Foreward by NY Times Best Selling Author - Peggy McColl
Suspenseful story, while the main character Christian, learns who he is and the personal power he has. A science fiction novel with some positive and interesting messages for every day life. A good read!!! ~ Review by Gaye Chicoine
Note: Order this book on Amazon and then get involved in the series. You have a chance to receive an Ipad Mini if your chapter/character submission is accepted.
See Being There Awakenings for details.
Excerpt: Chapter One - Farewell Christian
It was a beautiful
eighty degree day in the Hamptons. The sky was clear and the humidity was
unusually low. The sun was dipping behind a small bank of light, wispy clouds
emitting a rainbow of vibrant colors that filled the sky. The sound of waves
curling up to the beach resonated across the neighborhood as a light breeze
carried the unmistakable fragrance of summer at the beach across the yard.
This was the best time of the day. The excitement of beach goers
had faded slowly as the afternoon progressed. The crickets were chirping and
song birds were singing the last song of the day from their perches in the
arborvitaes lining the perimeter of the property. The occasional call of
seagulls strafing the beach echoed in the yard.
Christian hurried to finish with some last minute set up details.
He stacked a multitude of wrapped gifts on a table in the corner of the pool
deck. The caterers were hanging a big sign over the pool with Farewell
Christian — Good Luck at Cal Poly printed on it as the flickering flames
from the Tiki torches danced over the still pool.
Christian’s parents, Edward and Katheryn, moments before had
headed inside to dress for their soon-to-be arriving party guests. They
couldn’t be prouder, but as with any parents there was underlying concern with
his being so far from home, more so from Edward as he was charged with
safeguarding this very special young man.
Christian was headed to California in the morning to begin his
fifth term in architectural studies at California Polytechnic. He had possessed
a fascination with building and heavy equipment since his early childhood. In
fact, he had a fascination with just about anything he saw. But designing and
building, well, let’s just say he loved it. He had an uncanny knack to create,
build and fix just about anything.
Edward was a cardiologist. He earned his medical degree after
serving four years with the armed services, along with the help of veteran’s
administration loans. He completed his residency and set up practice on Long
Island twenty-five years earlier. Edward is active with the Army Reserves,
holds the rank of Major, and is an active administrative board member for regional
VA hospitals.
His mother, Katheryn, is a real estate attorney with a penchant
for collecting. She and Edward had met when she was attending her pre-law
curriculum at Hofstra University. They lost touch with each other for a time
following graduation and fatefully reconnected after bumping into each other
in the Hamptons.
Katheryn’s hobby is collecting Coca-Cola® memorabilia. Her collection
rivals that of any private collector. The only thing missing is an actual
delivery truck, which I am sure she would have if she could park it in the
yard.
They had planned Christian’s farewell party months earlier.
Katheryn wanted it to be the event of the summer at the Asher household. As the
excitement for the upcoming party grew, so did their concerns about him being
nearly three thousand miles away, making for a setting of uneasy jubilation
during the affair.
As Christian finished some last minute details he heard cars
pulling into the gravel driveway. He peered at the gate to see who had arrived
so early. The first arrivals entered through the gate and onto the pool deck,
“Whew, thank god it’s you guys,“ said Christian, looking at three of his
closest school friends, Maddy, Chris and Connor. “I still have to jump in the
shower. Would you mind lighting the rest of the Tikis and citronellas for me
while I clean up?”
“No problem,” said Maddy, giving Christian a quick peck on the
cheek before he headed inside.
Maddy was short for Madison, an attractive, longtime friend. She
quickly began lighting the candles and the remaining unlit torches as Chris and
Connor, also longtime friends, sluggishly followed with their noses buried in
their iPhones, listening as Madison barked out orders at them to bring their
gift to Christian into the yard before he returned. They had all chipped in to
buy Christian a signed jersey from Derek Jeter encased in a large frame. Jeter
was Christian’s favorite player.
Chris, who everyone called ‘Tweet’ although Maddy sometimes called
him Twit because he was constantly on Twitter reporting his every action which
Maddy found disturbing, and Conner struggled with the oversized frame
containing the signed jersey as they clumsily made their way past the shrubs
partially blocking the entranceway to the yard.
