If You Were There

It’s the summer of 1994, and Jason Parker can’t figure out why he’s not excited about a break in high school classes. He fills his days with movies, video games, and family visits. Or clashes, depending on his dad’s attitude. But he primarily drives his car around the small town looking for something - anything, really.

From birth, he’s learned his small town and family are a mix of integrity and dignity with cruelty and fear. It’s a place where everyone knows everything about their neighbors, but the most prevalent emotion is loneliness.

When he meets an intriguing young woman, he glimpses a different life and future. That relationship fills him with hope for something different, something he’s always wanted but thought was out of reach. For the first time in his life, he embraces a potential future of love, happiness, and security.

After the romance abruptly ends, the rest of his life is guided by that relationship. Sometimes Jason ignores that guidance, and sometimes he welcomes it. If You Were There is not only about Jason’s life but is also about how people deal with unexpected choices.