Because I Love Her

By Nicey Hamilton

This book is about a couple’s love affair that spans thirty-five years. It covers the time when they first met, their first kiss, the birth of their children, their marriage, and their relocation from one island to the next. One will share in William’s admiration for Amber, the love of his life. One will observe Amber’s reciprocated love. The reader will get to know the family, their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, and the major events in their lives. It’s a love story that the reader will enjoy and will never forget. The reader will learn how their love has conquered all obstacles. The story takes place in the beautiful archipelago known as the Bahamas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669867326

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Copyright © 2023 by Nicey Hamilton.

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.

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

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/14/2023

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

To my mom, who passed on February 1, 2022. I love you, Mommy.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I WOULD LIKE to acknowledge my sisters who assisted me with the proofreading and words of advice. Also, I thank my daughter, who provided me with the inspiration to write this book and acts as my muse. Finally, thanks to my husband because he loved me.

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Map of New Providence

(Magellan Geographix, 1997, www.maps.com)

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Map of New Providence

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Andros Island

CHAPTER ONE

Love Hill, Andros Island, Bahamas, 2011

A MBER HAD JUST suffered a nervous breakdown, all under the nose and eyes of her husband, William, and her two children: Owen, aged thirteen, and Ruth, aged six. Amber’s father was asking William how he could let this happen. Did he not see the signs? Couldn’t he see that something was wrong? It took a six-year-old child telling her aunt Chrissy that her mother was sick, wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t eating, and was doing and saying strange things to alert the family.

David and Ann, Amber’s parents, came to see what was wrong with their daughter. They found her unkempt, silent, and thin after losing a lot of weight. How could William let it go so far? When David asked him, What’s wrong with you, man? all William could say was, Because I love her! William allowed Amber to do whatever she pleased. He trusted her judgment. He admired her strength throughout the years, and he relied on her judgment. She was smart, intelligent, and outspoken and could do no wrong. He worshipped the ground she walked on, and he would do anything for her. He was very proud of his wife. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

William and Amber had had a mountainous love affair, and it all started in June 1983. As William looked at his frail and thin wife, he could not help thinking about the first time they met.

He had spoken to her on the telephone many times before, and he knew she was a lovely girl. He had listened to her dreams of becoming a singer, dancer, and movie star, and now he was actually dancing with her at the school dance. He held her close as they danced to the love song; some may say it was inappropriate, but William didn’t care. He had never held anything so precious, so pure, so innocent. Everyone deserted the dance floor and watched the pair dance.

Joan, Amber’s elder sister who had introduced William to Amber, looked on. The two danced like they had known each other forever. It was hard to believe that this was the first time they had met in person. After the school dance was over, William left to go to Lowe Sound, North Andros, but not before getting a red ribbon from Amber, which she wore in her hair. He promised that he would cherish it forever.

When William called that night, Amber told him that he would not be hearing from her for a while because she needed time to study for her General Certificates of Education (GCEs), a British external exam. After that, it was off to college. Amber intended to go to the College of the Bahamas to take up social work because she cared so much for people. William accepted Amber’s request and did not call her.

In the past, they would be on the phone for hours from midnight to three in the morning. This was the best time because Amber’s parents were fast asleep. Now Amber used this time to study, and study she did. She passed all her GCEs and some with As. Her teachers encouraged her to become a lawyer.

David and Ann did not want Amber to have a boyfriend; they thought it best for her to focus on her studies. They were also afraid of men from Lowe Sound because they didn’t have the best reputation. They were known to pursue girls, love them, impregnate them, and leave them. They did not want this happening to Amber.

William and Amber were telephone lovers for years, and Amber’s parents did their best to broke them apart. It was so intense that every time the phone rang, Amber would freeze. Let it not be William, she would whisper to herself. When it was not him, she would breathe a sigh of relief.

When it was him, she would say, I will call you back later when it is safe. Amber always called him back after midnight.

Amber wrote poetry, and she usually wrote about her and William’s relationship. One day she went in the back of her yard near the pond, and she penned this poem.

I Still Love You through It All

Over the years, our love has not declined;

In spite of the obstacles in our way, we are still pressing on,

But the love we bear is greater than them both.

There were times when you doubted my affection;

In the darkness, you thought I would not tunnel through.

But when morning came, I was right by your side

So am whispering to let you know that I still love you through it all.

In the day when I am all alone, sweet thoughts of you flicker through my mind;

I sit motionless on a rock in the middle of the pond, waiting to be

Engulfed by the beauty of the world.

I listen to the sweet chirpings of the birds, and silently,

I wish that I could soar the sky like they do;

I raise my head slowly to