A Rude Awakening

By Annetta Swift

"A Rude Awakening", takes us on a journey of truth. People tend to hide and mask truth, especially when it hurts, but Raina's story sheds much light on truth at its worse. As the mysteries unfold and truth is told, you will realize that you too have truth that has hit you like a ton of bricks at some point in your life. This book faces the facts that life is by no means a "Fairy-tale" and if you are not honest with yourself you are indeed in for A Rude Awakening!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 3, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257672745

Book preview

Author

Introduction

Life has a strange way of pushing us into a world of make-believe. Either we are there to escape the trauma we have encountered, or to mask our present situations. Which ever is the case, it is not a pretty picture when life throws the truth in your face. Unfortunately, life is not as easy as we would like it to be and it has a way of making you aware of the harsh realities it can bring. Although life does have mountain top experiences, it is in the valley low that we gain integrity, and build character. The valley experiences last longer than the mountain top. However, you can appreciate the struggles much more because of the victory at the end of a trial. Now there are those who refuse to admit their valley experiences, this book is dedicated to them. Even though all who read this book will be impinged on and awestruck at times, but those who are hiding in the world of make-believe are in for…A Rude Awakening.

Chapter 1

Wake Up!

As Raina sits in the courtroom awaiting the verdict of her mother’s trial, she can’t help but wonder what her fate will be. At 15 years of age, Raina is forced to deal with the fact that her mother is guilty of the double-murder that has taken the lives of two innocent people. How could Raina have known that her mother was involved with a married man? How could she understand that it would be this relationship that would rock her world and strip her of what was dearest to her - the relationship with her mother? It is hard to fathom that after all this time, that Raina never knew that she was the product of a love affair. Although Raina’s mother can blame no one but herself for the predicament she is in, it is her relationship with Raina’s father that has brought her to the point that she felt murder was the only way to get what she wanted. Raina’s mother was tied up in a lover’s triangle that had gone bad. The truth of the matter is that in the pursuit of trying to have it all, she finds herself with nothing - not even her daughter.

As the defense team and the defendant rises for the verdict, Raina looks back at the details of this situation and wonders what pushed her mother to this extreme.

…I am so sick of this man lying to me. Raina’s mom rants to herself. There is one lie after the other. Mommy, who are you talking to? Raina asks.

Myself! I am sick of your daddy…never mind.

What has he done now?

It is not what he has done. Try what he has not done.

Okay, what has he not done?

Honey, you are too young to understand.

No I am not, Mommy, I am 15 years-old now. I know a lot more than you think I do.

Is that right? Like…

I am just saying, I understand, and if you need to talk to me you can.

Well, that is sweet and everything, but Mommy has to figure this one out on her own.

Raina walks out of the room and continues to eavesdrop on her mother’s conversation to herself. Eventually her mom picks up the phone and calls Raina’s dad.

Hello? Her dad says.

Well, hello yourself, now you answer the phone, huh? Her mom fusses.

You know that my cell is off when I am home. Why are you taking me through all of this foolishness, Inez? I don’t have time for this. He said.

"How are you not going to have time for this Eldrine?

You have plenty of time when you are getting what you want. But when it is time to talk about what I want, you don’t have time. We have been together going on 17 years and you still haven’t left your wife." She said.

"Wife? Raina says to herself. My daddy has a wife?" She moves closer to the door to hear more clearly.

Eldrine, all I am saying is that, I have given you all these years of my life and all you have given me are broken promises. I am tired.

How do you think I feel? I am tired too.

You are living a man’s dream. You have two women that you are sleeping with, and that makes you tired? You are tired alright. If you are so tired then why don’t you leave her? I can’t continue to live off of false hope.

Inez, my wife has just had another baby and I can’t just go right now.

So what am I supposed to do?

Just give me some time, please.

All I have given you is time. I trusted you. Your wife doesn’t even know that our daughters are the same age and born a few days apart from each other. What is up with that?

Look. I will take care of Raina as I have done all of her life, but you and I are over. I can’t continue to live a lie.

What do you mean over? No way, that is too easy. I had plenty of opportunities to have other men, but you swore if I waited that you’d leave Jackie. This is not right. You will not end it like this. I will kill you first.

Okay, now we are starting with the threats again. How about this, you go and throw your little tantrum and when you are done we can discuss my relationship with our daughter. That is all that I can give you. I have to go now. Bye.

Hello? Hello? No he didn’t hang up the phone…?

Mommy, is my daddy married?

Raina, not now, please. Mommy is very angry right now. We’ll talk later.

Later never came for Raina and her mother. Raina’s mom got dressed and headed over to Eldrine’s house. She figured that if she confronted him in front of his wife and told her everything that Jackie would throw him out. The drive to Harlem was long from her part of New Jersey, but as angry as she was, it seemed as if she arrived in seconds.

Inez parked the car on the side of the nearby store so that Eldrine wouldn’t see her car. She walks a quarter of a mile to their apartment and bangs on their door like a maniac.

Who is it? Jackie asks.

It is Inez. Is Eldrine here?

"Inez?" Jackie opens the door with the baby in her arms.

Yes, Inez, what can I do for you?

We need to talk.

We…don’t have anything to talk about. Eldrine is not here anyway.

Look. I hate to tell you this but… can I come in?

"No you can not. I know who you are. I am not as stupid as you think or tell my husband that I am. If the truth be known, you are the one that is stupid. How many men will tell women that they are leaving their wives and never do?

Girl, that is the oldest line in the book. I know everything.

See, what you don’t know is Eldrine is never leaving me.

He will take care of your child, but she will never know my kids. So if I was you, I’d count up my lost and find another man." Jackie proceeds to close the door, but Inez opens it back.

You mean he told you? So, why are you still with him?

Honey please, spare me the drama, Eldrine knows where home is. What he does outside is his business as long as he takes care of me, my kids, and comes home at night. See your problem is you are holding on to a fantasy. You will never have him. I feel sorry for you and your child. Oh well… She closes the door.

Inez stands there for a few moments baffled. Her trick didn’t work and now she is stuck with the cruel truth that her man