Five Lives Five Lies

By Irma Johnson

Life is a journey and at sometime during this journey, there will be adversity, lies, and secrets. This book shares the lives of two friends and a family thrust into a web of chaos and deception. It all starts when two young boys meet in grade school and become best friends. One is very poor and underprivileged while the other enjoys the trappings of the affluent and well to do. While in grade school they befriend the prettiest girl in the class. Although, one of the boys is plagued by the obstacles in his life, he is intensely determined to make something of himself.

 

     Love is one of the most powerful encounters that can happen in a lifetime. Through the experiences of friends and family, readers will feel the joy of love and happiness, the sadness of tragedy and the distrust that develops when deception is the foundation of a cherished relationship. While the less fortunate one is more outgoing and sociable, he makes some presumptuous moves which allow him to succeed in his endeavors, however, the other friend continues to amass financial wealth that secretly intrigues their beautiful classmate.

   

     Through hard work and great efforts of the less fortunate friend, he goes from a poor poverty stricken boy to being wealthy, and gained fame and prosperity. When tragedy strikes and manipulation abounds, their friendship becomes estranged.

   

     This book will follow the family's journey through turmoil that leads up to the final climatic episode when certain truths are revealed through incredible circumstances that brings everyone to tears.

 

     It doesn't  matter what your dilemma, you can always overcome obstacles. As you read this book, I hope it will give you inspiration and a captivating experience about friends, family, and how to cope with atrocities and uncertainties in life.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 4, 2008
• ISBN: 9781463464134

Irma Johnson

   Irma Johnson is a new inspiring Author, a Memphis native and works as an Account Executive. She is a vegetarian and loves to travel. She believes you can do anything that you want to do, put God first, keep the faith, and put forth a great effort.      Her characteristics are noble and majestic. She is inspired by divine power, and particular affairs that are exalted directly on her mind, body and soul. She has always had a vivid  imagination, with many stories and ideas embedded in her conscious memory. She says writing this book was a great learning experience, and has attributed to her gaining so much more confidence, wisdom and knowledge.   

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© 2008 Irma Johnson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  12/03/2020

ISBN: 978-1-4343-4538-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4343-4537-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-6413-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Table of Contents

About The Book

Poor Little Rich Boyz

Interrupted Dream

Love Before Deception

White Lie Or A Dark Secret

Half and Half

Immoral Choices

Drama In The Bahamas

Who Am I?

When The Truth Surfaces

A Family That Lies Together Cries Together

About The Author

Dedication

T o my daughter, Tungela, son in law, Johnnie, and first grandchild, MeKinley Jonyea Brooks, whose enthusiasm and insight are the guiding forces that kept me buoyant, inspired and encouraged throughout this writing. Your loyalty and belief in my abilities exemplify the love that sustains a family through any circumstance, triumph or tragedy.

About The Book

L ife is a journey and at sometime during this journey, there will be adversity, lies, and secrets. This book shares the lives of two friends and a family thrust into a web of chaos and deception. It all starts when two young boys meet in grade school and become best friends. One is very poor and underprivileged while the other enjoys the trappings of the affluent and well to do. As fate would have it, they meet the prettiest girl in the class and the three continue their friendship throughout high school. Although, one of the boys is plagued by the obstacles in his life, he is determined to make something of himself.

L ove is one of the most powerful encounters that can happen in a lifetime. Though the experiences of friends and family, readers will feel the joy of love and happiness, the sadness of tragedy and the distrust that develops when deception is the foundation of a cherished relationship. As each friend grows into adulthood, their agendas reveal themselves. While the less fortunate one is more outgoing and sociable, he makes some presumptuous moves which allow him to succeed in his endeavors; however, the other friend continues to amass financial wealth that secretly intrigues their beautiful classmate.

T hrough hard work and great efforts of the less fortunate friend, he transforms himself from a poor poverty stricken little boy to a famous and wealthy man. When tragedy strikes and manipulation abounds, a lifelong friendship becomes estranged.

T his book will follow the family’s journey through turmoil that leads up to the final climatic episode when certain truths are revealed through incredible circumstances that brings everyone to tears.

I t doesn’t matter what your dilemma, you can always overcome obstacles. As you read this book, I hope it will give you inspiration and a captivating experience about friends, family, and how to cope with atrocities and uncertainties in life.

