Personal Possessions, page 1
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PERSONAL POSSESSIONS
WRITTEN BY: TRACY LEE
TREVOR’S POV
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
PERSONAL POSSESSIONS Copyright © 2014 by Tracy Lee.
ISBN:
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Cover Art Design: Sprinkles on Top Studios LLC
Cover Art Illustrations: Sprinkles on Top Studios LLC
Copyright © Jan. 09, 2014
Published by: Bar Publishing
Printed in (United States of America)
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Acknowledgements
Right off, I have to thank all my readers. I can’t tell you how much you have touched my heart with your great words of encouragement, support and love. Know that YOU are the reason why I bring my dreams out into open air! I am so excited that you loved TJ and Elle as much as I did. Keep those reviews coming because that’s the only way that we are going to be able to spread the word about their story.
My family; my amazing husband, Shawn who has played the role of Mr. Mom while I finished writing TJ’s story. Thank you and I love you!!
My aunt and uncle, Tommy and Ruth who have cheered me on one hundred percent and I love the both of you with all my heart!
To my girls: Trina, Marion, Jeni, Ruby, Nikki, Stacy…love you all!
I have to give a huge shout out to Nicky for reassuring me my shit was where it needed to be. Thank you girl! I cannot wait to see where this road leads the three of us!
Thank you Brianna, my assistant, for all your hard work…you took a load off of my shoulders, girl! I couldn’t do it without you!
Faith with Bar Publishing, you rock, Chick!! Good and positive things are in the cards for us! Thank you for all your hard work to get this book straight and out!
To my betas: Amy S, Rebekkah, Trina, Amy C. I can’t imagine of having anyone else read for me other than ya’ll. I hope you’re ready for the road ahead!
To the bloggers that have worked with me with promos on blog tours. Thank you so much!!
My cover artist, Sarah at Sprinkles on Top Studios…you do not disappoint, Thank you!
Thank you, every one of you! You can never imagine how much you have touched my heart!
Enjoy Personal Possessions!
-Tracy
Prologue
I once read a quote from Aristotle that said “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
Throughout my life I have seen heartbreak. Chaos grew like weeds over the fresh soil of relationships, making passion unobtainable because it never had an inkling of a spot to develop in. Affairs that, to me couldn’t comprehend the real meaning of what Aristotle described as love. People searching lifespans to find even a miniscule scrap of emotion that was so astonishing it made people kill, hurt, lie and cheat for it. And yet, they died never knowing the true meaning of what Aristotle’s words meant.
There was a very distinctive few that got the chance to comprehend what it meant, and then there were an even smaller number of couples who were blessed with the unique opportunity to not only understand it, but lived it.
Elleny and I lived this proverb.
Raw energy that comes from sharing one soul with another is so intense and overpowering, it seeps out of you. Not understanding this feeling, the only way to find some type of reprieve is to crawl into that other person’s body and we all know that isn’t even possible.
You’ve heard couples say things like “as soon as I saw them, I just knew I was going to marry her” or “I flat out told her I’m going to marry you.” That’s how it feels, that’s the feeling that hit me that day in school. It’s so strong, inside of you, you can’t fight it; can’t think about anything else. You have no choice, but to just let it lead you.
This was unfortunately not the case with my parents
From the moment I could remember, my parents always fought. Nothing physical, more of the verbal takedown to see who could be the cruelest and destroy the other one’s spirit first. Seeing as both my mom and dad were two of the most headstrong people in the world, they both thought that each of them was justified. These arguments were not just your average ordinary disputes such as money, bills or my well-being… these were struggles that were straight from the heart. My dad’s was as black as tar, where my mom’s was as pure as a child’s soul.
You see, my dad didn’t love my mom, not one bit. He had no choice but to marry her. Being from an influential family, they would’ve disowned him once they found out she was pregnant with me. So, to make up for the “domestic misery” at home, dad cheated on her whenever he had the chance. Not even with one specific woman, no, he had multiples.
I’d hear him talking on phone calls, “I have one nagging wife tying me down as it is, I don’t need two of them bitchin’ in my fuckin ear.”
On the other hand, my mom adored my dad. She worshipped him like he was the creator of the moon, and the sun. He’d come home smelling of perfume, she’d overlook it and continue on as if nothing was out of the norm. He’d even go as far as to bring women home, drunk and stick them in one of the guest rooms. She would see the ladies, if you can call them that, leaving the next morning and her smile wouldn’t even falter. I caught her one night in town with one of the other ladies from the Rotary club saying, “They may get him for a night, but I get him until the day he dies.” That was a pretty fucked up theory about the situation but hey, who was I to judge? There wasn’t anything that I could say that would change her mind.
