The Rivers of Eden

By Nicole Denise Kennard

Have you ever wondered why some people face greater obstacles than others?

Running from the rumors and the haunting of her mother's past, Eden tries to find herself through the struggles of being alone. As she suffered from childhood abuse, in an attempt to keep her sanity, Eden's journey has just began as she battles between good and evil, trying not to become her mother.

This book will help you understand God's love and mercy to those who love and know him. It will help you realize that sometimes we have to stand through a test from God to be broken down, so that we can be built on a solid foundation. Get ready to go on the ride of your life as you experience the depths of Eden's pain and struggles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463452865

Nicole Denise Kennard

Nicole Kennard was born in Memphis, Tennessee to the proud parents of Earl and Emma Shumate. She was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. She developed a passion for writing at the age of nine years old. She became more and more intrigued by various authors, which inspired her to write. This is her first novel. She currently resides in Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Greater Sorrow

ON DECEMBER 31, 1979, at 8:15pm, Richard and Patricia were in the kitchen when they began preparing for the New Year’s party that Patricia organized to celebrate with family and friends. It was the Greenfield’s tradition to have a formal celebration every year on New Year’s Eve. The children were happy, laughing, singing, and playing games, waiting to toast the New Year with eggnog and punch. Patricia was joyful, and in her constant spiritual mood, humming old Christian hymns, and Richard was just being Richard.

Honey, I would appreciate it if you would stop singing those Negro spirituals! Stop it! Please stop it! You’re really making me nervous! Go somewhere else with your Negro rituals! Richard said. I am sorry, honey. I was just showing my appreciation to the Lord and thanking him for allowing me to be so near to seeing another year. I’m sorry if I made you upset. That’s ok, Patricia. I am going to go calm my nerves and listen to some good ole country music. Patricia frowned. Aren’t you going to help me prepare for the party? The guests will be arriving soon. I don’t know, Patricia. You know I promised my father that I would spend some time with him tonight. I am sure you know that he has been sick for quite some time. I have an idea! Patricia exclaimed. What, Patricia? Richard said, in a nonchalant manner.

Wouldn’t it be better for your father to get out of that old, stuffy, house, and get some fresh air for a chance? He can celebrate the New Year with us, and we can take him back home tomorrow. He really needs to mingle more and get his mind off of being sick. I think a night of a joyful celebration and good food will help him feel much better, and besides, he will have a chance to catch up on lost times with his grandkids. No, Pat! Richard said, with an aggravated gesture. I am going to visit my father alone and without the kids! Richard wore his smirk smile, as he started to walkout of the kitchen. Patricia frowned. Could you do me a favor, Richard? What now, Pat? Could you take the record collection out for our guests and start playing some music? They will be arriving very soon. Sure, angel face. Stop it, Richard! You’re doing it again! What did I do, baby? Patricia marched over toward Richard, trying to hold back her tears. You always call me those pet names, just before, or after you do your dirt. Do you really think I am that stupid? Patricia briefly paused as she continued to hold back her tears, as her voice went soft. I would rather you call me nigger, at least you wouldn’t be deceitful about how you really see me.

Richard gently took Patricia by her hands and kissed them. He sadly looked in her eyes, as he ran his fingers through her hair. Hey, baby. I would never call you a nigger. I love you too much for that. No matter what you think about me. I want you to know that I would die for you. I am not a racist, I never have been, and I never will be. Patricia began staring at Richard, with an angry expression on her face.

How do you think I feel when you say cruel things about my Negro heritage? I am half black and half white. My father is black, and my mother is white, and I love both sides of my racial heritage, because I love both of my parents. I would never deny either side of me. I would appreciate if you would treat me like I am your wife, rather than treating me like a woman that you married just to prove a point to yourself to fulfill your sick and twisted fantasies! "Patricia, I love everything about you, from inside out, and from your head to your toes. Patricia, do you remember when you were about 15 years old, and I was 19? I can remember, as if it were yesterday. We were supposed to meet at the Soda Shoppe. I noticed you were a little late. I started to get worried, so I left out of the Soda Shoppe, looking for you.

