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“In the Best Interest of the Child”
Author: Felicia Denise
Now Available at All Major Online Bookstores!
Synopsis
Lenore โLennieโ Porterโs life had not gone as she planned.
The marriage she put her heart and soul into failed.
The man she sacrificed so much for abandoned her.
But Lennie refused to be broken. She pushed on, running a successful business and raising her three sons alone.
Through health scares and severe family dysfunction and trauma which forever changed their lives, the Porter family clung to each other to keep from sinking into the darkness.
With her marriage over long ago and her adult sons living their own lives, Lenore Porter decides to sell the cold fortress she worked so hard to make a warm, loving home.
A short, final inspection of her former home turns into a confrontation with ghosts from the past, and decisions and events Lennie felt sheโd dealt with and moved on from.
Free, a Novella is a short, clean read recounting one womanโs determination to not be broken by life or lose her identity.
~~~
Excerpt
Anyone who knew Burt and Linda Kelimore knew they were devoted to each other.ย More than half a century had passed since the day they each ran into a mechanicโs shop in need of quick repairs. Though they were both on their way to meet other people, a thirty-minute conversation changed their plans for the evening and the rest of their lives.
With their time together dwindling away, the couple did what they had always doneโฆ shared each otherโs company.
Linda set Burtโs plate aside, and Lennie gathered up the dishes and excused herself.
While putting the food away and loading the dishwasher, Lennie was surprised to see her mother enter the kitchen.
โEverything okay, mo-โ
โYes, yes, sweetie. Leave all this. Iโll get to it later. You can head on home now.โ
โMom, no way do I leave a mess for you to clean up.โ
Lennie reached for another dish but Linda caught her hand and held on.
โItโs okay, Lenore. You can go now.โ
โButโฆdadโฆ-โ
Linda pulled her daughter into a tight embrace, speaking into her ear barely above a whisper.
โI know. His hospice nurse was here earlier and is returning soon. I talked to your sisters before you got hereโฆ and they each spoke to your father.โ She pulled back, a pleading look in her eyes.
โIโve never asked you for anything, honey and I know this is no small thing Iโm asking of you now. Butโฆ I need this time with him alone. Right now, Iโm no oneโs mother or grandmother. Lennie, right now, Iโm just a wife who has to say goodbye to her husband. Please donโt be angry with me or hate me, but I need to do it alone.โ
Hugging her mother close, Lenore allowed the weight of her words to sink in. She did not want to leave. Her father was dying, how could she walk away?
Seeing the pain in Lindaโs eyes, Lenore knew she would deny her nothing.
With a simple nod, Lennie returned to the den to say goodbye to her fatherโฆ just as she did every night.
After a quick kiss on the cheek and a squeeze of his hand, Lennie told Burt sheโd see him tomorrow, and turned to leave before she broke down. But her father held on to her hand with a strength Lennie didnโt think he still possessed. Lennie looked from their joined hands to her fatherโs face when he spoke.
โVery proudโฆ of you, Lenore. Alwaysโฆ haveโฆ been. You help everyoneโฆ always.โ
The weakness of his voice and the shortness of his breath caused Lennie to cringe. She wanted her father to stop talking, to save his strength. But, her own voice was lost to her, blocked by a lump in her throat which refused to move.
โI love youโฆ baby girl.โ He kissed her hand and slumped back in his chair, his energy depleted.
โI love you too, daddy.โ
Lennie squeezed his hand one last time and rested it across his lap. With one simple nod to her mother, Lennie left the room, her calm belying the anguish ripping her apart inside. She wanted to scream, cryโฆ stop the clockโฆ make him stay.
With her bags in hand, Lenore Porter stood at the front door. Dizziness and nausea rejoined the inner turmoil threatening to break her. She had to leaveโฆ knowing she would never see her father alive again.
Instead of reaching for the door knob, Lennie took several steps backward until she could see inside the den.
Linda Kelimore had reclined her husbandโs chair and climbed in next to him, cuddled into his side with her hand resting on his chest.
This is what her parents wantedโฆ what they had planned. To spend their remaining time togetherโฆ together as the couple they had been for fifty years.
