Blurred Boundaries

By Pamela Ardoin Funderburk

Blurred Boundaries is a fictional novel that delves into the life of Naomi Green, the fourth and youngest daughter of Sidney and Veronica Green, who lives her childhood safely hidden in the background of her older sisters. As she becomes a young woman, living on her own, her various qualities that she allowed to lay stagnate begin to surface. It's a coming-of-age story with some happy times as well as some heartbreak. Naomi represents many people who don't demand or receive the attention they crave until a "want" arises and she must continuously debate the difference between right and wrong. It is this debate that continues to haunt her because, although she is aware of boundaries, she struggles to find some sort of middle ground, if there is one. Her struggle to avoid crossing these boundaries begins to take over her life, and when a final decision is made, she realizes that she could possibly lose more than the one thing she truly wants. This novel will have you rooting for her, pulling at your heartstrings, and then questioning yourself as to whether or not crossing boundaries is, in some cases, acceptable.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Hawes & Jenkins Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781637841341

Book preview

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Blurred Boundaries

Pamela Ardoin Funderburk

ISBN 978-1-63784-133-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63784-134-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Pamela Ardoin Funderburk

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Hawes & Jenkins Publishing

16427 N Scottsdale Road Suite 410

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

www.hawesjenkins.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

About the Author

Blurred Boundaries is dedicated to all the children born into families that for one reason or another always seem to be overlooked. Recognizing they often go unnoticed and both their trials and triumphs are minimized through no fault of their own, this novel is for you. You matter. You are unique. You are allowed to choose whatever way you decide in order to achieve the recognition you deserve. Never forget your worth because in the end, you will realize that you always did matter and your worth was always there. You are the proverbial unicorns! Hopefully, this novel will ignite your dimmed light, and oh, what an incredible bonfire it will be. Shine on!

I would also like to extend my gratitude to Cricket Moore Johns for always allowing me to use her as a sounding board while writing this story.

Naomi Green was the fourth and youngest daughter born to devout Catholics, Sidney and Veronica Green. Mr. and Mrs. Green were by no means wealthy, but they weren't considered lower class either. Both had jobs that enabled them to provide for their four daughters, which was a major chore in itself. They had tried for a son, but when Naomi was born, both realized that financially, it took everything they had to provide for the children they already had, much less try once more for a son. So when Naomi was born, it was decided then and there that she would be the last.

Naomi Green arrived in this world screaming, indicating one of two things. Either she was not quite ready to enter the world, or that from the signs of it, she was going to be a force to be reckoned with. As it turned out, it was the latter. Being the youngest of four children, she was spoiled by her older sisters as well as her parents, who knew that she was their last child. At an early age, Naomi quickly learned that being the baby of the family came with few responsibilities and yet quite a few advantages. Her sisters doted on her when she was younger and were protective of her as she grew older.

The four girls were each approximately two years apart in age, which at some point in time made it appear that they were all about the same age. Whenever the Green family attended any kind of function, they certainly turned heads without even realizing it. The four girls—namely, Victoria, Ashley, Monique, and last but not least, Naomi—were definitely a sight to behold. With the exception of Naomi, the three older girls favored their mother, who was blond and blue eyed. Naomi favored her father, who had a dark complexion with huge almond-shaped brown eyes. She was the one who stood out among the sisters, and this was something else she realized at an early age. Most people did not even realize that Naomi was part of this family due to her different features. Unless her father was with them on an outing, Naomi's looks caused others to think that Mr. and Mrs. Green had only three daughters who favored one another immensely. Naomi was always thought to be a friend of one of them instead of the sister that she was. There was good and bad that went along with this situation, and Naomi, intelligent and mature for her age, found out early that she could use this different look she had been born with to her advantage. All four girls were beautiful, but Naomi seemed to be the sister that turned more heads. Her dark skin and eyes, with her long black hair, definitely set her apart from her sisters.

She not only had a different look about her, but she had a different personality as well. Although she was spoiled and very crafty, she did have a very compassionate nature that only was released when she chose to release it. Her sisters' personalities were almost identical as were their looks, but Naomi was the one who was the more daring and rebellious growing up. Treated all the same, there appeared to be no jealousy among the girls. Her three older sisters grew up, furthered their education, and all three married men who had won the approval of their parents. Naomi, being the youngest, was the last to leave home.

