Dream Angel the Beginning: A Stella Jackson Story

By Patricia Penny

Dream Angel: The Beginning This is the story of one womans struggle. Her victory will delight book enthusiasts as author Patricia Penny presents Dream Angel: The Beginning. This book tells the story of a woman who faces all odds to keep her family whole.

As the story opens, readers will meet Stella Jackson, a laid off worker who has resorted to searching for food in dumpsters to bring home to her ten-year-old daughter, Jena. With her twenty-one-year-old foster daughter, Kara, Stella tries to figure out her future plans to resolve their problems. Together, they hold on to each other and face their familys greatest obstacle, the Nightclub Killer. He and Stella are on an evil collision course.

There is more that awaits Stella, Jena, and Kara in the future. Readers will find more surprises as the whole story unfolds from the murder of a serial killer to a divine revelation.

Through Dream Angel: The Beginning, readers will find amusement, but more than that, they will further understand the real meaning of what family is all about.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 21, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453511763

Patricia Penny

.Patricia Penny has been a resident of Columbia, MD since 1977. At the age of seven, she traveled to Germany with her family and that is when the world opened up her eyes to new and different styles of living. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland; University College and an Associate of Arts Degree from Anne Arundel Community College. Throughout her life she has been an avid reader of suspense and mystery. Her favorite author is John Grisham; but she has been an avid fan of Anne Rice, Laurel K. Hamilton, Janet Evanovich; and James Patterson’s favorite character, Alex Cross.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Stella

Jeff stood on the steps at the back door of Mill’s convenience store where he worked and said, There that bitch is again, Fred. She is here every night!

Fred looked in Stella’s direction and saw her picking through the garbage dumpster. Damn, he said.

Get a job, bitch! Jeff yelled and threw his cigarette in her direction.

Stella ignored the two men on the steps. She continued to look through the dumpster for something; anything, she could take home for her ten year old daughter, Jena. She just couldn’t go home empty handed. Eventually she knew that Jena would notice she had lost her job. Jena would begin to worry and Stella just didn’t want to answer all those questions that a ten year old can ask over, and over, and over again. Her hand touched a package and when she pulled it up, it was hot dogs.

They probably threw it out because of the expiration date, she mumbled to herself ignoring the idiots on the steps. She placed the package in one of her plastic bags and went back to searching.

An hour later, Stella walked in her one-bedroom apartment with two plastic bags full of dumpster packaged food. She placed them on the table; took off her old brown coat and placed it on the back of the folding chair. Jena ran to her and gave her a big hug.

Jena was the most adorable little girl. Her hair was in pigtails. She was so petite and tall for her age. Stella loved her daughter so much. Her complexion was smooth and light brown. That was the only thing she had inherited from her mother. The rest of her features belonged to her father.

Mommy! she said. Did you bring me anything good?

Sure did, she said and took out a package of chocolate chip cookies. There you go, but save some for school tomorrow. Oh darn, I forgot to get some peanut butter. Stella pretended like she had gone to the grocery store. I’ll have to go out tomorrow and get some. I want you to go to bed soon. Where is Kara?

Kara, in Stella’s mind and heart, was her 21 year old daughter. She lived with Stella five years before Jena was born. She was not Stella’s biological daughter.

Kara worked part time at Oakland’s, a nearby department store. Her part time job helped Stella pay her portion of the low-income rent. But it didn’t help for food, gas and electric or water. Stella lost her job ten months prior. It was taking a long time to find one. Stella thought no one was hiring a short little black woman for any position. She worked for several years at the same department store Kara worked in Pearl City. She was laid off due to budget cuts and replaced by a young skinny white girl three months later. Stella found out later that the young skinny white girl was replaced by a middle aged Pakistani woman who eventually became manager of the store; a job that should have been Stella’s.

Stella restocked shelves, worked the cash register, wrote purchase orders, managed supplies. She did a lot for that store and only her co-workers knew how valuable she was. She even managed to work within the budget. The store’s previous manager never gave her any credit. He never mentioned that Stella was doing his job; as if she were invisible. Sales were up when Stella worked there. They began to plummet when she left or so she was told. So Stella never could figure out why she was in the layoff.

