More Than a Dream

By Patricia Lewis Mills

Richmond,Va. Springtime --- new life, new beginnings.

Flowers and trees begin to blossom; however, those arent the only things budding as new relationships bloom for close friends and new acquaintances.

Nicole Lewis, a professor at VCU, is a woman in love. Her first true love, the controlling and self-centered Douglas, suddenly disappears without warning. Just as sudden as Douglas disappearance is the arrival of the handsome and successful Gerard Michaels. However, Nicoles guard is up, and shes suspicious of his intentions. Her best friend, Taylor Mundy, is busy with her educational pursuits and planning her strategic career moves until the suave and debonair Tre Posby moves to town. Focused, but unprepared and unaware of his motives as they unfold . . . Taylor struggles. Xavier Love, the highly-respected school administrator has a clandestine course of action that is eventually discovered by one of the local Universities head basketball coaches, JaBari Jackson, who has a personal stake in the discovery.
Yes, Richmond has more things blossoming this spring than the obvious.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 25, 2006
• ISBN: 9781462832699

Patricia Lewis Mills

A writer and director of gospel musicals in the City of Richmond, Virginia, Patricia has taken on a different creative approach with authoring her first novel. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and is employed with the City of Richmond. She lives in Richmond and is currently working on her second novel.

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Copyright © 2006 by Patricia Lewis Mills.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

For my husband, George,

and

our sons,

Gerard

And

Tre

… if I ruled the world, I’d save all my sons

NAS

(If only I could…)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Heavenly Father, I thank you daily as I look back over my life and sometimes see only one set of footprints knowing it was then that you carried me … when I needed it most. George, I thank you for your ongoing encouragement and patience in support of my efforts. All along you said I know you can do it. Gerard, you made me feel so good when I e-mailed you at school about my writing a book and you e-mailed me back saying you were proud of what I was setting out to do; that meant so much. I gotta give BIG thanks to my nephew, JaBari and my unofficial niece, Ayesha, who rescued me from computer technology emergencies far too many times to count. If it weren’t for your computer literacy, this book might still be my ‘dream’ … and you know I’m right! Many kudos to my sister, Carolyn, an avid reader who interrupted her own voracious reading schedule to read my chapters on demand and offered her valuable input. Much love to my father, the late Willie Lewis, Sr. and my mother, LaVinia Lewis, who instilled an awesome love of reading and writing throughout the years. And thanks for providing me with everything a daughter should have … great parents! Thanks to my nephew, Jackie Jr. and my son, Gerard, who provided a guy’s perspective from time to time and to my nephews, Aundre and Xavier, just because … Much appreciation to my cousin, D.G. Blackwell for taking time to proofread while he worked on his own book, From A Man’s Heart. I have to acknowledge my co-workers, Dawn, Marilyn and Horace who listened patiently while I described people … only for them to later learn the people were fictional characters in my book. I just have to give a shout out to my girls, my aces, my friends through thick and thin. So, here it is: Shout Out to: DeNyce B., Regena H. and Renee M. who gave their support and encouragement and constantly asked, Well, when are you going to be finished? and weren’t put off when they called and I responded, I’m writing. Yeah Renee, I know I owe you for proofing again. Ma-Musu, your reaction to my reading of this book to you while you braided my hair was priceless. The laughter, tears and identification with the characters … I can only hope that other readers feel as much. Last but certainly not least, I have to thank my church family, Reverend Herbert R. Plummer, Sr. and The Swansboro Baptist Church, who have been supportive of my previous writing of gospel musicals and plays that somehow led me to writing a book. Marie, thanks for saying you’ll be my manager one day thereby believing I have written something worth reading. Hats off to the creative David M. Green who worked so hard to make sure my cover was done just the way I wanted.

As I extend appreciation for all who played a part in this endeavor, I may not have remembered everyone so … please attribute it to my head (a sista just had another birthday) and forgive me. I’m thanking everyone in advance for sharing my excitement, reading this novel and supporting my efforts ‘cause the next one (untitled as of now) is almost finished. Read on and I hope you enjoy …

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

CHAPTER ONE

The smell from the Sweet Honeysuckle Tree wafted through the opened window on this balmy spring night. Nicole Lewis tightly closed her eyes while she deliberately and slowly inhaled nature’s fragrant bouquet. She loved this time of year in Richmond and wanted to savor the moment and treasure the experience. She had learned experiences were important; some were good while others—well, you had to grow from them. Despite what the calendar indicated, as far as she was concerned, the blossoming honeysuckle was the event that signaled spring had really sprung.

Springtime, she thought still taking in the aroma. A time for new beginnings. Hmmm, oh well, she paused before looking back to the novel she was reading.

