La Femme-Enfant: (The Woman-Child)

By Roosevelt Lee Carter

La Femme-Enfant tells the story of Mamere (Corean Pennyman) and her three sisters, Anna, Mary and Queen from 1900 to 1995 from the dusty roads of rural Cotton Valley, Plain Dealing, Sarepta and Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana to Harrison Pennymans mansion atop Nob Hill in San Francisco and the glitz of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California.

Mamere (Corean Pennyman) and James Glasgow II were lovers for almost fifty years. He married Diccie Bastille Glasgow when he was eighteen years old. Their marriage ended a land boundary feud that had burned and smouldered between the two families for three generations.

Their son, Alexander Glasgow married Jacintha Marguarite Pennyman, Mameres granddaughter, who gave birth to triplets at age fourteen. His mother banished Alexander to Paris. He became a famous painter. Jacintha was secretly locked away in an undisclosed asylum. Diccie Bastille Glasgow sent her chauffeur with a lone crib to Mameres house. Inside the crib was a tiny tot named Harrison Pennyman. She raised the remaining two siblings as her only grandchildren. Their complexion was much lighter than Harrisons was.

After thirty-three years, Harrison is finally reunited with his siblings, Deidre and Dalton Glasgow but not before the murder of Andrew Blackwell. He was a co-conspirator in a major art theft ring which was determined to steal the exquisite painting, La Femme-Enfant (The Woman Child) by Alexander Glasgow, his father, during the grand opening of Manslink and McKennas Art Gallery in Beverly Hills.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 23, 2008
• ISBN: 9781462841868

Roosevelt Lee Carter

Roosevelt Lee Carter grew up in Cotton Valley, Louisiana, 30 miles north of Shreveport. Attended Merritt College in Oakland, California and San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California. Lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 35 years. Worked in San Francisco for 25 years for a major banking institution. Raised a son as a single parent. Divorced. A US Army Vietnam Veteran (1967-1969). Currently resides in San Bernardino, California.

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Copyright © 2009 by Roosevelt Lee Carter.

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

Prologue

Family Genealogy

Chronological Dateline

Thursday

Harrison Alexander Pennyman

ONE

Cicily Pardon

TWO

Harrison Alexander Pennyman

THREE

Josephine’s

FOUR

Opening Night

FIVE

Constance Covington

SIX

Marmiko Tuosumi

SEVEN

Probable Cause

EIGHT

La Femme-Enfant II

The Woman Child

NINE

Corean Pennyman Mamere

TEN

Aunt Anna

ELEVEN

Aunt Mary

TWELVE

Aunt Queen

THIRTEEN

Sarah Pennyman

FOURTEEN

Jacintha Marguarite Pennyman

FIFTEEN

Alexander Glasgow

SIXTEEN

Diccie Bastille Glasgow

SEVENTEEN

The Discovery

EIGHTEEN

The Rebirth of Triplets

NINETEEN

The End

TWENTY

DEDICATION

This book is a special dedication to all of the phenomenal women of indomitable strength and character who opened their hearts to all of us. They are the beacons of our past that remind us who we are and from whence we came. We are the light that must keep their memories alive.

To my beloved mother:

Margie L. Carter,

My dear grandmother:

Francis William Wrighten,

My very special great-aunts:

Maggie Harris Bankhead, Mary Harris Flouenoy, Gladys Stromile Chatman and Elease Carter.

To the memory of my grandmothers:

Diccie Bryant Carter Glasgow, Angie Harris Carter and Patty Boyd Burton.

To the memory of my great-grandmothers:

Josie Harris, Corean Carper Boyd Tyiska and Eliza Rawls Tidwell Carter Chatman.

To the memory of my great-aunts:

Anna Williams, Mary Williams,Queen Ester Riley, Myra Harris Thomas, Eleanor Harris, Savannah Robertson, Lula Tidwell, Mary Boyd Jackson, Suda Thomas, Lily Bankhead, Honey James, Honey Tramel, Florenstein Carter, Susie Carter, Nina Bryant, Carrie Rawls, Jimmie Rawls, Clara Rawls, Minnie Rawls, Ida Long, Liza Mae Sunlim Carter, Maebell Carter Sumlin, Hurley Williams, Grover Harris, Gussie Harris, Angeline Jackson, Lessie V. Harris, Lula Mae Bryant, Rosalie Harris and Ressie Harris.

