M.M. Charles's Blog
April 8, 2015
Pre-Order Links
In case you're wondering, my first pre-order link of "One Homecoming" is up on Amazon Kindle!
http://www.amazon.com/One-Homecoming-...
http://www.amazon.com/One-Homecoming-...
March 4, 2015
Excerpt from One Homecoming
I eyed the journal in her hand. “What’s that?”
Harriet sighed. “Your mother’s journal. She gave it to me the day before she went to the school, and… I’ve been holding on to it since. I was going to mail it to you in case you weren’t going to come to her funeral.”
What was I going to do with Mom’s personal experiences in her little black book? “I’m not interested.”
“Don’t be stupid, Maya,” Harriet said. She shoved the journal across the table toward me. “I’m sure any daughter would want to know why her own mother, who brought her into this world, suddenly decided to kill herself.” She leaned toward me, her voice lowered. “Do you believe it was suicide? If you ask me, I think it’s a set-up.”
I froze and stared at her, my eyes widening. “What?”
“You heard me loud and clear.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I was glad I wasn’t the only one to cast doubt. “Did you read it?” I asked.
She glanced at the journal before looking back at me. “No. I respect her privacy. But think about it: none of this is like her. And you should know that about her, too. If you don’t, shame on you.”
I picked up Mom’s journal: one hundred ninety-two pages and only less than half the book used. I could respect Mom’s privacy, too. “What if I don’t want to read it?”
“You have to,” Harriet advised. “It’s time you know your mother a little better. Know what was really going on with her. Because when you were gone, you have absolutely no idea what she went through. She may have forced an ‘I’m fine’ image out for everyone, but in reality, she suffered. It was easy to tell how she was really feeling. You have no idea what was going through her mind. It wasn’t pleasant.”
I guess I didn’t know. I’d never phoned, e-mailed, or texted to find out if Mom was okay. I never even told her that I loved her or even said goodbye to her. We were strangers.
“Read it, Maya,” Harriet said. “Tonight. Don’t wait around.”
I left Harriet’s home in silence, still staring at Mom’s journal. Once I retreated home, all thoughts of going to bed right away were out of the picture. Kelly was probably asleep by now. I reached my room and sat down on the mattress, still gazing at the journal. My fingers grazed the edges, my index finger riffling through the pages. I’d never known Mom kept a journal to record her thoughts and experiences, but it shouldn’t have surprised me.
I didn’t want to be pulled into Mom’s world, but I couldn’t stop myself from opening the journal and reading the first page.
One HomecomingOne Homecoming
Harriet sighed. “Your mother’s journal. She gave it to me the day before she went to the school, and… I’ve been holding on to it since. I was going to mail it to you in case you weren’t going to come to her funeral.”
What was I going to do with Mom’s personal experiences in her little black book? “I’m not interested.”
“Don’t be stupid, Maya,” Harriet said. She shoved the journal across the table toward me. “I’m sure any daughter would want to know why her own mother, who brought her into this world, suddenly decided to kill herself.” She leaned toward me, her voice lowered. “Do you believe it was suicide? If you ask me, I think it’s a set-up.”
I froze and stared at her, my eyes widening. “What?”
“You heard me loud and clear.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I was glad I wasn’t the only one to cast doubt. “Did you read it?” I asked.
She glanced at the journal before looking back at me. “No. I respect her privacy. But think about it: none of this is like her. And you should know that about her, too. If you don’t, shame on you.”
I picked up Mom’s journal: one hundred ninety-two pages and only less than half the book used. I could respect Mom’s privacy, too. “What if I don’t want to read it?”
“You have to,” Harriet advised. “It’s time you know your mother a little better. Know what was really going on with her. Because when you were gone, you have absolutely no idea what she went through. She may have forced an ‘I’m fine’ image out for everyone, but in reality, she suffered. It was easy to tell how she was really feeling. You have no idea what was going through her mind. It wasn’t pleasant.”
I guess I didn’t know. I’d never phoned, e-mailed, or texted to find out if Mom was okay. I never even told her that I loved her or even said goodbye to her. We were strangers.
“Read it, Maya,” Harriet said. “Tonight. Don’t wait around.”
I left Harriet’s home in silence, still staring at Mom’s journal. Once I retreated home, all thoughts of going to bed right away were out of the picture. Kelly was probably asleep by now. I reached my room and sat down on the mattress, still gazing at the journal. My fingers grazed the edges, my index finger riffling through the pages. I’d never known Mom kept a journal to record her thoughts and experiences, but it shouldn’t have surprised me.
I didn’t want to be pulled into Mom’s world, but I couldn’t stop myself from opening the journal and reading the first page.
One HomecomingOne Homecoming
