Please Tell Me If The Grass Is Greener

By Joylynn Jossel

PLEASE TELL ME IF THE GRASS IS GREENER is the dominant work of writing of the Millennium. This compilation of seven short stories is peerless of its kind. Each of the storytellers will take your hand and lead you through the unpredictable, and sometimes disgruntled, fields of life. "Even Snowflakes Have Flaws" takes on the essence of a young woman and her struggle to grasp the perfection society is fixated on. In "Eyes Like Mine," Braylee tells of his determination from boyhood to avoid stagnant roads that could end him astray. Jude is faced with the struggle of choosing love or lust in "Sweet Potato Pie." In "Nothin' Worse Than an Unmade Bed," Promise regrets not knowing how to love her man right. The thought of his leaving devastates her. The narrator kicks knowledge to the wanna be playas in "What Goes Around." His experiences as a bachelor will floor you. In "Daddy's Little Girl," the narrator conquers the anger she had towards her father. She realizes that it is time for her to not necessarily forgive and forget, but to move on. And lastly, James Sr. forces you to be an accomplice of his brutal thoughts as he fights to cope with failed dreams and lack of will in "You Ever Seen A Grown Man Cry." PLEASE TELL ME IF THE GRASS IS GREENER is beyond powerful, moving and all those other common descriptors. It is unfeigned.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joylynn Jossel
• Release date: May 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465707253

Joylynn Jossel

Joylynn M. Jossel is a former secular author who now writes under the name BLESSEDselling Author, E. N. Joy. She is the writer behind the five book series, “New Day Divas,” coined the “Soap Opera In Print.” Formerly writing secular works under the names Joylynn M. Jossel and JOY, this award winning author has been sharing her literary expertise on conference panels in her home town of Columbus, Ohio as well as cities across the country.After thirteen years of being a paralegal in the insurance industry, Joy finally divorced her career and married her mistress and her passion; writing. In 2000, Joy formed her own publishing company, END OF THE RAINBOW projects, where she published her own works until landing a book deal with a major publisher. Under End of the Rainbow, Joy has published New York Times and Essence Magazine Bestselling authors in the “Sinner Series,” which include Even Sinners Have Souls, Even Sinners Have Souls TOO and Even Sinners Still Have Souls.In 2004, Joy branched off into the business of literary consulting where she provides one-on-one consultations and literary services such as ghost writing, editing, professional read-throughs, write behinds, etc... Her clients consist of first time authors, Essence Magazine bestselling authors, New York Times bestselling authors, and entertainers.Not forsaking her love of poetry in which she has published two works of poetry titled Please Tell Me If the Grass is Greener and World On My Shoulders, Joy plans to turn her focus back to the genre one day. “But my spirit has moved in another direction,” Joy says. Needless to say, she no longer pens street lit (in which two of her titles, If I Ruled the World and Dollar Bill, made the Essence Magazine bestsellers list. Dollar Bill appeared in Newsweek and has also been translated to Japanese). She no longer pens erotica or adult contemporary fiction either, in which one of her titles earned her the Borders bestselling African American romance award at the Romance Writers of America National Conference. Instead, under the name E.N. Joy, she pens Christian fiction, and under the name N. Joy she pens children’s and young adult titles. Joy’s children’s story, The Secret Olivia Told Me, received the American Library Association Coretta Scott King Honor. Book club rights were acquired by Scholastic Books and the book is on tour at Scholastic Book Fairs in schools across the country. Elementary and middle school children have fallen in love with reading and creative writing as a result of the readings and workshops Joy performs in schools nationwide.Currently, Joy is the acquisition editor for Urban Christian, an imprint of Urban Books in which the titles are distributed by Kensington Publishing Corporation out of New York. When she’s not adding her two cents to other authors’ works, she’s diligently working on her own. Joy’s latest projects, the “New Day Divas,” "Still Divas" and "Always Divas" series, are taking the literary world by storm.Joy is certain her Divas series is the one that is going to afford her with the title of New York Times Bestselling Author. Until then, she doesn’t mind the title of BLESSEDselling author.