To my very special aunts and all of the mothers not mentioned herein; I honor you:

Rose Mary Carter, Hattie Carter Gipson, Hattie Lucy Carter, Drucella Williams, Mozelle Jacobs, Angie McKinney, Annie McLin, Myra Jo Burns, Maple Burton, Betty Jo Burton, Alice G. Moore, Ouida Hall and Billie Frances Williams.

Prologue

Hopewell . . .

The name suggests goodwill, hope, faith and prosperity, as well.

My Story,

Begin at its’ end with the birth if triplets, J’Paul, Pennyman and Glasgow Valmont.

Again, a new generation of triplets was born into our family. Their lives would be etched indelibly into history. Their names never to be forgotten.

The tragedies and triumphs that preceded their births is the legacy of our family. It is embodied in the now infamous painting ‘La Femme-Enfant’ by the world-renowned Parisian painter, Monsieur Alexander Glasgow of Hopewell…

Family Genealogy

First Generation

Great-great grand parents arrived in the US in the Early 1900’s.

Albert Reece and Lorean Sarah Pennyman

(Date of births and deaths unknown.)

Second Generation

Chronological Dateline

1900-1995

Thursday

Harrison Alexander Pennyman

ONE

Eager to travel and see the world beyond Plain Dealing, Louisiana, Harrison Pennyman boarded a train that was bound for Kansas City, Missouri. That was as far as his money allowed. That was June 1967.

Almost twenty years had passed since he fled his native Louisiana to find his place in the world. Looking around his plush surroundings in San Francisco, he surmised his worth. He had accomplished much more than he had ever envisioned, and more than some had expected, he thought. Socially, he was extremely relaxed. He had long ago planted the roses. Now he enjoyed the beauty and flagrance of his harvest. Thereby never allowing things to blind him. There were no medals on his mantel, just roses. He stood alone and shined brightly. This alone kept him in touch with reality. When he worked however, it was different. He was rigorous in ensuring that rules were obeyed. He was a professional, powerful and in control. To Harrison, control meant securing assets and capital equals success. His motto (CACS) Control Assets Capital Success was borne from his strenuous work ethics. His code of morality was unbinding, unabashed and undeniable true.

At times, he imagined that his past was a mere dream. He felt as though he had lived in this very mansion atop Nob Hill in San Francisco all of his life. He smiled, realizing that he was humming a familiar tune that had comforted him throughout his childhood.

‘C’est Vrai, C’est Vrai. Mi Aime Jou, P’tit boug.

‘It is true, it is true, I Love you, little boy’.

Strange he thought, thinking that the smallest or least important thought, idea or act can humble a giant and bring it crumbling to its knees, as with Samson and Delilah. He thought of his beloved Mamere, Corean Pennyman. She had raised him from birth until her death three weeks before he graduated from Carrie Martin High School in Plain Dealing, Louisiana.

Even now, she was smiling down from heaven upon him. She was still protecting him. He felt her spirit. She had a certain presence about her that inspired awe and respect. He loved her. Her spirit had been deeply embroidered into the very essence of his life. Her love for him was the sole thread that kept him steadily moving forward with a powerful sense of pride and confidence. Their souls were united. At times, his enthusiastic bliss overwhelmed him and delighted others. His spirit of joy always seemed elevated above the norm. He derived the greatest pleasure in bringing happiness to those less spirited. He cried silently and held his face in his hands. Mamere. Mamere. He played a song for Mamere, ‘I Wish You Were Here’ by Nancy Wilson, and drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would come soon. It had been a long Thursday…

Cicily Pardon

TWO

The telephone rang. Glancing at the clock on his nightstand, Harrison reached for the handset. He hesitated and allowed the call to go directly to his answering service. It was 8:30 p.m., Friday. He pressed the message retrieval button on the handset. It was Cicily Pardon.

Harrison love, please be a darling and escort me to the grand opening of Manslink and Mckenna’s newest art gallery. I realize this is short notice. Call me if you are unable to attend. Otherwise, my driver will pick you up tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m., precisely. We will have cocktails before we get there. Harrison, I need you, then she hung up.

Harrison’s mystique thrilled and mesmerized Cicily, simultaneously. His chiseled physique: medium build, roughly 5' 11" was well defined. His skin was almost honey-caramel. His alluring grey-green eyes appear to change colors as though directed by some supernatural