{Nic}

All My Tomorrows
A Novel by Nic

Synopsis:

Ten-year-old Maddie convinces everyone except herself that “everything’s fine” while her father is away, fighting in Vietnam.

Everything’s far from fine though. Her pent-up feelings build as Momma’s erratic moods pendulate between intense highs and lows. Some days she's an enthusiastic social-butterfly, and other days Maddie witnesses her plummet into depression, refusing to leave the protective cocoon of her bed.

Momma’s odd behavior causes Maddie to rely on her retired next door neighbors (Colonel Fowler and his wife Cora) for hugs and companionship. The comfortable ambiance inside the Fowlers’ home gives her a sense of ‘family’ she so desperately misses; but upon returning home, the atmosphere quickly changes. She mourns Momma’s happiness, and quietly longs for Poppa’s return, finding solace in her father’s letters home, her cat Nancy, and the song she and Poppa sang together every night—Frank Sinatra’s All My Tomorrows.

Excerpt:

She froze upon opening her bedroom door. Momma was sprawled across the coffee table, her hair sopping wet. For a moment, Maddie thought the puddle around her head was blood. Fear battered her thoughts. Her knees felt wobbly, but she forced them to move. As she approached the table, the smell of scotch from the toppled bottle next to her, almost made Maddie vomit. She hated the smell.

“Momma?” she whispered. Her voice sounded tinny and distant and her throat tightened. The pounding in her chest intensified as she placed her hand on Momma’s neck. She wasn’t dead.

Prose and Poetry on this page © Copyright 2011 Nic All rights reserved.