A Second Helping (27 page)

He wasn't. The choirs were supposed to march in back-
to-back each singing a different song. However, two of the choirs were singing the same song and an argument broke out over which choir was going to change. Neither wanted to, so he, Roni, and Lily came up with a compromise that put one of choirs at the front of the parade line and the other at the end.

Farther down the line the frats were talking smack to each other and wanted to fight. One of Sheriff Dalton's deputies had to step in on that one and threatened to take everybody to jail if they didn't start acting like they had some sense.

Bernadine was dealing with the local politicians. They too were jockeying for what they thought would be the best positioning. The plan had been to have them march in between the three bands, but they wanted to be first. They soon found out that this was her town's parade and she gave them the option of getting with the program or watching the parade on the sidelines with their constituents. They got with the program.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around the adult parade coordinators were searching for over-the-counter pain relief to ease their throbbing headaches, and Amari and Preston were looking for ice cream.

However, the parade went off without a hitch. The choirs rocked, the bands played, and the frats and sororities stepped.

The Black Farmers marched behind the Black Cattlemen's Association. They were trailed by Trent and the other fathers of Dads Inc. Mal and his Buffalo Soldiers rode proudly astride their mounts. Even the pets behaved—
although Gus's owner had to carry him, and Buster the goat strained at his leash the entire way.

Bernadine couldn't believe the number of spectators. They lined Main Street from the Dog to the Power Plant, waving and cheering. Television crews from all over the state had turned out in force, and the marshals ran out of the flyers that had been printed up to explain the history behind the celebration.

The final choir marched by but their voices were suddenly drowned out by the thundering roar of jet engines. Everyone looked up. Sleek blue fighters were rolling and diving and streaking low across the sky. The Blue Angels had arrived.

Preston and Amari began jumping up and down and screaming with joy. The jets stayed only a few minutes but it was more than long enough to knock the socks off everyone in attendance. They disappeared as quickly as they'd appeared, but the resulting buzz in the crowd was enormous.

Preston made his way to the colonel and ran and leapt into his arms. The grinning colonel enjoyed the moment. “How was that?”

“That was so cool! Aw man! Thank you!”

“You're welcome.”

“I gotta get back to work.”

“Go, go. We'll hook up later.”

Preston hurried off to judge the pet races, and the smiling colonel watched him until he was swallowed up by the crowd.

The pet races turned out to be another questionable
idea, Amari decided. The first race, which had some cats and hamsters, turned out to be a mistake when a couple of the hamsters were chased down by the felines and sent to hamster heaven.

The second race had some of the bigger animals, like Buster the goat, Gus the goose, and a couple of hogs named Mutt and Jeff. Most of the dogs had opted to compete in the obstacle course set up on the other side of the field and were over there minding their own business.

As the second race began, things went okay until Buster the goat saw the dogs on the course and charged off in that direction. The other animals followed, and before anyone could react, the goat and his buddies were causing havoc. Dogs rose to the challenge, barking and charging back. People ran. The course's gates and chutes were knocked over as the big hogs, Mutt and Jeff, powered their way through. One lady fell and broke her ankle trying to get out of the way. An ambulance had to be called to take her to the hospital. It roared up with lights flashing, and Preston and Amari got an earful from the sponsors of the obstacle course over who was going to pay for the damage.

By the time the choirs sang at seven that evening, neither Amari nor Preston wanted to hear the word
parade
ever again, because even the choirs acted up. The feud between the soloists that Roni thought she'd taken care of broke wide. The woman she'd designated as the soloist began to sing but out of the back row came another voice. The one who'd lost was singing the solo too. As everyone looked on in shock, it became clear why the second singer hadn't been tapped. Soloist number one had way better
pipes. In the end, someone nudged singer number two off the edge of the riser and she landed on the ground in the dark.

A fabulous fireworks display would end the celebration, and as it began a tired and glum Amari and Preston came over and sat down on the ground next to Bernadine, who was watching the show from her golf cart. “What's wrong?” she asked.

“This was a disaster.”

“No it wasn't. Everyone had such a good time all they've been asking is are we going to do this again next year. They liked the food, the parade, the history exhibit, and the fun.”

Both boys stared.

“Really?” Amari asked.

“Yep.”

By the light of the fireworks Amari and Preston looked at each other with surprise.

Lily drove up.

Bernadine asked her, “So how many lawsuits are we looking at?”

“Eight, so far. The lady with the broken ankle, the people who owned the hamsters, the obstacle course sponsors, and the woman in the choir who wound up in the dirt.”

“Total damages?”