Five Lives

Five Lies

Poor Little Rich Boyz

L oyd Townsend and Sherman Russell are about to meet and build a friendship. It is as if they came from different worlds, totally different backgrounds. Although their lives will take different directions in the years that followed, it was destiny for them to meet. They met in grade school when they were about eight years old. Loyd and Sherman were born in the 1950s, which were the last years of ‘Jim Crow’ and the dawning of social unrest in the South brought on by the Civil Rights movement. Both boys grew up in Memphis, TN; one in the Memphis Housing Project and the other in the suburbs. Loyd came from a poor family, impoverished, and lived in the projects. On the other hand, Sherman came from a different background of wealth and luxury. Sherman’s father was a high-powered black attorney and was well-known in the city of Memphis. His mother had the distinction of being the first black female doctor on staff at one of the local hospitals. The Russell family was an upper class family. Sherman’s parents lived in a nice neighborhood with a big house in the suburbs and drove nice cars. Loyd’s family was a lower class family, he knew he was poor, and lacked the material things that the affluent children had, but his charming looks and being vocal always advanced him to a higher level. Loyd was tall, light-skinned and had nice hair. As they would say back in the day, good hair he made those things work for him. Back in the day, a black man with fair skin was considered superior to a darker-skinned person. Loyd, a very precocious boy with high spirits was an inspiration to all who seek to better themselves. He did not know his father; however, he had high hopes of meeting him some day. His mother received public assistance and worked part-time as a housekeeper. Even as a little boy, he wanted to do well and put forth his best effort in everything he did.

L oyd was the third child with three siblings. He helped his mother around the house, washing dishes, taking out the trash, and anything else that was within his power. Loyd’s mother, Frances, did her very best to send her kids to school and keep food on the table. Frances was never married to Loyd’s father, he was already married, plus he never owned up to his responsibilities as a father, or ever tried to see his son. His father never wanted Frances to take him to court for child support, so he would discreetly give money to her to help support Loyd. Frances had never been married and had four children out of wedlock. Of all his siblings, Loyd was the only one who appeared to want to get out of poverty and make something of his life. His brother, Terry, always got into trouble with drugs and burglaries. Terry tried to lure Loyd into the same direction that he was headed, but Loyd knew he wanted more out of life and wasn’t easily enticed. His morals and standards were far greater than his family’s, and he did not mind working hard to achieve his goals. The cycle had already begun with his sisters; they had children out of wedlock and were on welfare just as their mother. My goal is to make it out of the housing project in any possible way that I can, Loyd said. He planned to go to college; if that did not work, plan B was to enlist in the Army. Their living conditions were deplorable with rat infestation. In his neighborhood, there was much temptation with drugs and prostitution surrounding the area. The odds of making it were slim, so Loyd had to be strong, determined, and keep focusing on his dream. His family seemed to be complacent or just did not think they could do any better.

W hen Loyd was a little boy, his mom had an abusive boyfriend with a terrible temper. His name was Mr. Cleaves, and Loyd has vivid memories of those days. Mr. Cleaves severely battered his mom, consequently she was left with black eyes and a swollen body, he said. After the beating was over, he would swear that he would never do it again; he always said he was sorry. His mom was weak for Mr. Cleaves and always allowed him back into her life. The beatings continued to happen over and over, then she was all bruised up again. Once she was hurt so badly, until she had to be taken to the emergency room; when the doctor checked her over, he knew she had taken a beating. The doctor started asking pertinent questions regarding her bruises, and Frances tried to evade his questions with indirect answers. As a little boy, Loyd never understood why his mom would protect a man that beats her. Eventually, Frances told the doctor that her boyfriend had beaten her; also other family members got involved and wanted her to call the police and get a restraining order against him. Loyd said when he was old enough, he was going to kill Mr. Cleaves but soon recanted, and said he will just beat him really badly just as he had beaten his mom. He was afraid of jail and prison, or to do anything that would possibly incarcerate him. Mr. Cleaves did not work, and he was unable to help Frances financially; he occasionally brought over a box of KFC for dinner and with that, he thought he had really done something big. When Frances went out in public, people stared because of the black eyes and bruises in her face.

M r. Cleaves and Frances talked about getting married. I do not know how they were supposed to pull that off, Loyd said. Mr. Cleaves was unemployed; he lived with his mother, who received public assistance and lived in public housing. Back in the day when you lived in public housing, you weren’t supposed to have a man living with you. When DHS made a visit to Frances home, it was best that they did not see Mr. Cleaves hanging around, or Frances may not have received her next welfare check. Loyd was about eight years old, and one of his earliest memories of Mr. Cleaves was when he hit his mom, Loyd jumped on his back and starting biting his neck and yelling, Leave my mom alone. Mr. Cleaves knocked him off his back, and he fell against the wall and hurt his head. Loyd said his mom turned into The Lady Incredible Hulk. She started beating Mr. Cleaves like there was no tomorrow, she was beating him so badly, until he thought she was going to kill him. Mr. Cleaves managed to break away from Frances and ran out of the house; she was yelling, Don’t ever bring your black ass back here again. The woman that had been so weak was literally now as strong as the Hulk. Loyd was so proud of his mom for being such a courageous strong woman, for standing up to the man that she was once afraid of and had beaten her to a pulp.

