Di Taxi Ride and Other Stories

by Brenda Barrett

  Here’s a peek at Full Circle:

  “Diana Boyd, are you crazy?” yelled my father as he barged through my apartment door, dwarfing my grandmother who walked sedately behind him. She paused beside him and gave me a triumphant look before locking the door. They both stared at me as if I had grown two horns and a tail. I resisted the urge to charge to the mirror to check that I had all my limbs in the correct place.

  I ran my fingers through my cropped curls and tried to remember that I was twenty-four, not twelve. I knew my grandmother would have gotten manpower to back her up. I expected Aunt Tracy and her husband Pete and my Uncle Raymond and his family, but obviously she decided to get the real big man, Thomas Boyd the Loud, father extraordinaire, who wrote the book on how to emotionally blackmail children.

  “Dad, I just mentioned to Nonna that I was thinking of going back to Jamaica. That’s all.”

  My grandmother shook her head in denial, her long grey braids swayed on her back. “Wrong,” she said. “And I quote.” She moved from behind my father and took centre stage, her ribbed purple sweater hugging her thin frame. “I am going back to Jamaica to find my brothers and sisters and meet up with the rest of the family and sort out my life. End of quote.” My grandmother smirked at me and turned to my father who looked as if steam should be pouring from his ears.

  “You just finished your graduate degree,” my father said, obviously trying to put his temper under control. He was a big man, very muscular and still handsome. His toffee-coloured skin glowed under the lights in my cramped apartment, and I knew that Nonna had dragged him from the gym. “You just got an offer to teach at that university you were talking about, you just got this new and bigger apartment, plus you have student loans. Loads and loads of money to pay back. We are your family, forget Jamaica,” he finished in a rush.

  Nonna nodded, egging him on, as I leaned on the counter that separated my kitchen from the dining room, staring at them in fascination. I told Nonna just three hours ago that I was going to Jamaica, so clearly they hadn’t met to plan the strategy to convince me not to go. They were improvising. I stared at them, eager to see what would come next.

  I knew better than to make a retort or even defend myself. I have studied my family all my life, and I was not going to make a bad move where this was concerned. Next would come the emotional blackmail and I braced for it.

  “Diana, you know we love you.” This from Nonna, who looked genuinely distressed at the thought of me leaving the country. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at me pleadingly. I hardened my heart against the tears. Last time I checked Jamaica was a premier tourist destination that thousands of people visit each year. What was wrong with me wanting to visit for a while?

  I was used to their clinging, bullying ways and their absolute resistance to any sort of independence from me. I had to fight like a lion to move out of the family home in suburban Philadelphia, where my grandmother and my father reigned supreme. I was usually the loyal subject who was bombarded with their larger-than-life personalities.

  “Nonna, I just want to visit Jamaica. I don’t remember much of the place. I want to know what happened to my other brothers and sisters. That’s all. I never got the chance to find out, and now that I am free, I thought I could go for a few weeks.”

  “Where will you stay?” asked my father as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall in a contrived relaxed stance.

  “I can stay with Aunt Phillipa,” I answered, naming my grandmother’s sister.

  That was met with silence. They had no objections to me staying with Aunt Phillipa; she was a widow who went back to Jamaica two years ago and was living alone and constantly complained that she had no ‘family’ company.

  “What about the job here?” asked my father. He moved to my overstuffed love seat and sat down. This marked the financial part of his objections. He was prepared to head for the jugular. He knew I barely had two cents to rub together after university drained most of my credit.

  “I am not supposed to take up the job here until the end of August. We are still in June.”

  “What about vacation money? You know, airfare, that sort of thing?” This time Nonna sat down, and they were both looking at me with identical stubborn expressions.

  This was the time for me to get defensive.

  “I don’t understand,” I said, pacing in front of them. “I have not had a vacation since forever. I work and studied hard. All I am saying is that I want to go to Jamaica for two lousy months. I will come back and take up the job and...”

  “You will get hurt,” interjected Nonna.

  “Why?” I spread my hands. “Why will I get hurt? All I want is to be at peace with the past. I did have a mother who died in childbirth. I do have brothers and sisters, who I barely remember, but I want to know them. Is that too much to ask?”

  My father looked at my grandmother and sighed. “Diana, do you remember anything at all?” he asked.

  “Yes, I remember fishing in the pond at the bottom of that hill where we used to live. I remember fighting with my brothers and sisters and playing hop scotch in the dirt and eating cornmeal pudding.”

  “She is romanticizing it,” my grandmother sneered. “When I went to Jamaica to get you, you were living with twelve other children in a one-room house on your other grandmother’s property. You were in rags and half-starved. I vowed to myself that I would never let you go back.”

  “But they are family,” I rebutted. I looked in the mirror above the mantle and stared at myself. There was just something inside me that’s not all Boyd, that was trying to find itself and I could not find it in Philadelphia. My roots are in Jamaica, I told myself, and I am determined to explore that side of me some more. I stared at my father with a stubbornness that I was sure reflected in my eyes.

  He harrumphed and stared defiantly back at me.

