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Description
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Publié par | Xlibris US |
Date de parution | 15 novembre 2022 |
Nombre de lectures | 0 |
EAN13 | 9781669855262 |
Langue | English |
Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.
Extrait
Andalusia
Gloreen Burke
Copyright © 2022 by Gloreen Burke.
ISBN:
Softcover
978-1-6698-5525-5
eBook
978-1-6698-5526-2
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
Rev. date: 11/14/2022
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
831704
CONTENTS
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
For my grandmother Verneta who is my icon and mentor. I always say to myself if I have half the virtue she has, I consider myself richly blessed. For my father Wilmoth who has given me a very unique bloodline and has taught me since I was a child how very special I am. For my mother Evadney who is not just my mother but also a dear and wonderful friend.
Preface
Jamaica
In Lucea Public Hospital in the parish of Hanover, located eight miles away from the small village of Cousins Cove, born a beautiful baby girl to Lucinda and Sir Jim O’Rourke; her name, Andalusia. The village was given the name Cousins Cove by Andalusia’s grandfather Ronald simply because almost everyone living in the neighborhood is related to one another.
Andalusia’s grandparents, the Dias were farmers, they had plenty of hired helpers who work on their farm, as well as on their property around the house. With over ten acres of farmland, the Dias’s cultivated fruits, vegetables, various kinds of food and sugarcane, which they sold to the sugar factory located five miles outside their residing neighborhood. Mr. Dias had more than three hundred head of cows, lots of pigs, as well as goats and chickens by the hundreds.
Andalusia’s Uncle Melford had rabbits in large quantity as well as a big coop that houses more than ten different species of birds. With Andalusia’s grandparents being farmers, life was exciting as there’s always something new and exciting going on. Andalusia and her cousins watched the goats have kids, the dogs give birth to puppies, cows have calves, and the list goes on. Each morning Andalusia would gather the eggs, while her grandmother feed the chickens. The local schools in the neighborhood would come to the Dias property with four to five different classes on field trip to watch her grandfather harvest honey from 160 boxes of bee hives, each child returning to school with a small bottle of honey and a piece of honeycomb in their hands. Their faces all lit up as they lick the honey from the honeycomb. Andalusia had opportunity many kids only dream about. Her grandparents were the entertainers of the community. Every Saturday morning her grandfather would slaughter a cow, a goat, and a pig, and at night, his helpers, as well as his sons and daughters, would cook and play music as adults and children from all over the neighborhood came out in large numbers and partake of the feast. Throughout the community the Dias’s were one of the most respected families and lived a good life, Andalusia was not destined for this kind of life. Deep within her heart, she yearned always for the aristocratic environment her father told her about in stories night after night before she goes to bed. The Dias’s had electricity long before the government has decided to run electricity throughout the neighborhood. Albert who is the youngest son of the Dias’s graduated from high school as an Electrical Engineer. At the age of twenty, he was offered a job as an electrician at Negril Beach Club Hotel. His job allowed him to have contact with tourists from all over the world. The excited voice of her uncle Albert rang in Andalusia’s head as she recalled the joy on her uncle’s face when he arrived home from work one Thursday night and told his mom and dad they no longer have to use oil lamps at night as he has brought home a generator from work, along with all the electrical cords and plugs needed to wire the house, so in a few weeks, they had electricity. Everyone was happy. Andalusia and her cousins jumped and shouted for joy.
Chapter 1
January 15, 1981. Life was at its peak.
“Andalusia!”
“Yes, Grandma.”
“Come here, please.”
“Coming, Grandma.” Placing her brush and comb on the dresser, Andalusia hurried to her grandmother Kitty.
“I would like you to deliver a bottle of milk and some vegetables to the Sullivan’s for me.”
“Can I take it later?”
“No, Andalusia, I need you to take it immediately as the Sullivan’s are waiting for their milk.
Picking up the basket, Andalusia placed the bottle of milk carefully inside and waved goodbye to her grandma Kitty. A few minutes after leaving the house, she placed the basket on the side of the road and quickly tied her hair behind her with a silk ribbon. As she journeyed along, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to fall in love, really fall in love. A horn tooted in the distance, breaking her train of thought. Andalusia watched curiously as a group of children ran merrily beside a car, reaching for the treats handed to them by a little girl no more than eleven years old hanging out the window of the car. “Strange,” she thought to herself. “I’ve never seen anyone in the village do this before,” she grumbled. “Perhaps they are new to the neighborhood, and this is their way of introducing themselves.”
Picking up her dress with her free hand, Andalusia hastened her steps as she tried desperately to catch up with the car being chased by a group of kids, hoping to get a better look at the driver as well as the little girl hanging out the window. Panting, Andalusia cocked her head to the side as she released her dress and extended her left hand in hope of obtaining some of whatever it was the little girl was handing out. She was about to take hold of a pack of what seemed like candy when, suddenly, the engine roared, and the car sped off, leaving her hand reaching out in midair. Angrily, Andalusia kicked a few stones, staggering as she did so.
“I want some too of whatever it was that little girl was giving away,” she whispered.
Heavy-hearted, she picked up her pace and concentrated on getting to the Sullivans’ house.
Reaching her destination, Andalusia slowly opened the gate to the Sullivans’ property. She was about to call for Mrs. Sullivan when, suddenly, she emerged from the back of the house, chasing some chickens. Handing the basket to Mrs. Sullivan, Andalusia said goodbye and leave. Once more, Andalusia’s girlish fantasy of falling in love captivated her mind, filling her with a longing so profound she finds it hard to explain. She pictured herself living in London, England, living on a large estate in the countryside, with a tall, handsome, elderly man for a butler, a cook, and several servants. She imagined being the wife of a very wealthy lord, one whom everyone considered a rouge or marquis, whose unquenchable love and burning passion send her soaring night after night, sated and exhausted from hours of passionate lovemaking. She would then imagine hosting a ball once per month at her estate. Dreamily, Andalusia walked along, paying little attention to the time as she gave wings to her imagination, letting her fantasy soar. A nightingale could be heard singing in a tree close by. How beautiful the nightingale sang.
“Look where you’re going, child,” said a shaky voice, catapulting Andalusia back into the present.
One more step and she would walked right into Mr. Jenkins, an elderly man of seventy years living a few houses up the road from the house of Andalusia’s grandparents.
“Pardon me, Mr. Jenkins, I didn’t see you, sir, as my mind was otherwise engaged.”
“What could a young woman as you possibly be thinking of causing you to not pay attention as to where you’re going?”
With a smile, Andalusia apologized to Mr. Jenkins and hurried on her way.
Entering her grandparents’ property, she saw four of her cousins going to the beach.
“Are you coming with us?” asked Charles.
“No, sorry, I have only twenty minutes to get ready for school.”
“Suite yourself!” said Zagaria over his brother’s shoulder.
Waving goodbye, Andalusia dashed toward the house. She was about to go inside when Gavin asked her if she heard the good news.
“What good news, Gavin?” she asked skeptically.
“Your aunt Brenda and her two daughters are coming to Jamaica in the next two and a half weeks.”
“That’s great! That’s great!” shouted Andalusia. “I take it you don’t mind having to do extra work around the house, especially washing, cooking, and cleaning then?”
“Oops! I forgot about that,” replied Andalusia. “Got to go and get ready for school. I’ll see you later, Gavin.”
“Bye, Andalusia.”
Entering the house, Andalusia dressed quickly for school. Waiting outside in front of the Dias’s gate was her friend Marva with whom she walked to school each day. Five minutes into her waiting, she called out to Andalusia, asking how long she will be. Minutes later, Andalusia stepped off the veran