Carry Your Name: Drive Your Purpose

By Kirby Edwards

A professional woman is so ambitious that she loses track of who she is and what her place in life really is. She is a single woman without a line of friends or relatives to offer genuine moral support. All of a sudden, she finds herself so out of place that she is subjected to being raped. Now she is so hurt and disgraced that she vanishes from site and is on a mission to find help. Her last resort is an old boyfriend whom she rejected earlier in their lives. He willfully harbors her and all her problems, including her child, to whom she has self-admitted that she was not fit to mother. Unknown to all who knew her, she was not at ease around children. The child she delivered was a boy. He came at a cost of her life for his. She prayed before she died. Her prayers were so real and sincere that the child became everything she wanted the child to beand more. The child even became her, as she would have wanted to be if she were anyone but herself. He becomes a mega priest, and he replenishes all the family and friend-base that she was unable to build.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Dec 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490718583

Kirby Edwards

I’ve always enjoyed writing. Poems, songs, jokes, and short stories were where I placed most of my interest. Then there was a collective amount of life experiences that urged me to write my first book titled Catskills, Catskills the Revelation. It was my autobiography, and it was my first time ever writing a book. So by that, I feel that, while I enjoy writing, I will not yet profess to be a prolific writer. However, during the time (approximately seven years) it took me to write my autobio, the experience was like an institution of learning that was comparable to an acceptable degree. And I value that time and experience more than twice as much. So much that I was encouraged to write another book. And over the last three years, I have committed to doing even more writing, with yet a third book already in its twenty-third chapter. But in the meantime, behold! My book, a fictional story titled Carry Your Name. I sincerely hope you will enjoy reading it.

Book preview

CHAPTER-1

Cold-Facts

It was Dec 4th, 2010 and just three weeks before Christmas. It was a very, very cold day in Euclid, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, when Candice Perrin left her small two bedroom house on her way to work in downtown Cleveland. During the winter, Cleveland is one of the coldest cities in America. As a matter of fact, it was about five below zero on this particular day. But Cleveland was cold in more ways than one… and that includes the Summer time and all. In other words, Cleveland is notably a city full of cold, hard people, all year round.

When Candice got to work early, as was her daily routine because of her flawless work ethics, she did the first thing she always does on a cold morning. Like a blind new born puppy to its mother’s breast, she cuddled up to the coziness of a hot cup of coffee. She sits at her favorite table in the office coffee lounge. She zoned into her monogramed lap top and began to start her work day. Candice took everything about her workplace very serious, even starting with her coffee breaks in the morning. She took her work so serious, that it could be seen as a flaw. She could be considered a workaholic. Candice had most all the symptoms of a workaholic but there was something, even of a workaholic that was missing in her.

It was understood by most people who new Candice that, she didn’t have much of a life outside of work. She was a reclusive, and very sheltered. But she was in no way, a hard headed person who wasn’t open minded about learning. Candice would be among the first to kick off a work day, but she wasn’t a person who initiated a lot of talk. However, if she was in a familiar crowd, like her work force, she would add her share of talk and carry her load of work at the same time. Candice loved to search for new information online, and then debate about it at work. One day in particular, Candice found herself caught up in a small-talk debate with co-workers about what city in America was the coldest and windiest. The conversation was about a comparison between Cleveland and Chicago at winter time. Candice thought like most people, that Chicago was the coldest because of its name ‘The Windy City.’ But, Candice found out that day, after some brief online research and reference to certain publications, that Chicago was not even among the nation’s top ten windiest cities. Chicago was ranked depending on which list and the category, anywhere from 12th coldest to not even in the top 101 of America’s windiest cities. Candice was a very intelligent woman. But she was surprised when she learned from all this, that Cleveland ranked in America, ahead of Chicago in average wind speed.

Candice was a beautiful girl. She wore her parent’s creole influence as sort a natural and flawless beauty cosmetic. Her skin was a light cocoa and her eyes were variably blue and green. Her hair was long and wavy and she was poised. When she walked, she strutted like a beautiful Ferrari’s Prancing Horse. Candice wasn’t just a beauty… she was also a smart and very ambitious person. As a child, Candice took an interest in the bible. She held on to that interest until it sort of demented as she got older. She was no nonsense and quite a serious young woman. She was so caught up into her close, personal space that she never really learned much about trust and solid relationships, inside or outside of her job.

