Distorted Perception

By Xlibris US

This is a true story as seen through the eyes of Mr. Gray. The names and locations have been changed to protect the innocent. Mr. Gray is a husband, father, teacher and coach. He has tried to do the right thing his whole life, but life is ready to show him how wrong he has been.
Love cures all may work for most people, but for Mr. Gray, love is the road that will change his life. The harder he worked the deeper into hell he went. He feels that he has everything and can do anything. That will change.
Follow Mr. Gray as he tries to fix everything only to find it is too broken and that love is a living breathing thing.


He uses personal experience to create characters who try to overcome lifes trials. These trials are bigger than life, but the characters still keep trying to survive. As in life: some win and some lose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499045291

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

You, ‘son of a bitch’, I just smashed your car into another car and you’re going no where!

To be honest this is not a bad thing. Sheela and I have been in that car for 3 and ½ days. I’m tired of driving and fucking.

Here I sit on a flowered couch under a black valet painting of Elvis in this man’s trailer, or I mean mobile home, while mom continues to verbally accost her daughter, and little sis is looking on.

Dad just came bursting in like a swat team, army style. I was sitting back, but now I’m sitting up ready to defend myself. I know if someone did to my little girl what I did to his, I would go to war.

Mom is getting more verbal, yelling about Sheela running away and not wanting to come home.

Sheela asked me to bring her home.

I said it, but it is a lie, she wanted to go to California and never come back. I thought it might help.

I started to look back at Dad, still in a military stance, thinking how to defend myself.

What? He’s reaching around his back. And there it is, a chrome plated 38. I’m looking down the barrel of a chrome plated 38. I can see the rifling in the barrel.

You know, I didn’t think it would end this way. All the things I have done and tried to do, will be over. I just thought there would be more. I have no bad feeling about this man. I would do the same.

What the fuck, Sheela has jumped in my lap, holding my head.

He’s going to shoot his own daughter. I have to get her out of the way. This cannot happen.

Filled with adrenalin, with one arm Sheela goes flying out of the way.

Eyes back on the gun. Where is it? With both hands on the 38, military style, it is pointed at the ceiling. This man knows something about guns.

Sis finally speaks up Don’t shoot him in here, it’ll make a mess.

Well, at least mom is quiet. That was getting a little old.

I called the cops, they’ll be here any minute.

I guess dad isn’t going to kill me today. All this before I shake hands with the man.

Now it is dead quiet, and for same reason this is worst than before. My heart rate is standing to get back to normal.

There it is again, Mom yelling at Sheela about running away. Oh great, dad is also jumping in. I could jump in with the lie, but it didn’t help before and I’m guessing it won’t work now.

Sis is still in the background, happy that she doesn’t have to clean up my brains all over this fine flowered couch

With a knock on the door I hear, Mr. Jones, this is officer something. Is your daughter home and safe?

Yes, Sheela is right here.

Good, Mr. Gray, come with us please.

As I get up to leave I’m thinking, Sheela I love you, I really love you but I cannot show it now. I hope things work out.

Mr. Gray, we will be taking you to the station. You are being charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. You will have to put in a plea. After that we’ll bring you back to your car.

Mr. Gray, you have to stay away from that girl!

Yes, sir

As we leave the trailer court I see my car isn’t crashed, but just pinned up between a car and a new truck. This new over sized truck seemed out of place in this trailer park. An old beat up car would be more at home here.

The ride down town was quiet except for the reminder to stay away from the girl.

I plead guilty, just had to sign a peace of paper. It seemed less than a parking ticket. If it wasn’t for the fact that my teaching and coaching career was over, it was no big thing. Just a fine and it wasn’t that much.

I had worked so hard to get through college and even harder to start a top level wrestling program in a town that only thought about football.

After seven plus years of teaching high school physical education and being the head wrestling coach, it seemed like every one knew me. I couldn’t go anywhere without Hi Mr. Gray Hey coach.

I’ve always tried to treat everyone with respect, and always tried to be friendly. After the hundreds of hundreds of kids I got to know, the names where all mixed up but not the faces. I remember all the faces and how they acted around me. I had tried to help each student and athlete to be his