A Lost Soul
by
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Mason was tired, hungry, and needed a bath, but as he neared his hometown of Mountain Springs he began feeling better. It had been a month and a half since he left home, and tears stung at the edges of his tired eyes. He drove through the center of town then headed towards home. Time renewed itself vividly as Mason saw the old house for what it was, tired and sagging. It needed repaired and painted. The old shop, at the end of the driveway, looked like a tiny junkyard. Mason pushed away the new awareness and honked his horn as he climbed out. Glancing up at the kitchen window, he saw his mother's face. "Hi, mom," he yelled. His dad came out of the shop, wiping his hands on a rag. He watched Mason step out of the company truck and walk over to him. "Hey, dad." Mason reached out his hand toward his father. His dad took his hand, pulled at it with a yank, and uppercut Mason at the jaw line with his left fist. Mason felt his knees buckle as the force of the blow laid him on his back. He rolled over in pain, his face down in the dirt of the driveway. Rising up slowly, he shook his head. "What the hell...." Realization flooded him, and he started to get up, but a driving boot into his gut left him crumpled in a heap. "Ralph!" he heard his mother's voice cry out. "Shut up, woman. Get in the house!" Mason tried to get up again. "Stay down, boy," his dad ordered. However, Mason moved quickly this time and outdistanced his father's second kick. "What the hell is the matter with you, dad?" Mason had dirt and tears running down his face as he attempted to outmaneuver Ralph. "You little bastard, you couldn't keep your pants on, could you, boy? Now everything is ruined, college...everything! You've got nothing to look forward to, just like me." Ralph came at him again, but Mason moved too fast. "Come on, dad. Will you stop already?" But Ralph kept talking and swinging, "She's pregnant!" Another empty punch. "Lynn Johnson. Her dad nearly beat her to death." Another right, followed with a left hook. Mason kept moving in a circle, fending off his father. Then, it dawned on him. Lynn
"Mason!" Eva's voice was sharp, "She's here, Mason. Inside. She didn't know where else to go." Mason stopped short, turned, and went towards his mother. Questions filled his eyes. "She's upstairs in your room. Go clean up before you go in. I'll bring in some clothes for you." "Is she okay?" Eva nodded her head. "She is now." She left her son and slowly walked over to her husband. "Feel better now?" she asked him.
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About the Book
Mason Collier has lost himself -- his emotional self. Standing before his editor and ghostwriter, Andrea -- the woman he loves -- he senses his own tragic flaw. How does a man recover his youth and his innocence enough to heal the wounds? He must recapture the memories held by his dear friend, Ginger. She holds the key in his letters written after the death of his teenage bride, Lynn: letters from Tahoe, boot camp, and Vietnam. Now the memories begin to seep to the surface, begin to creep out of the dark and jungle green memories of his wounded inner self.