Shadow of the Rainbow

Randa Lynne Zollinger

Description

The Hansens seemed to be a contented, happy family when the kids were young. Brandon, the oldest, was the perfect son, continuing the tradition of being a great athlete like his father and grandfather before him. The twins, Jaden and Jenny, revered their older brother and sought to emulate him. As Brandon started high school and the twins began middle school, things in the idyllic American family began to change. The siblings had typical teenage issues in school as well as with their parents, but it was more than that. Fighting, suspensions, and drugs had never been in their plans. Picture-perfect on the outside, the family was jolted when Jaden, who wanted nothing more than to please his dad and older brother, failed miserably as he began to discover his sexual identity. If it hadn't been for the support of his sister and a neighbor, Jaden might have tried to end his life long before he did. While dealing with Jaden, his father was forced to confront issues neither imagined nor expected. Live through Jaden's story as he struggles to understand the ramifications of his father's haunted past and continues to forge on in his quest for the "rainbow."

Sujets

• Coming of Age
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Stratton Press
• Date de parution: 28 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781648954511
• Langue: English

Extrait

Randa Lynne Zollinger

 

 
SHADOW OF THE RAINBOW
Copyright © 2021 Randa Lynne Zollinger
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Stratton Press Publishing
831 N Tatnall Street Suite M #188,
Wilmington, DE 19801
www.stratton-press.com
1-888-323-7009
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in the work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Shutterstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
 
ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-64895-450-4
ISBN (Ebook): 978-1-64895-451-1
 
Printed in the United States of America
 
 
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Epilogue

 
This book is dedicated to my mother, Helen Zollinger (05/02/1920– 08/11/2012), who inspired me throughout my entire life. She was my Sunday school teacher, my sports coach, my cheerleader, my mentor, and my best friend. She was open and loving to all people and taught me acceptance and tolerance by example.

 
I wish to thank the special people in my life, Anita Williams, Susan Datson, Leah Mason, and Bonnie Watkins for helping me edit the book. Thanks to Carolyn Scelza for helping with format and Darla Todd and Audreonna Blount for helping with the cover.

 
Prologue
With lights flashing and sirens screaming, the ambulance made its way through traffic, heading to Regional Hospital. As it passed Lake Griffin High School, the occupant on the stretcher was totally unaware. It had only vaguely registered when someone had shaken him, trying to bring him into consciousness, and had then loaded him onto the stretcher. It was Saturday, so there was no school traffic, but an event at the community center was just letting out, so the ambulance changed its course somewhat to avoid a jam. When it finally arrived at the hospital, attendants raced out to help, asking if the victim had been identified yet.
“We found his school ID in his pocket. His name is Jaden Hansen, age fourteen, with undetermined cause of collapse,” said the EMT pushing the stretcher.
“Do you think it’s a drug overdose?” asked one of the attendants.
“We just can’t tell at this point,” the EMT replied.
When the stretcher was settled in the ER and the EMT was filling in the doctor, a nurse began to draw blood for a toxicology screen. After nodding at the EMT, the doctor was all business.
“Get him set up for a head CT! Has anyone located the parents?”
The CT scan came back normal, but the blood test was positive for high steroid levels. He was immediately treated for a drug overdose and put on suicide watch in the ICU.
Getting a call from the hospital on her cell phone, Jaden’s mother, Alice, immediately started to panic and shouted for her husband.
“Donnie, come here quick! Talk to the hospital. It’s about Jaden.”
Listening, then hanging up abruptly, Donnie said, “Let’s get down there now! They’re treating him for a drug overdose, but he’s still unconscious.”
“Drug overdose?” Alice couldn’t believe it. “Not Jaden. He would never do drugs. He’s a good boy. They must be mistaken.”
Her heart was pounding, and she was glad Donnie was driving, because she felt as if her arms and legs wouldn’t cooperate. She wasn’t even sure she could walk into the hospital. Thank goodness her daughter, Jenny, was spending the weekend with her friend, Sarah.
When they arrived at the hospital, they went right to the ER information desk and gave their names. Their anxiety heightened with every passing second.
The woman at the desk shuffled through some papers and finally said, “Yes, here it is. Your son is in the ER annex.”
Heading down the hall where the volunteer had pointed, Donnie tried to ease Alice’s panic, but he was nearly frantic himself. He hadn’t always been the best dad in the world to Jaden, but he did really love him. He knew he had constantly been on him about his activities and his friends, but he had felt that he had known what was best for his son.
Oh, please , he thought, talking to some greater being. Please let him be all right .
As they hurried into the annex, they saw a boy heavily bandaged around the head and face, with his arm in a sling, bound to his body. Even in the dim light, they could see there was no shock of pale blonde hair. It was not Jaden. Feeling very relieved, they turned away to continue looking for their son.
“Dad? Mom? How did you know I was here?” the bandaged figure spoke softly.
Their relief turned to bewilderment, then alarm, as they got closer and saw the boy on the bed was Brandon, their other son. Confused conversation ensued until Alice’s cell phone rang again. When she noticed the caller ID was Regional Hospital, she gave it to Donnie with a terrified look. Then she kissed her older son on one of the few places on his head where there was no bandage. Listening to the phone, Donnie’s face changed from consternation to fear.
“Alice, it was the ICU nurse. They’re wondering when we expect to get there to see Jaden. And,” he said flatly, “she said they think it was a suicide attempt.”

 
Chapter
1
Miss Bonnie
 
I live on a shady street in a quiet neighborhood. It’s located in a small Southern town situated next to a beautiful lake that families love to frequent in the summer and where teenagers gather at night to find the perfect hidden spot for a special date. The large oak trees on my street create a canopy where cats are free to roam. In the spring, the flowering trees display a rainbow of stunning colors.
For the most part, my neighbors all live in similar homes and work nine-to-five type jobs. We have a couple of teachers, a construction worker, a pharmacist, and a lady who works in the DMV, among others. Seldom does anyone visit another’s house, but many walk their dogs or ride their bikes, allowing for more than chance meetings and providing a certain familiarity with each other. We don’t all know each other’s names, but we certainly know each other’s faces. There are a couple of neighbors that we all agree are odd. Someone who lives in the South and doesn’t smile or wave when passing is certainly odd. Someone who avoids eye contact is considered downright unfriendly. But still, we all share camaraderie.
I have lived here better than twenty years, ever since I retired. I was here way before the kids across the street were even born. Long enough that another neighbor’s kids have grown up and moved out. Long enough that several families had lived in the blue rental house down the street before it finally sold to a permanent resident.
Up the street in the other direction, there used to be a wild strawberry patch that I frequented early on. The subdivision was laid out in the sixties, but never completely developed. There have been a few homes built since I moved here, but the neighborhood has stayed pretty much the same for years. There are people living here that moved in when the development first opened and a handful of vintage residents who have died. There is a sense of continuity and community here. If someone’s kid goes off to college, we hear it through the grapevine. When people are out of town, their houses are unofficially watched. We sign for each other’s packages.
Like I said, I am retired and have no family living close by. I suppose some could call me nosy. I prefer, interested. It’s only natural that I have been watching the family across the street raise their kids since they were born. It’s about this family I wish to tell you.
There is a mother, Alice, a father, Donnie, and three children, two boys and a girl. Donnie was a great athlete in high school and still has the body to prove it. People in his hometown of Center City still occasionally talk of his exploits on the football field. He was the homecoming king, and his wife, Alice, was queen. Somehow, he has never been able to move past those days of glory, and it seems he must relive them through his child