The Path: One Young Girl's Summer Adventure

By Judy A Graham

About the Book
Jayda has a problem. She has a project that she is working on, and it is only with the help of a mysterious stranger that she will be able to complete it. Jayda has been taught that she shouldn’t trust strangers, so she feels torn.
She and her mother have come to Wimama, Florida during summer break to help her grandparents deal with a tragedy. While she is here, Jayda becomes involved in something that she would like to see through to the end.
Will she extend trust enough to listen to what this stranger has to say? Read about Jayda’s summer adventure as she meets a new friend, spends time getting to know her grandparents better, and experiences a strange journey.
She comes away from her summer adventure with a new attitude as she realizes that sometimes learning requires having an open mind.

About the Author
Judy A Graham is a retired nurse. She lives in Florida, but was born in Vermont and spent most of her life there. She married the boy next door, and together they raised two sons. After a career as a neuroscience nurse, Judy wanted to pursue her interest in writing Christian fantasy stories.
It is her desire to peak the interest of young minds to investigate the Spiritual side of Christianity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RoseDog Books
• Release date: Jun 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889256205

Book preview

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The contents of this work, including, but not limited to, the accuracy of events, people, and places depicted; opinions expressed; permission to use previously published materials included; and any advice given or actions advocated are solely the responsibility of the author, who assumes all liability for said work and indemnifies the publisher against any claims stemming from publication of the work.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 by Judy A Graham

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, downloaded, distributed, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without permission in writing from the publisher.

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ISBN: 979-8-88925-120-0

eISBN: 979-8-88925-620-5

Dedication:

I want to dedicate this story to my late husband,

James J Graham

He was my encourager, and the best ‘other half’

that a person could ask for.

Acknowledgement:

I wouldn’t have a story if it weren’t for my granddaughter, Jayda Graham. She was so good about answering questions for me. I wasn’t sure how to describe the behavior of the character in situations. She helped me by talking through what her reaction would be in a given scenario.

I appreciated that my brother, Lawrence Beebe, acted as editor as well as critic with my rough draft of the story. He pointed out some errors in grammar, but also set me on a more interesting path with events the characters experienced.

I also wanted to thank my niece, Elizabeth Trajanovikj, for sketching the perfect artwork to use as cover for my story. Her talent always amazes me.

Sad Road Trip

Jayda dropped the trowel and stood up. It was hot out. Summer in Vermont was bad, but she imagined that this would be similar to standing on the sun. Maybe she could work later?, she pondered, wiping another line of sweat away before it stung her eyes. Gathering her tools, she headed to the house. She turned on the faucet and began rinsing off her hands. Her mind wandered back to the beginning of this journey.

She had come home from school to find her mother crying, and her father rubbing her back as though trying to comfort her. Is everything ok? she asked. Her mother looked up, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Your grandmother just called. Nonna has taken ill and they brought her to the hospital. It doesn’t look good.

Nonna was Jayda’s great grandmother. Jayda joined the family hug, willing herself not to cry too. Your father and I were talking, her mother continued. We would like to share some new plans with you and your brother at dinner. This sounded worrisome. Sorry Mom. Jayda didn’t know what else to say so she went into her room until it was time to get ready for dinner.

I know that we had things pretty well planned out this summer but we will have to change because of Nonna. It sounds like your Grammum will need help for awhile. her mother began. She looked from one child to the other before she continued. We think that the best thing to do is for Jayda and I to go down to Florida once school ends next week while Dad and Henry stay here until basketball camp is over. In the meantime, your dad will put in for a family leave from work. At Henry’s puzzled look she went on, It should be in about a month that you can come down, right after camp is over."

We’re all going to make adjustments and help out as we can, their father chimed in as he ran his hand through his hair. His wife picked up on the nervous gesture and gave him a smile. I think that we can all try to make the best of a bad situation, he went on. This might turn out to not be as bad as we are thinking? Her dad had always been the one in the family to see the best in a situation.

Claustrophobic Car

Jayda packed her toiletries bag with her toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, and lip gloss. She threw in a few pony tail holders for good measure. Being 12, some of her friends had begun wearing make-up. She didn’t see the need. She used it when she dressed up to go to Comi-Con but didn’t like her face painted otherwise. She thought it made her look silly.

Jayda was 2 inches shorter than her mother, but had more of her dad’s coloring. Her eyes were hazel, and her hair was brown with gold highlights. She hated that her hair was naturally curly.

She tied it back when she could because it felt heavy, like a sweaty blanket a lot of the time. She sometimes wished that she could shave it all off, but her parents wouldn’t let her.

On the morning they were to leave, Jayda kissed her dad, and gave her brother a swift hug. Of course he punched her in the arm instead of using his words. As little brothers went, he was a pretty good one. They usually got along. He was 9, and he lived for basketball so he wasn’t bothersome like some of her friend’s

brothers were. See ya, she said to him as they broke their embrace. All set? her mother asked as she came out to the car, rolling her suitcase. Yup. Jayda grabbed her duffle bag, her backpack filled with games and adapters, her pillow, and her phone. Her mom smiled at the amount of things that Jayda was bringing. Put what you won’t use right away into the trunk, she instructed her.

Jayda stretched her legs until she was pushing against the opposite door in the back seat. She was feeling very confined on this, the second day of the drive. How much longer? she asked her mother, who was so involved in driving that she hadn’t spoken in ages. Jayda had tried passing the time playing games on her phone until the battery died. The charger was in her backpack in the trunk, which was bad planning on her part. She tried reading, but soon became a little queasy. She had played, I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE with her mom but it was too hard to pinpoint anything outside of the car as the scenery went zooming past. They had each chosen and guessed every item to be seen.

Why don’t you try taking a nap? I know that you didn’t sleep well last night, and we have a few more hours before I want to stop for the night." her mother suggested. Jayda sighed in resignation and made herself comfortable on the seat. She closed her eyes but wasn’t expecting sleep to come. She thought back to the conversation that sent her and her mom on this journey. She wondered if they should have stayed home and all come down together?

Jayda had noticed that her mother would have tears in her eyes as she drove. She could tell that she was worried, but she would wipe her face and change the subject whenever Jayda would ask her about it. That was how she knew that things were bad in

Florida. When they had last spoken with Grammum, they found out that Nonna had a stroke because of some blockage or something. She had not gotten some blood to the brain so now she couldn’t talk or even walk. It sounded awful.

Jayda, Jayda. Wake up honey, we’re here. Jayda jumped up from the back seat, surprised that she had missed the whole South of the Border place and a lot of the sights she remembered along the way. There might even be time for a quick swim before we have dinner. her mom added. At that, Jayda scrambled to get her suit from the duffle bag. They had a relaxing time swimming. It felt good to have cool water around her, relaxing her body from the confinement of the back seat. It was fortunate that there was a restaurant in the hotel parking lot. She didn’t want to get back into that car just yet.

They figured that they would arrive at Jayda’s grandparents by dinnertime the next night. There were so many areas of slow traffic that they had to sneak their way into the house at 2 in the morning. It had to have been the worst trip ever. They were both exhausted so it was so welcoming to see their beds all made up and ready to use.

Finally Arriving

Jayda gave a monster yawn. She could hear conversation in the background before she had even opened her eyes. She made her way down to the kitchen, where she found her grammum and her mother lingering over coffee at the table. "Ah, there you are