Whitney and Franklyn did not know the names of the stars they were seeing out their window, but they both felt that when they saw the shooting star, someone or something was heading toward home, just as they, too, were heading home. They were not surprised to find, when Franklyn took the gauze out of his pocket, that it was empty; after a long journey, the coins were on their way home now, too. The coins had traveled through so many worlds to bring Franklyn and Whitney Walker together and guide them through this world. As the Walkers looked down to watch Luther John sleep, they knew that their love would be strong enough to guide their son through this one.
To my mother, Evelyn Poitier,
whose knowledge of the universe
was instinctual.
She could barely read or write, but she knew …
and
to Carl Sagan
for introducing me to his many books
about the cosmos, the Milky Way galaxy,
and the universe at large.
I am looking forward to seeing them again,
in places yet unknown.
Acknowledgments
MY LIFE HAS HELD AN ENCHANTING FASCINATION WITH THE universe. As a young boy, as young as four or five, I was often drawn to the dense sprinkling of lights in the sky and I would wonder how so many such lights could be everywhere at night and disappear so completely by morning. The seed for this book was planted in that young boy’s fascination.
No book is ever the work of one individual. Such is the case with this one, for without Cindy Spiegel, Montaro Caine would have remained an arresting idea instead of maturing into a truly stirring adventure. Her unrelenting instincts were so keen that she recognized each and every emotional heartbeat that pounded in the chest of every character in this book. Hers is a challenging profession, but she manages to unearth the humanity at the heart of every manuscript she chooses to publish, with a work ethic that is unyielding in bringing out the best there is in each author she represents.
To my editor, Adam Langer, who has as firm a grasp on the English language as ever there was—he has heard language spoken on a multitude of cultural levels that define class, educational levels, and social standings, all of which speak of the who that we are and the who that we aspire to become. He is a wordsmith of extraordinary talent and swift execution, and I thank him for his professional approach and insight.
To Susan Garrison, gifted, talented in countless areas. Her sharp eyes and her many talents are eagerly awaiting her decision to set her sails toward the stars.
To Sherrie Brooks, my right-hand “man,” a hard and experienced worker adroit in so many areas—all of which she seemingly effortlessly calls upon as she manages the day-to-day keeping of the office and details of my many obligations running flawlessly.
Carl Sagan, a good friend, no longer here and sorely missed. He has left behind his many books, his many thoughts of who he was and what he has done—what he has really done.
And to my family, for none of this would have been remotely possible without their love and support, especially that of my rock, the love of my life, Joanna.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of three bestselling autobiographical books, This Life (1980), The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (2000), and Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter (2008), Sidney Poitier is an actor, film director, author, and diplomat. In 1963, Poitier won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field, and has starred in films including To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. The movies he has directed include Uptown Saturday Night, Let’s Do It Again, A Piece of the Action, and Stir Crazy. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, and in 2002, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Oscar for “his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being.” He was the Bahamian ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. And in 2009, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama. Mr. Poitier was born in Miami, Florida, but spent his first fifteen years growing up in the Bahamas, on Cat Island and later in Nassau. Mr. Poitier currently lives in Beverly Hills, California, with his wife of forty-four years, Joanna Shimkus Poitier.
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