F amilies are where we first learn about ourselves. Loyd’s family always has a Christmas gathering over at Aunt Bonnie’s house, who is Loyd’s mother’s sister. Bonnie was a little more financially stable than Frances. There had never been anything hosted at Frances’ home because of her housing and money situation. She fed her kids and kept food on the table with food stamps that was given to her by the State. She always prepared herself to take gifts and a dish, so she would not feel ashamed and awkward. This was the day when the family brought and exchanged gifts with other family members. Every year Loyd always knew what his mom was getting him for Christmas, and that was a pair of socks and a toy pistol. At the time, he could not understand his mother’s financial situation, and why they were not as fortunate. He always thought he should have special gifts on special days, such as birthdays and Christmas. On this particular Christmas, Loyd asked his mom for a bike; unfortunately, he did not get one because she could not afford to get him what he wanted. When Loyd opened his gift, he had his same old gift that he had always gotten in the past, only this time it was two pairs of socks and a toy pistol. Everyone was sitting around in a festive mood; when he opened his gift and began to cry, he said to his mother, I wish I was dead, and had never woken up this morning. That statement broke his mother’s heart and she was hurt, but what could she have done, she still could not afford a bike.

E veryone was astounded when Loyd made that statement, but his Uncle Marvin came to his rescue. He’s just a kid and only ten years old, and because all of his cousins have bikes and big trucks, therefore, he wants what his cousins have, said Uncle Marvin. He got up abruptly and left the house, then said he would be back shortly. Everyone kept asking, Where is he going? He replied, There is something I need to do and I will be back later. Uncle Marvin was gone for about an hour, and when he returned he had a bike for Loyd. That was such a good deed, also he made one sad little boy happy again. Now, Loyd’s Christmas was more fulfilling; he could ride his bike just as his cousins were riding their bikes. Then it was time for everyone to gather around the table for Christmas dinner; they said a prayer and everyone began to eat. There is that one person in everyone’s family that drinks too much and gets a little too tipsy, and for Loyd’s family it is his Cousin Bob, who makes jokes at the dinner table and keeps everyone laughing. Cousin Bob was doing ok for a while until one of his jokes was just a little too vulgar, and then he was escorted from the dinner table by Uncle Marvin. After all the commotion, Uncle Marvin announced if it was God’s will, he was going to have the Christmas dinner at his home the following year. Frances’ sisters and brothers weren’t rich, but they were a little more financially secure than she was. Loyd could see his mom being uncomfortable amidst the wealth of other family members. The evening had drawn near and it was time for them to head back home. Frances did not have a car, therefore, one of their relatives always picked them up and took them back home.

T erry was two years older than Loyd; however, Loyd always seemed to be the more mature one. When they were growing up in the projects, Loyd made excuses for Terry, and helped provide an alibi when Terry got into trouble. Terry dropped out of school and stayed in trouble with illegal activities. Loyd wanted his brother to turn his life around, and go back to school to get his GED and maybe go to college. Even if he did not attend college, Loyd wanted him to think about a trade school to learn a skill that would give him a better opportunity in life. Nothing Loyd said seemed to help; it seemed as though his brother just didn’t have it in him to do right. One night, the police informed the family that Terry was in jail for shooting a man while dealing in drugs. Frances was hurt and very upset. There was a trial, and he was found guilty and sent to prison. Afterward, Frances and her family visited Terry in prison, and Loyd said it appeared as though his brother did not have any remorse for what he had done. He said being inside a prison was the scariest thing that he had ever encountered in his life. Just being there scared him straight. The thought will never enter his mind to do anything illegal that would bring him back to that place. After that visit he was reluctant to go back to see Terry. Frances cried many nights, and talked to Terry time after time about drugs and other bad habits. She did not know where she went wrong; she asked herself, why couldn’t Terry have been like Loyd? She knew there was a big difference between Loyd and Terry, as if they were not brothers or not even related at all. She said this was going to be a long journey for her, because Terry got twenty years in prison, and she would continue to go back and visit her son. Loyd tried to console his mother, telling her that everything would be ok. I love my brother, but I have to concentrate on school and will not allow my brother’s imprisonment to clog my mind, he said. This was a lesson learned in going to visit his brother. He did not ever want to do any unlawful act. He said he would always be a law-abiding citizen, because he could not endure the confinement without freedom. Loyd did not have a dysfunctional family; they were simply poor and impoverished. They were not accustomed to certain values, morals, and principles as he had appeared to be.

W hen Loyd was old enough, he asked his mother who was his father. She was reluctant but eventually told him. At this time, his father had stopped sending money to Frances for child support, so she was upset and about to take him to court. Frances was no longer concerned with the wife finding out about their affair. She had tried to protect him in the past but not anymore. She was going to ask the court for retro on child support. Loyd started to search for his father and found him; however, his father did not want any contact with him, because he thought his wife would find out about him and Loyd’s mother. His father said he would get back in touch with him, but he never contacted Loyd again. He was very hurt and said he would never deny his children, and did not want to ever father children without being married. He made a vow to himself if he ever had children, he would be there for them financially and emotionally.

His mother instilled good morals and values in her children, but Loyd was the only one that listened. Frances always told her children that she loved them, and she knew that their environment was not the best, but she prayed that they would be happy, healthy and successful. Loyd loved his mother and would do anything she