Serendipitous Rescue
Historical Fiction / Romance / Family / 465 pagesA three-part saga spanning 102 years.
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Part 1 – 1951 to 1971. 16 chapters.
World War II had recently ended, and people were getting back to normal. JJ is an eleven-year-old boy living in a small orphanage in the small town of Indiana, Pennsylvania. He finds a lost dog and names him Laddie. JJ believes he won’t be allowed to keep Laddie and runs away. He’s only gone for a couple days but discovers a sick lady and helps her recover. JJ returns to the orphanage a hero and is allowed to keep Laddie. Tom and Laura, the niece and nephew of the sick lady, meet JJ and eventually agree to take JJ into their home. Tom is reluctant at first, but JJ is helpful with Tom’s electrical business, and Tom learns to love him.
JJ meets a prominent businessman (Howard Mills) who is having trouble with his car. JJ and Tom help out. Howard learns that Tom wants to get into the air conditioning business and hires Tom and JJ to do some air conditioning work. They eventually form a partnership.
Tom and JJ confront a school bully (Kevin Connor) who has been bothering JJ since 3rd grade. Kevin is a big guy who has a learning disability. Tom learns that Kevin has untapped mechanical skills. Tom shocks everyone by offering Kevin a job. Kevin becomes friends with JJ and is a valuable asset to the small but prosperous air conditioning company. JJ becomes interested in girls and meets Anna, a polio survivor who uses crutches to walk. They fall in love and are married. The company grows and expands. The company buys the house used by the orphanage to prevent the orphanage from closing down.
JJ, Tom, and Laura maintain a close relationship with the two ladies who run the orphanage, and who JJ has loved all his life. At the end of part 1, Laddie passes away at the age of 19. JJ is heartbroken. Then, a few weeks later, Miss Nancy, the lady who raised JJ until he was adopted, also dies. On her deathbed, she gives JJ and Anna her diary, and they are surprised to learn that Miss Nancy has a history with the house.
JJ and Anna have no children. At the end of part 1, they are introduced to three children, aged 11, 7 and 4, who are orphaned when their parents are killed in a car crash.
Part 2 – 1918 to 1970. 18 chapters.
This is the story of Miss Nancy’s life. She begins writing in her diaries at the age of 16 while living in a coal mining camp in eastern Pennsylvania. Her boyfriend is killed in a mining accident, and then she has to deal with the influenza epidemic of 1918. The youngest son of the mine owner is the school teacher who wants a better life for the mining families. When Nancy is seventeen, Arthur is 23 and falls in love with her. He wants to move away from his wealthy family and live in Pittsburgh. They accidentally discover the small town of Indiana, in western Pennsylvania, and settle there. They build a grand home and prosper during the 1920’s. The Great Depression destroys their business. Arthur passes away from tuberculosis, and the house is taken by the state for back taxes. Nancy is forced to move to Pittsburgh and work in a soup kitchen. After many years, the Quakers are able to lease the house and turn it into an orphanage. By chance, Nancy is able to return and work in the orphanage. As World War II breaks out, JJ comes to live there as a two-year-old baby.
Mrs. Barclay is the other lady living at the orphanage with her husband, Fred, who leaves for war. Fred never returns. Nancy and Mrs. Barclay become dear friends.
JJ grows up and remains at the orphanage until he is eleven. At that time Nancy’s story briefly parallels part 1. Her final wish is for JJ and Anna to have a family.
Part 3 – 1971 to 2020. 3 chapters.
We learn the story of the tragic accident that orphaned 3 children, and how they come to live at the orphanage. They meet JJ and Anna and are eventually adopted. At first, the eleven-year-old boy has trouble accepting all that has happened, including living with JJ and Anna. But events conspire to help him adapt, and Kevin helps.
Mrs. Barclay retires, and the kids grow up. Eryk, the older boy, becomes involved with the business. He is instrumental in helping the company grow to new levels.
The end of part 3 sees JJ and Anna grow old. Their children now run the large service business, and their grandchildren run the orphanage.
