A Little Excerpt

Summer 2009

Rhody Leyman had just recently graduated from high school and was about to head to college and study mechanical engineering. He was dealing with all kinds of depression due to having issues with his biological mother.

He needed to have some time to himself, so he walked over to a nearby church and found his way in. The door was unlocked, so he made his way into the quiet sanctuary and sat on the pew. He stared straight ahead and couldn’t calm his mind. He had way too many thoughts running through his head.

He wanted to know why his biological mom left him, his older sister Jayne, and their dad. Although he has always loved his stepmom, he could never figure out why his biological mom couldn’t stand her when she was rarely in the picture. He had also done some things in the past that he regretted, and he was starting to feel sorry for himself.

Rhody kept quiet and tried to calm himself down. He tried to fight back tears as much as he could, and he managed very well.

He sat on the pew for a good hour and tried to be in tune with himself.

Suddenly, he heard the door open, and there were some people coming into the church, very likely for afternoon mass. And a few people noticed him, even though they didn’t know who he was.

“May I help you?” One of the churchgoers asked him.

Rhody tried to respond but couldn’t figure out what to say. His throat was very dry.

“We have mass starting soon,” she responded. He took this as a sign that he needed to leave, as he was starting to feel pretty unwelcome there.

Rhody headed toward the door, his face beet red. When he came home, he went up to his room and closed his door. He still needed time to himself.