Howdy, folks. It's summertime in the town of Amarillo, Texas. Myra Donnelly is a 60-year-old conservative southern woman trying to alleviate her boredom. Ever since she retired from teaching at the local public school and her son Martin Donnelly and his wife Janice moved to Massachusetts, Myra doesn't know what to do with herself. The old woman is going stir crazy. What's a gal to do?
Myra Donnelly spends a lot of time volunteering for various organizations. She's cooked meals for the homeless, and also taught English to immigrants from Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria and El Salvador. Myra believes in doing good in the world, and thinks that those who are doing well should help the less fortunate. For a woman who stands for so many good causes, why is Myra Donnelly so miserable?
When one feels miserable, it's always a good idea to see someone even more unfortunate than oneself. It helps put things into perspective. Indeed, that's exactly what Myra Donnelly did. She went to the local public library, where a former student of hers, 20-year-old Dwayne Jefferson was getting help with his resume. Having completed his first year at Amarillo College, Dwayne is looking for summer employment. Myra, a kind soul, set out to help him...
A lot of people think that there's a lot of racial tension in Texas, between blacks and whites, blacks and Mexicans, and other groups as well. Myra Donnelly is well aware of the not so glorious past of her home state. She considers herself an example of the new Texan. The one you don't hear about. Myra believes in being kind to Blacks, Mexicans and others, not out of political correctness but because it's the Christian thing to do...
"Dwayne, young man, why are you so blue?" Myra asked Dwayne, as she used one of the Amarillo Public Library computers to help him with his resume. Myra remembered Dwayne as a talkative, bright student, and he was quite morose that day. After some hesitation, the young man finally told his former teacher what was bothering him, and it was indeed the oldest story in the damn book...