Wake-up Call

By Epiphany Z. Crush

Cherry has an enormous wake-up call at the age of 30.

When Cherry Lawson gains insight, she becomes faced with life-altering decisions that require her to act fast! The longer she contemplates what to do, the harder it becomes for her to sleep peacefully at night. After all, it haunts her daily.

If only Aunt Geraldine had never sent THAT book...Cherry silently resents her aunt's gift. Deep down, she knows that Aunt Geraldine is not to blame, for she had showered her with books ever since she was a child. Still, no book had rocked Cherry's world the way this one had done. This book forced her to take countless looks at the woman in the mirror. As painful as self-reflection was, Cherry could NOT put the book down! Just like she could not stop thinking about her daughter Viva.

Ever since Cherry's awakening, she and the love of her life (Vincent Yates) are rarely on the same page. Getting Vincent to see how crucial it is for her to change is impossible, leaving Cherry with only one other option- to leave him.

So many decisions and so little time. Is Cherry capable of putting the book's teaching into action? How can she get through to beautiful yet stubborn Viva? Will Cherry walk away from love to save both her and Viva or will she dismiss the awakening altogether?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Epiphany Crush
• Release date: Apr 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393466895

Epiphany Z. Crush

      Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a love for words and literature! I have such vivid memories of playing Scrabble and of going to the library to check out tons of books on Saturday mornings. As an adult, I aspire to make both children and adults feel as I still do about books and literacy. I've been writing since age ten- dreaming of one day being able to share my writing with the world. Currently, I have eight published books: The Sky is the Limit (children’s) and Love, Heartbreaks, Epiphanies, and Joy (adult poetry collection), Extra 'Nessa (children's), Wake-up Call (YA novelette), Highway to Heaven (YA novel), Conversations in the Midnight Hour: A Journal with Scriptures of Wisdom and Consolation (YA nonfiction), Life, as Seen Through Her Introverted Eyes: A Collection of Poetry & Prose (YA poetry book), and The Repayment Plan (adult fiction). Paperback copies of my books can be purchased on my website: epiphanysskyanddesign.com. I am the owner of an online bookstore/giftshop. If you want to stay connected with me, please follow me on        

Book preview

CHERRY LAWSON

M ore! More! More! the crowd roared. Cherry Lawson searched the dimmed room with her hazel cat eyes. Never ever had she been frightened by the sight of so many men. She squinted in the dark, but all she could really see were hands reaching out to touch her. Small hands. Big hands. Hairy hands. Anxious, up to no good hands.  Some were decorated with big, gold rings.  Some were manicured and decorated with just a neglected wedding band. Other hands were rough, ashy, bare, and ugly; bitten and grimy fingernails that looked like they had not been cleaned in years. The loud, smoke-filled room seemed to be closing in on her as the men moved closer to her- so close that she could smell the cigarettes and alcohol on their breath.  That, along with the mustiness in the air, made Cherry want to puke right in their faces, but she fought the urge as she fanned the men away. 

More! More! More! they continued to roar, reminding her of dogs in heat. All of a sudden, Cherry felt something wet on her foot. She lowered her eyes and saw that one man had gotten down on his knees, and he was licking her feet!  Cherry grabbed another man’s cup, not caring what he had been drinking nor if he was still drinking it.  She could feel her blood boiling as she poured the beverage all over the foot licker’s back, sending him into hysterics.  Others laughed, but Cherry was thinking about how she couldn’t wait to get home and scrub her feet. 

Girl! Are you retarded or something? the three-foot-tall man standing behind her yelled, as he waved a wooden cane in the air.

Don’t you hear these men? They want MORE, and unless you want to be back behind the counter at Good Gas, you better give them MORE! he carried on.

At that moment, Cherry hated her boss just as much as she hated the animal-like men who were drooling, whistling, and shouting for her to give them just one more song and lap dance. She looked from them to Roger, who was still standing behind her, still waving that cane.  Cherry didn’t know why she always felt sorry for the old man, even though he had gotten on her nerves for twelve years straight.  Roger had hired so many girls over the years- always threatening to one day give Cherry the boot, but those girls were not dedicated like her. After getting their first paycheck, many of them grumbled that Roger did not pay them enough to put up with his unfiltered mouth.  Plus, Lil Cut Up had already gotten into their heads that they would make more money working for him on 45th Street.  Sadly, that’s where many of the money-hungry girls also met their fate. How sad it made Cherry feel as their faces popped up on the local news channel, while the news reporter revealed their cause of death...strangulation, gun shot wounds, brutally beat, and drug overdose. That is why no matter how bad Roger talked to Cherry, she just dealt with it. She felt like tolerating Roger’s foul mouth was safer than working for Lil Cut Up.

Now there was just one other person working for Roger...Molly...a real cool, down-to-earth white