Vernetta Whittaker

The Strangest Package Vernetta Whittaker

After a year's absence, Cathy Newcomb is coming home. The idealistic, young, executive is going places, moving up the corporate ladder apparently with no time to be saddled with a husband and children. She is defying all tradition, all social and family expectations to pursue her dream. However, a short visit to the home place causes her to question everything. A trip to the neighborhood convenience store turns into a potentially life-altering experience. Meeting Jim causes the ambitious, self-assured, Cathy to rethink her carefully orchestrated destiny. Jim Romano is going through the motions. What started out as an emergency mission is now his life. He is a misfit, a transplant, stuck in a small town for the sake of family honor. The always confident Jim is now questioning everything, including his purpose in life. Disillusionment and hopelessness is about to overtake him. Even his faith seemingly does not provide the answer. Just as Jim is about to pack up and hit the road, Cathy Newcomb walks in, like a breath of fresh air into the door and into his life. Jim and Cathy's chance meeting evolves into a joint quest to discover what is real in life. Set in a town where historically social issues dictate the way of thinking and the way of life, the two individuals face the task of overcoming challenges and embracing each other's distinct differences to experience all that they have in common.