Jim's words stung Sam like a swarm of mad hornets. " Sarah's been dead for eight months now. For crying out loud, Sam, get a grip! It's time for you to snap out of it before you get one of us killed. You have to get over it and get your mind back on your work." Forced to take time off from his successful construction business to recover from his wife, Sarah's death, Sam encountered six foster kids in a remote desert oasis that gives him a whole new awareness of the struggles and challenges of unwanted kids. This is especially true with a seven year old philosopher and theologian named Aaron, who thinks that a person should pray with their eyes open so that God can see what you're thinking. Sam's confrontation with a drug addict and kidnapped teenager results in him winding up being badly beaten and left for dead in a deserted, rat infested barn. Only his rage over his unseen assailant and his desire to not become rat food energized him to escape and go after the one who assaulted him. Sam took a trip to find some kind of healing for his grief. In the end he finds not only the healing, but also discovers that a kidnapped and abandoned teenage boy worked a miracle of change in his life.
Runaways come in all sizes, shapes and ages. Some are people who are tired of the humdrum life in which they find themselves, so they run away to places of imagined excitement. Others run away because they find themselves in trouble with family members or the local police force or school officials. Still others run away for reasons totally unknown to them or anyone who knows them. There just seems to be something within them that causes them to pack their clothes in some kind of bag and then strike out on foot or bicycle or in a car, for places unknown. Lee Edwards was an eighteen year old boy raised on a Midwest farm. His life was rather normal for a farm kid: farm work, school work, community activities, ball games, girl friends and the hope that someday to have a more rewarding life, perhaps away from the farm. Lee may have run away for any one of these reasons or for none of them at all. He could think of at least a dozen reasons - or none at all, as to why he left home and "headed east." Runaway life is hard. Food is often scarce or non-existent, places to sleep are difficult or impossible to find and not everyone can be trusted to have your best interest in mind. Survival skills need to be discovered, honed and sharpened in order to stay alive, whether hitchhiking on the highway or walking the streets and alleys of the big cities. Work is illusive and not readily available for a runaway kid with no work skills except farming. There were times when Lee wished he had made a better choice, but those times passed quickly for he had no desire or reason to return to the place of his birth. As years came and went, so did his memory of his family, his home, the people in his town and his high school sweetheart. Time has a way of helping a person grow up and, hopefully, become more mature. Lee did grow up and, in many ways, became more mature. In the process he learned a very lucrative business and became somewhat successful in his work and with his investments. He felt that he had accomplished what a local business man "back home" had told him. "Lee, why don't you make something of yourself? Be successful and make your folks proud of you." He was successful and, as to his folks, they wouldn't know if he were dead or alive. He had not been in touch with them in twenty five years. Then it happened! He couldn't keep running any longer. He knew he had to return to Pryor and to whatever waited for him there. What awaited him was a twenty five year old crippled man who would impact his life in a way that would change him forever.
This 90,000 word novel involves the life of a fifty-something black woman who, following a short-lived and devastating marriage, finds work in the King County system, ultimately as Court Stenographer. She encounters belligerent youth, judges like Horatio Morgan and inept defense attorneys who challenge her ethical and moral values. A convicted felon escapes custody, then terrorizes and threatens the life of everyone related to his conviction, including the court stenographer. Having previously worked with aggressive youth in the King County Juvenile Service Center, Shirley decided to find ways to legitimately defend herself. This ultimately proves to be instrumental in foiling an attempted robbery. It also serves to save her life in a later encounter with the escaped felon. While on vacation in a tropical paradise and away from the often hostile environment of her workplace, she meets a man who desires for her to spend all her mañanas with him. It could be like a dream come true, but it would mean moving to another country and learning another language. In the end, it could be well worth it - in more ways than one.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.