The two sounds of the radio and the television blasted against each other in a competition for the loudest. The radio in the kitchen and the T.V in the family room, every room in the Marques’s house was filled with noise.

“Dan, Patrick, Cindy!” James Marques yelled through the noise. “Come see this! It’s the president’s State of the Union speech! This speech could affect you once you become an adult, it could possibly help you get a job, get better health care and earn more money if he decides to pass some laws!” he exclaimed.

“That’s so far away! We’re only eleven!” Patrick replied.

“Don’t worry about it too much now, but when the time comes to start paying your own bills, you will thank yourself.” Mrs. Marques stated.

“Fine, I guess if you say so,” the two kids muttered.

The whole family piled on to the old leather couch covered with apple juice stains from years ago. The commercials ended and the camera zoomed in on to President Truman brandishing to the crowd.

“After months of congress debating over this bill and seeking for an answer to our problems of high priced health care packages, with families that cannot afford it. We have come to a decision that. . .”
Suddenly, the camera focused on a man with all black on running on to the capitol steps past guards with a Colt Python pointed at the president. The secret service dove in front of the man to protect the transcendence president, but it was too late. Shots were heard and the entire crowd in front of the capitol went silent except for the few who were bawling to the moon from the situation, waiting for an answer.
News reporters yelled at their microphone’s, “THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT! THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT!”
The entire country went into panic. The news spread around the world within a matter a minutes.
Mr. Marques flicked off the television and told his children to go outside and play.

“But daddy? Is Mr. President O.K? We want to know!”

“Please, just go outside or up to your room and play, mommy and I will explain everything tonight.” Mr. Marques replied.

An hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Marques flipped on the television again to see an update.

“We are back with more information about the shooting of the president again. We now know the shooter was an M.I.T student, 21 years old. He was shot by secret service at the scene and is dead. Luckily, the president is alive but in intensive care. We are getting live radio feeds right now from a veritable source at the hospital. Be sure to tune back every couple of minutes for more information on the situation.”

All of America was paying homage to the badly wounded president. James went up to the T.V, trying to find news of the stock market after the incident. Suddenly he heard announcers yelling that General Motors’ stock had plummeted and that they had announced all employees in the Claims Department were being let go.
“James! That’s your job!” his wife stated.
“This can’t be true, they need at least some employees to work claims.” James retorted.

“You heard the man, Pontiac just can’t afford to pay all of those employees with how much the stock dropped.”

“How are we supposed to pay our bills without me working!? You sure won’t be able to get a job now, with all of the companies getting rid of them.”

“We have enough in the bank to hold us for a little bit, but we need to try to figure this out while the stock market rebuilds,” Cindy inquired.
About three weeks later, the Marques family had just about lost everything. No jobs were open to Cindy or James, and their savings was rapidly running out with no earnings. They had to tell their children that the bank might take their house with no money to pay taxes or mortgage. There was only one hostel in town and it started to fill up as the jobless men and women were losing their homes too.
“Cindy, it’s gone. I’m sorry; this house no longer belongs to us. We need to tell Dan and Patrick so they can pack up their things.
“But where will we go?” she instantly replied.
“There is a small shelter in the crypt in the church on Grove Street, we can stay there.”
Then they told their children about the situation, how they only owned that house for one more day, then, it would belong to the bank. So for the rest of that day, the Marques’s weeped and sniffled with sorrow as they packed, for their beloved home was no longer a home.
As they attempted to leave the light blue house with overgrown, green grass and weeds in the lawn, it seemed to have a gravitational pull on them.
The Marques family walked along the sidewalks (they had no car anymore as well) across town with suitcases in hand and headed for the church shelter. When they arrived, other families welcomed them with open arms and so did the shelter volunteers.

“I am going to take a walk.” James announced. “Just to get used to our new surroundings.”

James took a walk around the new neighborhood and started to walk into town. Without any control, he seemed to end up at the local bar. When went home to the shelter, he barged in and collapsed on the floor at 2 A.M. The next morning, his family started to worry... “Why did he come home so late? Where was he?”

James would always with, “I just went for a walk.”

As the days went by, the same events happened, he would blow 20 dollars every night. Cindy and James had only brought 300 dollars with them to the shelter, which was all that was to their name. They planned on using it just for food that the shelter did not donate to them. In just a week they were below 200 dollars and dropping rapidly.

James’s wife and two sons started to figure out that James was growing an addiction. He was becoming an addict. He started spending less time with his family. Finally they decided to have a talk with him.