Nicole was curled up on the sofa reading the last few chapters of Ernest J. Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying when the ringing phone startled her. The book had to be finished before her book club met the next day, and for that reason, she let the answering machine pick it up. An unfamiliar man’s voice spoke, Hello, is this … and then the dial tone began.

She looked up from her book momentarily, decided that someone had dialed the wrong number, and she continued to read. An hour and twenty minutes later she finished.

Finally, she said out loud to herself. For a while, I was wondering if I’d get through that book.

She uncurled her long legs and flexed her ankles back and forth to relieve the stiffness that had settled in from sitting in the same position so long. She stretched her arms overhead as she yawned and walked to the kitchen to get a cold drink. As she leaned over her legal pad jotting down notes for discussion with the Book Club, she swept a handful of long thick dark hair away from her fair-skinned, flawless complexion. She squinted her slightly slant eyes and frowned as she leaned her elbow on the table contemplating the anguish Blacks suffered in Gaines’ novel. She felt the sadness of Jefferson, one of his characters, who struggled for his dignity in a place where it was negated. Nicole finished a page of discussion notes and placed them in her canvas book club bag along with the novel.

Now what? she said aloud.

Now it was another Friday night, and here she sat in her apartment alone. Whoever came up with the phrase ‘TGIF’ being a great thing didn’t know how it felt to be all alone at the end of a work week. She picked up the remote and flipped through all the HBO channels, and as usual, nothing was on she really wanted to see.

That’s it! she shouted as she tossed the remote onto the sofa. Tomorrow, I’m definitely calling Comcast to cancel these high-priced premium channels and just get the basic cable. This isn’t even worth it! Humph, maybe I’ll just get rid of the whole thing, she mumbled as she went to check her e-mail. And there it was, the infamous message from Douglas Piper that she refused to delete. Reading it once again, as she had done a hundred times, took her back to a place she didn’t want to go.

The memory of him skipped through her mind every once in a while now, but especially on a lonely night like this when she had nothing planned. She remembered his kiss, his touch, and then the regrettable reality would reveal its ugly head. And each time it happened, she vowed not to let the remembrance of him steal any more of her precious time. You see, she had allowed him entry where no man had ever gone. He had been able to access her mind, her body and her very soul. She never thought she would put up with a man who had put her through what he had for those two years. She’d always talked about women who had low self-esteem and who didn’t love themselves enough to kick those no good men to the curb. The saddest part of all was that when it came to Douglas, she was unable to recognize that she had actually become one of those women she despised. Those women clearly existed in a state of denial when it came to the men in their lives. The truth of the matter had only begun to dawn on her when she opened her e-mail that Friday night and read his message. As she sat in front of her computer now, she thought back to that unforgettable Friday night.

When she’d unlocked her door and walked in from work, it was like any other Friday evening. She rewound her video recording of soaps and watched them while preparing dinner. Douglas was expected around 7 p.m., and she knew he would drag in complaining about the usual irritations at his job and especially about having to work the extra overtime. After eating dinner alone, she put in Heather Headley’s This is Who I Am CD and sat down to check her e-mail. And there it was, his message:

Nicole, it’s obvious things aren’t working out between us.

And I guess you’ve noticed that I’ve moved my stuff out.

I’ll stay with my cousin, Peanut, for a minute and help him with a ‘lil business deal he has on the side. I’ll call you.

Later.

—Doug P.

She didn’t immediately jump up to check for his things. She couldn’t; panic gripped her. Her heart started to beat rapidly; she couldn’t catch her breath and she felt dazed. She needed to read the note again because there was no way she could have just read what she thought she read; she must have been confused. Was this one of his sick jokes? So she read it again, but this time she read each word slowly and put their unmistakable meaning together and the tears began streaming down her face. She wouldn’t get up to check for his clothes because if they weren’t there, it would mean the message was true, it would mean that he’d really left her. So, she just sat there staring at the computer screen crying and hoping it wasn’t true. By this time, number four on Heather Headley’s CD began to play:

I’m home alone again, you’re out hanging with friends,

So you say…

Somehow I know it’s not quite that way …

When the song finished, she got up from the computer and looked in his closet and drawers only to find that his belongings were actually gone. Her knees gave away and everything around her became a blur as her five feet eight frame collapsed to the floor. She just lay there weeping as the reality of the situation became crystal clear, and she cried herself to sleep right there on the floor.

The next morning she awoke on the floor with a throbbing headache and red swollen eyes. She got up, tapped the mouse to remove the screen saver, read his e-mail again and cried some more. The phone rang, but she didn’t pick it up; someone knocked on her door, but she wouldn’t answer. She felt hollow inside as if her guts had been pulled out like the fish she used to clean from her father’s fishing trips. She didn’t want to talk to anyone; she just needed to think … but think of what? She wasn’t sure, but she needed some time. She might be able to gather her thoughts, if she could just stop crying, if only she could stop. Taylor Mundy had called and called, but was unable to get an answer. They were supposed to go to their book club meeting at noon, and it wasn’t like Nicole to change her plans and not inform Taylor. Taylor, her best friend in the whole world, had a smooth cinnamon-colored complexion, and stood about an inch shorter than Nicole at five feet seven inches. Her slender frame and long micro braids usually gave her the appearance of being taller. Her big brown eyes and dimpled smile always seem to express her extroverted personality.

