You Just Can't Put It Down

By Tawana Newhouse

Short Stories you gotta Loveem
You Just Cant Put It Down is considered to be highly entertaining and cleverly suspenseful turn of events that has it all.
The Hamilton girls will have you on the edge of your seat as will the Old Lady Cora. However, Bella will remind you how good it feels to fall head over hills in love again.
And you are going to enjoy meeting Little Emily Annette Brown and will admire her courage but wont believe her actions.
Im Not Ready to Be A Golden Girl, well lets just say, the name says a lot.
The Madison House, last but not lease. Its refreshing and heartwarming and will leave you wanting more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462896318

Tawana Newhouse

Christian Mother Novelist

Book preview

YOU JUST CAN’T

PUT IT DOWN

Tawana Newhouse

Copyright © 2011 by Tawana Newhouse.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011911326

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4628-9630-1

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4628-9629-5

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4628-9631-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

100610

Contents

Acknowledgments

The Family

Dealing with Death

Meeting the Hamilton Girls

A New Beginning

Getting Even

The Dilemma

The Solution

Flight 122

Bella’s Birthday

The Party

The Surprise for Bella

The Stalker

Harry’s in the Doghouse

Jacob and Jesse’s Barbecue Wedding

The Browns

The Madison House

The Rules

Little Bree Montgomery

Bree’s New Roommates

The Secret

You Too

Old Lady Cora

Getting Even

Time To Meet the Two Mrs. O’Brians

Dedication

To Jesus Christ, thank you for being my Lord and Savior and for giving me such an amazing gift (a precious daughter named Erica).

To my darling daughter, Erica, who at an early age took on many roles and encouraged me to follow my dreams no matter what the circumstances were. You were truly an awesome young lady and will live in my heart forever.

To Janice F. Moore, PhD; Albert J. Watson; and Sylvia Gilliam, you always came through whenever I called for assistance, feedback, or needed help processing my thoughts. Your genuine words and deeds helped me persevere in the midst of many crises. I will forever remember your kindness.

To my dear friends and family, who supported me on my journey. You gave me a sounding board whenever there was a sea of red. I appreciate your constant inquiries about my progress. Your inquiries helped me to stay focused on completing my work.

Finally, this book is dedicated to all of the ancestors who made this journey possible.

Acknowledgments

I want to give special thanks to Bettye Jean Turner, who offered me guidance and encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone. Thanks for your leadership, wisdom, sacrifice, and encouragement. I could not have completed this work without your support. You listened to my thoughts, dreams, and aspirations. You encouraged me to dream big, to be an avid reader, to be patient, to pay attention, to listen to others, and to not speak until I was spoken to. It paid off greatly in the end.

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT

The Family

Jackson Leroy Hamilton and Peggy Elizabeth Johns married on March 14, 1970, in a small town outside of New York. The Hamiltons began their marriage with the expectation of having and raising a large happy family—four boys and four girls. However, that didn’t happen. After their fourth child was born, Peggy developed heart trouble, leaving her unable to care for the girls the way she had planned. Jackson had twin sisters, Mabel and Mary Hamilton, unmarried schoolteachers, who lived two houses down from Jackson and Peggy.

They were eager to jump right in and assisted with Peggy and the girls.

Everything was going well—one big happy family—until that horrible day eight years later, when Mabel and Mary were on their way home from grocery shopping and a drunk driver hit and killed them. Peggy just happened to be watching television when a news bulletin interrupted regular scheduled programming to report a fatal car crash. Peggy recognized Mabel’s car by the license plate and realized that the unidentified women were her sisters-in-law.

The shock of the accident was too much for Peggy’s heart. She suffered a massive heart attack. She was able to press the button on her life alert bracelet, and the paramedic was summoned. Jackson had just arrived home from work only to find Peggy collapsed on the floor and the paramedic knocking at the door. After Jackson picked Peggy up and placed her on the couch, he let the paramedics in, and Peggy was taken to the local hospital, where she died, never regaining consciousness.