With more determination than she felt, Lennie left the house, closing the door quietly behind her.
~~~
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Writer’s Life
Song Lyric Sunday | “Let’s Stay Together” – Al Green
Song Lyric Sunday was created byย Helen Vahdatiย fromย This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time. For complete rules or to join in the fun, clickย here.
The theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “stay.”
ย ~~~~~
Another smooth classic came to mindย based on this week’s theme, Al Green’s 1972 hit, Let’s Stay Together.
The songย spent sixteen weeks on the charts and did reach the top of Billboard’s Hot 100. Itย also topped the R&B chart for nine weeks. This timeless classic has been covered by several artists including Tina Turner and Maroon 5. It was ranked the 60th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Let’s Stay Together was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. The song went on to claim the number-one position on the Billboard Year-End chart as an R&B song for 1972.
The video is a live performance from Al Green. Sorry about the suit.ย ๐
See my Song Lyric Sunday selection on Nesieโs Place.
Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.
Let’s Stay Together
by Al Green
Written by Al Jackson, Jr., Willie Mitchell, and Al Green
I’m, I’m so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
Is alright with me
Cause you make me feel, so brand new
And I want to spend my life with you
Let me say that since, baby, since we’ve been together
Loving you forever is what I need
Oh let me be the one you come running to
I’ll never be untrue
Oh baby let’s, let’s stay together
Lovin’ you whether
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad, oh yeah
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad
Why somebody
Why people break up, turn around and make up
I just can’t see, you’d never do that to me, would you baby?
Just being around you is all I see, it’s what I want to do
Let’s, we ought to stay together
Lovin’ you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
C’mon, let’s, let’s stay together
I’ll keep on lovin’ you whether, whether
Times are, oh times are good or times are bad
Compiled from Genius Lyrics, YouTube, and Google.
Be Fearless…
Writer Wednesday
Unedited snippet from Family Matters… coming soon!
***
โNo, donโt do it.โ
Olivia smirked as she removed the spiked heel black boots and white shoulder-length wig.
โAw, youโve ruined my fantasy.โ
โSorry, not sorry, Bellamy. But if you would like to wear them, feel free.โ
Bruce laughed, holding out his hand to Olivia.
She took his hand and curled up next to him on the sofa. He kissed her forehead.
โYou winโฆ again. And besides, fantasy doesnโt compare to the reality I have in my arms.โ
Olivia buried her head in his chest, embarrassed. Bruce raised her chin until he could see her eyes.
โStill canโt take a compliment, I see.โ
โI canโฆ on my work. On the things I do to keep children safe. Iโm proud of that. But when the compliments get personal? I donโt know, Bruce. I guess I donโt feelโฆโ
โWorthy?โ
Olivia averted her eyes.
โI get it, sweetness. Whatโs all the fuss about, right? Weโre all little worker-bees doing our part to make the hive better.โ
He didnโt continue until she looked at him.
โOnly weโre not, Olivia. Some people donโt give a damn about the greater good. As Renaโs case proved, some people are only out for selfโฆ at any cost.โ
Bruce held her tighter and smiled. โThen, there are the people who give their all. They dive into the problem head first and failure isnโt an option, even if it costs them personally.โ
Bruce kissed her hand.
โRenaโs case costs you, sweetness. It brought back pain you believed was hidden and took you to darkness you thought no one else could see. You were never less than professional, but those who cared about you could see the case was emotional and traumatic for you too.
Thatโs why two groups of people who didnโt know each other came together tonight. To honor the woman who put self aside. You saw a child with the deck stacked against her and you re-dealt the cards to make sure she won.โ
Overcome with emotion, tears pooled in Olivia Chandlerโs eyes. She longed for the day she could see herself as Bruce did. He was her constant cheerleader.She hadnโt been looking for Bruce but was grateful their paths crossed.
โRena wasnโt the only winner.โ She reached up and caressed his cheek. โI won too.โ
Stretching his arms out across the back of the sofa, Bruce Bellamy crossed his legs.
