Facing Redemption

Facing Redemption
             

Acclaim for Facing Redemption

In
Facing Redemption
,
 
Kimberly McKay, in her accomplished and heartfelt sequel to
Finding Kylie,
answers the difficult questions of whether or not a person can sincerely change when they know they have done something terrible; whether those who have been wronged can forgive on behalf of those who cannot; whether sins committed in the ignorance and arrogance of youth be atoned in adulthood.

Through a thought provoking, yet engaging and accessible narrative, Kimberly McKay's well-realized and grounded characters take the reader on an incredible journey of hopelessness and faith, deception and truth, transgression and redemption - but most of all ... family and love.

John Schwab, film producer and actor

Facing Redemption

by

Kimberly McKay

Facing Redemption

Copyright 2012 Kimberly McKay

All rights reserved.  No part of this book my be reproduced or transmitted in any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher or author, except for the inclusion of brief quotation in a review.

             
This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to places, events, or persons living or deceased is purely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1477635551

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition

First Printing, September
201
2

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my husband and son, who love me no matter what.  When I am in the zone and ‘have’ to write, they allow me the space and understanding to get it done.  I’m blessed to have such a loving family. 

And to those of you, who encouraged me through the first book, thank you to all my readers, who left me wonderful messages about how much they sympathized with the characters from Finding Kylie.  You kept me going and encouraged.

God is always my rock and with that being said, I thank him over anything or anyone else for carrying me through trials in my life and blessing me with abundance.  As a rape survivor, I wrote Finding Kylie to share with victims everywhere that you CAN live the life of a survivor.  Many women and men alike responded, and God used that story to not only encourage others but he blessed me with the results as well.  God is always good…all the time.  I’m living proof of that and would encourage you to see how that applies in your life.  Count your blessings and give praise to the One who is always there to lift us up.

Thank you for reading Facing Redemption.  I feel we’ve all made mistakes in our life and no matter how low we’ve sunk or how much we’ve hurt others or ourselves, forgiveness and redemption is waiting for all of us.  We just have to ask.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my mom for listening for endless moments in time on the phone, as I would read chapter by chapter in efforts to make sure the storyline stayed on point.  I know you probably had better things to do than listen to your daughter ramble on.

Thank you to John Schwab for encouraging me to write and continue my craft.  Thanks for partnering with me, in writing the screenplay, for ‘Finding Kylie’, and working so hard when I know you have a crazy schedule of your own.  Thanks for endless hours on Skype and trying to fit in my time zone, when London holds so many projects and numerous responsibilities for you.

Thanks to Melissa Richey for lending me her PR talents and putting time and effort into both Finding Kylie and Facing Redemption.  She’s a working mom, with a full time job and still took the time to write press releases and think outside the box for marketing purposes.  Thanks for your dedication.

And a big thank you goes out to Susan Titus, who is took the time to edit this story.  I’m grateful for not only your talents, but also your friendship.  I’m honored to call you a friend. 

Thanks to Rick Buchanan, one of my photographer mentors, for helping me craft my cover with your talent.  You did a great job.

Thank you to Rian Smoak, who dedicated his time and energy to pose for the cover. Rian is a longtime friend from college, who has always kind and thoughtful.  Thanks for helping me out and making the cover what it is. 

And finally, thanks to Sara Treadwell and Lourdes Faberes for sharing their Venice experiences so that I may have more than a birds eye view into this amazing culture.

Epilogue

It was the forbidden fruit.  He knew it was to be seen and not touched or eaten, but couldn’t keep his hand from reaching out for it.  His fingers quivered slightly before he wrapped them around the ripe fruit. 

             
The peel was smooth… so smooth he wanted to rub it on his lips before biting.  As he lifted the fruit up to his mouth, it bruised before his eyes and quickly spilled its seeds into his hand.

             
Hives instantly broke out on his fingers and quickly began traveling up his arm.  The dark juice stained his skin, causing welts and burns, which were now rapidly spreading and wrapping around his neck.  Suddenly his airways constricted, leaving him with no air.  His lungs were screaming to breathe.

             
I need air… somebody help me. 
All went black before he could even scream.

             
Gasping and drenched with sweat, John Mikale shot up out of bed with the same dream that had haunted him his whole adult life.  Desperately dragging air into his lungs, he tried to calm his heart rate and even out his breathing. 

             
Closing his eyes and pushing out a deep gust of air, John shook off the remaining sensations from his dream. 
             
How long is this going to haunt me?
  He looked next to him and noticed that his wife was still sound asleep, her breathing slow and even.

             
He loved watching her in the bewitching hours, as she dreamt sweetly through the night.  John envied her actually.  She had no secrets that haunted her.  She had no past to shed … no past that would destroy or interrupt her sleep.

             
John Mikale was a man haunted by his actions, and though in the process of trying to get help, it seemed he was never going to shake this dream that left him feeling like the life was being choked from him night after night.

             
If only his problems stopped short of horrid nightmares, he could make it.   Unfortunately the guilt associated with his dreams taunted him long after he awoke, and this was enough to keep sleep at bay for the rest of the night.  Night after night it was always the same.

             
John reached out to gently stroke his wife’s face, but hesitated short of touching her skin.

             
You don’t deserve her.  You’re never going to be good enough for her. 

             
Instead he lay back down and wrapped his arms around her, trying to soak in her goodness, as if by osmosis.  Sleep couldn’t come quick enough to rid him of his self-loathing thoughts.

Chapter 1

August 1984

Westburn, Virginia

“Wake up Maggot!”

             
John rolled over begrudgingly, prying open his eyes.  Complete darkness greeted him as his bed shook.  The barrack windows, normally letting moonlight flood in, had blankets taped over them, which let no light in from the outside world.

             
“What the hell?” John exclaimed, as he was pulled from his cot.  All he felt were two sets of strong arms pulling him up at each side. 

             
In the five days of basic training he’d received, it had been the same treatment each night. 

             
“Time for PT maggot! It’s O-four hundred hours … you should know the drill by now!”

             
A flashlight popped on, shining brightly in his eyes.  John defensively put up his hand to shield them.

             
“Really?  Is this necessary guys?”  John grumbled irritably.  Silently swearing, he promised himself that once he got through this he’d find each one of his comrades at a vulnerable spot and kick the living daylights out of them.

             
The problem was his reputation preceded him.  He was a Mikale – born and bred with money.  Rich boys didn’t fare well in these halls, especially when
daddy
paid a handsome fee to get his son ‘in quickly’ while all the others all worked their way in on grades and merit.  He knew this was his penance for all of the above.

             
“You can’t call daddy now maggot!”  The voice barked in darkness.  “You’re mine now.  I’m your daddy and I’m telling you … to get your ass up and starting running!”

             
“Yes Sgt. Baker,” John mumbled.

             
“That’s ‘yes sir’ to you!”  Sgt. Baker yelled as he leaned in toward John’s ear. 

             
John voluntarily got up before his Sergeant’s lackey troops could push him from the room.

             
“You better outrun us this time!”  One of the troops snickered.  “Or you’ll end up at the punisher by dawn.”

             
“What’s the punisher?”  John yelled over his shoulder as he ran.

             
“Oh you don’t want to know rich boy!”