Sins of the Father

by Angela Benson

  “Dad told me about the settlement,” Isaac said.

  Michael stiffened his spine. “I only asked for what I thought was fair.”

  “I’m not judging you, Michael,” Isaac said. “In your shoes, I may have done the same thing. Anyway, I’m glad you came by today. I know our history is not that good, but I’d like for us to have a new start to go along with my new liver.”

  “I just came here to see how you were doing because Josette asked me to,” Michael explained. “I wasn’t looking for more than that.”

  “Is that a no?” Isaac asked. “Because if it is, I’ll have to tell Josette that you rejected my olive branch. I don’t think she’s going to like that.”

  “You’re blackmailing me?”

  Isaac chuckled. “I know it sounds that way, but I’m just trying to create an amicable environment in this family. Your daughter—my niece—will be born soon and she’ll draw the bonds between us even tighter. Josette is determined that we get along for the baby’s sake. I don’t want to let her down and I know you don’t either. That leaves us with no choice other than to take a first step toward some kind of reconciliation or cease-fire. We don’t have to be best friends, Michael, but we do have to be able to be in the same room without having the tension choke us all to death.”

  Michael agreed with everything Isaac had said. “I think I can do that,” he told him, “for Josette and the baby.”

  Isaac extended his hand. Michael looked at it for long moments before moving to the side of the bed and shaking it. When he would have ended the shake, Isaac held onto his hand. “One more thing,” he said. “And this is for Rebecca, not for me.”

  “What?”

  “I need you to apologize to her for the gifts and for the things you said in the boardroom. Everything else that’s happened between us was fair game, but it wasn’t fair to bring her into it. Will you do that? Will you apologize to her?”

  Michael looked into his brother’s face, a face so like his own, and nodded.

  Epilogue

  Four months later

  That was a wonderful meal, Rebecca,” Alan said, patting his stomach as he and Deborah walked from the kitchen to the living room of Isaac and Rebecca’s condo. “It’s nice to know modern women haven’t given up on domestic skills altogether.”

  Deborah punched him on the shoulder. “Stop dropping hints,” she said. “I told you I would take a cooking class.”

  Abraham chuckled. “This relationship must be getting serious. It says a lot when a woman starts working on her cooking skills for a man.”

  “You know what they say, Dad,” Isaac chimed in. He took a seat on the love seat next to Rebecca, after Deborah and Alan had positioned themselves on the couch and Abraham had taken the club chair. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  “And what’s the way to a woman’s heart?” Rebecca asked her husband.

  Isaac planted a soft kiss on her lips.

  “You’ve got that right, Isaac. You men take the food. We’ll take romance any day.”

  Abraham sat back and watched, with joy, the interplay of people he loved. His heart grew warm with every smile exchanged between Isaac and Deborah. The sibling bond that he wanted for them seemed to be taking root. He thanked God for it.

  He was thankful, too, that Isaac and Rebecca had found each other again. They’d gone on a late anniversary cruise as soon as the doctors gave Isaac the go ahead. They’d returned renewed and more in love than ever before.

  He glanced over at Deborah as she laughed at something Alan said. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that relationship, but she didn’t have any substantive grounds on which to challenge it. Alan was much too old for Deborah, in his opinion, but he doted on her and she blossomed under it. A part of him knew that some of his resistance to the relationship had to do with Alan filling a role he wanted to fill. He wanted to be the indulgent father, but Deborah didn’t need him to be that when she had an indulgent boyfriend. Running Brook was where he and Deborah melded. Their mentor-mentee relationship was probably the closest they’d get to father-daughter. He gratefully accepted it.

  As much as Abraham appreciated the family that was with him today, he missed those who were not. Saralyn and Michael been invited, but both had declined. Saralyn had yet to get over the ultimatums Michael made when he thought they needed him to be a liver donor for Isaac. And he knew that she was still angry with him for giving in to those demands when they hadn’t needed to. The bottom line was that she still wasn’t ready to accept Michael or Deborah. He counted on Isaac to wear her down, though. He was her only soft spot.

  Michael, on the other hand, was just not ready to give up thirty years of anger. Abraham hoped that the birth of his first child would change him. If it didn’t, he didn’t like to think where Michael’s life would take him. Josette would accept nothing less than full surrender from him.

  Thoughts of Josette, who was still separated from Michael, brought thoughts of his grandchild, which brought a giant grin to his face. Josette was due to deliver any day now. He couldn’t wait to hold his first grandchild. How he wished his mother could be there for the birth of her first great-grandchild! He comforted himself with the knowledge that she was looking down from heaven with a smile. He’d taken her letter to heart and tried to become the better man she’d wanted him to be. It hadn’t been an easy road to travel so far, and he didn’t expect it to become easier as time went on, but he knew the struggle was worth the reward.

  “What are you grinning about, Dad?” Rebecca asked. “Let us in on it.”

  He smiled. “Josette and the baby.”

  “That ought to make you smile, Grandpa,” Alan said.