Candice was born to, Mr. Nathaniel and Mildred Perrin who came to Cleveland from Baton Rouge, Louisiana when Candice was only two. Her parents wanted to get in on Cleveland’s enriched biotechnical and biomedical industry, and to pursue a career at the renowned Cleveland Clinic. Both Candice’s parents were medical professionals. Her mother was a veteran RN and her father was an Anesthesiologist. It just seemed fitting for Cleveland to be a leader in the medical industry, because danger was always just around the corner in Cleveland. Her parents wanted very much for Candice to grow into the medical industry. Their dream was for her to become a doctor.

Candice’s parents are deceased now. Together, her mother and father were victims of an unfortunate fire that took place at their home. The cause of the fire was never fully determined, but it went into the record books as arson. Candice was only 21 years old and a senior in college at the time. The loss of her parents is one of the things that would help to pry open Candice’s firm grasp on to the bible, but only now and then. Candice inherited a very humble but comfortable financial settlement from her parent’s death. But she is not one to supplement the loss of her parents for any amount of money. One of the things she was awarded was her parents three bedroom house. The home has been rebuilt since shortly after the fire, and Candice lived there for a short while after. But Candice was never able to get a single night’s sleep in the house she had practically grown up in. It was just not the same after they died. And so she sold the house and bought the smaller, two bedroom home that she now resides in.

Candice went on to finish college with a master’s degree in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She had already earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at Ohio State. Her parents would have been very proud of her. But Candice has made it clear to all who knows her, that she will not pursue a career in the medical industry as did her parents. Her mind is steadfast on being a News Anchor Woman somewhere at a major television network, hopefully somewhere in the near future. For now, her current job, of about four years, would have to do. Candice has shared or volunteered her personal and private life with almost no one. She doesn’t even talk much at all about her dream of being a television personality. Nor does she speak at all about her dream vacation spot for which she has saved toward, for the past five years. She wants to visit North and south Mombasa beaches in Kenya. Candice would always say to herself, in these words; I will visit the Mombasa Serena beaches of Africa someday, and I mean it! . . . ‘Kenya’ Understand That?

Candice had somewhat of a second family. She had someone named Julia and Julia’s parents. Julia was not Candice’s blood relative, but they had so much history that they would just call themselves cousins. Julia’s parents, who were both still alive and well, were close friends of Candice’s parents. They had been friends since Candice and Julia were toddlers. Julia’s parents were second generation Clevelanders. They have all considered themselves family ever since the Perrin’s came to Cleveland. Julia’s parents were like an aunt and uncle to Candice, and sometimes claimed to be more of a mother and father to her. Julia’s father was a very popular barber with two shops on Cleveland’s East Side. Julia’s mother Melanie was not a barber or beautician. She was a very astute business person, and she ran one of the two shops as a cross gender beauty-barber salon. Julia’s father was named Julius Anthony, after the two historical Roman Generals, Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar. Julia was the closest he could come to a similar name for the daughter he had hoped would be a boy.

Candice landed her current job with a local broadcast TV station as a Volunteer Coordinator and Program Director, while she was in college. The job served well as a stepping stone for Candice and any one of her many other dreams as a popular face in television. She has a great speaking voice and she would serve well in television or radio. She has a very strong delivery that came with well-rising inflections at times, and with all words properly enunciated. She was smart enough to know that the job outlook for journalists and anchor positions in Ohio was not as great as they would be in New York or Los Angeles. So Candice has always had her eyes expectantly turned toward the door that led out of the Cleveland area and away from Ohio all together. The crime rates and the poor job market were two things she looked forward to escaping. Candice may have placed herself in the dead center of most all the trivia sessions that were common place at work, but she was almost never seen outside her workplace with any of her co-workers accept for things that were work related. She never could actually see a chance for advancement among her work peers. But she respected her work peers, despite the fact that she was known among them as boushie or stuck up.