A very distraught Jackson managed to drive himself home, dreading the task of explaining to his girls that their mother was deceased only to find two police officers waiting to inform him of the car accident that killed his twin sisters. Jackson was given the bad news. His first thoughts were how he was going to tell his daughters? Jackson was always a churchgoing God-fearing man, and he knew that the Lord would never leave or forsake him. He decided the only way to break the bad news to his girls would be though the Word of God.

As luck would have it (bad luck), the girls heard the news from friends and neighbors. Because they were also churchgoing and God-fearing, they were able to accept the tragic news and manage to hold back their emotions for the sake of their father, knowing that the world as he knew it would never be the same and it would be left up to them to get him through the tragedy.

Dealing with Death

The first to arrive home was Wilma and Tiffany Joy, who waited outside a block down from their house for Taylor and Kallie. Wilma knew that they would be coming along shortly, and she wanted to be the one to break the bad news, giving the girls the opportunity to react to the news and get it all out before they went into the house. Wilma was the eldest but not the strongest. That was Kallie. Ten minutes later, Kallie and Taylor came around the corner already full of painful information.

Kallie immediately took control of the situation, explaining to the girls why they needed to be strong for their dad, and the girls agreed. Wilma needed more time but agreed to go on in and not delay the horrible turn of events. Kallie retrieved a Bible from her backpack, which she carried everywhere.

As the four girls walked in the front door, there were several neighbors and friends consoling their father. Kallie led the other three siblings with her Bible open to Psalm 116 and proceeded to read, I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me. I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord, O Lord, I beseech thee, delivery my soul.

Then Tiffany Joy said to her dad, Father, take comfort in knowing that your wife and sisters are in God’s hands, and you are now in ours.

Wilma and Taylor both offered a Bible verse as well, giving their father the temporary relief of bearing the pain of that horrible day. Food was brought in from everywhere—coworkers, extended family members, and friends, but the five that the food was prepared for had no appetites.

The thought of losing a mother is hard enough, but to lose two aunts in the same day—too much, way too much for the girls. But nevertheless, they were determined to make it. Would there be problems stemming from all this tragedy? You bet.

Meeting the Hamilton Girls

Taylor Annette Hamilton was sixteen, headstrong, smart, and determined to be all that she could be. As a child, her one and only dream was to become the first black woman secretary of state. Coming from a poor family, she realized at an early age that it would be an uphill battle that would require her to work hard and to never give up.

Wilma Louise Hamilton, who was eighteen, equally smart, and determined to be a successful lawyer, had a different plan to succeed. She also knew that it was going to be an uphill battle and felt that being smart and working hard would not be enough. So she decided that she was going to use her beauty as a stepping stone. However, she didn’t foresee just where using her beauty would take her. It took her to places in her life she hadn’t planned on visiting for years and years to come, let alone a lifetime residency at an early age.

Wilma was 5’10", one hundred and thirty-five pounds, and had a figure that should come with a warning label and that would make a man mortgage his home for. She had long, beautiful, black hair and legs that would make Tina Turner’s legs look like Popeye’s girlfriend Olive Oyl’s.

Kallie Rena Hamilton was fourteen, but she was not the average teenager—no makeup, not interested in boys or school activities, and certainly not rebellious but very determined. Kallie spent all her time reading medical books and journals. She planned to become a surgeon, and nothing was going to stop her. She had the IQ of a genius and she knew it. After academically challenging her teachers and principals, Kallie tested out of high school and into Harvard.

And then there was Tiffany Joy Hamilton. She was twelve years old and could already be labeled the party girl. Tiffany went to bed thinking about whose birthday party she would be attending that weekend and what little girl or boy she was going to have to beat up if she didn’t receive an invitation. Although she was also very smart, she decided to use intimidation as a tool for her to succeed.

