THE RIVER: A SERIES OF TRAGIC SUCCESS, BOOK TWO

by Ron Davidson

An unemployed veteran cares for his family as he battles with PTSD, anger, and depression. Reliving past experiences helps him come to terms, while filling in pieces to reveal a much bigger problem.Entertaining the reader with an unorthodox approach to storytelling, harrowing experiences from throughout his life are relived as the protagonist battles many antagonists around and within him.Below is an example from the second chapter of Book This material contains adult content and language.INT. FORT SILL, BARRACKS - EARLY WINTER, NIGHTInside their large, barracks room, young men in PT uniforms sit on their beds, writing or reading letters from home. Some have collected in groups as they recall funny stories from their lives or brag of exploits.A few wander to the bathroom with a shaving kit or magazine. All try to make the most of their time with the lights on, in their own ways.Preparing his bed for morning inspection, Ron places his PT shoes under his bed, between a pair of black boots and a pair of cheep, black sandals.Sacrificing the warmth of his blanket for extra time to get ready, he lies onto his back, the back of his head resting on the pillow.Ron’s eyelids twitch as the light above him penetrate them. Removing his PT shirt, he folds it a few times, creating a blindfold.With his eyes shielded from the light above, Ron relaxes as he attempts to sleep. The noise from the surrounding recruits creates an effect similar to white noise as he drifts into slumber.Conversations slowly trail off until the room is silent.After twenty minutes, Ron senses something is wrong when he swings his hand to his face, removing the PT shirt from over his eyes.Striking something soft with the back of his hand, a slapping sound accompanies a painful groan just as a short, thin man falls into the middle aisle, shorts pulled down to his knees.Private Walsh clutches his groin as the soldiers surrounding them burst into laughter.RONWhat happened?PFC WOODYou bagged him!RONHow?PFC WOODHe was going to teabag you. Then your hand swung up and hit him in the balls!PFC WALSHMy balls!RONOh.Unamused, Ron stands in front of the man in his mid-twenties, curled into the fetal position on the floor.RONYou should consider yourself lucky. If you had tea-bagged me...His eyes turn fierce, staring grimly at the other man.RONI’ve fucked people up for much less.Once again lying down on his bed before returning his PT shirt to its previous position, Ron confidently attempts to sleep.PFC WALSHI need some ice!Recruits continue to laugh at Walsh, still in the floor with his shorts around his knees. Begrudgingly, Ron laughs.

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2023