The Broken Man

By Janette Rucker

The Broken Man is one of my favorites it is about a young man that had it all but didnt know it, looking for the bigger dreams than being manipulated into thinking he was all that and forgetting about the people that loved and cherished him. Jimmy once obtaining all his dreams found out there was also nightmares that comes with it. Jimmy had to be broken down to be able to see what was real and what was fake. Through life we get discourage when we feel life closes a door but when God opens that window you find out sometimes you have to be broken so you can get built back up with all the right nails and bolts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514408933

Janette Rucker

First as always I want to thank God for being in my life and the acknowledgement of him and his Glory. Thanks to my family, my awesome father and mother Robert Andrews Sr. and Janette Andrews who have always been in my life. I also want to thank my big brother Earl and my little brother Michael and a special thanks to my baby brother Jerry Lee Andrews without him and God I would of never been able to get any of my books published and fulfill my goal in life to write, Thanks Jerry. I like to thank my little sister who I argue with all the time but who I love so much. And I have so many other family members and a whole lot of friends that it would take an other book to mention them all. I need to thank my Uncle Morrow L. Monroe who I never met but who played a part in completing these books. Last but not in the least I have to thank my Hubby Robert Lee Rucker for having my back and after thirty years, still by my side, love you Rucker. Thank you all for reading my books and pushing me and helping me live out my dream. Love you all Jar.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Janette Rucker.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5144-0894-0

                eBook           978-1-5144-0893-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 11/30/2015

Xlibris

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Contents

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Next Door Neighbor

Chapter 2 The Jock

Chapter 3 Fool Me Once

Chapter 4 The Rock

Chapter 5 Sometimes You Just Got To Walk

Chapter 6 The Magic Is Gone

Chapter 7 I Call The Shots!

Chapter 8 The Grass Is Not Greener

Chapter 9 Half A Man

Chapter 10 Plan B

Chapter 11 My Turn To Live

Chapter 12 Parental Skills To The Test

Chapter 13 Not This Time

Chapter 14 Going Down Faster

Chapter 15 No Where To Run

Chapter 16 Pray Your Way Out

I would like to

dedicate this book, The Broken Man, to my Brother Michael Lee Andrews. My brother who I love and admire for his strength and his love for God and for his family. Michael you have gone through the storms and trials of life and came out smelling like roses. There was a time when you was going through and we could of lost you but because of our Gods Grace and Mercy and Grand mamas and mama and sisters prayers you are here and you had to be broken to be built back up to show people that with God’s help you can make it through any problem and situations God is just that good. I am so proud of you and I love you so much. Your big sis Carol.

Acknowledgement

First as always I have to thank God for all he keeps doing in my Life he has been there time and time again he answers not only my needs and wants he even answers things I don’t even ask for because he’s that good. I Thank my Dad and Mom Robert Andrews Sr. and Janette Andrews for being and staying in my life. My Brothers Earl, Michael and Jerry and my sister Linda for being there I love you all. I thank all my wonderful Aunties and Uncles, I got the best. I thank my awesome Cousins and I have the best Nieces and nephews in the world. I got to thank my church and our Choir who always have had my back and all my friends out there, I truly am a blessed person with all the love coming my way and to my hubby Robert Lee Rucker leading the pack thank you babe for your support. God bless you all.

Introduction

Things happen, what if this career doesn’t fall through? Jim asked. Never happen not while I’m Jimmy’s agent. Houston said proudly looking at Jimmy who was very uncomfortable with this conversation between his father and father in law. Then Tiffany jumped in. Have you really looked at this place do you realize what kind of money Jimmy is making that’s because of my daddy who took it on himself to help Jimmy obtain all this luxury, by my father’s help father in law! Tiffany said rudely. No disrespect daughter in law but I think we’ve done a few things for Jimmy, like first I went through nine months and twelve hours of labor with this man that seeded him. These are the tired old breast that nursed him we cooked and cleaned and washed and raised him and we took care of him when he was sick. We wiped his eyes when he was hurt gave him our time and all of our love for all these years he’s been on this earth to get him to the point where he can obtain all these luxuries which is looking like you two are benefiting also from Jimmy’s life so I guess you can say we had a little to do with his life. Jenny said shutting up Tiffany.

