Christy Michael Thomas Cunningham on Podiobooks.com

As time passed Christy sank deeper into her old ways until
it resulted in a night in jail.  This
prompted a visit from Jack, but it was too late.  She was too far gone.  He made the mistake of pushing her out of the
Community too early which resulted in her just pushing him away.  Christy always regretted the way they had
left things, but there was nothing she could do about it now.  Then again Jennifer saw her own redemption in
acting as confessor and picking up where her father had left off.  Jennifer helped Christy find a little peace
and at the same time found her independence. 
Christy was going to get another chance and Jennifer finally committed
herself to living her life on her own terms.

Life was good on the farm.  Christy had her struggles of course, but
through it all the work, the food, and the lifestyle helped to make her
healthier, stronger, and happier than she had ever been.  That is of course until Christy had her
baby.  The loss of her child proved to be
a dark turning point in her life.  With
Jacks help she was eventually able to accept her daughter's passing, but the
scare never faded.  The next few years
went by in a blur and before anyone knew it she was 18.  After her birthday she did what everyone expected
her to do.  She got a job, an apartment,
and once again with Jack's help she even started classes at a local community
college. This was the first time she had ever lived alone and her old habits
worked well to help her make friends.

Christy's mother had been cremated by the city
and they had disposed of the remains. 
There was absolutely nothing left for her now.  She couldn't even say goodbye.  The only person she had left was Jack, but as
it turned that's all she needed.  He took
her to an agrarian commune they called the Community.  There were rules, limits, and she would have
to go to school, but as long as Christy could abide by this she was welcome to
stay.  The real problem was finding
something that she could do that would motivate her enough to stay on the
straight and narrow.  As they toured the
community the chances that they were going to find something were beginning to
dwindle.  That is until they finally made
it to the barns, and that's when Christy met the love of her life; a Belgian
mare named Molly.

Christy had nowhere to go and out of desperation
she began to hitch hike, and that's how she met Jack.  He always did have a thing for strays and she
definitely looked the part.  He gave her
two days to consider if she wanted him to help her, and then left her alone to
think it over.  She used that time to
rest and when it was over she was ready for him to take her home.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much home for her
to go back to.  Her mom was gone and her
daddy was in the pen for murder.  Her
momma had finally gotten up the courage to leave and there was now way he was
going to let that happen.  Even though
she was now an orphan Jack had a plan. 
He had a place he could take her and they would be willing to help as
long as she was willing to let them.

When they arrived at a Waffle House Christy
doesn't waste any time ordering the biggest meal on the menu.  Jennifer could tell it had been a long time
since she had ate so well and figured she could probably use it.  Christy's biological father died during the
Vietnam War.  Four years later her mother
would marry again, and this time not to someone nearly as loving.  He was great in the beginning of course, they
usually are, but it wasn't long before he quit working and became physically
abusive.  Christy was looking for any
excuse to get out of that place and one day that opportunity rolled up in a
shiny Trans Am.  Those were the good times,
but it all changed when the pregnancy test came back positive.  His response to this news was everything she
had feared and after that she knew she had to get out.

Christy knew that once she saw Jennifer starring
her down the only way to face the situation was head on.  She stepped out from where she had been
standing and heads for the car.  She
plays it cool though and manages to do some fast talking to explain her
intentions.  She convinces Jennifer that
she knew her dad well and for the price of a meal she could tell her some
things about him that no one knows but her. 
Jennifer is intrigued by her offer and decides to take her up on
it.  Christy begins her tale by talking
about her mother and Henry.  Henry was
Christy's biological father.  He was good
at the farm and even better to Christy's mom, but that fairy tell would end
soon enough.