I loved my mom with all my heart, and I always felt that deep down she had to be miserable. Giving your whole heart away and not receiving one in return; what kind of love was that? She deserved to be treated with respect for the beautiful woman that she was.
Once I got older, I suggested that she leave him. She just told me, “Sweetie, I promised that I would see this through till the end. Now what kinda lady would that make me if I broke my promise?”
I just nodded and went on with what I was doing because I knew I couldn’t argue with her, she was set in her ways and she was standing firm.
My dad was a businessman, an investing son of a bitch. Traveling all over the country, he was busy making deals and meeting his next “business builder.” He just knew when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em when it came to selling out. . Dreaming of one day working on Wall-Street, I idolized him when it came to his business abilities. My dad was a straight up, hard ass for investments. He used to tell me “Son, if you give them an inch to flinch, you’ve given them enough space to haul ass.” I wanted that to be me. I wanted to be the one demanding the attention, not the one being demanded.
It was because of him that I got my drive, but that was all I got from that piece of shit. Feeling sick every time I looked at him over the way he treated my mom, I would tend to find ways to stay away from him. Listening in at the top of the stairs late at night, I could hear her pleading with everything that was in her to give them a chance. Him flat out denying her request, telling her it wasn’t worth it, and that there would never be anything between them. It made me want to vomit.
Who the fuck did he think he was, that he was so much better than her? She made sure that he was taken care of daily. Supper was cooked, clothes were washed, and yet all she asked him for in return was for him to love her. Hell, the more I thought of it, the more I hated him.
My dad did do one thing right, he provided for us financially. Sally-Ann Broderick-McHale was a woman of wealth. Never having worked a day in her life, she made up for it by giving her time away free and she deserved the life she lived. There was always a PTA meeting to attend. A luncheon to grace with her presence, probably to plan the next charity event that was part of some club she was a member of. She would volunteer in the children’s ward, at the local hospital, and she was also the chairperson for the annual ball to raise money for the local battered women’s shelter. In my eyes, my mother was a saint.
I laid in my bed staring up at the ceiling, listening to my m
“I see those eyes, little man,” My mom said in her nasally voice.
I knew what that meant; she had been crying again, he was such a bastard. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow, meeting your teacher. You don’t wanna look like you’ve been up all night, do you?”
I sat up “But momma, I already know her.” Coming over to me, gently nudging me back down. Kissing my head, “I know that, but let’s not spoil our fun, ok? Let’s pretend we don’t and tomorr’a will be a big surprise!” She forced a smile, despite her puffy and red eyes. She tucked me in. Nodding and closing my eyes, I whispered, “Love you, momma.” Just as my door clicked shut I heard, “Love you back.”
It was then that I vowed to myself, I would never live that way. My mother and father were not one of those couples who really understood what Aristotle was speaking about. I decided right then, on that very night that when I met the right girl, the one that would become my wife, I would give her everything. There would not be one piece of me that didn’t belong to her. Seeing as how one’s personal possessions are naturally the most significant assets to any single human being, I would hand her every part of what I held sacred. She would own me.
Little did I know, where that vow would lead me the very next day.
Showing up for the meet and greet, my mom walked with me to my classroom. I had gotten up extra early to make sure that I had time to brush my teeth, and style my hair. Since I knew mostly everyone already from preschool or junior football, I didn’t have to think about making a huge impression. I just wanted to make sure that I was lookin’ my best.
As I turned the corner, I noticed the room was loud. Twenty-two kids were running around while their parents sat at the desks listening to Ms. Wilde address them about the school supply lists. I saw Bear, he was standing next to his granny who was seated in his desk listening, whispering something in her ear. She shook her head and he stomped away, making me snicker. Skeeter Davis was stalking the cubbies filled with the baby dolls to see which girl he could go up to, and grab their bottoms. I thought to myself that one of these days I was gonna whoop his ass for that shit.
There were kids over at the table that was set up with juice and cookies for the parents, but by the time they would get to them, they’d be gone. Suddenly my eyes focused on the corner of the room; right next to the cubbies that held the goldfish and the pet gerbil was, Elleny Barker. Standing there in the prettiest red sundress she was whisperin’ to my cousin, Rachel. Elleny’s dress was sleeveless, but there were strings that tied up on her shoulders, the skirt hit her at the knees and she was wearing block high-heeled sandals with pantyhose. Her brown hair was pulled up in a high ponytail with a bow that matched her tress tied at the top of it. When she smiled, her eyes lit up as though they were made of diamonds. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She looked like an angel.
