The Warmth of the Clouds

By Seltzer

Neglected by his parents and hiding while watching his mother being abused, Tommy is taken away to Springtime Orphanage. Through the worst of times he seeks “The warmth of The Clouds” as his shelter, in hopes of his parents getting the help they needed to be able to bring him home again.
Being provoked by the school’s bully upon arrival, Tommy has to fight back and find a way through the tough times at the school and in his personal life. Tommy looks higher to the clouds for strength.
What is in the clouds that only Tommy sees? The counselor’s don’t understand and think it’s all in his imagination. The children make fun of him, but it will shock them all when they find out, all at once. Will Tommy gain the strength to make it through the bully’s fights? Has he received the most powerful gift any child has ever needed to overcome?
A must read heartwarming, inspirational story of survival for a broken road in a boy’s life. Finding more than he ever thought possible. A page turner to the unpredictable exploding end!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483521800

Book preview

9781483521800

CHAPTER ONE

Tommy was just seven years old when his father was arrested for drunken abusive behavior. He doesn’t remember knowing that much about him except that he was gone a lot. When he was home, all Tommy could remember were the beatings that he had done to his mother. He beat her to the point that there were days that she couldn’t move, or even go out of the house, from being bruised and sore. Felicia Richardson was a 129 pound, 5’5" tall, slender blonde. People that know her say she is soft hearted and kind. Tommy remembered his mother trying to hide him from his father when he was in his drunken stupor. His mother had finally called the police on his dad and he was sent to jail.

Felicia turned to drinking heavily, to the point of alcoholism. She has never lost her love and security for her only son, Tommy. She did lose her job along with all sense of reality. Felicia’s non ability to take care of young Tommy had become apparent to all that were around them. It showed when he went to school. His clothes had gotten tattered and were unclean, along with his hygiene. This, in turn had forced a neighbor to call Social Services on her. Tommy was taken from the place that he called home and on his way to an Orphanage. His mother was sent to a rehabilitation center and was not to have any contact with the boy until she could comprehend reality again and was proven a fit mother, in the Court’s eyes.

***

Springtime Orphanage was a couple hours ride from Gloucester, Virginia, where Tommy lived. It was not the ordinary parentless children’s camp, as the children called it. The staff really did care about the children and wanted to help them through their crisis they had endured before arriving at Springtime.

Kyle Lawson was a tall, dark haired, handsome man in his fifty’s. He had founded and built the center for children, knowing from his own background, that these kids needed love and care from anyone that could and would offer it to them. Whether they wanted to go or not, at least it was there, if and when the courts forced them from their parents and their homes.

Betty shoemaker and Linda Cove are his left and right arm, live in social workers. They’re in charge of the children’s wellbeing and finding them a suitable home environment, when adoption time came around.

***

Tommy was silent from the time Betty had pulled him from his mother’s arms. He rode, not speaking a word in the back seat of her Suburban for the two hour ride to the Orphanage. The yellow rubble road that led into Springtime’s main entrance was a ray of light to Tommy as would have been to any child. His eyes lit up as Betty watched his face in the rear-view mirror while she parked. The playground equipment that he saw on the right side of the building was overwhelming with all the bright colors. He had never gotten to go outside much, nor had he seen such new equipment, without graffiti and a muddy ground under them. He sat in his seat and stared out the window at the children. It looked like hundreds of them, to him, playing on the playground and having fun. He wondered if he would get that same opportunity.

Will I get to do what they are doing Ms. Betty? Were his first words spoken to her.

You sure do Tommy. This is a nice place and there are a lot of children here for you to play with, she responded.

When do I get to see my momma? Is she going to pick me up later?

Not today, she has some things that she has to deal with before picking you up. When she gets finished she will be able to bring you home.

"It sure looks neat