  The phone rang and Rebecca got up to answer it. “Really,” she said into the handset. “We’re on our way.

  “You must be psychic, Dad,” she said when she hung up. “That was Leah and Melvin. Josette just called them. She’s on her way to the hospital.”

  Deborah got up from her seat, clapping her hands. “Come on, folks,” she said. “We’ve got to get moving. I’m about to be an aunt.”

  “And I’m about to be an uncle,” Isaac chimed in.

  Abraham looked heavenward. “And I’m about to be a grandfather.” Life was good. He was living proof that a man’s past sins didn’t have to destroy his future. “Who’s driving?” he asked. “Grandpa is much too nervous to do it.”

  Acknowledgments

  Sins of the Father made its way into print due to the hard work of a lot of people. Though it is impossible for me to name every person who contributed, I’d like to single out a few.

  My first thanks goes to Carolyn Marino, my previous Harper editor, for leaving me in the wonderfully capable hands of her assistant Wendy Lee. Thanks also, Carolyn, for being there to help us develop a great tagline.

  I don’t really know how to express my gratitude to my editor, Wendy Lee. Wendy, you were all the things an editor needed to be to get this book out of me. You were understanding when I needed to be understood, flexible when I needed flexibility, and stern when I needed discipline. I appreciate you for all the things you were to me and to Sins of the Father. Because of you, it is a much stronger book and I am a much more enlightened author.

  As always, thanks to Natasha Kern, my agent, and Carol Craig, my personal writing GPS, for their unwavering belief in me and the vision I have for my work. Ladies, I am fortunate to have you in my life.

  I offer a special thanks to the other members of the Avon/HarperCollins team who worked to get Sins of the Father into print and into bookstores. Once again you have blessed me with a wonderful cover and enticing back cover copy. To Michael Morris in Sales and Emma Beavers in Publicity, I know the magic you worked for Up Pops the Devil, and look forward to see that magic in action again with Sins of the Father.

  Finally, a special thank you to all the readers who have picked up Sins of the Father. Many of you have been with me since my first book, Bands of Gold, was published in 1994. O
thers of you have found me more recently and after reading my newest works, bless your heart, now you’re trying to find Bands of Gold. Please know that I don’t take you or your hard-earned money for granted. My goal with each book is deliver an entertaining and uplifting story that will keep you turning the pages until the very end and leave you wanting more. Thank you for being my inspiration.

  A+ AUTHOR INSIGHTS, EXTRAS, & MORE…

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  Reading Group Guide Questions

  Abraham tries to become closer to his children by offering them access to his business and vast wealth. Do you think this is enough to make up for his absence during their childhood? Do you believe that it is possible to atone for something like abandoning your children? Why or why not?

  Michael refuses to meet with Abraham, while Deborah is quite willing to reconcile with him. Do you think Michael is correct to act in that fashion, or do you think Deborah’s way is better? If you were in their situation, what would you do?

  Why do you think Deborah likes to date older men? Is it just because she is looking for a father figure? Do you think that she and Alan will make a good couple? Why or why not?

  Isaac doubts Rebecca’s love after he learns she’s kept a secret from him. Do you think his doubts are justified? What do you think Rebecca should have done to convince him of her devotion?”

  Saralyn and Leah both say that they were Abraham’s true girlfriend, while the other was just someone Abraham cheated with. What do you think is the true story behind these relationships? How would Abraham’s life be different if he had chosen Leah instead of Saralyn?

  Leah tells Melvin that although she is not in love with Abraham anymore, much of her life has been consumed by him. Can you think of a similar situation in your life? Have you ever been unable to let go of a relationship with someone, romantic or not, despite knowing it was for the best that you do so?

  Why do you think Michael didn’t tell Josette that Abraham was his father? Do you think she should be upset with him about it? If your spouse or significant other withheld that kind of information from you, would you not trust them as much? Why or why not?

  Do you think Josette’s decision regarding Michael and the baby is a good one? How does the situation between Josette and Michael mirror the situation between Leah and Abraham? Do you think children are destined to repeat the mistakes of their parents? Why or why not?

  How do both Isaac and Michael exhibit traits of their father? Who do you think is more “Abraham’s son,” Isaac or Michael, and why?

  Do you think that Michael will ever become close to his father and half brother? Will it ever be possible for the Martins and the Johnsons to become one big family, or is their shared past too much to overcome? Why or why not?

  In Praise of Siblings

  An Essay by Angela Benson

  I’ve been thinking (and writing) a lot about siblings these days. I only have one—a brother—though there were many times growing up when I thought there were six of him. The boy was a holy terror, sometimes without the holy.

  I have the funniest memories of him growing up. Though he’s three years younger than I am, when he was around five or six he used to beat me up. He did it because I’d never hit him back. Well, I woke up to that pretty quickly when I accidentally socked him one day. Guess what? My brother’s love of hitting his big sister suddenly faded.

  My brother used to torture me with dessert. Like a normal person, I would eat my dessert immediately after the meal. Not my brother. He’d save his for later that night when I had none. Then he’d sit in front of me eating his, waiting for me to ask for a bite so he could deny me. I wish I could say I never asked, but I always did.