“Rachel sho’ is lookin’ good this year aint she, Treva,” Bear said softly as he snuck up beside me.
“Ewwwhhh, that’s gross Bear, that’s my cousin!” I said as I walked off to find my desk.
Coming to a stop in front of the desk that had a yellow school bus name tag with ‘Trevor McHale’ taped to it, I closed my eyes for a moment and said a little prayer. I wanted her beside me. Opening my eyes and looking in front of me I searched her out... No Elleny in front. I looked behind me… again, not her. I looked to my left and didn’t see anyone’s name on that desk, so I looked to my right and there it was. In big black letters, the name that I knew would change the rest of my life.
I knew that she was the one.
Chapter 1
I heard his words, but they weren’t sinking in. I wouldn’t allow them to. “Don’t talk to my wife!” Bear yelled as he began stomping towards me.
“This is a fucking joke, right?” My head went back and forth between Elle and Bear. “What the fuck did I miss, because I’ve only been gone, what, two weeks?” Everything was falling apart right in front of my eyes. Not only that, but my whole world just crashed around me not even two hours ago.
“Go home, Trevor.” She whispered quietly. My head was pulsating. I could hear my heart beating so loud, I couldn’t even hear her talking. I had to squint to hear her tell me to leave.
“Fuck that! You married him?” I kept thinking this was a huge goddamn practical joke. That at any moment Rach, Lilly and Curt would pop up from behind the bushes and start laughing. Turning back to look at Max and Mona, they were just standing there, not saying a word. They had said enough in the house when they showed me what had been sent to them.
Staring at the two of them I asked, “You knew about this, didn’t’cha?”
An evil laugh escaped my lips, I was going to spontaneously combust I was so pissed. “You let me sit inside your home, knowing she was coming home a married lady? I told you, over, and over again that those pictures aren’t what they look like. You couldn’t at least give me a heads up?” Their eyes never left their feet. I looked back over at her, she could see the pain in my eyes; a sorrow that I would experience only one other time in my life.
Bear demanded “You heard her, TJ. Go home!!”
Noticing she had to pass me if she wanted to get to the house, she started moving slowly towards me as Bear began to approach me from behind her. I wasn’t fighting him, he’d already won. He took the prize, and there was nothing for me to fight for left. I could see the tearstained lines running down her face, she wouldn’t look at me long, but it was long enough for me to see that she didn’t want any of this.
As she went to pass me, I ran my hand up her arm, whispering her name softly.
“Don’t you fucking touch her, Cocksucker!”
Turning towards Bear’s voice, I realized fast it was too late. He was already on top of me knocking me to the ground. The pain from the first couple of punches was excruciating, but after that, I just went numb. I could taste the blood that filled my mouth instantaneously but I didn’t even raise my hands to defend myself.
Her screaming pierced my senses, as she begged Max and Mona to let her go as they attempted to drag her off. Bear never let up. “That fucking ride was mine, you piece of shit! Do you think a brother takes what belongs to another brother? You ain’t no brother of mine!” Each word punctuated with another blow to the head, so I had no choice but to hear every word he had to say to me.
“Four fucking years at UGA, that scholarship had my name on it, I worked for that! All you did was ride my coat tails. I was supposed to get out of this fucking town to be somethin’! You might’ve been big in high school but you aint shit now... are ya? Gettin your ass whooped like the pussy you are!”
I heard my nose crack from where Skeeter Davis had broken it the first time in seventh grade. Closing my eyes, I listened above the noise of cracking bones. “You think cuz you got money, you’re owed somethin’, well I’m about to prove to you… and to her that ya’ll aint shit!” I was just about to close my eyes and pass out when I saw a blur of pink rush into Bear and knock him off of me. Someone screamed her name. Who, I had no idea. I needed to pass out.
1998
“Trevor, Trevor!” I felt something lying on my face. I opened my eyes but couldn’t see, my eyes were covered with something white and lacy.
“What the hell?”
“Wake the fuck up, bro! It’s graduation day!” the rich Boston accent called to me as I slowly pulled the panties off my face, and threw them back on the floor. “Holy shit, can your head just break off like glass? I should’ve never done those shots last night,” I mumbled to Greg.