They were such good friends; no actually they were more like sisters. If you saw one, you saw the other. Taylor began to worry so she drove the short distance to Nicole’s apartment. When she saw her black BMW convertible still parked in the complex, she really became concerned. She pulled out her cell phone and tried Nicole’s number once more, but still there was no answer. She knocked and knocked, yet still there was no indication of her best friend. This wasn’t like Nicole at all. She shaded her eyes with her hands, peered through the front window, and began calling to her. Nicole, are you in there? Nicole? Nicole, are you all right? Open the door.

When she turned to go and get the extra key Nicole had given her for emergencies, she heard the door open behind her. When she turned and look back, she gasped.

Oh my God, what happened? she said as she reached for Nicole with outstretched arms.

He left me … he left me, Nicole wept loudly as she welcomed her friend’s embrace.

Taylor walked in recognizing that Nicole had on the same clothes she’d worn when they’d met for lunch on Friday afternoon, and it was obvious she’d also slept in them. And from the looks of things, it must have been a frightful and restless slumber. She dampened a face cloth and placed it over Nicole’s puffy eyes while she tried to console her. Then she went to the kitchen and brewed some cranberry-apple herbal tea all the while trying to get Nicole to relax. After getting her to calm down somewhat, Taylor ran a bubble bath and coaxed her to get in. Following the hot bath, she was able to get Nicole to take a short nap promising that they would talk afterwards. Taylor sat in front of the television without hearing the program while trying to figure out how to help her friend whenever she woke up. She thought back to the many conversations they’d had about Douglas, and she didn’t see the recent incident as a bad thing.

I don’t know why he left, but it can only be a plus for Nicole. And as soon as she calms down, she’ll realize that. Humph! He sure ain’t worth losing no sleep over with his trifling tail! It’s a shame that a woman as nice as Nicole chose to put up with that worthless good-for-nothing, anyway.

Through her tears and sniffling, Nicole related the events of the previous night. Taylor assured her that she was better off without him because he hadn’t been anything but a jerk that leaned on her and brought her down. She didn’t really want to say I told you so, but she’d never bitten her tongue when she pointed out his irresponsible behaviors to Nicole. Their friendship had lasted so long because it was honest and it was real. Opinions had always been freely expressed without either of them getting an attitude. Nicole agreed she had no one to blame except herself because in retrospect she had noticed his pulling away. His preoccupation and secretiveness began a few months ago about the same time he’d hooked up with his cousin, Peanut, who had recently finished a seven-year stint in jail for gun and drug charges. When he first started hanging out with Peanut and his questionable associates, she had noticed the gradual change in his behavior. Even still, she admitted she couldn’t understand how he could treat her like that when she had given him everything. She had put so much into the relationship. His every whim and want had been nurtured while her own goals were cast aside.

If you ask me, Taylor commented, he’s a spineless little weasel without the common decency to face you like a man. But believe you-me girllll, his day is coming! But meanwhile girlfriend, you have to get up off your pity pot ‘cause life goes on! And I’m sure it’ll probably be a whole hellova lot better! she said emphatically as she walked around with her hands on her hips and twisted her neck. They both agreed that it would probably be a good idea if she took a couple of mental health days from work while she put things in perspective.

When her mother hadn’t heard from her by Sunday afternoon, she became concerned because they were supposed to visit her Aunt Thelma in a nearby hospital. Whenever Nicole was unable to follow up on a planned engagement, her mother always felt Douglas was the culprit. She didn’t like him, never trusted him and had made up her mind she never would. After not being able to get an answer at Nicole’s, her mother called Taylor who brought her up-to-date on the broken relationship.

Thank you Jesus! her mother shouted over the phone when hearing the news. Ms. Tootsie decided she would pack a small brunch basket and visit her daughter on Monday morning. If, by chance, Douglas was there, she had a few choice words for him, and had an alternative for her daughter if she’d decided to take him back.

When Ms. Tootsie drove to Nicole’s apartment, she was surprised when she found her still in her pajamas at half past eleven in the morning. Her hair was tousled and her eyes were red and swollen. She hugged her daughter who wondered how she knew she was home.

Sweetie, no need to say anything. I called Taylor, and she already brought me up to date on the situation. What I do want to know is why didn’t you call me?

Aw mom, I didn’t want to worry you.

