Married to the Struggle

By La Toya Hankins

Sedalia and Charlotte meet during a Moral Monday rally. Pizza and the pursuit of social justice bring the North Carolina former debutante and repeat criminal trespasser together. Their love grows to be a comfort in the midst of crazy, everyday life.

But when Charlotte is arrested the night before their wedding, can Sedalia manage to get her to the altar on time? Is Sedalia ready to sacrifice her special day for the struggle? Their different approaches to balancing their work and personal lives create an issue in their marriage before they even manage to tie the knot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Feb 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781646563029

La Toya Hankins

La Toya Hankins is a native of North Carolina and currently resides in Raleigh, NC. A graduate of East Carolina University, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in journalism with a minor in political science. During her college career, she became a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and later served as second vice president for one of the largest graduate chapters in North Carolina.After working as a regional reporter and features editor in the Charlotte metro area for seven years, she entered the world of banking. Presently employed with the State of North Carolina, she divides her time between being a proud pet parent of an 8-year-old terrier named Neo and volunteering in the community.Currently serving as the co-chair of Shades of Pride, organizer of the annual Triangle Black Pride, Hankins is an active supporter of LGBT issues and addressing health disparities that affect her community. Her literary influences and loves include Zora Neale Hurston, Walter Mosley, Anne Rice, and Pearl Cleage. Her motto, borrowed from Hurston, is “I do not weep at the world, I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.”

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Married to the Struggle

By La Toya Hankins

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2020 La Toya Hankins

ISBN 9781646563029

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Married to the Struggle

By La Toya Hankins

You owe me fifty dollars, Faith said before taking a sip of wine. She and her future sister-in-law were spending part of a sweltering Thursday afternoon among an abundance of silk, satins, taffetas, and other materials not suitable for daily life. The two had put their lives on hold to gather in a Durham bridal salon to day drink and give their opinions. For the past thirty minutes, they had shared work woes, family achievements, and agreed about how this had to be the hottest summer they could remember. After those conversation streams dried up, Faith decided it was the perfect time to bring up a two-year-old bet about two former Wake County jail inmates.

They aren’t married yet, so forgive me if I’m not ready to part with my hard-earned money. Kenly checked her watch for the third time in fifteen minutes. She could think of so many other places she would rather be but, a promise was a promise. Charlotte and Sedalia seem to have a knack for finding causes to support and loudly express their opposition. My gut tells me they won’t make it to the altar without someone getting arrested for something. All I can say it’s a good thing they each have their own business. I have lost track of how many times those two have been in someone’s courtroom for trespassing or something else. I know for sure Charlotte has seen the inside of at least four county jails and that’s not including that time in high school. I can’t put the blame on your sister for that foolishness. I’m all for social justice but you don’t have to always get arrested for your beliefs.

I happen to believe, like our respective sisters, that sometimes you have to be willing to put your freedom on the line to raise awareness about an issue. But I can see your point. For a while, it seems like they were appearing in court more times than I did, and I’m a partner in a law firm, Faith said. "But neither one of them has been before a magistrate for civil disobedience since last year. Charlotte completed her community service hours last month, so that is out of the way and Dalia is this close to getting her wedding dress. To me, that is suitable