Lost & Found
Coming of Age, Coming Clean
An eighteen year old leaves his home in Philadelphia to get away from a drug- addicted mother and her abusive partner—and to track down the man he thought was his deadbeat dad. His bus trip across the country and adventures in San Francisco, bring him answers and unexpected discoveries—and a new friend. When an accident brings both mothers and dad together for a reunion of opposites, we just might discover that we can respect and appreciate our different journeys.
Book Synopsis
The first section of Lost & Found began as a screenplay, a contemporary coming-of-age discovery story. And so it became the first in the trilogy. The second part of the story brings together two mothers whose life experiences and aspirations could not be more different.
Emily & Terri are together in Oakland. Both mothers want to be there for their college-age students—very lucky to have escaped from the Ghost Ship warehouse fire. Terri’s recovery from sexual abuse, domestic violence, and addiction, are just what entitled and self-absorbed Emily needs to understand—for herself, in her own midlife love affair. However, Emily is so put off by Terri: to think her daughter, a bishop’s daughter, would even consider marrying the son of such a poor, working-class woman is appalling.
Robin, independent minded and wary of her mother’s intentions, had rescued Ryan from the fire that claimed the lives of thirty-six others. She is recovering well, but Ryan—after three days in the hospital—is still suffering from smoke inhalation. Even though Terri has spent what little money she had, coming to Berkeley from Philadelphia, Ryan does not want to see her. Will he recover? Can he forgive his mother for his lifetime of her neglect? Will Emily listen to Terri’s advice? Terri persists.
Characters
Ryan
Eighteen-year-old Ryan from Philadelphia, struggling with resentment toward his mother, needs to find out for himself why his father left them ten years before. He is unprepared to meet his father.
Robin
Robin is based on The Bishop’s Daughter, second in the trilogy — Robin (17), discovers her mother’s infidelity to her husband, is also a betrayal to herself and her own expectations of what a mother should be. Coming to terms with this, she tells her mother to keep her infidelity to herself, thereby protecting her father, his ministry, and their marriage.
Terri
Terri is the “pull it all together” third section of the book. Finally breaking through her oxycodone addiction and domestic abuse, Terri now sincerely wants to make amends to Sean and her son, Ryan.
Emily
Emily is the daughter of a conservative Episcopal bishop in Texas. She married to please him, but is now recently divorced. She is finally free to enjoy the attentions of an attractive and financially successful man.
Behind The Scenes
The 1967 Summer of Love was a truly crazy but exciting time to be in The City, especially for college-age students. Momentum was building for protests against the Vietnam War, not just in San Francisco but worldwide. Then in the fall of ’68 the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front brought further attention to the needs of people of color to get equal opportunities and college educations. A few teachers, honoring the five month-long college strike, meet with students off campus. So much history was playing out most boldly on the streets, yet somehow, I did manage to fulfill all my requirements to graduate in 1969.
Then a mere 42 years later, I’m sitting in the same classroom of the School of Cinema. Now more focused, I worked in earnest to craft my first feature-length screenplay. It was accepted by the faculty to represent the school in the hope of winning the Humanitas prize.
Once in the program, I just kept writing. It seemed that my characters just told me what they needed to do and what they wanted to say. I would follow them on their adventures, including submitting my work to many screenwriting contests. The Moondance Competition awarded me a prize for what is now “Terri’s Story.”
An actual incident on San Francisco’s vintage F-Market & Wharves streetcar became the basis for three screenplays and ultimately this novel. One afternoon, coming home from State, I lost a my wallet when the old trolley lurched forward. I did not notice then that it had fallen out and was hidden under the seat in front of me. Inside that wallet I had a note to please call me if found.
What a surprise, within two days I did receive a call. The young man who found it was from the East Coast in search of his father. His returning my wallet became the inspiration for this entire story. Yes, I have tried to reach him, to thank him, but to no avail. My younger brother, Martin Gerrard, has been something of a muse in this whole ten-year process. So, thank you, Marty.
Thank you Chad Lewine of ChadWorks for the wonderful website design. I love your work.
Questions for Discussion
For use by book clubs, focus groups or for personal exploration of topics brought up in Lost & Found.
Resources
National Domestic Violence Hotline
800-799-7233
SMS: Text START to 88788
thehotline.org
National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-656-4673
rainn.org
Drug/Addiction Assistance
SAMHSA National Helpline
1-800-662-4357
Bullying Crisis Text Line
crisistextline.org/topics/bullying/
Crisis Text Line is here to help with bullying. Reach a Crisis Counselor by texting
HOME to 741741
Self-Harm, Suicide, Mental Health, and Sexual Violence
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Hours: Available 24 hours.
SMS: 988
988lifeline.org