  As we grew older, I seemed to get the upper hand on my little brother. My mom worked two jobs when we were kids, so when I was old enough, she gave me cooking chores. My first dish was fried chicken. How hard could it be? I’d seen my mother cook it often. So I fried this chicken. It looked golden brown on the outside but I wondered about the inside. I didn’t know, but I knew how to find out. I served my good-looking chicken to my brother. As I watched him take his first bite and saw the streams of blood flowing out, I concluded the chicken wasn’t quite done yet. Guess what? I never had to cook again. Why? Because my brother refused to eat anything else I cooked. That bloody chicken ended it for him.

  To be honest, I didn’t lose any sleep about not cooking. What kid wants to cook? What kid wants to do any chores around the house? Not me. I soon figured out how to evade all chores: pretend I was reading or doing homework. You see, my mom was a strong proponent of getting a good education. Unfortunately for my brother, he never figured this out so he did a LOT of chores. Sometimes I felt sorry for him and wanted to clue him in on my chore evasion strategy, but I couldn’t trust him not to tell Mom. So I watched him cook (yes, he cooks), clean, and iron, while I pretended to study.

  As we grew older, things got a bit more serious. I remember an incident that occurred when I was off at college and my brother was still home. He called me to share a secret about a problem he was facing. He made me promise not to tell our mother. Of course, I promised. Unfortunately, as soon as we hung up the phone, I dialed my mom and told her the secret. Now, I love my brother, but there was no way I could keep that secret. To this day I don’t remember what the secret was, I just remember feeling that it was too big for me too handle. It took my brother a while to get over this one and share another secret with me, but he did.

  One of the dearest memories I have of my brother is the day I realized he’d become an adult with insights to help me with my problems. I remember pulling the phone away from my ear and looking it, while thinking, When did my little brother become a man? A very precious moment indeed.

  I cherish my relationship with my brother, as you can probably tell from these stories. Because we live thirteen hours apart, we don’t see each other often, but we talk several times a week. There’s a richness to our relationship because of its ups and downs, and because it seems to grow stronger and deeper through those ups and downs.

  I like to read about relationships that remind me of me and my brother. I love to read about people caring for each other, through the good times and the bad. The bumps on the relationship road only make the relationship more cherished. It’s not surprising, then, that my stories have strong sibling relationships. I’m waiting for the day my brother recognizes our relationship in one of my stories. When he does, I’m sure he’ll want a commission.

  Siblings. Mine’s a keeper. I hope you know yours are, too.

  Q&A with Angela Benson

  You have an unusual background for a writer in that you have degrees in mathematics and industrial engineering, and you teach educational technology at the University of Alabama. Does that background influence what you write?

  Not as much as you would think. I have never set a story in the engineering world or in the academic world. I guess I go to my personal life when I write rather than to my professional life. I have often thought of writing a thriller set in the engineering world, where the heroine has to save the world from “technology gone amuck,” but I’ve never come up with a solid idea. I tried the college campus with my last book but found the setting restrictive. I’m not sure why since other authors have written engaging stories set on college campuses.

  Your first novel was published in 1994, and Sins of the Father will be your twelfth book. Where do you get the ideas for your stories and characters?

  Ideas come from everywhere, even my own life. My family is convinced my first book, Bands of Gold, was autobiographical. I even had a cousin call me up and ask if the book was about me. It’s not; trust me. My life is not exciting enough for a novel. That said, I do use bits and pieces of my life in my stories, but I have to spice them up a lot to make them novelworthy. I had a cousin who struggled after being released from prison, so he inspired my last book, Up Pops the
Devil.

  My stories are not really about the people or events that spark the idea, though. Rather, they are about the questions those ideas raise for me. In writing my novels, I explore those questions. I grew up without a father, so Sins of the Father allowed me to explore what it would be like for an absentee father to return.

  Faith seems to be a very important component of your books. Can you talk a little bit about the role of faith in your work?

  My writing has always been about hope. My career started with writing romance novels because that “happily ever after” ending was a sign of hope. Faith is the other side of the hope. I started writing Christian fiction in 2000 because I wanted to make that faith explicit on the pages of the story. Faith, church, and religion have long played a pivotal role in the American family and in the African-American community. Sins of the Father is another faith story, but I consider it more inspirational fiction than Christian fiction because I focus more on the faith and less on church and religion.

  How did you decide to become a writer? What practical advice would you give to a writer who’s just starting out?

  My earliest memory of writing fiction is from Ms. Milazo’s fifth grade English class. We wrote short stories each week and read them aloud to the class. My classmates loved my stories and always clapped after I finished reading them, which made me feel really good about myself and what I’d written. The story that made me the all-time class favorite was “My Interview with the Jackson Five.” This was a pretty special story for me, since I had a very strong crush on Jermaine Jackson at the time. Okay, now I’ve dated myself. That was more than thirty years ago.