The Anthony’s always thought Candice was a little different because she was always so isolated. There have been times that they visited her at home. But these times were very few, because Candice was so uncomfortable about company. It’s really hard to explain how she was about it, but she almost seemed shy whenever she was having company, no matter who was visiting, outside of Julia. As a matter of fact, on these rare visits to Candice’s house, the visitor either was Julia and her parents, or they came with Julia and her parents. And she never once allowed a salesman or a Jehovah’s Witness to anywhere beyond a knock on the door. Candice never even ordered pizza or Chinese food delivery to her house. She had a real phobia of strangers peeping beyond her front door or even on her front porch.

It wasn’t that Candice was afraid of burglary or robbery. She never stored anything with any extreme value at her house. The most valuable thing she seemed to treasure was a red bulky folder where she stored personal things like documents and things that only Candice knew about. She was quite moderately fashionable, but not with any real extreme. She was a frugal spender. No diamonds and such, so she wasn’t much of a lure for a criminal or invader of her private property. This may sound contradictive, but outside her attractive looks Candice was out right, unattractive in some ways.

One day around mid-morning, Candice received a call on her cell phone from the one person she shared time and a few secrets with. It was her play-cousin and very best friend Julia Anthony. Hey girl, why are you calling me and why aren’t you working . . . asked Candice, as she answered the call from Julia. That’s just like your ole stiff ass… always thinking about work. You need to know that there are other things going on girl said Julia. Then Candice asked; What on earth could be going on in Cleveland girl? Julia answered and said; Our company Christmas party this weekend, and you and I are both gonna be there! Candice then replied; Julia, why are you always trying to place me somewhere? And are you trying to set me up on a date again with one of your lazy co-workers? Julia answered and said; As a matter of fact, Girl I am. The woman I want you to meet is a great contact for you, and she really isn’t lazy at all. But she is a damn good hook up for a Broadcast Journalist position in Indianapolis. I just think you should meet her.

Julia worked in advertising/sales for an advertising agency not far from Candice’s job in Downtown Cleveland. Julia was a very sharp Jr. Executive Sales Manager with the company and was very well liked among other people in the industry. Candice sights were always set high when it came to Julia and the rest of her small family. She didn’t have a lot to compare to, so she looked at most everyone else as lazy in comparison to Julia. Julia was also a very attractive young woman. Her physical and her cosmetic profiles were quite different from Candice. Julia was darker in complexion with big brown eyes. She was shorter than Candice with a great figure and the short and sassy haircut that helped to make her ‘Toni Braxton’ image so noticeable.

The woman Julia wanted Candice to meet was Ronelle Hall. Ronelle was not as aggressive in sales as Julia was, but as Julia told Candice, Ronelle Hall was not lazy. She was the wheeler-dealer type from a different department within the same company, and with somewhat different task descriptions. Julia told Candice that Ronelle would be just what the doctor orderd in pointing her in the direction of a television job. Ronelle’s brother was a partner in a couple of large gyms and in a huge television station in Indianapolis. Ronelle was very close to the man who owned controlling interest in this television station to which Ronelle’s brother was a partner. Ronelle was also very close with all her clients from the television industry. Ronelle was a good lead alright.

Ronelle was inviting her brother to their company Christmas party and Julia knew this. But the real benefit in Ronelle and Candice meeting, of course had nothing at all to do with Ronelle’s brother. So far, Julia’s main focus was getting Candice hooked up with Ronelle. Candice was a real stickler for business, and she didn’t mind a party or so every now and then for the purpose of networking. This particular party was a big plus for Candice and she easily accepted Julia’s invitation and sincerely looked forward to it. Candice and Julia were close. But they were just close enough, that they would do certain favors that were within reason. They were also close enough that, no matter how serious they were, they could kid each other very easily. They would just kid with some caution and respect to one another’s certain sensitive areas.

One weekend, together they walked around the mall. Julia asked Candice; Hey miss High and Mighty, when you gonna find yourself a good catch, like a providing type man and get married? Candice said; Girl the only thing close to a catch or a providing man in Cleveland is a fisherman on Lake Erie . . . and ordinarily there ain’t nutthin wrong with that, ‘providing’ he is a damn good fisherman. But the problem is… I don’t eat Lake Erie Catfish, Lake Erie Crappie or Carp. Julia smiled and said; Girl those are not the only fish in that sea. You are so picky and crazy! They got Walleye and Bluegill in Lake Erie too. But those are the only two I don’t eat… so I guess I know what you mean. They both laughed and moved on.