Chile please! You don’t have to sit here feeling depressed and downhearted because he walked out, you should rejoice! You ought to be jumping for joy now that the thorn is gone from your side. That no good son of a—

Mom!

Look, don’t mom me. Chile, you know I speak my mind. I believe in calling a spade a spade. Your daddy and I always hated the idea that you were over here living in sin anyway ‘cause you knew better! You just let this fellow bamboozle you. And on top of that, you allowed him to come in between you and your daddy. That hurt your daddy so, so much!

Mom, I know you’re right. It just hurts. I feel so stupid when I look back on all that I gave him, on all that I did and then he had the nerve to walk out on me. (sniff)

Nicki, honey please know that this is his loss, not yours. She gave her daughter a big hug.

What in the world do you have in that basket, Mom? She noticed the big wicker basket for the first time.

Oh yeah, I’d almost forgotten. Come on chile, enough of this sad sack stuff. I fixed us a good ole fashion brunch, she said as she picked up the basket. And I want us to enjoy it. I’m not trying to make light of your distress, but you know what they say. It might be cloudy right now, but the sun’s gonna shine after while. So let’s just bless the food ‘fore everything gets cold.

After prayer, she removed the appetizing contents of the basket as Nicole shrieked at all the food. Mom, is there anything you didn’t think of?

Don’t think so. Oh by the way, your daddy will be coming over later to change your locks.

After they had eaten and talked, Nicole did feel a little bit better. While she showered, her mom called the BeCome New Hair Salon and made an appointment for both of them to get a pedicure, manicure and a new hairstyle later that afternoon. On Tuesday, a shopping trip to the outlet mall in Williamsburg was planned. Nicole was so grateful that she had a friend like Taylor and a woman like her mother. She didn’t know what she would do if she didn’t have her two best friends.

The next day Nicole and her mom found some great bargains, and they had a wonderful day together. When she arrived home she tried on one of her new outfits and subconsciously thought to herself, Douglas is gonna like this, until she remembered. Then she sank down on the sofa remembering how they had dated for a year before becoming engaged. It wasn’t like she had just met him; they dated for twelve whole months. He wasn’t just any man, he was her fiance; they were planning to get married sometime in the future. What went wrong? Was it when she let him move in with her? Her mother said they were living in sin. She was right, but was that the thing that had done it? Old folks always say why would a man buy the cow when he can get the milk for free? Was that it? Did he just want the milk without the cow? Had he become bored with her or did he ever love her? Something told her she should never have let him move in. But his moving in had sneaked up on her.

As she thought back, she couldn’t even remember them discussing his moving in. One minute he started staying overnight, then the overnight turned into days and days into weekends with a handful of his belongings. Then the next thing she knew, he was moving all his clothes in and sharing the rent and utilities. What he’d said was they would be able to save more money for their future together.

The problem, however, was that he rationalized the word ‘engagement’ to be synonymous with ‘control’. He decided that they should put their money together in one account because the combined amount would afford them a higher interest rate. Then he came up with the idea that he would be the manager of all the money and bills freeing her to take care of other things. It sounded like a good plan to her because she trusted him. He was her first and only love. They were committed. He assured her that he would take care of everything. And that he did. When she didn’t clean the apartment like he thought it should be, he made a cleaning schedule for her. If the food wasn’t prepared to his liking, he signed her up for a cooking class. On the occasion when her hairstyle no longer suited him, he chose other ones from hairstyle magazines. When she came home with a shopping bag, he quizzed her about the source and amount of money spent. He wanted to dole out a weekly allowance for her, all in an effort to save more money for them. Of course, he didn’t need an allowance since his spending decisions were always for their benefit, even when it was a personal purchase for him. When she started a sentence, he finished it. Whenever she made suggestions about their relationship, he told her she was inappropriate or that it was a stupid idea. He was condescending to her most of the time just to remind himself that he had the upper hand and was in control. But he only did that because he had the best in mind for their relationship. When she expressed interest in social activities, he told her they didn’t have a place in their relationship; unless of course, it was one that he had chosen. As soon as she mentioned the word worship, he made sure she knew it had no place in his life. After all, he said Sunday mornings were either to recoup from Saturday nights, for friends to get together to play ball or for guys to watch favorite sports on television.

Yep, he took care of everything. It was after he left that she discovered the two-month pile of unopened bills hidden away, and became aware of other bills he hadn’t paid in several months. It became clear to her how he had taken advantage of her vulnerability, her trust and her innocence. During the relationship, her discovery of his lies about insignificant things led her to believe that bigger things were right around the corner. Most of the time she recognized the lies. She chose to overlook them, hoping things would get better plus she didn’t want to start an argument. However, she had reached the point that the lies had begun to take their toll on her, and she began to emotionally separate from him even though she still loved him.