All That and a Bag of Chips

All That
and
a Bag of Chips

Published by

 

STREBOR BOOKS INTERNATIONAL
P. O. Box 10127
Silver Spring, MD, 20914
http://www.streborbooks.com
www.SimonandSchuster.com

 

A
LL
T
HAT AND
A B
AG OF
C
HIPS
© 2001. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical or photocopying or stored in a retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be included in a review.

 

ISBN: 978-1-4516-9479-6 (ebook)
ISBN 978-0-9711953-0-1

 

LCCN

 

C
OVER ILLUSTRATION
: ©
André Harris
T
YPESETTING
& I
NTERIOR DESIGN
:
Industrial Fonts & Graphix

 

A Strebor Books International LLC Publication

 

Distributed by Simon and Schuster

Acknowledgments

 

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Epilogue

 

About the Author

This book is dedicated to all the people who touched my life in college. Especially my dear friends of Wilson Hall (The Zoo).

 

Tracy Dandridge, Shirlene Goodman, Lanetta Coleman, Buanita Ray, Cheryl Dean, Toni Britt, Teresa McElrath, Janice Talley, Esperonzia Noble, Angelic Thompson, and Dollie Morrison. Thanks for the memories.

First, I give thanks to God from whom all blessings flow.

To Daddy, I know you're looking down from Heaven with a big smile on your face. Thanks for watching over me. I miss you.

A heartwarming thanks to my Mother, Ines, who gave me life and love. You always knew I had a vivid imagination and adventurous nature.

To my loving husband, Wayne, who has supported and stood by me on this magical journey.

Thanks Sweetheart, I love you!

To my daughters, Alyvia and Marisa, you are so precious and the joy in my life. May you grow up to understand that your dreams can become a reality. Remember as long as you have God on your side, you can accomplish anything.

To my brother, Edward Jr. and sisters, Phylishia and Emily, you always knew I had it in me.

Thanks for the memories and the love.

Vanessa Harris Maston, your inspiration and encouragement help make my dream a reality; None of this would have been possible if not for you. I will always cherish the many memories we share. Never forget the green raincoat!

Devoted friends, Brenda Thomas and Tracy Dandridge, your
friendship is priceless! Over the last two decades, we've laughed and cried together as well as shared secrets we know are safe. Thanks for being in my corner.

I can't thank all my other friends and co-workers enough for the motivation. I appreciate all the critiquing you did to keep me focused and on the right path.

Andre' Harris, you are a talented artist and I am indebted to you for bringing my characters to life for this cover. You created them exactly as I envisioned. You are dangerous with a paintbrush! Stay Cool!

Romance Novelist, Carmen Green, thank you for your kind words of advice and encouragement.

Romance Novelist, Deirdre Savoy, I also thank you for your guidance and inspiration.

Finally, Zane, I had to save the best for last. I would like to thank you for taking a chance and believing in me. You motivated me when I need to be motivated. You encouraged me when I needed encouragement. I hope to make you proud!

All That
and
a Bag of Chips

T
he summer afternoon seemed just like many others. The mother was working on dinner in the kitchen while the father watched
Sanford and Son
reruns in the den. Venice, the baby of the Taylor family and the only girl, was about to leave for college. She was a natural beauty with smooth, cinnamon skin. Track was her sport of choice so she had the body of a typical sprinter. She was five-foot-six with well-conditioned, athletic legs. Her naturally long, thick hair dangled three inches past her shoulders.

Her two brothers, Bryan and Galen, were somewhat protective of her since she was their only sister. Bryan, the oldest of the three, was married with his own family. Sinclair, his stuck-up wife, was decent most of the time. However, she could turn into a real bitch when she didn't get her way. Bryan and Sinclair had an eight-year-old daughter, Crimson, who could be a brat from time to time. She had an attitude like her mother when things didn't go her way. Crimson did have her sweet moments. She inherited that quality from her daddy.

Bryan was quiet and passive, almost too passive. For the most part, he went along with the flow of things. Bryan was a handsome man: tall with the build of a former pro football player. His paper sack brown, smooth skin complimented killer bedroom eyes. He was constantly grooming his mustache and goatee into perfection.

Bryan was a sports agent for professional athletics. He'd met Sinclair, a florist, after rear-ending her car. A year and a half later, violà! They were married. A couple of years after they were married, Crimson entered their lives.

Galen, on the other hand, was closer to his sister's age. They'd
been inseparable most of their lives. However, in high school, they'd had their own things going on. While Venice was running track, Galen was on the football field. Galen had a slender build, but also carried well-defined muscles on his tall frame. To describe him, most would say he was high yellow like their mother and had all the women at his feet.

The good thing about Galen was that he wasn't a player, player! He was entering his junior year at Dawson University. Venice was about to be a freshman there. She was supposed to go to the University of Michigan, but the administration had misplaced her paperwork. By the time they found it, Venice couldn't get in so she decided to join her brother at Dawson instead and nevertheless remained excited. She was hoping Galen wouldn't try to be an on-campus daddy to her; assuming he could tell her what to do. After all, Venice was about to meet college men and Mommy and Daddy were going to be six hours away.
Hey!

Since the big day had finally arrived, Bryan felt he had to come over to give Venice a lecture on studying. He cautioned her about getting mixed up with the campus freak-a-zoids and dogs. This was kind of flattering, but little did Bryan know that Galen had told Venice that those were the exact kind of women Bryan had dated in college. Luckily, he didn't let them ruin his goal of getting his education. Now it was Venice's turn to remember to stay focused. She knew the fine men she was about to meet might be a slight distraction, even though her heart still belonged to the only man she'd ever loved.

Mr. Taylor, a retired police officer, didn't have much to say except, “Baby girl, call me if you need anything and Galen, you better look after your sister.”

Galen nodded in acceptance of the task bestowed upon him by his father.

Mrs. Taylor had fried chicken packed for both of them. Brain food is what she called it. She said, “All black folks need a little chicken to nibble on when they're studying.”

While Galen and Bryan were putting the last pieces of the luggage into Venice's car, Crimson asked, “Where are you going?”

Venice explained to her that she was moving into the college dormitory and would come visit her every chance she got. After
hearing this, Crimson became very silent as if she were analyzing the situation. Then she asked if she could have Venice's room.