One Breath - Works by Dashawn

One Breath was a phrase handed down from my grandmother. She would always tell me "God gives you one breath, Son, don't let anyone take that from you!" I watched how she lived her life, fearless, beyond the expectations of others, taking chances and risks beyond her comfort zone.

One Breath is based on a true story of a young girl, who, in 1958, was arranged to marry an older, successful man chosen by her parents, but ran away to live with her One Breath. Her bravery shifts the destiny of her family for generations.

How will you live your One Breath?

Nineteen-year-old Tavin Curtis steps out of an Idaho juvenile prison with a train ticket, a handful of letters, and no idea what freedom will ask of him. The letters are from Nora Taylor, a young woman in Seattle who first wrote to him by mistake and kept writing after she learned who he was. Once a girl with plans for college and a future in music and art, Nora lost her sophomore and junior years to a consuming romance with Jake, a drug dealer whose part in a fatal robbery exposed the danger beneath his charm. She chose sobriety for herself before senior year and has been rebuilding a life that belongs to her. Now Tavin is traveling to meet her without warning, hoping the connection they found on paper can survive the reality of two complicated lives.

On the train, Tavin meets Charlie Matheson, an elderly veterinarian who has spent decades retracing the journey that separated him from Ella Mae Tucker, the Black woman he loved in the segregated South. Their plans to escape the expectations of family and society ended in a train wreck, and Charlie never found her again. As he tells Tavin about Ella Mae's struggle between love and her family's desperate need for financial security, a hidden family connection comes to light. Moving between two generations, ONE BREATH is a story of interracial love, recovery from addiction, and the courage to live beyond the future others have chosen for you. It asks what happens when love cannot undo the past—but can help us find the strength to choose what comes next.

SETTING
September 6th, 2019
Seattle Train Station – Arrival

"Charlie rested his bifocals atop his salted hair and placed the National Geographic magazine on his seat. He shifted to the center aisle, allowing Tavin to exit row 29. Tavin gathered his backpack from under the seat. Inching toward Charlie, he knocked the cap from the head of the male passenger sitting in front of him. He excused himself and continued toward the center aisle. Both men stood in the aisle, uncertain of the appropriate salutation. It was their first awkward moment since Tavin boarded the train eight hours earlier. Charlie extended his right hand. Tavin stared at Charlie's age-spotted hand, recalling how Charlie clutched his hand five seconds longer than usual during their initial greeting. This time, however, Tavin hugged the older man with both arms. Charlie wrapped both arms around Tavin, whispering: “Let nothing deter you from finding love, Tavin. Love is paramount!” Tavin did not respond, but their embrace spoke louder than words. They broke from their hug at the demand of hurried passengers behind them.

Tavin wove his arms through the straps of his backpack, turned, and walked down the center aisle, exiting the train. Charlie moved to his seat, 29C, allowing passengers behind him to exit the train. He peered through the window at Tavin as he maneuvered through the Seattle train station. Making his way through the sea of passersby, Tavin glanced back at the train, wondering how a chance seating assignment had shifted his destiny? Or had it been by chance? Fixated on the possibility of finding Nora, Tavin reflected on Charlie’s last words. “Let nothing deter you from finding love, Tavin. Love is paramount," he repeated. Tavin knew he was on the right journey."