BEHIND MY TEARS

A drug-addicted homeless mother lets her children go to get clean and discovers her strength!

Synopsis: Zoe has it all. A husband who loves her, three thriving children, and a yen for marijuana. A freak accident kills her husband, leaving Zoe with the children and her yen. A series of bad decisions, and a deepening addiction rid Zoe of everything—her house, her money, and her children. After living with them on the streets for a year, she turns them over to her sister. Zoe vows to kick her habit or forfeit any claim to her children.
The battle for her life begins in the back of an abandoned milk truck. There, amidst the abandoned bottles and old blankets, Zoe fights the battle of her life. Pain and need almost break her. A brief relapse takes her the brink of rape. But she finds the inner strength to kick her habit, to come clean. She emerges a whole woman in need of a job.
Living in a tent, Zoe lands a job as the overnight waitress in a 24-hour diner. She’s good at what she does, and everyone likes her. But the waitress gig is not good enough for her. She discovers the universe of house cleaning. Plowing her money back into herself she forms a cleaning business that challenges bigger enterprises for good work. She hires and fires and lands jobs that require capital, capital she doesn’t have. Her response is a loan shark. They don’t call them sharks for nothing.
Despite usurious fees, Zoe manages to stay afloat. When the loan shark comes to collect a bonus, she once again faces rape. She manages to escape with the help of a friend. And she finds another lender who will provide money at a reasonable rate. Zoe is on her way, especially when she qualifies for a state license. She’s almost happy.
Almost, because, while she has maintained contact with her children, they still live with Zoe’s sister.
When the kids act out, when the oldest child faces arrest, when they lose interest in a better life, Zoe knows it’s past time to take them back. She finds a suitable house and reclaims them. Zoe never quit on herself, and she’s not about to quit on her children. They’re all going to make it.