My Name Is Nevaeh

By Darlene K Gatto

When Nevaeh is three years old, her Dad removes her from the custody of her drug-addicted mother, Jade. He checks Jade in to a drug rehab center and then takes his daughter from Washington State to Texas to stay with his parents. He deploys to Iraq soon after—where he is killed when his vehicle drives over a land mine.

Living on her grandparents’ farm, Nevaeh grows up knowing the love of her grandparents and of her father, who left an insurance policy in Nevaeh’s name, which goes into a trust account for her until she is eighteen. But she knows next to nothing about her mother—only that her name is Jade and that she lives near Seattle. So she sets out on a journey to learn what she can about her past, relying on God, her savior and protector, to help her. What she discovers is an adventure of danger and love that leads her to the life God has ordained for her.

This novella tells the story of a young woman who sets out in search of her past and takes the opportunity to build a new life for herself and those she loves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Nov 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665728751

Darlene K Gatto

Darlene Gatto is a former preschool teacher, retired after more than twenty-five years of teaching. A mother of four and grandmother of eight, she is a six-year cancer survivor. She and her husband live in Washington State.

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ISBN: 978-1-6657-2874-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2875-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022915179

Archway Publishing rev. date: 11/15/2022

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A S I UNLOCKED THE DOOR of the townhome and walked down the hallway, I

could hear my baby girl, Nevaeh, crying outside in the backyard. As I headed to the back door, I passed the sofa and found my wife, Jade, passed out in another drug-induced state of mind, oblivious to the world around her. I went outside and found my baby girl in the far corner of the yard with a little bit of shade covering her small body. She was sobbing softly as I picked her up, her diaper dripping wet and her skin red from the sun. I was livid; how long had she been out there? I was done with my wife; this was the last time she would neglect our daughter. I picked up Nevaeh, carried her inside, washed her little face, fed her, and gave her some milk. I took my daughter upstairs and bathed my little treasure. I put recovery gel on her skin to keep the sunburn to a minimum and took her next door to my neighbor, who was a sweet, godly woman. She had just written her first book, titled My Best Friend, and had given it to Nevaeh. I went back into the house, packed a few essentials for Jade, and carried her to the car. I drove her to the recovery center and checked her in for six months. I called my boss and asked for an emergency vacation, as I would be deployed in a few weeks. I took Nevaeh and went to a small town in Texas where my mom and dad lived. I explained the circumstances of the last few months and asked them to keep Nevaeh for me in a guardianship position until I got back from deployment. They loved Nevaeh, and it was no hardship on their part, so of course they would take her. The few remaining days before I had to leave were wonderful. Nevaeh was so happy, not asking for her mother at all and not caring she had not seen her for days and weeks. She was excited to be there.

Early the next morning, I left for Iraq, and that was the last time I saw my baby girl. While I was driving in Iraq with a buddy of mine, my life ended when I drove over a land mine. Nevaeh would never know how much her daddy loved her, except through his parents. I had left a nice life insurance policy in Nevaeh’s name only, and my parents put it into a trust account for her until she was eighteen and out of school. She grew up on my parents’ farm where she loved playing with the animals and had the love of my mother and father. She grew up hearing about me every day; they told her of my walk with God and that someday I would see her again. Nevaeh loved her little corner of the world with her father’s parents but was always curious about her mother. As she grew older, she would talk to her grandmother about her, but her grandmother did not know much more then Nevaeh did—just that her name was Jade. Her grandparents were getting quite old by the time Nevaeh’s graduation came and went. They loved her so much and always