I couldn’t even get to my truck because the crowd of the people was so overwhelming. By the time I got through the crowd, I saw you crying and begging for those racist, sons of bitches not to hurt you. They had bats and ropes. I got scared, so I helped you, while everybody stood by and watched. That was a racist crowd. All they did was watch, and some turned their heads, like nothing was happening. Baby, I took a terrible beating for you back then. I woke up in the hospital two months later, with you still on my heart, and if I had to do it all over again to save my angel face, I would do it."

Patricia released her tears, as she and Richard pressed their bodies together and kissed. You have always made me so hot when you get emotional, Richard said, as he continued to kiss Patricia. I love you, Patricia. I will remember this moment forever. Patricia smiled, as she continued to hug Richard. I love you too, sweetheart. Patricia, Let’s sneak away for a quickie for a few minutes, while the kids are minding their own business. Patricia laughed. No, Richard. I’ve gotten too old for that. I am 33 years old, and I need to act like it. Hey, sweet cake’s, age has no boundaries on love, Richard said, in a low passionate tone. Come on, Patricia. I am really hot for you right now. I’m sorry, Richard, but this is not the right time. The kids are here, and you are always so loud. Richard laughed. Well, maybe you’re right, baby. I will leave you alone for now. Richard smiled and winked his eye at Patricia. I won’t go visit my old man tonight, sweet cake’s, because I want to finish where we left off after the party is over. The party will be over for them, but not us, angel face.

Do you still refuse to get your father, so that he can celebrate the New Year with us? He will be all right, Patricia. Monica, his nurse, and his girlfriend, June, will be over there tonight. I promise you, they will take good care of him. Richard began kissing Patricia, while softly, rubbing her breast. Patricia drew away from Richard. So will you help me set up for the party? "Of course, angel face.

I will go set up the tables in the formal dining room, after I get the music started for our guests. Is there anything else you need me to help you with, sweet cake? Yes, honey, could you get the kids from the game room, so they can help me decorate the New Year’s banner? Sure, baby. I will do anything for you." Patricia smiled, with a nervous expression on her face.

Richard began putting the ice in the coolers; afterward he went to get the children out of the game room, so that they could help assist Patricia with the banner. He went to the formal dining room to set up the tables for the party. Later, he went to the living room and selected different varieties of music for the guests. He picked out some of his own favorite country western songs, to get in the party mood. Waylon Jennings and Kenny Rogers was one of Richard’s favorite country western singers. Richard’s pager started to beep, so he went to make the call to the number from his pager.

Meanwhile, Sahara and her siblings were helping their mother with the New Year’s banner. After they finished with the banner, Sahara helped her mother bake cookies for the guests. The rest of her siblings went back to the game room, where there was a floor model television, a ping pong table, a classic juke box that was custom made for the house, and plenty of board games. Sahara went to get the punch and eggnog out of the refrigerator. As she walked pass the living room, she saw her father on the phone with his face almost touching the corner of the wall, by the living room door. He was acting suspicious and distant from his family.

Sahara continued to observe her father. As she watched him, a chill went through her entire body. She noticed her father whispering on the phone and walking toward the door. Richard finished the conversation with the anonymous caller and sneaked out the door. Sahara sadly went to the kitchen to help her mother prepare for the party. Sahara cared nothing for her father because of his numerous absentees from home. Richard never spent any time with his family. He favored his youngest sons, Terrance and Jordan, over his two older daughters, Sahara and Karen. Sahara almost hated her father because he rarely paid any attention to her and Karen or showed them any love.

Richard was one of the best dentists in Oregon, but he was definitely not a family man. He always put patients, everything, and everybody before his family. Sahara’s feelings toward her father were numb. She didn’t care if her father left home and never came back. Sahara had great love for her mother and she knew how much her mother loved her father. Sahara’s greatest fear was her father leaving her mother for another woman someday, but what Sahara doesn’t know is, greater sorrow is yet to come.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction of Eden

MY NAME IS Eden, and I am the third generation from my grandmother, another victim of neglect and pain. This story was passed down to me from my auntie Karen, who was my mother’s sister. My mother had two brothers and one sister. She was the oldest out of the four children. She grew up in a middle class, background, during her childhood years, along with her brothers, Terrance and Jordan and her sister Karen. My mother’s name was Sahara. She was sixteen years old when she suffered from a mental breakdown from the horrible night of New Year’s Eve of 1979.