Chapter 1

The Next Door Neighbor

Jimmy Turner ran out to the field and stood ready for the kick off, Jimmy was rich handsome and successful and tomorrow he would be signing a contract that would take care of him for the rest of this life. Jimmy had it all, but behind all the glory he had huge drama and heartache and after a night full of trying to drink his problems away he knew the show must go on. So Jimmy did what he was destine to do so the first play was set and the ball was received by his teammate who ran half the field getting the ball to the fifty yard line. When the next play was set Jimmy was ready and the quarterback received the ball and looked through the field and saw that Jimmy was open so he threw the ball, but the ball was too high but Jimmy knew his job and he was good at it, he was the star player and he was going to catch that ball.

Jimmy Turner came from a very poor family in Chicago and his father and mother both worked as housekeepers for hotels making just enough money to live on but they were rich because they had God, they were a loving Christian family who went to church on Sunday and bible class on Wednesday. Jimmy’s father was a deacon in the church and Jenny his mother was on the mother’s board and Jimmy was a blessing with Jenny having him almost hitting forty she was almost ready to give up after twenty years of marriage and no child but God finally blessed them with Jimmy. So even though the family lived in a small two bedroom small house in the poor area of town they felt blessed.

Life was good and while growing up Jimmy and his family lived next door to another family that had a mother and five kids, all girls. One of the girls was Aretha Daniels she was a chubby short hair brown skin girl that was the same age as Jimmy. When they moved next door Jimmy and Aretha both were eight years old and of all the girls Aretha was the closes to Jimmy. They began a friendship of playing at the park and all through the neighborhood then as they grew older now twelve years old Aretha joined their church and she could sing but other than the friendship with Jimmy that was it because she was very shy.

Aretha being in a big family she was the quiet one just searching for a space for her but enjoyed Jimmy’s company and secretly in their early teenage years she developed a crush on Jimmy and was often sad by him not noticing it or feeling the same way but those two were very close. When they started grade school they would walk together every day to and from, and lots of people thought they were an item even Aretha’s family and how she wished, but she had to settle on being Jimmy’s best friend. Things change as they were in their last year of grade school. One day Jimmy saw how the police was called to Aretha’s house, their father had got out of jail and came home and he had been fighting with Aretha’s mother and she had got beaten up bad. At this time two of Aretha’s sisters had, had babies and moved out but the other two was still there at the house one sister had two kids and the other had one and was pregnant and all them was falling in their mama’s footsteps.

Jimmy’s parents loved Aretha and Jenny would talk to her often after church and even though she was blessed to finally be able to have a child Jenny was sadden by how Aretha’s mother and all these girls was having children but no real daddies and nothing else going on in their lives. Jenny tried to talk to Aretha’s mother one day and was told nicely to mind her own business. You don’t have to tell me but once Jenny said to herself but she wasn’t going to give up on Aretha because she was hoping one day she might be her daughter in law. Aretha would listen to Jenny and loved her and Jimmy’s father, they were good parents and she respected them and wished for that kind of family life for herself and their son was who she wanted that life with but right now she was stuck in a nightmare.

Aretha’s father had gotten out of jail for numerous crimes he committed after ten years and when he came back to his family it was only a couple of days after drinking and sex that he had turned back into that abusive beast and started beating Aretha’s mama. While the other sisters watched the beating, Aretha tried to stop her father and got hit a few times across her body. Then the police arrived after Jimmy’s parents heard the noise and called them. Jimmy wanted to go over and help but his father told him that he couldn’t chance his son going over there and getting hurt in other people’s family business. Later after they took Aretha’s father back to jail and her mother had gotten back from the hospital Jimmy looked outside like a worried parent and finally saw Aretha who had came outside and was hurt and angry when he saw his friends swollen face. Aretha was touched by his caring and when she saw a tear coming out of his eye she felt more in love with this young fellow.

Are you okay Aretha? He asked sadly. Yes, I just was worrying about my mama. Aretha responded. Why did? Jimmy was going to asked then stopped. No, go ahead we have been friends now for a few years and you can ask me anything. Aretha said. Why did your mama let that …back in your home? Jimmy asked upset. Aretha sat there trying to figure out how to