Afrika Jones

Dawn Walker

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…Jones

To many, Afrika Jones had it all, beauty, a successful career as a nurse, and two handsome teenage boys. The only thing that was missing from the former forty-one-year-old runway model was a man. When one of her twin sons suddenly finds himself possibly facing a felony charge, she enlists the help of juvenile attorney Richard Jones. Could he be the man that was tailor-made for her?

…V erses

Finding the right woman hasn’t been easy for Attorney Richard Jones nor had it been easy raising his teenage daughter. A widower of eight years, Richard has dedicated his entire life to his daughter and career until he meets Afrika Jones, a woman who was perfect. Can he manage to convince her to give love a chance?

…Jones

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Dedication

In memory of my friend Walter Leck who recognized the creative side of

my writing and who encouraged me to keep at it.

Acknowledgement

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way

of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD;

and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the

rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and

whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1: 1-3

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Chapter One

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AFRIKA JONES struggled to open the front door of her home as she heard the phone repeatedly ringing inside. Finally unlocking it, she rushed in, dumped the bags of groceries she was carrying on the sofa, and ran to answer the phone just as the answering machine kicked in. “Hello, Ms. Jones, this is the NYPD. I’m Sergeant Borski at the 49th Precinct. We have your son, Tyrese Howard in custody.”

“Hello, this is Ms. Jones.” The feedback from the answering machine squeaked loudly as she held the receiver close to her ear. “Hold on while I turn this thing off.” Sitting the phone down, she shut off the machine. Taking a few minutes to calm her nerves, she thought, Lord have mercy, what has Tyrese done now? Counting to ten as her heart raced, she slowly began to relax. “All right, Sergeant Borski,” she said when she retrieved the phone. “You said you have my son in custody.”

“That’s right, ma’am. We picked him up along with his friends in a stolen vehicle”

“Jesus, I can’t believe Tyrese stole a car.”

“We ran a check on him. With the exception of a couple of truancies, he came up squeaky clean. He claims he didn’t know the car was stolen when he decided to go joy riding with his buddies.”

“Sergeant, my son’s a little headstrong, but he’s never been in any major trouble with the law. He’s basically a good kid.”

“That may well be, ma’am, but auto theft is a felony. He was with the other young men. That makes him an accomplice. The owner of the vehicle has decided to press charges. I suggest you contact an attorney.”

“Can I post bail?”

“Sure. He’ll be released in your custody until his court date. Do you need the address?”

“No. I know where you’re located.”

“Good. Just ask for me at the reception desk when you get here. I’ll come out and meet you.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” Hanging up the phone, Afrika grabbed a pen and scribbled a short note to her other son.

Maurice, put away the groceries. I’ll start dinner as soon as I get home. I have to go to the police station. Your brother has gotten himself into trouble again. I’ll see you soon. Love Mom.

Grabbing her purse and car keys from the sofa, she rushed out of the house.

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Driving down along I-95 North heading toward Pelham Pkwy West, Afrika thought about her seventeen-year-old twin sons, Tyrese and Maurice. Although she tried not to compare them, she often found herself doing exactly that. Identical in looks, they were like night and day in personalities. From a young age, Tyrese had been a bit of a rebel. He was constantly getting into fights at school which often resulted into suspension. His grades also had a lot to be desired. Barely bringing home a C-, he could have cared less about his studies.

Maurice on the other hand was a straight A student. A model son, he never caused her any grief. He had even joined a local church and was singing in the choir. Afrika had hoped Tyrese would eventually outgrow his impetuous ways, but as he grew older, he grew more reckless. Hotheaded with a temper to match, she was afraid he was headed down the same path as his father, Dexter Howard.

As she drove along the highway, the hellish memories of her past flooded her mind like a mighty river. She thought about her ex-husband Dex as she exited at 8C and continued on to Bronx and Pelham Pkwy West. Dex was serving a life sentence in a state penitentiary for murder. She hadn’t seen him since her divorce nearly eleven years ago. Normally when thoughts of Dex crept in her mind, she immediately squashed them. She had decided long time ago to put the past and all she’d been through behind her. Her life was different now. It had taken her a long time to recover from the all the pain and move forward. At times it seemed like she would never get past the hurt, but she had. She was stronger, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

She’d first met Dex when she was an aspiring model at the age of twenty. They’d accidentally bumped into each other on the street. She’d just been offered a modeling assignment at a prominent modeling agency. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t sure it they’d met by accident. Whose to say Dex hadn’t deliberately walked right into her? He was known for being crafty. He’d stoop to just about anything to get what he wanted. Strikingly beautiful with a tall slender figure and beautiful shoulder-length hair, she was used to men trying to get her attention on the streets. Needless to say, their head on collision caused her to drop her portfolio as she left the modeling agency. Bending down, Dex picked it up. She graciously thanked him and was about to walk away when he offered to buy her dinner. Pressed for time, she politely declined. Not taking no for an answer, Dex somehow managed to convince her to meet him for dinner at nearby restaurant later that evening. It was the least he could do since he wasn’t watching were he was going and bumped into her.

In hindsight, Afrika realized she probably should have followed her first mind and blew the brother off. She had to admit he had a certain charm that was hard to resist. A fine brother, he was fair skin with light brown eyes and wavy hair. In all honestly, he could have his pick of any woman he wanted. Against her better judgment, she met him. Little did she know it would be the worst decision she’s ever make. It was a decision that signaled the green light for him to pursue her and pursue her he did.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Afrika Jones

If you’d like to purchase the novel, please visit GUPC’s

online bookstore or stop by your local bookstore.

The book’s ISBN# is xxx-xx-xxx

Best Regards,

Dawn Walker

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