”Hurry up, before he comes out again. Don’t ruin the surprise!”
squawked Maddy. “Put it over there,” she ordered them, pointing at a table
snuggled in the corner of the deck behind the bar. “That’s the best place, away
from all the action,” Maddy said.
“Where?” Connor asked, paying more attention to text alarms from
his phone than the task at hand. Maddy grimaced and again pointed to a small,
shadowy niche behind the bar that was set up in the corner of the deck.
“Over there!” Maddie said.
Christian had made his way into the house and up the back stairs
towards his room. As he turned down the hallway he noticed the door to the
study was shut, light on, and overheard what he was all too familiar with
lately. His mom and dad were “talking”. It wasn’t an argument, but it wasn’t
comfortable conversation either. It was more a strong expression of concern by
his father, Edward. “What if something happens while he’s away?” he heard his
father ask.
His mother, Katheryn followed up with a reassuring, “I wouldn’t
worry about it. That’s why we had him stay home for the first two years and
look, nothing happened, did it? Besides, now is not the time. This is his
party.”
Christian had seen this scenario play out many times over with
increasing frequency as Christian’s departure for college grew nearer. Christian
had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He was unsure if these “heavy”
discussions were only about their concerns for him specifically or if his
parents were having other troubles and his leaving was a common ground for
their conversational engagements. All he knew was that there was an uneasiness
in the house that seemed to be getting worse with time.
As Christian opened the door to his bedroom, the creaking noise
alerted his parents of his presence. He heard his mother in a somewhat startled
voice, “Honey, is that you?”
“Yeah Mom, it’s just me,” he replied quickly. “I need to jump into
the shower,” he said deep in thought, then continued asking, “Are… are you guys
alright in there?” Christian asked.
In an attempt to distract from the situation, Christian’s mom
opened the study door and replied as she began her way down the long hallway,
looking at Christian standing in the doorway to his room, “Of course honey! We
were just putting some final touches on something that is, none… of… your…
business!” she said with a big smile on her face, giving him a kiss on the
cheek and then quickly heading downstairs to join the increasing number of
guests that were beginning to arrive.
Christian looked briefly toward the study as Edward slowly closed
the door. Seeing the concerned look upon his face while trying to force a smile
only served to increase the uneasy feelings Christian had in his gut. He heard
Edward sigh deeply as he closed the door to his study, then the unmistakable
sound of a cork being pulled from a bottle of Johnny Walker Gold.
Edward wasn’t a drinker. He enjoyed the occasional drink now and
then so that’s why this seemed so unusual. Christian wondered what was going
on and continued to dwell on the situation as he got ready for the party, his thoughts
eventually yielding to the increasingly noisy activity he heard outside in the
yard.
Christian jumped out of the shower, dressed and headed down to the
party, grabbing his allergy prescription on the way. Reaching the kitchen he
glanced out the sliding glass doors leading to the pool deck holding what
appeared to him to be well over a hundred people, mostly familiar and some
unfamiliar. The deck was alive with activity. There were people talking
everywhere. Some were singing, others were dancing to the variety of tunes the
DJ was mixing. There were guests in a room off to the side of the kitchen,
noisily admiring the hundreds of Coca-Cola collectibles his mother had gathered
over the years.
Mrs. Asher was a definite enthusiast, collecting original posters,
wall placards, vending machines, ice chests, serving glasses from Jacob’s
pharmacy, which was the first place Coke was served, figurines, race car
replicas, and an entire original collection of Hutchinson bottles from when
Coca-Cola was first bottled in the mid 1890s through the most recent bottles,
cans and gadgets. There were also framed papers and notes with Dr. Pemberton’s
name or signature, the inventor of Coca-Cola. She had just about everything
they made, outside of the factory itself and the famous Clydesdales; however,
she had plenty of pictures and posters of both, including period sketches and
paintings.
Maddy was talking with his mother and father on the deck,
accompanied by his Aunt Janice and Uncle Mac who looked in at Christian with a
big smile on his face and a thumbs up.
Chris and Connor had separated in pursuit of their own interests.
Connor’s interest lay with a tall, attractive, blue eyed brunette named Jamie.
He stood before her with a smug look as if his advances were well received when
in fact, Jamie had her eyes on Tweet who had headed over to another group of
partygoers loitering around the car Christian and his father had slowly
restored over the past few years.
Learn more about this book series at: Being There Awakenings