Upon her graduation from high school, it was her decision to attend a college far from home. With her grades, she was wooed by several Ivy League colleges, and she chose one farthest from home, much to her parents' dismay. They would have liked to have all their girls nearby, but Naomi was more independent and self-assured at her capabilities. She was pleased for her sisters when each graduated and married. But she, in no way, envied the lives they had chosen. Naomi had a different set of goals set for her which were in no way similar to her sisters'. At this point in Naomi's life, she had no intention of marrying any man before she completed college and did some traveling. She wanted to know what was out there before making a huge decision such as marriage or a career.

Growing up, she along with her sisters had had their share of suitors. Naomi was the only one of the four that never seemed to remain for any length of time in a relationship. She seemed to bore easily and moved on when she felt the time was right, breaking many hearts along the way. No young man ever seemed to catch and hold her attention for any given amount of time. She never seemed to have regrets about broken relationships, and she refused to settle. She wanted a life of her own before choosing to share one with another person. She wanted to be independent and not have to rely on a man to make her way in this world.

A strong will and a large amount of self-confidence allowed her to have faith in herself. She was not a fool. She had the insight of a person much older than she was. Having seen her three sisters grow up and go through relationships, she realized that not only did she look different from them but she also had different views on almost every subject that was brought up. Her parents knew that Naomi possessed different characteristics from the three older girls, and although more cautious with her, they didn't want to do anything to inhibit her thoughts and ideas. Her sisters along with her parents saw everything as either black or white, right or wrong. Naomi had different views. She saw shades of gray. Although she was brought up to recognize right from wrong, she did believe that different times called for different measures and that every opportunity could be thought of in more than one way. They knew that she would have to go out into the world and experience it firsthand, knowing that these experiences she encountered would bring her happiness, sorrow, or a bit of both. Although they would have loved for her to stay near them, they did not demand that she did.

The day came when Naomi was to leave for the college of her choice, which was going to take her across the country. Unlike her parents with tears in their eyes, she packed her bags, loaded them into the car, kissed her parents goodbye, and with a map for a guide and not a care in the world, slipped into her car and drove away without looking back. Her parents stood and watched their youngest daughter drive off, knowing that they had done the best they could raising her and that it was time to let go and give her the space and the experiences she craved. Having lived with three older sisters, she grew up with little or no privacy, and now that she was grown, she planned to make up for what she lacked in her years at home.

Naomi Green was fearless, creative, independent, and self-reliant. She had to accomplish goals on her own without having to ask for help. She did know that she may fail at times, but she also knew that she was not a quitter and that she would not allow a setback to stop her from achieving all that she wanted in life.

Arriving at Stanford, the college of her choice, she quickly became a part of campus life. It didn't take her long to learn the campus, professors, students, and the popular chosen to live in the dorms for at least the first year in order to learn her way around before renting an apartment off campus. At this point, she had no idea what major she was going to choose. She was interested in several and had managed to narrow the list down to nearly four, but being that she wouldn't have to make that crucial decision during her first year of college, she didn't allow that to weigh heavily on her. She refused to allow anything to bother her and planned on having the time of her life while there.

Once she left home, Naomi decided when she arrived at college that she was going to assume a new identity, one that didn't associate her with her sisters. Growing up, she was always lumped into the Green girls as they became known. She wanted this time to be hers and hers alone without being associated with anyone. Being a part of the Green girls did not embarrass her, but it did limit her own unique identity. She wanted to explore her feelings and allow her true personality to shine through, allowing people she came in contact with to get to know her. Her college years were her chance to accomplish this task.

Despite the fact that she was so eager to get out from under the Green umbrella, she did not alienate her family completely. She did make trips home for a visit, but they were short and sparse. Her parents missed her dearly, but they accepted what she gave them in terms of her time, and when she was ready to return to college, they allowed her to leave without trying to make her feel guilty. As tough as her leaving was, her parents and sisters knew in their hearts that she needed to do this to become who she had longed to be.

Living in the dorms for the first year was not at all what Naomi expected it to be. Having had to share rooms, bathrooms, etc., with her sisters was something she had grown accustomed to, but it was not what she wanted then and surely not what she wanted now. Now that she had a choice, she wanted to be on her own, completely alone, with no one to answer to. Living with her dorm roommate had been better than what she expected and she made friends with her, but Naomi still had that internal drive to be on her own. Therefore, after her first year of college in the dorm, she searched the newspaper ads in hopes of finding a small, efficiency-type apartment that would not swallow her entire college fund.

After a year of being in the dorm, Naomi had made it her business to become aware of her surroundings and managed to conquer this new city without too much difficulty. She made friends very easily and was welcomed into the fold as one of them. Naomi possessed charm, and this prominent character trait enabled her to enter the sacred circle of the who's who elite.

