“Follow love and it will flee; flee love and it will follow thee.” – Anonymous.When Alma Dawson, a middle-aged, hard-working single mother, sets out to get the tuition money for her daughter’s last year of college, she never dreamed her entire world would be turned upside down. A poignant, inspiring story, this novella is a testimony to a devoted mother’s love! “This short story is a good read. … story is a good read. Business is business and love is love. This short story takes you on a journey that illustrates that loves trumps business when the time is right. The main character was ahead of her time as she struggled with being a single parent and sending a daughter to college in the 60’s. She was a hard worker and she was driven at a time when women had very few options of earning a decent salary. Her love, dedication and determination to ensure that her daughter has tuition for her last year of college landed her into a situation, that would be frowned upon by many during that era, if they had known. She took a chance, made a huge sacrifice and found independence. She had the courage to be herself in spite of gossip or typical southern Church rules. She rediscovered herself and surprisingly she also experienced a second chance to love and be loved. Two thumbs up for The Agreement!” – Amazon reviewer
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A mother will do anything for her child. When Alma enters into an unorthodox agreement to get the money for her daughters college tuition, she views it strictly as a business arrangement. Little did she know how much her life would change.
John Isaac Jones is a master storyteller!
Working in a fabric shop in small town Aliceville, Georgia doesn’t pay very much. Widow Alma Dawson barely has two nickels to scrape together after the bills, so she is frantic to find the extra money to pay for her daughter’s last year of college. When she visits the town bank, she is told that there just isn’t enough equity in her shabby little home to stand as collateral for a loan. The bank manager, however, has a rather unconventional idea as to how Alma can earn the extra money she needs. Alma, though desperate, struggles with the ethics dilemma her decision will cause.
This short story is poignant, touching and reveals the immeasurable depth of a mother’s love for her child. The story line also lends itself to the testament that love does not always come packaged as we expect. Sometimes, it grows quietly, hiding itself behind the walls of fear and pre-conceived expectations. And, it is only in the potential of losing such love that the existence of that love is fully realized.
*A gift copy of this story was given to me in order to read and give a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.
I really liked the short story The agreement. It was an interesting and engrossing read, touching on many different issues and levels:
First, it the story of a single mom and her only daughter in the 1950’s—their relationship and their life. Being a single mother then was totally different than being a single mother today. It Is certainly not easy now (speaking from experience), but in the fifties it was much more difficult. Women rarely worked and when having to suddenly support themselves and their children, the work they were able to find paid very little. There was little support for a single mother in those days. In this case, Alma Dawson works for a very small salary in a fabric store and she was virtually on her own.
Second, it is a story of a woman’s growth as she discovers her own strengths and talents. This is the part of the story I really liked—-Watching Alma blossom into a confident and successful woman was exciting to me and showed a clear pathway of personal growth that many of us can relate to if we look back into the steps we took in our lives that got us where we are now. I loved the new Alma!
Third, it was the story of a woman forced by circumstances to make a morally difficult and shady decision that affects her life and her daughter’s life in a very important way. Some may be offended by the agreement she made, but I rather admired her. I also really admired her because once she made the decision, she handled herself with grace and honor—grace under pressure, which in this case is the sign of a true lady. She never faltered after she made the decision, in fact this begins her odyssey into a new life and a new woman.
Fourth, it was a love story, albeit an unusual one. I don’t want to give any more details of this aspect, because I don’t want to give any spoilers.
The story feels old-fashioned. It was from a totally different time—the 1950’s are so far removed from 2015, that it is hard to conceive of life in those days. This story gives a very detailed and true picture of “the good old days”, which indeed are old-fashioned.