  “Six weeks, no more,” he mumbled, standing up. “Call me and tell me what the cost for the airfare is. I don’t want you to max out your credit cards. If you are not back here in six weeks, I am personally coming to get you.”

  “But Thomas…” My grandmother got up to follow him from the apartment, and she glanced desperately back at me. “This is not over, Diana.”

  I smiled. I knew I had already won.

  I slumped as they exited of my apartment. Sessions like those with my family were extremely taxing.

  “Jamaica, here I come,” I giggled to myself. I went to my small bedroom and opened the closet wide. I needed island clothes and thick sweaters, and pants would not cut it. Aunt Phillipa lived in Negril, so I would have to take my swimwear. Anticipation swooped through my body. I looked in the mirror at my short curly hair. The style was a great one to manage and it accentuated my heart-shaped face. I had told the hairdresser to cut off the processed part of my hair. The resulting hairstyle was stunning, the natural curls cupping my head in shiny corkscrew curls. I was young, cute and healthy.

  Jamaica, here I come. I squealed in delight and fell over laughing on the bed.

  OTHER BOOKS BY BRENDA BARRETT

  Resetter Series

  Never Too Late (Book 1)- Addi finds out she is a resetter and goes back to the summer of 92 to change her family's lives.

  Never Say Never (Book 2)- Skyler's handsome college lecturer, who happens to be her neighbor, has a T in his palms. Should she tell him the significance of it. If she does, would he believe her?

  Now or Never (Book 3)- Ten years later Addi and Randy meet again at Randy's engagement party. Why is it that the chemistry between them was still so potent? Can they ever have a future together? Would Randy choose her this time around?

  Almost Never (Book 4)- Tech genius Joshua Porter had all but given up on love. He then meets Portia, an escapee from the female penitentiary and his life takes a turn for the adventurous.

  The Scarlett Family Series

  Scarlett Baby (Book 1)- When the head of the Scarlett family died, Yuri had to return home to Treasure Beach for the funeral. Wh
at he didn't count on was seeing Marla, his childhood sweetheart and his best friend's wife. And when emotions overwhelm them and a few months later Marla is pregnant, Yuri wants the impossible: his best friend's wife and the baby they made together...

  Scarlett Sinner (Book 2)- Pastor Troy Scarlett realizes the hard way that some sins are bound to be revealed, like the child that he had out of wedlock with his wife's mortal enemy from college. His wife Chelsea was not happy with the status quo. She was not taking care of the son of the woman she had so despised from college. And she could not get over the deep betrayal that she felt from her husband's indiscretion.

  Scarlett Secret (Book 3)- Terri Scarlett had a soft spot for her friend, Lola. She was funny and sweet and they looked remarkably alike. But when Lola's Arab prince demands his bride, Terri foolishly exchange places with her friend and they meet up on a world of trouble.

  Scarlett Love (Book 4)- Slater always looked forward to delivering packages to the law firm where he could get a glimpse of the stunning female lawyer, Amoy Gardener. Unfortunately, for Slater a woman like Amoy would not take him seriously, especially when she found out that he could not read!

  Scarlett Promise (Book 5)- Driven by desperation Lisa Barclay decides to make some extra money by prostituting herself after being kicked out in the streets. Her first customer turns out to be a popular government senator and then to her horror he dies...

  Scarlett Bride (Book 6)- When Oliver Scarlett's missionary work in the Congo region was coming to an end, he had a decision to make, marry Ashaki Azanga and save her from being the fourth wife to the chief of the village or leave her to her fate and get on with his life...

  Scarlett Heart (Book 7)- After receiving a heart transplant shy librarian Noah Scarlett started to take on character traits that were unlike him and he kept dreaming of a girl named Cassandra Green...

  Rebound Series

  On The Rebound--For Better or Worse, Brandon vowed to stay with Ashley, but when worse got too much he moved out and met Nadine. For the first time in years he felt happy, but then Ashley remembered her wedding vows...

  On The Rebound 2- Ashley reinvented herself and was now a first lady in a country church in Primrose Hill, but her obsessed ex friend Regina showed up and started digging into the lives of the saints at church. Somebody didn't like Regina's digging. Someone had secrets that were shocking enough to kill for...

  Magnolia Sisters

  Dear Mystery Guy (Book 1)- Della Gold details her life in a journal dedicated to a mystery guy. But when fascination turns into obsession she finds herself wanting to learn even more about him but in her pursuit of the mystery guy she begins to learn more about herself...

  Bad Girl Blues (Book 2)- Brigid Manderson wanted to go to med school but for the time being she was an escort working for her mother, an ex-prostitute. When her latest customer offers her the opportunity of a lifetime would she take it? Or would she choose the harder path and uncertain love with a Christian guy?

  Her Mistaken Dreams (Book 3)- Caitlin Denvers dream guy had serious issues. He has a dead wife in his past and he was the main suspect in her murder. Did he really do it? Or did Caitlin for the first time have a mistaken dream?

  Just Like Yesterday (Book 4)- Hazel Brown lost six months of memory including the summer that she conceived her son, and had no idea who his father could be. Now that she had the means to fight to get him back from the Deckers, she finds out that the handsome Curtis Decker is willing to share her son with her after all.