Her search for an apartment did not take long. She was determined to find one, and this determination allowed her to do just that. She found a charming, little, one-bedroom efficiency apartment connected to a family home that was rented out to college students to bring in extra income. Luckily, the apartment, though small, was furnished. Naomi didn't think it was beautiful, but she did squeal with delight when the owners agreed to allow her to rent it at a reasonable rate. It was very obvious that many students had come and gone through this apartment. But with a little cleaning and a few things she had brought from the dorm, it was going to be a place she could call home for the time being.

She was told by the owners that she could move in whenever it was convenient for her, and without needing time to think about it, she happily told the owners that she would move in the following day. With the friends she had made at the dorm and in the classes she took, she was sure she would be able to count on them to help her with the move that would thrust her into total independence. She called her parents that night and informed them of her decision to move and gave them her new address. Naomi had made it a point to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. Although she wanted and desperately needed to discover the world for herself, she had no intention of totally alienating her family. She knew she was loved and she knew they missed her, but it was her time to find her real place in the world. Although, at this time, she wasn't quite sure where that place was, she did know it was not back in her hometown. Moving away was one decision she did not regret.

The following day, Naomi and a few of her close friends helped move her out of the dorm she had occupied with Sarah, her roommate for the past year. She and Sarah had become friends and confidantes, and they were certainly going to miss one another. But that chapter of Naomi's life was over, and another chapter was about to begin. To Naomi, it always seemed that there was something more just around the corner, and she was much too curious to sit back and wonder what that something was.

Being that the apartment was already furnished and the utilities were connected to the main house, none of those details needed to be tended to. All she had to do was move in, and that was exactly what she did. With a little help from her friends and her flair for design, which she had to develop to make things her own at home with her three sisters, she was able to create her own little haven.

She brought everything she had come to Stanford with to her apartment and then proceeded to arrange the furniture until it felt like home to her. Once completed, she stepped back and looked around. It was a bit cozier and felt a bit more like hers now. She knew that it would take time to adjust to being in a place alone, being that she had never been before. But she was looking forward to the challenge and the privacy it would provide.

Naomi slept in her twin-sized bed that night, covered up to her neck on a large, overstuffed pillow she had brought from the dorm. Before she closed her eyes for the night, she glanced around the room, which was basically what it was and smiled. Finally, she had something she had been craving for a very long time now. With the excitement of the move and rearranging of furniture to her liking, she had not realized just how exhausted she was. Slumber took over, and she didn't open her eyes until the next morning when her alarm clock was beeping very loudly.

When she opened her eyes, she had to stop and think for a moment where she was. Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she sat up and stretched. Knowing she had to be in class in about thirty minutes, she slipped out of bed and into her small bathroom to get ready for an entire day of classes. She hadn't had time to do any grocery shopping, so she had absolutely nothing to eat. She figured that she would grab a bite to eat in the school cafeteria before attending her first class of the morning.

Locking the door on the way out, she paused for a moment to look back at the apartment that she now called home. Again, she smiled because she knew that this move was the right decision. Her apartment was located a few blocks from campus, so she opted to walk rather than take the bus that transported students to and from school.

This particular morning, as she walked, she seemed to have a bounce in her step. Naomi realized that she was happy and she wasn't sure if she had ever felt real happiness despite the fact that she was raised in a loving home with parents who did what they could to provide their children with what they needed. Somehow, Naomi always felt that she was a bit stifled in her battle to be free and uninhibited. Now she no longer had to battle for freedom. She had confronted this battle and ended up the victor.

Her second year of college became a bit more tedious than her first year had been. Her guidance counselor was pressuring her to make a decision on what major she would choose in order for him to help Naomi plan her classes accordingly. Naomi was no closer to making a decision about her major now than when she first arrived. The classes she took were interesting, and her grades were impressive. Though not surprising, Naomi was an overachiever and she managed to attend every semester carrying a full load. Naomi couldn't ever remember a time when she was little and actually told everyone, or anyone for that matter, what it was she wanted to be when she grew up as most kids do at some point in their lives. Naomi's interests were too widespread to be narrowed down to one specific area.

The new friends she had made had already decided on their majors at one point during their first year, but this was not the case with Naomi. She wasn't pressuring herself, although her counselor was for her to decide. She assumed that she would decide when the time was right. She wanted to make sure the decision she would make would not be made in haste and would be made with no regrets now or later.

Her counselor, Thaddeus Graham, or Mr. Thad as he was called by the students, had met with Naomi on a regular basis both at his and her very own request. He wanted to make sure she didn't waste any time in college. He was impressed with her grades and with her interests, but