Skip to main content

BAD CHOICES FOR GREAT LOVE

Ms. Betty readily admits that she made some really bad life choices. She was barely fifteen when she fell in love. Head over hills, had her slapping her mama it felt so good, in love. The object of her affection however was significantly older than she was. So much so that her daddy put them both on notice. He was off limits and if the man wanted to live a long and full life, then he had to stay as far from Ms. Betty as he could. Needless to say, neither Ms. Betty or her man paid any heed to her daddy's words of wisdom.

Ms. Betty was sixteen when she became pregnant with her first child. Fearing that her father would do her honey some harm, she maneuvered to put the pregnancy on someone else, a boy closer to her own age who'd had his eye on her. When her daddy found out, he did what they did back in the day. Grabbed that shotgun by the front door and let the two mamas arrange a nice family wedding, quick and fast. Devastated, Ms. Betty's true love went his own way and married himself a nice girl who lived next door.

Fast forward some twenty-odd years. Both Ms. Betty and her husband have raised three children together. But both are miserable. Over the years they drowned their misery in alcohol and abuse. Clearly they are a family whose many dysfunctions began with one big, bold lie. On the other side of town true love and the girl next door aren't fairing much better, unhappiness a common thread they all share.

Ms. Betty's wake up call came after the death of her husband and an illness that nearly had her meeting her own maker. Ms. Betty sobered up good and clean and then started to deal with some harsh truths. And she made a decision that would change the dynamics of all their lives. Ms. Betty went after her man. She was a woman on a mission and no one, not even her daddy or the girl next door, was going to keep her from having what she wanted.

Ms. Betty and her true love recently celebrated some thirty years of marriage, the second for them both. They have six children between then, the oldest and youngest theirs together, and two from his first marriage and two from hers. Both are thriving, just absolutely giddy over how things have changed for them. Even the girl next door actually found herself some happiness. I asked Ms.Betty if she had any regrets. She answered, only one. She regrets she made the bad choice that lost her twenty-odd years with the love of her life.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAMMIT, DO BETTER!

I love reading. I get excited when I discover a new author or find an outstanding story. I’m eager to leave reviews and share with others my new finds. When a book or story is lackluster, leaving me less than thrilled, I usually remain silent. I know the effort that an author has put into a story. I know how hurtful a bad review can be. It is not for me to dash anyone else’s dream because what I might not have liked, someone else may have loved. Recently I read books that left me disappointed, and angry. One was an award-winning title, the author gleefully claiming a coveted statue for her efforts. Clearly what I hated, others found award-worthy. And that actually scares me. The story was as well-written as any other in the genre. Its formulaic plot hit all the buttons that her publisher required. But as a woman of color, I found it as insulting and as distasteful as any story I have ever read. The story featured a Native American heroine. She had self-esteem issues, co...
40 comments
Read more

THANK YOU AND GOODBYE FOR NOW!

I remember when I first started this blog. It was 19-years ago and I anxiously anticipated it running on forever and ever. Because I loved to write, I never imagined that there would come a time when I wouldn't have something to say or want to tell you a story. The influx of social media has changed the dynamics of what happens here. And for that reason, I believe the time has come for me to say goodbye to my "blog". But not whole-heartedly goodbye. Just arrivederci  and adios to what I do, or rather, haven't done in some time, in this particular space.  I will continue to write. Writing is in my DNA. Writing is my super-power and I'm not letting that go just yet. I'll still be all over social media trying to leave a small footprint in this vast, wide world. You'll still be able to find me on FACEBOOK , INSTAGRAM , THREADS , TIKTOK , and now the newbies, BLUESKY and SUBSTACKS . I'm still treading cautiously as I find my way but I'm hopeful someth...
Post a Comment
Read more

NAUGHTY OR NICE TOUR - DAY 6 - DEBORAH FLETCHER MELLO

I'm so excited to be a part of the NAUGHTY OR NICE BOOK BLOG TOUR. And it gives me great pleasure to give you the first peek at my next release, PLAYING WITH FIRE . Available from Dafina books on February 24, 2015, wherever books are sold, PLAYING WITH FIRE is the first in my two-book Sultry Southern Nights series. ENJOY this excerpt and please, PRE-ORDER your copy today! Romeo Marshall is over six feet of cool, smooth, hot, southern seductiveness--just like the music at his popular Raleigh club, The Playground Jazz and Blues Bar. With his beloved mother gone and no father he's ever known, the business is Romeo's everything. It's a place where anything can happen--and the evening one gorgeous young woman and one intriguing old musician walk into the bar--and into Romeo's life--it does. There's something about high-powered, down-to-the earth Taryn Williams that captures Romeo's attention like no other woman has. Yet unanswered questions from his past s...
30 comments
Read more