“Give or take, fifteen, twenty thousand.”

“Do me a favor. Once everything is all totaled, send the bill to Leo.”

Lily laughed. “You're kidding?”

“Nope. He wants to help out, so we'll let him.”

“Okay,” Lily said. “I'm going to go watch the rest of the show with Devon and the Garlands. I'll see you in the morning. And Amari and Preston. Good job.”

They were still stunned.

Bernadine said gently, “You two were looking at this from what went wrong, but the people who came looked at it from what went right. So like Lily said, good job. The Dog's closed, but tomorrow, the ice cream's on me.”

They grinned.

“Now shoo. Go find your families and enjoy the rest of the show.”

To her surprise, they gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran off into the dark.

Of course they were going to have to rethink the pet races if they did indeed decide to throw this again next year, she told herself, but all in all the August First celebration had been a great success.

She looked up at the fireworks display exploding against the night and sent up a thanks for all her blessings. Yes, there were still things to be resolved. Zoey still hadn't spoken. Riley and Cletus were now back in Kansas, and rumor had it there was going to be a big trial. Marie and Leo were still seeing each other, and she had no idea how that was going to turn out. And was Jack James really sweet on Rocky, as Lily swore he was? Bernadine didn't know what to make of that, but having lived in Henry Adams for a full year now, she knew that anything was bound to happen in the little town she'd purchased on eBay, so she didn't worry. Everything would be resolved in its own time.

Looking up, she saw Malachi walk out of the darkness and head her way. When he reached her side, they shared a smile and he gave her shoulders a tender squeeze. She scooted over to make room for him on the golf cart. He draped an arm over her and together they watched the fireworks fill the sky.

FROM
BEVERLY
JENKINS
AND
AVON A

 

 

Book Club Questions

• 1. Forgiveness and personal growth are two of the themes threaded through
  A Second Helping
  . Discuss these themes and the character(s) who exemplify them best.
  
• 2. Who got the most out of Amari's Spirit Quest, Amari or Tamar? Explain your choice.
  
• 3. What does Eustasia Pennymaker see in Riley Curry that would make her support him in spite of what she knows about him?
  
• 4. Will Bernadine continue to open her feelings to Malachi? If yes, why? If not, why not? And what role might Leo play in Bernadine's future relationship with Mal?
  
• 5. Two new characters were added to the mix. Discuss Jack and Eli James and the impact of Henry Adams and its residents on them.
  
• 6. Crystal says Eli was kind of cute. Would you like to see a relationship blossom between them? Or do you think it will never happen?
  
• 7. How has Lily and Trent's relationship evolved since
  Bring on the Blessings?
  Will Lily's organized and no-nonsense ways clash with Trent's laid-back attitude once they are married?
  
• 8. Discuss the difference in Preston's character from
  Bring on the Blessings
  to
  A Second Helping
  . Has there been a change? If so, what do you think are the causes?
  
• 9. One of the themes of
  A Second Helping
  deals with personal growth. List and discuss the characters this theme applies to.
  
• 10. Do you think Devon has a true gift for the Word? Will he change his focus as he gets older?
  
• 11. Does the Dog and Cow need a new name now that it has been rebuilt? If yes, what might it be called?
  
• 12. What do you hope to see if there is a third book in this series?
  

 

 

Dear Readers,

I hope you enjoyed
A Second Helping
. Looking in on the folks of Henry Adams, Kansas, was a treat. Per the title, this is our second visit to the small, all-Black township I created in 1994 for my first published novel,
Night Song
. Like Henry Adams,
Night Song
has been given its own second chance. It's back in print and I thank my publisher, HarperCollins, for the blessing.

Bring on the Blessings
, the initial book in this series, generated a host of congratulatory mail and e-mails. Thanks to all the readers who contacted me. A special thanks to all the foster parents and adoptive parents who took time out of their busy days to let me know how much they loved the story and the many ways in which
Bring on the Blessings
mirrored the experiences of them and their kids. I urge them to stay the course. I also urge anyone who may have been moved by Bernadine's dream to reach out and share your gifts with a child in need. It will change your life. I promise.

This series has brought many new readers to the Beverly Jenkins table and I welcome you with open arms. I hope the modern-day stories of Henry Adams will pique your interest enough to look into my historical titles and learn more about the Jefferson and July ancestors and the establishment of the real Black townships founded in the wake of the Great Exodus of 1879. African-Americans have a rich history in this country and I am honored to be one of the
griots
telling our story.

Until next time,
B

Cover photograph © Mandy Pritty/Getty Images