Book preview

Please Tell Me If

The Grass Is Greener

Joylynn M. Jossel

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 1998 End Of The Rainbow Projects

Published by

End of the Rainbow Projects

Post Office Box 298238

Columbus, OH 43229

614-806-6204

www.JoylynnJossel.com

Please Tell Me If The Grass Is Greener. Copyright © 1998 by End Of The Rainbow Projects. All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be included in a review.

All characters, names, descriptions and traits are products of the author’s imagination. Similarities to actual people – living or dead – are purely coincidental.

In-house Editing by Angela Reese

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Photographs by Darett Barber

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Website designed by Herb Baldwin

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Acknowledgements

Dedicated with love to The Creator, Mom, Dad, Nick (Bang), Ran-Ran, Hennessey, Fonda, Sisters, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, and Friends ~ Joylynn

Special Acknowledgment to Jeff Johnson, Sue Duffy and Nancy Flowers Wilson: Thank you for your help in packaging my gift ;-)

I once heard someone criticize black writers for writing of drugs, rape, prostitution, murder, gangs, and stealing. I am aware that such occurs not only in the lives of people of color but also in the lives of people. The criticism alone reflects one's cowardliness to face the daily struggles of the people, and even worse, the weakness to stand up and acknowledge them.

My writings are not to insinuate that the lives of people of color wholly consist of violence and turmoil. These stories are my life, your life, and ours. Al though influenced by reality, the characters in my writings are merely fictional.

So with much respect I ask that if you are a coward and if you are weak, please place this book back on the shelf. No offense, but it was not written for you.

The Author

Even Snowflakes Have Flaws

Everybody thinks I'm going nowhere. They don't tell me this personally, but I can see it in their eyes. They talk about me behind my back, while to my face, they tell me lies.

Zleeka, you've just made a few wrong turns in life, but someday your road is going to straighten out. Half the time I don't even think people know what they're talking about. I've been places most have never been nor would care to go. I've been places where people have had to step on me because I was so low.

It all started when I began doing drugs and selling my soul for a few minutes of high. The faster I would run from the devil to abandon my debt, the closer I found myself by the devil's side. That is what a drug is, the devil in pure disguise. I know this now, but it has taken me a long time to realize.

I always hooked up with the wrong crowd or men who only loved me enough to turn me out. I found myself living foul without any hesitations or doubts. At the drop of a dime I was willing to do the time for any petty little crime. My lifestyle didn't scare me any; as a matter of fact it became less of a challenge. Everything would eventually get old, but I knew there was new dirt out there to balance.

When things got rough I'd pack a bag and leave home without a clue as to where I was going. There was never any reason to stick around with my bad attitude and my bad doings. During one of my journeys me and this man by the name of Duddy got involved. Duddy was the only man to truly love me, but we parted with problems that were never resolved.

My heart knew that Duddy really loved me even though he was from a much higher class. Nonetheless, my head worked on getting what it could from Duddy fast. I figured Duddy was stupid and easy to take for a ride, or else, why would he be bothered with me? I was nothing, felt like nothing, looked like nothing, and this wasn't hard to see.

Duddy would tell me to look at myself in the mirror, and he would always guarantee, that I would see the most beautiful woman in the world that there ever was to see: A naturally darkened tone with no make-up or help from even the sun's brightest ray, full figured lips, dark brown eyes, and versatile strands of hair to display; Strong bones and wide hips to support such a lovely foundation; The black woman, the most beautiful woman that ever existed across the nation.

I wanted to love Duddy back but how could I have possibly loved someone else? I know that one should love thy neighbor, but first one must love thyself. I stole from Duddy even though he was always willing to give. People say a leopard never changes its spots and this is how I had always lived. I never wanted anyone to feel as though I owed them something because it gets tiresome paying the fare. Duddy was just another one of my victims and at the time I didn't care.

Pop-bellied with Duddy's offspring, for an abortion I collected his money. I fed the dough to my veins without a care about the creature growing inside my tummy. Duddy got suspicious as my belly still began to grow. So again, I packed a bag and went on my way so that Duddy would never truly know. I didn't know what I was going to do or how I could use being pregnant to my advantage. On the streets, though, I learned how to get money from a couple whom was disadvantaged.

The warmth from the baby's body