat studies his maps in preparation for
his long, leisurely walk from Porto to Farrow. His future.
Pat knows it's tough to plan for the future. He
knows things can go awry, life can so quickly slide
(06:47):
off the rails, and so it's best to just lay low,
do some deep breathing exercises, drink plenty of water, eat
a simple diet from the sea, grapes from the arbor,
beans from the garden, get some sun, and of course converse.
(07:08):
But don't talk to anyone about the past. Talk about
the past, even a made up past, and you might
just slip up, might say something better left unsaid. Pat
grills himself a nice piece of baccalaw codfish that he
just purchased fresh down at the fish pier off the
Avenda de mar. He tosses in some peppers and onions.
(07:33):
The rice steams. He thinks he might just have a
chilled glass of Alvarino with his lunch, and after tidying up,
he'll sit down in the courtyard, out of the wind
and read those last few chapters of the Sun also
rises that he's been meaning to finish for the past
week or so. And then, halfway through the meal, his
(07:55):
wine glass halfway to his lips, a firm and aggressive
knock hits the front door. Pat spills the wine on
his brand new linen shirt. Damn it, He stands, dabs
at the shirt with a dish towel. He can't recall
anyone knocking on his door before, except once or twice
(08:16):
his landlady, but she knocked with discretion. Crossing the room,
he calls out Portqueo policia Boro. Pat mutters, and the
past comes flooding in. He considers escape out the back
and over the garden wall. But then what no, no,
(08:38):
he tells himself, relax, take some deep breaths. Come on,
it must be nothing. He calms his pounding heart and
pulls open the door. Three men stand in the doorway,
two local police officers and a tall, angular gentleman in
a dark blue business suit. In perfect English, the tall
(08:58):
one asks Patrick Sullivan. Pat silence is a gasp? Well
actually no names, Young Patrick, Young Alan Gordon FBI, and
the agent whips out his creds for Pat's inspection. This time,
Pat cannot silence the gasp FBI Agent Gordon nods yes, sir,
(09:22):
and in possession of the proper warrants and extradition papers
with the assistance of local law enforcement. Mister Sullivan, I
am here to place you under arrest. A bead of
perspiration forms on Pat's upper lip. Excuse me, I am
placing you under arrest, mister Sullivan, for the double homicides
(09:44):
of missus Wendy Sullivan and mister Hank Anderson. You have
the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and
will be used against you. Thanks for listening to this
original audio presentation of the expat narrated by the author.
(10:10):
If you enjoy today's story, please take a few seconds
to rate review and subscribe to this podcast, and then
go to Thomas William Simpson dot com for additional information
about the author and to view his extensive canon. The
Ten Minute Storyteller is produced by Andrew Pliglisi and Josh
(10:31):
Klani and as part of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network
in partnership with Iheartproductions. So until next time, if there
is a next time, this is Bill Simpson, your ten
Minute Storyteller,
Welcome to the ten minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit mini novels on steroids.
This week we meet Pat. Pat got fed up with
America for any number of reasons, the politics, the stress
(00:48):
his marriage. So Pat split headed to Portugal, a nice
little beach town on the coast where life could not
be sweeter. The ex pat look at Pat leaving the
good life out for his morning cycle on the Avenida
Mariano Colada, a slow, easy roll, one hand on the
(01:13):
handlebars of his beach cruiser, the other hand on his
Cafe Comulte. Later Pat might head inland on his road
bike and do some climbing, get a nice little workout,
But mornings he dislikes to turn the pedals, look out
to see and smile at the pretty girls out walking
and jogging. Almost six months he's been in Penuche, on
(01:38):
Portugal's west coast, He's less than two hours on the
A eight from Lisbon, but he's only been down to
the capitol a couple times. When he first arrived, he
thought he'd go into the Capitol at least once a week.
Thought he'd need that urban stimuli, the theaters, museums and restaurants.
(01:58):
But waits in place. He's really digging the small town,
laid back beach five. In fact, sometimes Pat thinks this
is the life he's been wanting to live for the
past fifty years. No stress, no pressure, no car, no mortgage,
(02:19):
no politics. Pat was sick and tired of the politics
back in America. Maybe more than anything else, he was
fed up with the stinking politicians. Trump had been living
in his brain for years. Couldn't get the sick, angry
blabbermouth out of his thoughts. One hundred or more times
(02:39):
a day, that pissant real estate scammer swept through his brain,
destroying any sense of peace or harmony. So when Wendy
ran off with his buddy Hank, Pat took an extended
trip to Spain, Italy and Portugal, and after much consideration,
he put his dough down on a very nice two
(03:02):
bedroom condo right downtown on the Rua Antonio Cervantes. It's
a nice old brick building with a courtyard and plenty
of south facing windows. Pretty spartan so far. There's a bed, sofa,
a little wooden table with a couple chairs where he
eats and writes his medical blurbs for Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.
