Always Have, Always Will
Discovering Life in the Piney Woods

​    Inspired by actual events, Always Have, Always Will chronicles the lives of two East Texas youth. A journey of acceptance, understanding, and opposition ensues. This story details the challenges of a community, a world, and the necessity to live within accepted norms.
    Prior to Kindergarten, Jordie and Jer were convinced they're brothers. Jordie, a redheaded spitfire with dreams of being on Broadway, lives in Tate, Texas, and Jer, a poor black kid with aspirations to play professional football, lives across the tracks in ​Lucas. .
    Daily, the boys meet up in the culvert under the train tracks separating the two communities  The boys quickly become known as JJ. ​Jordie’s family owned the lumber mill that was the economic backbone of the community. Many Lucas men worked at the mill. When a larger, more technologically advanced mill opens in nearby Jacksonville, the Tate mill closes. Jordie’s mom turns the mill commissary into a neighborhood grocery.

    Shortly before starting first grade, Jer’s dad takes ill and passes. Needing assistance during the illness and with his two younger sisters, Jer’s mom keeps him home. Jordie, not wanting Jer to get behind the other kids, meets up in the culvert afterschool sharing what he learned in kindergarten. Throughout their elementary ​years, the boy’s bond grows. When Jer’s house was destroyed by a hurricane, Jordie begs his mom to give them the lodge beneath the commissary as their new home. Jer's family becomes the first black family to live on the Tate side of the tracks. The blending of the two families began.
    It's during middle school when Jer’s dreams of playing football comes to light and Jordie’s love for music and theatre ignite. Consequently, they soon realize they are becoming more than brothers. Their mothers, noticing the affection, encourage them to stay true to who they are.
    High School presents unfounded consequences. Jordie’s mom is diagnosed with breast cancer. Jer, always the adult, coupled with his affection for Jordie, promises her she'll see them walk across the stage at graduation. It's during this time they begin to realize how society dictates lifestyles and social norms. They discover a façade they must live if they are to remain true to themselves.
    "Always Have, Always Will" is a complex analysis of one’s growth from adolescence to adulthood and the challenges one ensues in order to live the life they deserve. Subscribing to the mantra, “Be known for the content of your character,” both young men affirm their dreams for a professional football career and being on Broadway. It's not until a life pivot do the men find the courage to publicly be who they are.
    Be it religion, social mores, or limiting beliefs, the struggles, hurdles, roadblocks, and victories Jordie and Jer experience are real. They existed in the 1980s, they existed when their careers were beginning, and they remain today. Though Tate, Texas is a fictional town, as are the characters, the journey, the conflicts, and the triumphs are based on actual events on factual dates.