The Price of Having Nothing to Give

By Charlar Barnes

Not all relationships develop from pure love some have a shade of gray. Josie Garth decided that life was a combination of pain and logical decisions. It was totally up to her whether to allow life to decide her fate or limit emotions and handle business.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483621838

Charlar Barnes

Charlar Barnes was born in Chicago Illinois and raised in Tuskegee Alabama. She is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University with a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Masters in Counseling from Faulkner University. She is a decorated gulf war veteran, single and lives in Montgomery Alabama.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Eye Candy: The Moment They Met

It was a Friday night and without a doubt, the place to be was 38th & Main Street at William’s Hall in Indiana Harbor, Indiana. For one night only, the radio & recording artist Walter Barnes and his Royal Creolians were performing the hottest dance music around and admission was only 60¢.

The dance hall was full of graceful stylish women and financially stable men. The women often wore elegant, lavishly styled, evening gowns, and the men tailored suits with expensive chained pocket watches. The women continuously monitored the dance hall to ensure they kept tabs on the woman they viewed as competition. The men spent most of the time listening to the music and surveying the room as if they were at an art gallery admiring beautiful works of art.

The mood of the dance hall was mellow until Josie stepped into the room. Suddenly, the majority of the women pretending to be engaged in conversation stopped in mid-sentence and started to stare. Several of the women unconsciously gathered in conversation as if they were bonding against a common enemy. Understandably so, Josie was a beautiful confident woman. She stood 5´6,˝ weighed 120 Lbs, maintained a coke bottle figure, and dressed with style and pride. She also had silky, long black hair that she made a point to keep hot-combed and full of hanging curls. She felt that these combinations made her regal and laid the foundation for her confidence. Early on, she learned that having these features made life convenient growing up in Bessemer, Alabama.

Of course, the behaviors of others never mattered to Josie and her running-partner/friend-enemy, Nell. As they always say, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. They grew up in Bessemer together and appeared to hate each other from the day they were conceived. The only reason people believed their friendship endured rest solely on their need to ensure that if fate didn’t destroy the other, they would.

Nell was extremely beautiful, intelligent, and more than capable of commanding the attention of any room. Nevertheless, she embodied an evil wit and cutthroat mentality that on several occasions worked toward her advantage.

It was the norm for Josie and Nell, when entering a room, to inventory all eligible men. Which in many cases, included men with other women who were not wearing a ring. Their theory was if she was important enough to the man she would be wearing a ring.

I like the sound of the band. Who’s playing? Nell asked.

I’m not sure, Josie said, while searching for a club flyer.

It’s Walter Barnes and his Royal Creolians, Josie said.

I’ve heard of them. They’re regulars at the Cottage Club on Decatur Street. The Bandleader’s family is admired in the community. They are highly educated in their field and extremely active in their communities. As a matter of fact, the two men standing by the bartender are Walter’s brothers. The one in the dark blue, lightly pinstriped suit is Charles, and the one in the dark blue very well tailored suit is Alan. I don’t know very much about Charles, but I know Alan is the band manager and extremely popular with the ladies, said Nell.

Nell had been interested in Alan for several months. She met him briefly at the Cotton Club after he offered her a drink. Unfortunately for Alan, Nell arrived late and could only enjoy one dance to the last song of the night. They did not have much time to talk because the band was packing up to leave.

Nell knew that Alan would be here, she just did not want Josie to know that she had her own agenda.

Even though Alan entertained a great number of women the night he met Nell at the Cotton Club, she seemed to catch and keep his attention the longest. Consequently, the moment Nell entered the club, he had his eyes directed on her every move.

Charles, noticing Alan’s sudden lack of attention to their conversation and more towards his eyes gravitating towards two beautiful women walking through the door, looked over at Alan and asked, Who are those red bones?

The one in the blue dress is this southern woman I met at the club not too long ago. I bought her a drink while she was in the midst of charming my trousers off, said Alan.

Who’s the woman in the white dress? Charles asked as he motioned his half-full wine glass in her direction.

That’s Josie Garth, Charles. Alan said, as he displayed a half grin while sipping on his second glass of wine. Josie, from my understanding, is treacherous when it comes to dealing with men.

Always up for a challenge and often drawn to wicked women, Charles couldn’t resist the opportunity to outwit a beautiful woman. If she had her mind set on being deceptive, it was his duty as a man to take advantage of the situation.

Alan, on the other hand, believed in getting to the point. He wanted to sleep with Nell and possibly add her to the group of women he had established in several cities. Unfortunately for Alan, Nell was more treacherous than Josie and made a sport out of breaking men down mentally. Of course destroying Alan was not her first intention; she simply wanted to enjoy the excitement of bedding a handsome charismatic band manager. She admired the way he presented himself to others. He walked with an easy stride, spoke in a confident manner, and charmed every woman he met. Alan’s sexy dimples and handsome smile often gave the impression that he was up to something devious. Alan wore tailored suits with matching shoes and a silver pocket watch. He was 6´2 and caramel-complexioned with short, wavy, light-brown hair.

Josie, he’s looking in this direction. What’re you going to do? asked Nell.

Josie gave Nell a mischievous smile, lifted her head high, and fixed her dress with a gentle downward brush of her hands. Several women turned their attention towards her in disgrace, as Josie moved across the dim lit ballroom. Of course she could care less because she was truly on a mission and no one, especially another woman, was going to defer her pursuit. The closer Josie got to Charles, the more elegant and graceful her walk became because she was defiantly a professional. It was obvious that her charm was so overwhelming, so much, that Charles appeared