Mama Joe's Boutique

By Jerry Merritt

In Mama Joes Boutique, Jerry C. Merritt highlights qualities relating to determination, loyalty, and love in various forms. This screenplay also touched upon diverse challenges one tends to find in a sometimes uncertain urban society.
Reflecting with his therapist on his childhood memories, Billy Joe describes to Dr. Freeman the time in his life when he was an exotic dancer without his mothers knowledge. Fearing his mother would disapprove greatly, he keeps it a secret. As the story progresses, Billy Joe navigates a range of encounters, some of which test his understanding of the world and his place within it in one way or another.
Billy Joe also talks to the doctor about his mother, Mama Joe, and her boutique. After years of running the boutique, Mama Joe finds out the building owner is selling, and the woman next door is trying to buy her out of the establishment.
Will Billy Joe ever reveal his secret lifestyle to his mother? And can Mama Joe fight to keep her boutique? Join these colourful characters as they incorporate their strong Christian beliefs into their day-to-day lifestyles, knowing whatever the outcome, God will see them through anything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514436639

Jerry Merritt

Jerry C. Merritt is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. This icon is one of the best when it comes to his field rifle and sword spinning. Jerry has captivated his audiences for over thirty years, bringing his talent to people of all ages and leaving smiles on their faces. His talents have led him to write his first book, Mama Joe’s Boutique.

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Copyright © 2016 by Jerry Merritt.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015920931

ISBN:      Hardcover            978-1-5144-3665-3

                Softcover             978-1-5144-3664-6

                eBook                   978-1-5144-3663-9

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.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 12/18/2015

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Thanks to all those who pushed me to work harder, pray harder, and stand on the word of God.

Thanks to my family and friends.

Billy Joe: It has been over twenty years since my father passed away. My mother raised me and my two sisters Pentecostal. My mother’s faith is strong in the Lord. Her motto is pray and spray.

Dr. Freeman: Pray and spray?

Billy Joe: Yes, pray and spray. My mother has special oils, and she has names for them.

Dr. Freeman: Names? like what?

Billy Joe: Ruth says, For whither thou goes, she will go. Then there’s Job. Oh Job. You don’t want to mess with Job. One sprits will strip you of everything. (He laughs) Then there’s Mr. psalm, more powerful than anything on earth. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Then there’s Daniel. You don’t want to mess with Daniel.

Dr. Freeman: I don’t want to mess with Daniel?

Billy Joe: (Shakes his head no) Dr. Freeman, my mother is a fourth-generation Pentecostal who believes in wrestling with spirits, for we wrest not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, in high places.

Dr. Freeman: Billy, tell me why you’re not happy with your job. And why did you take an early retirement? It says here you are burnt out from working with the government. Is that true?

Billy Joe: I am very happy with my job; it’s the people I work with. When I was in Operation 333, working in U. A. E. under Commander Auzee, I experienced one of most horrific crimes I had ever seen in my twenty years of working as an agent. Once I finished the show for President Humar, I was to have tea with him in his library at his home, then talk about the painting of Rembrandt when he fell asleep! I was to get the numbers on the back of the painting. The numbers are used to identify stolen artwork out of the country. That night I heard President Humar saying goodnight to his guard, then I saw the light in his bedroom go off. I proceeded downstairs to the library. As I was getting the numbers from the back of the painting, I saw someone from the corners of my eyes and I quickly threw a dagger, killing him. Then I fled from the house only to find out that the man I killed was Agent 22. He had the same orders I had he had. Yeah, go figure that out, and by the way, the painting was stolen from the president of Turkey. Doctor, Commander Auzee messed that up. I could have gotten killed in that operation, Dr. Freeman. You would not know anything about that, would you, Dr. Freeman?

Dr. Freeman: Billy, you did what you had to do in that particular situation in the U. A. E. You killed a man who was not supposed to be in that operation. This clears you from the law of murder. Besides, I heard the U. A. E. and the U. S. A. military commander raved about you at the President’s Ball.

Billy Joe: Dr. Freeman, the same thing happened when I went to Brazil. President Perchu almost got shot while watching me perform. I quickly turned my head and spotted the killer sitting in the audience. Operation C-29 would have gone down quickly. Looking for the killer who’s trying to kill President Perchu is not fun.

Dr. Freeman: It is still the same. You are clear from Operation C-29.

Billy Joe: You know, Doctor Freeman, when I took this job, there were no killings, just self-defense.

Dr. Freeman: Billy, tell me about your childhood, growing up in the city. I heard it made you the man you are today.

Billy Joe: They say opportunity knocks on everybody’s door. I was walking home one day when I saw VFW Post # 14. I remembered them marching in the I AM American Day Parade. I knocked on the door, and a dark-skinned woman in her forties (she was about 5' 10 and a size ten) opened the door halfway, showing only her face. I asked her, Does the post have a drill team for teens? No, she replied. I’m sorry. We don’t have one. As I walked back down the steps, she opened the door, yelling, Hey, wait a minute! I stopped walking and turned around. She asked me how old I was. I’m fourteen years old, I said. Where do you live?" she