  New Song Series

  Going Solo (Book 1)- Carson Bell, had a lovely voice, a heart of gold, and was no slouch in the looks department. So why did Alice abandon him and their daughter? What did she want after ten years of silence?

  Duet on Fire (Book 2)- Ian and Ruby had problems trying to conceive a child. If that wasn't enough, her ex-lover the current pastor of their church wants her back...

  Tangled Chords (Book 3)- Xavier Bell, the poor, ugly duckling has made it rich and his looks have been incredibly improved too. Farrah Knight, hotel heiress had cruelly rejected him in the past but now she needed help. Could Xavier forgive and forget?

  Broken Harmony(Book 4)- Aaron Lee, wanted the top job in his family company but he had a moral clause to consider just when Alka, his married ex-girlfriend walks back into his life.

  A Past Refrain (Book 5)- Jayce had issues with forgetting Haley Greenwald even though he had a new woman in his life. Will he ever be able to shake his love for Haley?

  Perfect Melody (Book 6)- Logan Moore had the perfect wife, Melody but his secretary Sabrina was hell bent on breaking up the family. Sabrina wanted Logan whatever the cost and she had a secret about Melody, that could shatter Melody's image to everyone.

  The Bancroft Family Series

  Homely Girl (Book 0) - April and Taj were opposites in so many ways. He was the cute, athletic boy that everybody wanted to be friends with. She was the overweight, shy, and withdrawn girl. Do April and Taj have a love that can last a lifetime? Or will time and separate paths rip them apart?

  Saving Face (Book 1) - Mount Faith University drama begins with a dead president and several suspects including the president in waiting Ryan Bancroft.

  Tattered Tiara (Book 2) - Micah Bancroft is targeted by femme fatale Deidra Durkheim. There are also several rape cases to be solved.

  Private Dancer (Book 3) Adrian Bancroft was gutted when he returned to Jamaica and found out that his first and only love Cathy Taylor was a stripper and was literally owned by the menacing drug lord, Nanjo Jones.

  Goodbye Lonely (Book 4) - Kylie Bancroft was shy and had to resort to going to confidence classes. How could she win the love of Gareth Beecher, her faculty adviser, a man with a jealous ex-wife in his past and a current mystery surrounding a hand found in his garden?

  Practice Run (Book 5) - Marcus Bancroft had many reasons to avoid Mount Faith but Deidra Durkheim was not one of them. Unfortunately, on one of his visits he was the victim of a deliberate hit and run.

  Sense of Rumor (Book 6) - Arnella Bancroft was the wild, passionate Bancroft, the creative loner who didn't mind living dangerously; but when a terrible thing happened to her at her friend Tracy's party, it changed her. She found that courting rumors can be devastating and that only the truth could set her free.

  A Younger Man (Book 7)- Pastor Vanley Bancroft loved Anita Parkinson despite their fifteen-year age gap, but Anita had a secret, one that she could not reveal to Vanley. To tell him would change his feelings toward her, or force him to give up the ministry that he loved so much.

  Just To See Her (Book 8)- Jessica Bancroft had the opportunity to meet her fantasy guy Khaled, he was finally coming to Mount Faith but she had feelings for Clay Reid, a guy who had all the qualities she was looking for. Who would she choose and what about the weird fascination Khaled had for Clay?

  The Three Rivers Series

  Private Sins (Book 1)- Kelly, the first lady at Three Rivers Church was pregnant for the first elder of her church. Could she keep the secret from her husband and pretend that all was well?

  Loving Mr. Wright (Book 2)- Erica saw one last opportunity to ditch her single life when Caleb Wright appeared in her town. He was perfect for her, but what was he hiding?

  Unholy Matrimony (Book 3) - Phoebe had a problem, she was poor and unhappy. Her solution to marry a rich man was derailed along the way with her feelings for Charles Black, the poor guy next door.

  If It Ain't Broke (Book 4)- Chris Donahue wanted a place in his child's life. Pinky Black just wanted his love. She also wanted him to forget his obsession with Kelly and love her. That shouldn't be so hard? Should it?

  Contemporary Romance/Drama

  After The End--Torn between two lovers. Colleen married her high school sweetheart, Isaiah, hoping that they would live happily ever after but life intruded and Isaiah disappeared at sea. She found work with the rich and handsome, Enrique Lopez, as a housekeeper and realized that she couldn't keep him at arms length...

  Love T
riangle: Three Sides To The Story- George, the husband, Marie, the wife and Karen-the mistress. They all get to tell their side of the story.

  The Preacher And The Prostitute - Prostitution and the clergy don't mix. Tell that to ex-prostitute, Maribel, who finds herself in love with the Pastor at her church. Can an ex-prostitute and a pastor have a future together?

  New Beginnings - Inner city girl Geneva was offered an opportunity of a lifetime when she found out that her 'real' father was a very wealthy man. Her decision to live up-town meant that she had to leave Froggie, her ‘ghetto don,’ behind. She also found herself battling with her stepmother and battling her emotions for Justin, a suave up-towner.