The summer of his eighteenth birthday, Bud’s life takes a sudden turn downward. His thirty-two year old father died of a heart attack six years ago, leaving him and his mother alone and broke. He had no insurance. His mother, Ashley, got a job, but with only a high school education, her earning power was limited. He took a job in the local grocery store, which helped a little. Then Ashley was fired after she refused to have sex with her boss, and she couldn’t find another job immediately.
After several weeks, Ashley told Bud he would have to stay with her best friend on her Alabama farm until she could find another job and get back on her feet. He tried to talk her out of sending him to live in another state—he really didn’t want to live on a farm in the middle of nowhere. But he also knew his mother didn’t have any job prospects and it would be helpful if he agreed. So she put him on a bus in Atlanta and, four hours later, he was getting off in Alabama. Bud was picked up by his mom’s best friend, who was so close to them, he had always called her Aunt Jasmine. He didn’t realize what an adventure he would have down on the farm…