โI am a prize, arenโt I?โ
Olivia dissolved into a fit of laughter, falling onto her side. What was she going to do with this man?
***
Song Lyric Sunday | “The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
Song Lyric Sunday was created byย Helen Vahdatiย fromย This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time. For complete rules or to join in the fun, clickย here.
The theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “lights.”
ย ~~~~~
Most of today’s music fans are familiar with the 1991 version of The Nights the Lights Went Out in Georgia recorded by Reba McIntyre. But the original was released in June of 1972 by Carol Burnett Show regular, Vicki Lawrence, and topped the Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart in early 1973.
On the final episode of the sixth season of the Carol Burnett Show, (March 24, 1973), Burnett surprised Lawrence by presenting her with an RIAA gold record for over a million copies sold. The song also scored number six on the Easy Listening chart,ย and it peaked at number 36 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart.ย It was number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and was finally topped by Tony Orlando and Dawn’s Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree. Billboard ranked it as the No. 11 song for 1973.
Although Bobby Russell wrote both the lyrics and music for the story-form song, he was reluctant to record even a demonstration because he “didn’t like it.” According to Lawrence, who was married to Russell at the time, she believed it was destined to be successful and recorded the demo herself. The publishers and the record label did not quite know how to pitch the song, as it was not really a country or a pop song. The first thought was to offer the song to actress/singer Liza Minnelli, but eventually it was offered to singer Cher, but her then-husband and manager Sonny Bono reportedly refused it, as he was said to be concerned that the song might offend Cher’s southern fans.ย Without a singer to record the song, Lawrence went into a studio and recorded it professionally herself, with the instrumental backing of L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew,ย then pressed the label to release it as a single.
The rest is history… just like Lawrence’s spot for having a number one hit!
The video isn’t the best quality, but the audio is on point! ๐
See my Song Lyric Sunday selection on Nesieโs Place.
Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.
The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia
by Vicki Lawrence
Written by Bobby Russell
He was on his way home from Candletop
Been two weeks gone and he’d thought he’d stop at Webb’s
And have him a drink before he went home to her
Andy Wolloe said hello
And he said, “Hi, what’s doing, Wo?”
Said, “Sit down, I got some bad news, it’s gonna hurt.”
He said, “I’m your best friend and you know that’s right
But your young bride ain’t home tonight
Since you been gone, she’s been seeing that Amos boy, Seth.”
Well, he got mad and he saw red
And Andy said, “Boy, don’t you lose your head
Cause to tell you the truth, I’ve been with her myself.”
That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That’s the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands
Well, Andy got scared and left the bar
Walking on home, cause he didn’t live far
See, Andy didn’t have many friends
And he just lost him one
Brother thought his wife musta left town
So he went home and finally found
The only thing Papa had left him and that was a gun
Then he went off to Andy’s house
Slippin’ through the backwoods, quiet as a mouse
Came upon some tracks too small for Andy to make
He looked through the screen at the back porch door
And he saw Andy lying on the floor
In a puddle of blood and he started to shake
Well, the Georgia patrol was making their rounds
So he fired a shot just to flag them down
And a big-bellied sheriff grabbed his gun
And said “Why’d you do it?”
Well, the judge said guilty in a make-believe trial
Slapped the sheriff on the back with a smile
Said, “Supper’s waitin’ at home and I gotta get to it.”
That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That’s the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands
Well, they hung my brother before I could say
The tracks he saw while on his way
To Andy’s house and back that night were mine
And his cheating wife had never left town
And that’s one body that’ll never be found
See, little sister don’t miss when she aims her gun
That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia, whoa-oh
That’s the night that they hung an innocent man, uh-huh
Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods, southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands
Oh, that’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia
Compiled from Genius Lyrics, YouTube, and Google.
Don’t Quit!
#QOTD
Remembering Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Ann Johnson April 4, 1928)ย was an American author, poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. Angelou passed away May 28, 2014. Image from Amazon.
See the Google Doodle created to celebrate the 90th anniversary of her birth.
QUOTES
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
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“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
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Felicia Denise, Author 