Auntie Karen told me that after the tragic night on New Year’s Eve, my mother became heartless and hard to get along with. My mother died when I was very young, so I barely remember her. I have seen pictures of my mother holding me and loving me like there was no tomorrow. I kind of disagree with my Auntie Karen, saying my mother was heartless. When I look at those pictures of my mother, all I ever see is a mother in despair, hoping for a brighter future for her child. I don’t think my mother was insane; she just needed a shoulder to lean on. I think that’s all she ever wanted or needed, but she never got it. People judged her, instead of examining her circumstances. I don’t condone the terrible things my mother did, and I will never become her. Regardless of her reputation, I will always love her, even beyond her grave.

My mother was a beautiful woman; she resembled her father, who was my Grandpa Richard. She had everything like him. She had his hair color and eyes. She even had his skin complexion. My Uncle Terrance and Uncle Jordan skin complexion was also very light, but they were not as light as my mother. Grandpa Richard was 6ft. and 3 inches tall. He had blonde hair and green eyes, with an athletic physique. Auntie Karen was more of a darker skin tone; she told me that she looked more like her mother, who was my Grandma Patricia.

Richard and Patricia Greenfield were my grandparents and they were known as the ideal couple of Salem, Oregon. I was told from Uncle Jordan and Uncle Terrance that Grandma Patricia was a beautiful and intelligent woman. They said she had sandy brown skin, gray eyes, and waist length, jet black hair.

Grandma was a Teacher and a business owner. She owned a party supply store, called Party Pro-Elegance. It was a place of business that offered small catering for customers with special moments and events in their life. Grandma Patricia’s best friends were Alonzo and Lenora James. They were married. They handled the catering part of the business for Grandma, and she managed the rest of the business. She also customized banners and t-shirts, according to her customer’s requests. Grandma Patricia loved her family, and her children were her joy. She also had a great love for her customers and students. Her philosophy for her students was The greatest failure in life is never trying. If you try and don’t succeed, then your greatest accomplishment would be that you tried to put forth an effort.

Grandma Patricia was a woman of peace, and she broke many barriers. She taught the ignorance of wrath and violence every day to her students, because she was a non-violent believer. She didn’t believe in arguing in front of her children, especially if there was tension between her and grandpa. Grandpa was not an easy person to live with or love, especially if you were his family. I know that may sound strange, but that’s how Grandpa was; a cold hearted, nonchalant bastard. Grandpa loved women, but most of all, he loved deceiving them. You couldn’t get grandpa’s lovers to believe that they weren’t the only woman in his heart. If it was me, and I was in grandma’s shoes, I would have kicked him out of the house, divorced him, and collected my alimony check.

Grandma was too classy of a woman to stoop to that level. Grandma was a woman of prayer. She had inner strength and no one ever knew when she was hurting, because she was always all smiles. She had a fable that she shared with people that she loved to help them recognize the stupidity of wrath. Whenever there was a dispute between her students in class, she would ask them a question of wisdom. She would ask them, If there was a sheep, and a goat, in a terrible rumble with each other, which animal would you choose to be the winner for survival? Her students would give a strange and confused gesture. They didn’t understand why she would ask them such an odd question about a goat and a sheep, which they thought was irrelevant to their dispute. They still respected her and they responded to her question. The students would always choose to be the goat in the battle for survival.

Grandma Patricia would reply to their answer and she would tell them that only the foolish would choose the goat, but the wise would choose the sheep, because in most cases, the sheep is only fighting for survival to defend itself against the wild and untamed. After explaining to her students that the wise answer was the sheep, she quoted a scripture from the Holy Bible in the book of Ecclesiastes 3:8 that state, it is a time to love, and a time to hate, a time of war, and a time of peace. She would tell her students that the scripture from Ecclesiastes was her version of relating to the sheep, and then she would explain to them why they shouldn’t have chosen the goat, because the goat is dumb and its nature is wild.

Grandma was an awesome and amazing woman, but Grandpa Richard was a real… well, no comment. Sometimes I wish I could undue my mistakes and followed Grandma’s wise fable, and acted as the sheep. I was conceived out of love. I was beautiful and innocent when I came in this world, and I am still beautiful until this day. I may not be innocent to most people, but I am innocent to God. Only God knows the real story behind my reputation. People judge me from my mother’s past and they take one look at me and they see her. I am no Grandma Patricia, but I am not my mother either. I am like the lost sheep of the parable from the bible. There was a hundred sheep and one went astray. I was one of God’s lost sheep, but now I am found and redeemed!

