Book Two in the Hope Springs Novel - A Story of Faith
Tyler Graves was a drug addict. Everyone knew it but him. He thought he was just having fun and there was nothing wrong with his actions. After all everyone he knew did it and no one was getting hurt, so what was the harm?
One day after a self –induced drug binge he slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly because the afternoon sun was so bright. He was accustomed to waking up to unfamiliar surroundings. This time he found himself in a ditch, covered in mud. He didn’t waste time wondering how he got there or even how long he had been lying there. His self-induced drug binges usually cost him days, not that he complained, wasn’t that the point, to get lost, to forget, to become numb, to experience freedom at its finest? He laid there a little while longer, taking inventory. He still had his clothes and shoes on, that was always a good sign. There have been more times that he cared to remember where that was not the case. He didn’t feel any pain anywhere, so, he wasn’t hurt. That was also a good thing. He has been known to get to feeling pretty bullet proof when he was high. He finally stumbled out of the ditch and discovered he was in the woods behind a store, which meant he was where he could get a ride.
But much to his disappointment none of his friends answered their phones, so, he had to call home, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He lived with his grandparents because five years earlier he had killed his parents in a car accident. His grandfather picked him up. On the drive home, Tyler slept most of the way, mostly because he didn’t want his grandfather to give him a lecture. In his heart, he knew his grandfather never lectured him, but something inside of Tyler made him lash out no matter what his grandparents said. Maybe that was the problem, maybe he felt like he deserved to be lectured, he deserved to be punished, but he never was. They did nothing but love him and that hurt more than anything. No matter what he did, how much he hurt them, stole from them, inconvenienced them, they never said anything, never, not even when he killed his parents, their only son, they just loved him. How? How could they after everything he has done to them?
“Glad you’re awake,” his grandfather said when he noticed Tyler stirring next to him. “Tucker called this morning and asked us to come up to help with the farm. I told him we would. We will head out in the morning.” “What? I don’t want to go to Missouri! That place is in the middle of nowhere. There is literally nothing to do there.” Tyler was outraged. “He needs our help.” His grandfather stated and Tyler knew that was the end of that. They were going to Hope Springs, Missouri weather he liked it or not. Great! Not that his life was bad enough, now he had to go stay with the cousin who walked on water.
Tyler was about to embark on a journey where he would find himself at a crossroad. Would he choose life, love and forgiveness or remain on the current road of sin, anger and self-destruction?