(03:27):
The work's kind of sporadic, but with the small salary,
his savings and his investments, Pat feels like he has
enough dough to live a long, stress free life right
here in the town and country of his choosing. All
vestiges of his life in America had been severed. Sure,
(03:49):
he gets lonely from time to time, occasionally seeks out
the company of other expats at the local cafes and
turbanas the wounds Wendy and his old buddy Hank inflicted
on him are still too fresh for Pat to seek
the company of women. But he hopes one day and
in the not too distant future, some lovely lass will
(04:12):
roll into his life and fill the empty spaces. Until then,
he cycles and swims and walks for miles and miles.
He has a dream of one day walking the entire
Portuguese coast from Porto in the north to Farrow on
the Gulf of Cadez, a distance of nearly five hundred
(04:34):
and fifty kilometers. If he walks twenty kilometers a day,
he can do the entire coast in less than a month,
stopping in small towns, sunny villages, and staying in charming
pussadas along the way. The walk is something for the
future to dream about and contemplate. Pat he doesn't think
(04:57):
at all about the past, about the regret and mistakes
and things that went wrong, the abortions early in their
marriage when they were young and he wasn't quite ready
yet for fatherhood, and later the miscarriages once he finally
was ready, and that well, that a fair he had
with his secretary. That was nothing, a silly indulgence, but
(05:20):
of course Wendy got herself all worked up over it,
very nearly ended their marriage over it. No, Pat has
deleted the past. Nothing good comes from thinking about the past.
Pat's into mindfulness now, into meditation and staying in the present.
(05:41):
He doesn't bother anymore with the news, except of course,
with events here in Ponouche, police reports and such. His
iPhone he threw away months ago, while still back in
the States. Actually, by the time he finally crushed the
device with its tracking software and tossed it in a
(06:02):
trash can along the side of the road, he was
in Canada, where he'd crossed early that morning at the
border station north of Jackman. All good now, all calm,
all peaceful and stress free. The days slide by. The
weather is pleasant, cool at night, warm in the afternoon,
(06:24):
a bike ride, a walk, some reading on the beach,
a morning coffee with a new acquaintance from London. And
in the evening, Pat studies his maps in preparation for
his long, leisurely walk from Porto to Farrow. His future.
Pat knows it's tough to plan for the future. He
knows things can go awry, life can so quickly slide
(06:47):
off the rails, and so it's best to just lay low,
do some deep breathing exercises, drink plenty of water, eat
a simple diet from the sea, grapes from the arbor,
beans from the garden, get some sun, and of course converse.
(07:08):
But don't talk to anyone about the past. Talk about
the past, even a made up past, and you might
just slip up, might say something better left unsaid. Pat
grills himself a nice piece of baccalaw codfish that he
just purchased fresh down at the fish pier off the
Avenda de mar. He tosses in some peppers and onions.
(07:33):
The rice steams. He thinks he might just have a
chilled glass of Alvarino with his lunch, and after tidying up,
he'll sit down in the courtyard, out of the wind
and read those last few chapters of the Sun also
rises that he's been meaning to finish for the past
week or so. And then, halfway through the meal, his
(07:55):
wine glass halfway to his lips, a firm and aggressive
knock hits the front door. Pat spills the wine on
his brand new linen shirt. Damn it, He stands, dabs
at the shirt with a dish towel. He can't recall
anyone knocking on his door before, except once or twice
(08:16):
his landlady, but she knocked with discretion. Crossing the room,
he calls out Portqueo policia Boro. Pat mutters, and the
past comes flooding in. He considers escape out the back
and over the garden wall. But then what no, no,
(08:38):
he tells himself, relax, take some deep breaths. Come on,
it must be nothing. He calms his pounding heart and
pulls open the door. Three men stand in the doorway,
two local police officers and a tall, angular gentleman in
a dark blue business suit. In perfect English, the tall
(08:58):
one asks Patrick Sullivan. Pat silence is a gasp? Well
actually no names, Young Patrick, Young Alan Gordon FBI, and
the agent whips out his creds for Pat's inspection. This time,
Pat cannot silence the gasp FBI Agent Gordon nods yes, sir,
(09:22):
and in possession of the proper warrants and extradition papers
with the assistance of local law enforcement. Mister Sullivan, I
am here to place you under arrest. A bead of
perspiration forms on Pat's upper lip. Excuse me, I am
placing you under arrest, mister Sullivan, for the double homicides
(09:44):
of missus Wendy Sullivan and mister Hank Anderson. You have
the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and
will be used against you. Thanks for listening to this
original audio presentation of the expat narrated by the author.
(10:10):
If you enjoy today's story, please take a few seconds
to rate review and subscribe to this podcast, and then
go to Thomas William Simpson dot com for additional information
about the author and to view his extensive canon. The
Ten Minute Storyteller is produced by Andrew Pliglisi and Josh
(10:31):
Klani and as part of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network
in partnership with Iheartproductions. So until next time, if there
is a next time, this is Bill Simpson, your ten
Minute Storyteller,
Host
Bill Simpson
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