Forever And A Day

By J.E. Bolton

Weatherton-native Jacob Grayson finally has life exactly how he wants it to be: a nice job, a gorgeous apartment, and a brand new start in Chicago. He appears fine on the outside, but beneath layers of thick skin lies a pain bigger than his seemingly-perfect life.

Jacob journeyed hundreds of miles from home not only took him from the place he called home. He was also running from the pain of a bad childhood, the unexpected death of his beloved mother, and the estrangement of his father that caused him years of pain and self-destruction.

In the midst of suddenly losing everything, Jacob finds himself far from the quality of life he once knew and places him at a crossroads. One road leads to deeper depression and possibly death, while the other leads him on the path to redemption and an unexpected reunion with his dying father.

Will Jacob finally reach out to his dying father and forgive him, or have years of hate hardened his heart forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.E. Bolton
• Release date: May 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476244426

J.E. Bolton

J.E. BOLTON was born on September 19, 1977 in LaFollette, Tennessee and was named Jason Eugene Bolton. Being the oldest of four children as well as the son of an independent contractor and a nurse, Bolton started writing at the age of twelve and often sat in his bedroom for hours filling several notebooks with short stories and poems. At the age of fifteen, he published his first poem, “The Lighthouse” which went on to gain over twenty honors and independent literary awards. He graduated from Campbell County High School in 1996 and excelled greatly in college-level English and Journalism courses, and was even part of both his middle and high school newspaper staffs. By the age of 19, Bolton completed two anthology compilations of his own work. At the age of 24, Bolton got his first real break by publishing a weekly column in the Jellico Advance-Sentinnel called “Shades of Grace” under the pseudonym Jason St. James. He is also credits author and book editor Michael Garrett, who has also worked with best-selling authors Stephen King and Joyce Carol Oates, as being his first book editor. Bolton describes himself as a very driven person when it comes to writing and life: “You can neither be afraid of failure nor the harshness of your critics. I like to think of myself as a writer who’s in it to give my readers hope even in their darkest of situations.” Bolton bases his life and living on a quote by T. E. Lawrence which states: “All men dream, but not equally. Those who dare to dream by night from the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was all vanity. But the dreamers of the day are but dangerous men. For they may act upon their dreams with eyes wide open and make it possible.” Bolton also had the honor of being the youngest person ever nominated for the Crystal Pen Lifetime Achievement Award by the Appalachia East Writers Association. By the age of 25, Bolton garnered a total of over fifty honors and awards in the field of writing and poetry, and has also been published in numerous publications and international anthologies. Bolton and his family currently reside in East Tennessee.

Book preview

FOREVER AND A DAY

By

J.E. Bolton

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

J.E. Bolton on Smashwords

Forever And A Day

Copyright © 2012 by J.E. Bolton

Book illustration by Windy Brock Galyon. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Thank you for purchasing this eBook. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form, with the exception of quotes used in reviews.

Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

*****

There are so many people to thank. First, I want to thank Sand Dollar Media and Smashwords Distribution for believing in me and giving me the chance to do what I love doing most. You guys and gals are awesome!

Also, to my family and friends. To my Mom and Sisters for being yourselves. To Jessie and John for accompanying me on my own journey and always being there. To my precious nieces and nephews Angel, Charlotte, Chariot, Jacob, Zeke, Riley, and Morgan. Always do what’s in your heart and follow your own paths in life, no matter how it may seem to anyone else. And just remember your Uncle Jason will be your biggest cheerleader rooting you on.

To my writing mentor Joy Edwards-Davis, and my first book editor Michael Garrett. I’ve learned so much from you both. Thank you for the lessons. To Windy Brock Galyon for doing such an excellent job illustrating the cover to this book. You rock, my bestest-worstest friend in the whole-wide world.

To Daddy. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think about you. I love and miss you, and I hope you’re looking down from Heaven proud. This is our book, and you know what I mean when I say that.

Most of all, this book is dedicated to PBE. You had such a great big hand in this project. I couldn’t do any of this without you. All my love, Forever and a day.

--jeb

*****

FOREVER AND A DAY

*****

PROLOGUE

It wouldn’t be much longer before death would come for my father. His tightened pale skin felt colder to the touch with each passing hour. He laid dormant on his deathbed and quietly endured the final stage of cancer. The Hospice nurse placed him on a forty-eight hour death watch, but it was evident he‘d be gone come morning.

Unnerving silence in the house felt as frigid as the snow-clad winds that blew ferocious the night before. I fell deeper into helplessness with each shallow breath he drew. God knows I would’ve given anything to have taken his pain away. Instead, I did the only thing I could. I sat in a chair by his bedside and awaited his final hour.

Midnight slowly progressed into the early hours of the morning. Several memories came to my mind, as I sat in the darkened stillness. Some were wonderful, while others were nothing short of bittersweet. I could tolerate them, but it was the other complex memories I couldn’t handle. The ones that were best left forgotten.

Despite my grief, I was somewhat taken aback being in the same room as my father. Anyone who might’ve witnessed me at his bedside would have gotten the impression that he and I had the perfect father-son relationship. That was quite the contrary.

Memories of the previous year haunted me like a legion of vile, restless spirits. One by one, they viciously reminded me of what might’ve been. Both the good and the bad waited in the dark recesses of my life for a time such as this. And this was only the beginning.

CHAPTER 1: TO EVERY THING THERE IS A SEASON

I think it’s only fitting to call this a journey rather than a story. To call something a story makes the events and people involved sound like a work of trivial fiction, but a journey is as real as the blood that runs through our veins. My journey began on the first day of spring, nearly one year before my father’s death.

Spring was always one of my favorite times of the year. It meant the end of blizzard-like winds and the beginning of cool, gentle breezes. Leather baseball mitts replaced wool- knit mittens, and frozen skating ponds magically turned into a refreshing relief from the humid, sun-scorched atmosphere.

An important milestone also took place that same year. My great-grandmother, Eleanor Grayson, whom I often referred to as Granny Grayson, turned one hundred years old. My plans were to return to Weatherton, Tennessee for her birthday, as I did every year.

Early one evening, I started packing my last suitcase, and the phone rang. Hello? I answered.

It was Granny Grayson. It’s Granny, she said. How are you doing, Jacob?

The tone of her mountain soprano-like speaking voice possessed a certain aura of tranquility. It always brought a smile to my face. I sat on my couch’s arm