Innocent Love

By JC Worthy

A young man from the deep south comes north to work. While therehe meets a beautiful black woman and falls in love with her. They are soon living together and want to get married but first must gain acceptance from both sets of parents, each with much different values and beliefs.This is the heart-wrenching story of how they met and found love and the difficulties they encountered and eventually overcame in their quest to be together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JC Worthy
• Release date: Sep 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393084938

Book preview

Chapter One

JERRY WAS EXHAUSTED from a long day at the factory. They were a couple of weeks behind schedule setting up the new production line and desperately trying to meet the home office mandated deadline of the end of August. He really wanted nothing more than to be back at the hotel and fall into bed, but he knew that Tracy would be at the coffee shop and he wanted to see her. It was after ten pm so finding a close parking space was easy. He parked and quickly walked through the chilly North Jersey air the half a block to the shop door. He opened the door and quickly entered.

He didn’t see her at first and his heart sank, but then she appeared out of the kitchen and he relaxed. She saw him at almost the same moment and acknowledged his arrival with her usual big smile. She placed the fresh tray of pastries that she was carrying in the case and waved at him. He waved back and walked over to where she now stood behind the counter ready to take his order.

Good evening, sir, welcome to Angie’s, she said using the required greeting, What can I get for you?

Just the usual Tracy, Jerry replied and looking around at the almost empty shop added, not very busy tonight I see.

It was busier earlier but not now. she acknowledged as she handed him his cup of coffee and rang up his two dollars.

Then perhaps you’ll be able to join me? he asked hopefully.

Chapter Two

JERRY GRIFFIN HAD BEEN coming into Angie’s Coffee Shop ever since moving to town three weeks ago. Born and raised in a small typical southern town in Georgia he was the only child of a prominent dentist father and a devout mother who was very involved in her church and active in many civic affairs. Jerry’s grandfather was also a dentist and founder of the practice that his father now ran. Jerry’s grandfather, now in his late eighties, still saw a few patients who would see no other dentist, but most of the work and the more difficult procedures were carried out by Jerry’s father and the three other dentists that the busy and lucrative practiced employed.

Jerry was raised to believe that being a dentist was the most important profession in God’s Creation and it was expected that Jerry would take his rightful place as the future owner of the practice. But unknown to his parents and grandparents, Jerry had other plans. He didn’t know exactly what it was that he wanted to do, but staring into someone else’s mouths for the rest of his life wasn’t it.  In high school – private school, of course – he developed an interest in math and decided to pursue a degree in engineering. Instead of attending the college of his father and grandfather followed by the same dental school Jerry announced at the traditional Sunday dinner at the grandparents that he had applied and been accepted at Clemson University and would major in engineering.

The shock was profound, but then the questions came. How could he even think such a thing? Didn’t the boy realize what a wonderful gift he was being given? What a wonderful profession it was? To have the respect and admiration of everyone in town? How could the town survive without a Dr. Griffin to care for their teeth? It was all too horrible to comprehend!

Jerry remained firm and the dinner ended on a very sour note. The days and weeks