“Daddy we’re worried. We don’t want you to hurt yourself or our relationship.” Dan and Patrick mumbled under tears.

“James we need to have a serious colloquy, you’re ruining this family! You’re always cooped up inside of that bar! The money is a whole other topic, but please, stop this insanity.” Cindy cried.

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop, and I didn’t realize how much this was affecting our family.” James answered.

But with time comes change, and James went right back to drinking within that week. Soon his family caught on and decided enough was enough.

“James, I love you.” Cindy struggled to gouge out the words, “But I can’t have the kids around you right now, you’re becoming a tormenter to us and have a detrimental problem. You’re not the same, you have a raucous personality because of your addiction! I am taking half of what money we have left and staying at a hostel. Spend your half until you blow it all, but we need to part ways for now. Until you’re...fixed.” His wife stated and then left with his children.

By how much drinking he had done since his family had entered the shelter, the families and volunteers at it started to lose respect for him. Soon after his family left, the shelter workers decided it would be best if he left as well, for he brought a bad feeling onto the other people in it.

James lived on the streets for weeks, he kept going to the bar every night. With half the money, he bought half the drinks and he was able to cut down. Everyday he would wake up, walk around past the hostel and dream of being with his family again then he would traipse and dawdle around to keep himself occupied until the night where he would go to the bar until spent all his money.

One night, James went to the bar with his last 35 dollars. He was planning on spending it all that night, not thinking about the next day. Not thinking about what he would do with no money. He was going to sit there, get drunk and lament. When he was about to buy a shot, a man walked into the bar beatifically with a walk that showed swagger, walked up to him. Dressed in all black, James stared at him.

“Can I help you?”

“James! Great to see you, I’m Andrew Milligan, remember me?”

At first, James did not know who this strange man was, it was the moments that he thought he had dementia, but after a few moments, Andrew Milligan popped into his memory again.

“Andrew, man, we used to be cronies! Did you lose your job too?”

“Sadly, yes. My buddy allowed me to stay at his place. Where have you been living?”

“Anywhere warm.”

“Where’s your family?”

“Are you writing a book ? But they’re at a hostel a few blocks away, they left me because of all my time here. This place took over my life and this is where all of my money has been going.”

“James, don’t blow your money. Don’t buy any more drinks, listen to me. My buddy’s cousin lost his job too in the crash, he decided to start up a company called Vutosy, and he’s taking T.V and adding color to them! This idea could sell millions! Stock in his company is 35 cents. Buy 100 shares and you won’t be sorry.”

“This is the last of my money, once this is done, everything is over for me, let me use it for something I love.”
Andrew casted a look of disgust, “This is what you love? You’re blowing you money on trinkets! I implore you to follow me! It will work!”
“Sure, here’s 35 dollars Andrew, it may be a pittance, but invest for me and please don’t let me down. It’s all I have left.”

“I won’t James.” Andrew stated.

The next morning, James walked to the hostel and asked the manager to see the Marques family.

“And who are you?” The manager asked.

“Tell them James is here.”
“Yes, sir.”
After a minute, Cindy, Dan and Patrick emerged from the hallway in the back.
“Dad!” The two kids cried.
“James? Why are you here?” Cindy questioned.
“Listen, I am in a state of contrition, please don’t berate me, I’m not here to ask for money, I’ve stopped with the booze, I’ve invested.”
James told his family about his old co-worker, and the company, how he invested.
“Are you sure this is O.K?” Cindy asked in a venial tone. “Why would luck go to you for a chance to make millions after what you have done? It seems eerie…”
“Yes, there is going to be a huge demand for color T.V once it comes out. This is a tenuous chance, I need to take it,” James stated eloquently.

Over the next month, Vutosy grew into a huge company, as James earned more money, he bought more shares. Within 3 months, he had his home back. James and Cindy were both head of the marketing department at Vutosy and owned 25,000 shares each. The stock grew to 165 dollars per share and colors T.V’s sold like crazy.

As for Pontiac, the company restored it’s loses but was never as big as it was beforehand. For the next 50 years after, it sold millions of cars until it went out of business in 2010 for bankruptcy.
Six months after they got their home back they moved into a much bigger apartment in NYC. With the stock growing and company moving to New York, the Marques lived closer to work to spend more time with each other. James Marques made most of his money in the stock market as well, he was also able to manage his shares in the market easier.

2 years later, James decided to write a memoir. It was about that time of tragic after tragic events that put him into the place he was that day, and how he savored where he was. The book’s motif was also it’s title. It was called, “Even in times of darkness, hope still shines through.”