CHAPTER-2

Great-Lakes-Date

Candice is a single, twenty eight year old woman now, and she has only dated a small hand full of men in her entire adult life. Back, during her junior high school, and high school years, Candice was briefly thrown off her guards by a very savvy and classy young man. His name was Garnet Simon, but everyone knew him by his nick name, Mosquito. She wasn’t so much out of focus on her goals by seeing Garnet, but Mosquito was not the kind of boy that the Anthony’s would approve of for Candice. He was definitely not what her parents would have approved of either, and Candice was well aware of this. Garnet was well balanced with good academic abilities and a keen since of street knowledge. It was said that he earned his nick name Mosquito because his friends claimed that he was so resourceful, that he could draw blood from a turnip.

This clever, handsome and very well dressed young man really liked Candice a lot. He tried to teach Candice a lot about what to look out for in a fast and dangerous city like Cleveland. But any hint of street awareness in a boy his age, was something to be fearful of in the eyes of sheltering parents. After she thought a few times, about why a man was named something so unusual, like Garnet, Candice now wants to know why they called Garnet, Mosquito. So with one question at a time, she asked him, and he explained to Candice that he gets asked that a lot. He didn’t mind telling her that his mother and father believed he would be a strong and useful male. They said that humans in early times used the garnet to make tools. He said they thought he would grow up to be good looking and hard at the same time. The garnet stone is just that… a hard and pretty stone. Garnet explained to Candice that he was the only child and though his parents both had very few siblings, they were never really close to them. So, he had to be tough, because he didn’t have anyone to back him up in a fight. Garnet’s name is also the birthstone for January, the month in which he was born.

All of what Candice knew about Garnet was interesting, similar in many ways to her own life, and tempting to her to a point. He was also an only child. This wasn’t the case then but, it later turned out that Garnet lost both his parents as well. They died mysteriously, just one year apart, while he was in his early twenties. But neither, Garnet or Candice had lost their parents until after they severed their relationship. While they were younger, Candice and Garnet definitely had an awful lot to talk about. And over time they did a lot of talking, but mostly on the phone. Then came the time when Candice saw a significant difference in the two of them. It seemed to her that she would never get over his worldly knowledge. In the minds of teenagers, the word ‘different’ could be drastically shallow and as far apart as A is to B. But to Candice, this difference did not seem shallow at all and would mean no future in their relationship. Very soon, and by their freshman year in college she and Garnet mutually and maturely split up. They vowed to continue to share in whatever dyer need situations either of them may encounter later in life.

Candice has also come from a very small family. She had no brothers and sisters and since both her parents were an only child, cousins were also non-existent in her life. She always seemed to be fairly comfortable with who she was and where she was in her life. But like most people, she reserved some high hopes. Growing up on Cleveland’s east side, knowing who you are and where you fit in, was vital to your health… especially when you had high hopes. In Cleveland, you had to always stay reminded of the fact that young Clevelanders were always trying to live up to a reputation. It was a reputation that was built from a black organized underground group of Clevelanders from the forties, fifties and sixties. So whether or not you were looking to be the good, the bad or the ugly in Cleveland, you needed to be well associated. Knowing someone like Garnet Simon was a good thing. Garnet Simon didn’t have a police record to this point, but he was well tied to, or associated with all the fast lane youngsters and adults in and around the Cleveland area. By the time he finished high school he no longer allowed anyone to refer to him by his nick name, Mosquito.

Hollywood was so inspired by the Cleveland story and all its glory, that the popular movie Super Fly was created from it. The soundtrack, written and performed by Curtis Mayfield, was even more popular than the movie. The movie starred Ron O’Neal. In his real life, Ron O’Neal also grew up in Cleveland and attended Ohio State. Ron O’Neal’s mother was also employed at a Cleveland hospital. Candice thought the sun actually rose and set around Ron O’Neal. The way Candice saw it, in her mind, she and Ron O’Neal had a lot in common. The only thing that stood between her and the savvy, handsome