Kara appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. Hi mom, she said. Layoff notices went out again today. Izzy left soon after. I’m praying that I won’t be next.

Stella could see that Kara had just finished crying. Izzy was one of Kara’s friends at the store. Well, you can always go to unemployment for a little while. I just don’t know what is going to happen and let’s discuss this after Jena goes to bed, okay?

Kara nodded in agreement.

Stella went into the small kitchen and placed the hot dogs in a pan of water to boil. She rummaged through the bag and found the bottle of barbeque sauce. She made Jena’s favorite, chopped hot dogs smothered in barbeque sauce.

Later that evening, when Jena was asleep on the air-bed, Kara and Stella discussed their future plans in the living room where Stella slept on the sofa.

What are we going to do, mom? Kara asked.

"Well, I can’t wait on Social Services to find my application for food stamps and temporary cash assistance. We need money and food now! This is ridiculous for people to play around with your life. They have lost my application three times in ten months. They really don’t care if we eat or live. My unemployment has run out.

Kara, you are a young beautiful black woman. With your looks, you can find a job just about anywhere. Since I am a little older, it prevents me from being hired. It’s not that I can’t do the work; it’s just that I don’t look the part.

Mom, you have been taking care of me and watching over me ever since I was nine years old. You are beautiful, too. You certainly don’t look your age. I am 21 now. I’ve been thinking maybe I should go into the army or something. That way I can take care of you and Jena.

You know we don’t have any paperwork listing me as your mother. Stella replied. "Your mom died trying to protect you. I have nothing that says you are my child; and yet you are my child. If you leave us, what will happen to us?"

Tears welled up in Kara’s eyes and she began to cry silently. "They don’t even know I live here. This system is so stupid. Life is about paperwork. If you don’t have a piece of paper that says you were born, then you don’t exist. My birth certificate has my bio mom but you are my real mom. Social services said you couldn’t even adopt me because they have to give me to a relative first and then they put me in a foster home! I know you promised God and my mom you would take care of me and you have never broken that promise! I know it has been hard. But you never lost touch with me. You saved me from that group home time and time again."

The rent papers say you don’t live here, and a few neighbors have been asking questions. They think you are my daughter but they don’t understand why we live in a one bedroom. I keep telling nosey Jack downstairs they don’t have a 2-bedroom for us to move in. We don’t even have money to move. Moving costs a lot of money! I am going back to Mill’s tomorrow night. I think I might stop over behind Roscoe’s and see what I can find.

It is really getting cold out. Why don’t you wait for me to get off from work and help? Kara asked.

Who will watch Jena? was the reply.

Jena laid in the bed with her eyes closed listening to their conversation. She eventually dozed off to sleep but not before she said a quiet prayer for God to help her family.

CHAPTER TWO

Jeff

Jeff jumped in his car and headed for the 21 Night Club. It was Ladies Night! He thought about how much he hated that black bitch that came around and picked through the dumpster. He didn’t care what Fred said. What the hell does he know? She’s been coming around here for a few months now and she is a disgrace to the black race. After all, he’s half black and he has a job! Why does he have to support her? She’s probably on welfare and already getting money from the government to support her lazy ass!

Next time I see her ass, he grinned, I am going to scare her real good. I know that shit will be funny! I’ll put the fear of God in her.

He was all smiles and grins about his plan when he walked in the club. There were so many colorful and beautiful asses to pick and choose from. Eventually he found a nice looking one attached to a beautiful face and went back to her apartment for a few hours. He slipped out early, as he usually did, and threw her phone number in the trash. He got what he wanted. Rita, his white blonde-headed girlfriend, needed no explanation as to why he was late. She would never start a scene; she doesn’t want him to slap her around when he feels like this. Not tonight!

Thank God when he walked in, she was asleep or she did a damn good job of pretending. He smirked at her and went to sleep on the living room couch. After a night like tonight, she disgusted him.

Fred

Fred stared at his blank flat screen television. He just couldn’t figure out why Jeff was so hostile against that lady. She certainly wasn’t ugly or vulgar. Didn’t he realize she was down on her luck? Plus, he owned the store. He should be the one making a big stink; not Jeff. Jeff just works for him. His social skills