CHAPTER 2

A Toast to the Thorns

SAHARA, HONEY, COULD you get your sister from the game room and let her know that we need her help. The guests will be arriving soon and I need as much help as I can get with decorating the rest of this cake. Sure mom, not a problem, Sahara said. The doorbell started ringing. Jordan! Terrance! Where are you? Patricia yelled. One of you, please answer the door! The guests are arriving. My hands are tied and I can’t get the door right now! Okay, mom, I’ll get it! Jordan yelled, as he began running toward the door.

Hey, little man, how are you? Alonzo asked. Lenora stood next to Alonzo, smiling. Hello, Jordan, Lenora said. Come here, little man, Alonzo exclaimed, as he extended his arms toward Jordan to give him a hug. "I got you and Terrance, the Cars of the Decade Magazine. That’s the magazine that you guys were begging your dad to get for you. Has your dad got it for you yet? No, sir! Jordan yelled. Thank you, Uncle Alonzo. You’re welcome, little buddy. Jordan left the room to find his brother. Meanwhile, Terrance rushed to the living room to open the door for the guests, not knowing that Jordan had already answered the door. Oh! You startled me, Terrance. I am sorry, Aunt Lenora, Terrance said. I came out the game room to open the door for our guests. Your brother just ran out the room looking for you." Lenora laughed.

Alonzo and Lenora were high school sweet hearts and longtime friends of Patricia since high school. Lenora and Patricia were total opposite. Patricia was conservative, full of wisdom and peace. Lenora was aggressive and very overly protective of people she loved. She had shoulder length, black hair, dark brown eyes, and deep brown skin. She was medium tall, with a thick and shapely figure. Alonzo was an African American, with fair skin. He had sparkling hazel brown eyes. He was tall, with dark and wavy hair, and he had an athletic physique. Alonzo was a fun loving and easy going person. Lenora and Alonzo had a great love for children; unfortunately, they were unable to have children of their own, so they tried to fill that empty void by catering to the needs of other children.

How are you, Aunt Lenora? Terrance asked. "I am fine, sweetheart, and thanks for asking. Your Uncle Alonzo got you and Jordan, the Cars of the Decade Magazine. He got both of y’all the 80’s Edition. It has a peak of some of the cars that will be made in the 80’s".

Wow, that’s great, Aunt Lenora. Thank you and Uncle Alonzo so much. Anything for my boys, Lenora said. Hey, where are your parents? Mom is in the kitchen with Sahara, and Karen. Dad is… well, I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen dad since I saw him putting the ice in the coolers. Well, that’s okay, Lenora said, as she began to smile. "I’ll go help your mama in the kitchen. You go find your brother, so y’all can look at the magazines together. Lenora turned away with a frown. I hope this is not one of those nights that Richard decides he wants to make a friendly visit with one of his female patients. Lenora thought. Hello girls. Hi, Aunt Lenora, Sahara and Karen replied. "Girls! Me, and your Uncle Alonzo bought y’all that Michael Jackson album, Off the Wall; you know, the album that you girls have been telling me and your mama about forever. Ahhhh! Are you serious, Aunt Lenora? Sahara and Karen yelled. Yes, I’m serious, girls. I wouldn’t lie to you about Michael Jackson. Thank you, Aunt Lenora!

We love you and Uncle Alonzo so much! The girls gave Lenora a hug. They left the kitchen and went to the living room to listen to their new album. Suddenly, the doorbell started ringing. Alonzo, where are you? Lenora yelled. I am in the dining room, honey! I’m helping myself to some of these delicious appetizers! You ought to come and try some! Not yet, baby! I’m helping Patricia right now! Could you please open the door for the guests? Lenora yelled. Okay, honey, I will!" Alonzo said, as he stuffed the last bit of the appetizer in his mouth.

Hey there, girl, Lenora said, as she took her place beside Patricia. Well, hello. Patricia exclaimed, as she smiled. She rushed over to Lenora to give her a firm hug. "Whoa, Patricia; you act as if you