The Summer of Me (24 page)
Authors: Angela Benson
D
ESTINY SAT IN THE
H
ILLMAN GYMNASIUM WITH THE
other graduates waiting to be awarded their bachelor's degrees. Her journey to get here had been long, and sometimes rocky, but it had always been worth it. She'd taken charge of her life, made good decisions and bad ones, and lived through the consequences of both. Her future and her outlook on life were on the upswing.
She looked up in the stands in the general direction of where her family and friends were seated. She spied the wildly flailing arms of KJ and Kenae first. She couldn't help but grin at their antics.
She turned her attention from the twins to her mother and Daniel, who sat on either side of them. She thanked God that her mother was present and that her cancer was again in remission. She was grateful that the protocol from Charlotte Wells's clinical trial had given her and her mother time to build on what they had started two summers ago on
that fateful flight from L.A. back to Atlanta. She and her mother were closer today than they had ever been.
Kenneth, Mary Margaret, and three-month-old baby Kendra were seated a row above the others. As usual, baby Kendra was in the arms of her doting grandmother Charlotte. As she had expected, KJ and Kenae had fallen in love with their baby sister and showed no signs of jealousy.
Bertice, Phil, Natalie, and Gavin sat on the next row up. She was glad Bertice and Phil had been able to patch things up. They'd been talking about marriage for the last year, but hadn't announced a formal engagement yet.
Destiny's attention returned to Daniel. Their financial seminars had been a big hit with the church, so much so that they were made standing events on the church calendar. She and Daniel had worked magic with them and found magic with each other. If anybody had told her years ago that she would one day be on the verge of becoming a pastor's wife, she would not have believed them, but that's exactly where she found herself today.
Destiny's focus returned to the graduation when the procession attendant gave her row the signal to stand. As directed, she rose from her seat and followed her group to the left of the stage. As she stood waiting for her name to be called, she looked into the stands again. This time her eyes locked with Annie's and they shared a private smile. Annie, her friend and mentor, had enriched her life in many unexpected ways. Not only had she helped Destiny get her natural hair care license, she had also made her a partner in
the salon. They were looking to expand with a second salon, which Destiny would manage, in the coming year.
Destiny turned her attention back to the graduation exercise as the time for her name to be called drew near.
“Destiny Madison.”
When Destiny heard her name, she began her walk across the stage, leaving the Summer of Me behind.
The process of writing a novel is a long and, many times, arduous journey. Along the way, the writer needs lots of support. I'd like to acknowledge three of the many people who supported me through the writing of
The Summer of Me
.
I cannot fully express the gratitude I owe to my editor, Erika Tsang, for the way she labored with me as I struggled to finish this book. She forced me to move out of my comfort zone, and as a result, caused me to grow as a writer. Thank you, Erika.
My agent, Natasha Kern, was also wonderfully supportive. Good agents do more than their fair share of listening to a writer's woes and helping them find workable solutions to life problems that affect the writing process. Thank you, Natasha, for being a good agent.
Finally, I'd like to acknowledge my husband, George. The only thing more difficult than being a writer on deadline is being the husband of a writer on deadline. George was a true partner throughout the entire process. I could not have written this book without his willingness to pick up the slack in our home and with our family. Thank you, George.
ANGELA BENSON
is a graduate of Spelman College and the author of fourteen novels, including the Christy Awardânominated
Awakening Mercy,
the
Essence
bestseller
The Amen Sisters,
Up Pops the Devil,
and
Sins of the Father
. She is an associate professor at the University of Alabama and lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
www.theamensisters.com
/AngelaBensonBooks
@eAngelaBenson
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This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE SUMMER OF ME
. Copyright © 2016 by Angela Benson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-200272-3
EPub Edition April 2016 ISBN 9780062346742
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