Seeds in the Concrete

Before you believe in God, you should believe in yourself. Only you can choose Heaven, God will only help you along the way. Here is the ambitious story of Lance, a half-black, half-Italian, who resides in Marcus Garvey Projects in Brooklyn. He is an emotional and passionate young man, with an unlimited ambition to be a successful writer in all facets. He is a representation of the average American who may face many obstacles, while chasing a bright future and running from a dark past. His heart is big, though he is chained down by his ignorance. He has never laid eyes on his father, but despises the very sound of his name. Like his father, Lance is enthused by the taste of women, but he also has no value for them. He makes his judgments based on what he sees and what he experiences. Lance is scared of commitment and the power of women in general, until one woman engulfed him, while penetrating his barrier. Her name is Ayana. Ayana is a woman of self-love, and she loves everything that is capable of it. She is strong, but sensitive. She values education and other forms of growth. She works hard to be nothing like her mother, Suzette, who lacks inner beauty and self-value. Their mother doesn't value Ayana and her little brother Milo. They are sold to their uncle, Frank, as sexual toys for rent and living expenses. After being sent to foster care, Ayana finds the keys to escape her nightmares through school and self-evaluation. She tries to make Milo see life the way that she does. However, when you put more value into someone who doesn't value him or herself, it can pull you down to their level. Milo begins to suck the life out of his sister. How can Ayana continue to elevate herself, when the ones she loves are beginning to be too heavy for her to carry? Should she continue to struggle and cater to Milo's wishes? Or should she move on to conquer her own dreams? Like Ayana, Lance is swimming against life's currents in order to get to where he strives to be. He does what he feels is right, but in all the wrong ways. He feels that a part-time, minimum wage job is not going to get him where he wants to be. He feels he has to be in the game, just not as deep as others are, in order to progress and be safe. He keeps this life secret from his family, school and friends at the studio where he is interning. He is heavily, influenced by his environment. His childhood friends seem to be successful in the streets. Chase is modest about it, Chrome is flamboyant, and YB looks up to all three of them. Though water and oil don't mix, oil tends to float to the surface and reveal itself. Death is the father of revenge. Lance eventually must make a choice between Life and Death. Lance and Ayana come together with their fears and their goals to become one, as a baby enters the world. Lance has a dream to be the father he never had, and he lets his ambition drive him without any direction. Bad choices are made based on his views, morals and principles. Through all these obstacles, something drastic and permanent happens which is Heaven and Hell at the same time. This story is a tale of resilience, learning and recovering from mistakes. It is about faith, hope, and most of all, Love. This is a rebirth to its greatest stature, as when a boy becomes a man, and when that man turns on the lights to chase away the darkness in his mind by re-evaluating himself. SEEDS IN THE CONCRETE is a thriller, a drama, a mystery, and an over all Love story in redemption. This is a story to inspire people to never be something they are not, but become everything they can. Enjoy.