A New Beginning

As the fall semester at Harvard began with a new student, fourteen-year-old Kallie Rena Hamilton, so did the chaos back at home with Tiffany Joy. Not wanting to mind big sister Wilma and acting out the pain of losing her mother, she became the center of attention in the Hamilton household. A handful would not be the right word to describe Tiffany’s behavior. Wilma, taking on the responsibility of running the house while preparing for her high school graduation, with no help from Taylor, had one teacher’s conference after another concerning the out-of-control Tiffany Joy.

Jackson, still in a devastated frame of mind, could be described as a walking-but-working zombie. Wilma only had one class left to complete—second period English—and the rest of the day was hers, which she spent trying to figure out what would become of Tiffany Joy after she left for college in June. She decided to have a family meeting concerning the out-of-control rebel. It was six o’clock in the evening, dinner was ready, and the girls were setting the table. To their surprise, Tiffany Joy had her own thoughts about her future.

They waited for Jackson to say grace before they would start the their meeting. Tiffany Joy announced that she thought that it would be best if she was sent to an all girls’ finishing school to help with her behavioral problems. Shock was the expression on every face at the table, but everyone immediately agreed with Tiffany. She continued with a request to seek professional help as well. With a sigh of relief, the Hamiltons finished dinner and went about their way, enjoying the rest of the evening. Jackson even appeared to be somewhat normal.

The next day, the selfish Taylor Annette, who only thought of herself and her goals, actually got involved in finding the right school for Tiffany. After several calls and conversations, Taylor found a school that was in the vicinity of Jones New York. The name of Tiffany’s potential new school was The Thronbird Institute for Young Ladies, better known as TTI. She scheduled an appointment for the following weekend. They loaded up the car and set off for Jones New York.

After arriving at the school and exploring the grounds, the group was taken to the dorms where Tiffany would be sharing a room with another young lady. The room was beautiful, and the young lady appeared to be very shy but welcomed Tiffany and made her feel comfortable while sharing her first experience away from home. Tiffany was very excited but would have to pass the entrance examination plus qualify for a full scholarship.

She would be allowed to stay on campus for thirty days while waiting for the process to be completed. During the thirty days, she would be on probation to finalize her acceptance. She was on her best behavior, of course, and was accepted. All was well at last.

Meanwhile, Harvard’s newest student, Kallie, found that college wasn’t at all what she thought it would be. The girls were mean and the boys were dangerous, but she was not willing to let anyone or anything get in her way of becoming a surgeon.

She befriended one of the girls in her chemistry class, Debbie Chavez, just to have someone to talk to and so as to appear normal. They became very close. Debbie warned Kallie to never walk alone day or night, because there was a group of no-good boys that had a nickname, Get it and Stick it, who were terrorizing all the young ladies on campus. Kallie asked why they hadn’t been stopped. Debbie replied that it was because their parents were rich and gave large donations to the school. Two days later, Debbie was sent to the nurse’s office for Aspirins. The boys grabbed her and beat her up but didn’t get to rape her because they got caught.

They received a slap on the wrist and were sent on their way. They would see Debbie and Kallie and laugh about it. Kallie decided to take matters into her own hands. While Kallie was trying to think of a way to get rid of the three bad boys, the school posted a job opening for a cafeteria worker. Kallie thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get the boys, so she applied and got the job. Kallie was the new French fry clerk.

Getting Even

Kallie, studying to become a surgeon, knew how to concoct a poison that would slowly kill the boys without anyone finding out she did it. Their constant use of marijuana and their pill-popping would speed up the process. Like clockwork, the boys would make a beeline for the cafeteria for burgers and French fries, and every day, Kallie dosed their fries with poison that would be undetected even in an autopsy. After several weeks of this, the boys were too sick to come to school. It was also taking too long, so Kallie decided to find out where the boys were getting their drugs and somehow get the drug dealers to kill them. And as luck would have it, she just happened to see one of the boys make a drug buy across the street from the school. She wrote down the drug dealer’s license plate number. She