Destiny's Daughters by Gwynne Forster

Author:Gwynne Forster
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2011-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Jamilla tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and kicked off her shoes. The flight back from Atlanta had been late, long, and laborious. Unruly children, sweaty old men, and rude flight attendants grated on any good nerve she thought she had left. Since she’d left little more than forty-eight hours ago, her hopes of finding her sisters seemed all but lost. She glanced at the clock and decided that though it was just before three in the afternoon, it was after five o’clock somewhere, and she went to pour herself a glass of merlot.

As she passed the refrigerator on her way to the cabinet that held the good wineglasses, she caught a glimpse of a picture of her with her parents when she graduated from law school. Her dad smiled so proudly. It made her long for him. After she poured the wine, she decided to retrieve the family album.

She sat looking at pictures from her infancy, and she thought back to how she’d never suspected that her parents hadn’t given her life. This newfound information from her mother had rocked her even more. She didn’t know what to think about her mother and father buying her. Even given her mother’s explanation, Jamilla had a hard time wrapping her mind around the concept.

She continued to peruse the pictures, refilling her wineglass until the bottle was empty. When she finally closed the last album, her head was buzzing and her heart ached. Except for the now infamous twelfth-birthday party, not one picture showed her with other little girls. Jamilla Holmes Dixon was always alone or with Augusta and Johnny. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. How was today any different? She really needed a girlfriend, especially today. Someone she could call and have her listen attentively as she poured out her heart.

“I’ll call Gloria!” Jamilla went to search for her friend from college’s phone number. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d spoken, but she knew it hadn’t been that long ago. She found the number in her BlackBerry and dialed it on the house phone.

The familiar voice picked up on the first ring. “Hello.”

“Hi, Gloria, this is Jamilla.”

Silence.

“Hello? You there?”

“Yes,” Gloria Princeton answered flatly.

“How’ve you been?”

“I’m doing quite well, thank you.”

Jamilla wondered if this had been such a good idea. She’d called her friend to lift her spirits, but she was sure an overdue creditor got a warmer reception. “I’ve obviously caught you at a bad time. I’ll call you later, I guess.”

“Don’t bother,” Gloria snapped.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jamilla retorted matching Gloria’s tone.

“I can’t believe you’d have the nerve to call me after what you did, or should I say didn’t do.

“Gloria, what are . . .” Jamilla tried to squeeze her words between Gloria’s tirades.

“I thought we were closer than that!”

“. . . you talking about?” Jamilla managed to finish her question.

“Oh and now you’re going to act like you don’t know?” Gloria screamed so loud it was hard to decipher what she was saying exactly.

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