Diamond in the Rough--story sketch

I've written a very rough draft of this outline many years ago, but will only post it if this is received well. The storyline still touches my heart.

Ferris Yardale, a retired FBI agent, is dreading the visit of his nephew, Garrett, whom his brother Reese had spoiled rotten. Garrett's mother had died giving birth to him.

Reese was going out of the country on some business, and asked Ferris to watch after 12-year-old Garrett. Ferris couldn't stand hearing the boy's constant complaining, so he called up some of his women friends to see if he could pawn him off on them, but they all knew Garrett, and declined.

Ferris picked up the paper, and saw that there was a homeless woman who was being rewarded for saving the life of a small boy who had stepped out into the line of busy traffic. She had only suffered minor injuries. He grinned with what he thought would be a brilliant idea. He read further into the article. Her name was Diamond, and there was a good picture he could use to find her.

He combed the street for her, and, after a few hours, gave up his search. He, then heard a loud scream. "Fire!" a woman yelled. Ferris ran toward the alley and saw a man beating on a woman, taking what looked like a very small change purse, and starting to run away. The woman was lying motionless on the ground.

Ferris pulled out his revolver. "Drop what's in your hands and get out of here if you want to live."

He went over to the woman, who wore old, tattered clothes, and looked closely at her bruised face. "Diamond?"

She responded to her name.

He brought her into his mansion and cleaned her up, and offered her pay for taking care of Garrett.

She accepted. She taught Garrett a few things about humility.

Reese returned from overseas and met Diamond. He was mesmerized by her. Ferris decided not to tell Reese where and how he met her. He wanted to see how this played out, but secretly hoped that the relationship would only go far, as to not constitute her actually being a part of his prominent family.
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This story is still in the very early stages of development. The Antagonist in this story is the child's father, who is away. He had influenced the little boy to be the way he is, so the small boy is, at first antagonistic, but soon accepts the reality of poverty that Diamond shows him. The father, then, is antagonistic toward Diamond for teaching him things that he would rather his son be ignorant about, thus causing a change in the child's behavior. Diamond has to break down his stubbornly willed walls, and if he dares to fall in love with her, then the antagonistic reaction would be the uncle, who hired her, but didn't wish for her to actually be a part of her family. So, one of the orginal protagonists, the uncle, will become an antagonist, trying to sabotage her actually becoming a real part of the family. This is very much a story about pride and the acceptance of someone previously ignored into a loving relationship. There is superficial friendship and all-consuming love. There are higher and lower motives for all actions, some self-serving, and others being service to someone else.




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Decisions, Decisions. What to write?  (E) So many story ideas for novels, so little time. Help me, please. #914238 by Beth Barnett