"I crave to see him until he comes to the door"

 An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

Warren rings me and announces that he is coming to visit.  My heart is beating fast and I tremble.  We chit chat on the phone and it feels so good to hear his voice.  I ask him how he is doing as I haven’t seen him in quite a long while, and he, out of the blue, tells me that he is married.  I obsess over him.  I feel like I am on a high.  I feel anxious; I crave to see him until he comes to the door.

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

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“I dread what I must tell the children today.”

An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

As the night passes away, hour by hour, a blanket of inky darkness sweeps over the room.  A mortal dark comes down and smothers my thoughts.  I cannot help but think of the troubles that lay ahead.  I can’t bear going to bed with the left side empty.  I light a candle and sit by the glow.  I pick up the Good Book and find some consolation in its wisdom, love, and hope.  I gain spiritual courage from a quote in the book of Proverbs 3:5:6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”

And so, another night ends.  The morning dawns with the rising of the sun upon a weary world.  The birds begin to sing and the sun arrives uninvited.  I dread what I must tell the children today.

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

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"And when I wake, I realize that I had made a terrible mistake"

An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

Soon, Warren says his goodbyes and promises to come again next month.

After he is gone and the dinner dishes are done, I occupy myself by making porridge for breakfast tomorrow morning.  As I stir the porridge with a long heavy spoon in a black iron kettle, I think of Warren.  I hate myself for the pleasure I get out of my revolving memories of our brief times together.  My heart is in torment as the porridge boils and I stir it for an hour or so.  Why didn’t I just stay away from him?  In my dreams, he takes me in his arms, and when I wake, I realize that I had made a terrible mistake.  I leave the porridge to stand on the back of the stove overnight and join Eugene in bed.

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

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“He leans over and...”

An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

Warren drops by unannounced...  I am so glad to see him.  I don’t want a brief visit with him.  I want him to stay so I invite him for dinner.  We sit in the living room and to distract myself, I ask him about his latest travel adventures.

“I wish I could take you to Ceylon with me.  You would like it.  They have beautiful beaches.  You should smell the meals cooked by street vendors.  The aroma of spices is hard to describe.  People live in mud huts there but they are always smiling.  I wish I could watch a sunrise with you by the coconut trees and take you to have breakfast by the beach.”

He leans over and...

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

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“What’s the harm in a walk?”

An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

Warren arrives and is greeted by the children, “Uncle Warren!”

Alvin brings him a bottle of beer.

“Where’s my best friend?” he asks.

“He’s sleeping.  He has a cold and it has tired him right out,” I reply while I put the finishing touches on the kitchen table.

Warren sits at the table and shares a meal with us.

When the dinner is done, I tidy up while the children play musical chairs with Warren.

As soon as I sit down, Warren tells me, “It’s such a beautiful summer’s evening, so let’s not waste it.  Let’s go for a walk together.”

When he sees me hesitate, he says, “Gloria is old enough to take care of the children.”

Gloria looks in the direction of the bedroom.

“And Eugene.  Right Gloria?  You can take care of your dad too?”

“Sure, Uncle Warren.  Go on Mother.  Dad will be just fine.”

Warren pouts, “Come on Josephine.  Don’t make me go alone.”

“Why not?” I say.  What’s the harm in a walk?  I need adult companionship.  I forget all my troubles when I’m with him.

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

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Amazon.ca
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“Nothing’s wrong with a hug, is there?”

 An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

Warren sits at the kitchen table with me and we go over the books.  When he starts talking about taxation, Warren can see by the blank look on my face that I’m puzzled.

“It’s OK; we can go over this another time.  After a while this will become old hand to you.”

He puts his hand on mine.  The electric shock I receive from his touch makes me pull my hand away quickly.  I look down, afraid to look into his beautiful blue eyes.  I’m in love with you, I think, but I’ll never tell.

Warren gets up and walks to the coat rack.  He picks up his hat, hugs me goodbye and says, “Take care of yourself, love.”

I close the door and lean on it.  My heart is beating very fast.

Nothing’s wrong with a hug, is there?  Surely it was a friendly hug, meant to give me courage.

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

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“It’s not that bad, is it? Let me have a look at the books.”

An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

Warren turns to me, “How’s business?”

“We are surviving.  Every day, I hear tenants’ bad news like death in the family and someone sick and I count my blessings.”

“Yes, they do have a way to pull your heartstrings, don’t they?  Eugene used to tell me about the silly tenant issues he used to hear all the time.  I guess you don’t hear trivial things anymore...”

“Oh, I still do.  The other day I had a phone call at dinner time.  One of the tenants kept me on the phone until my food was cold complaining about the tenants above her shaking mops full of dust from their windows with the result that she received the benefits.  She expected me to drop everything right then and there and go speak to her neighbour.  Sometimes I want to change my number!”

Warren laughs, “Understandable!  How are we doing financially?”

“Our expenses are enormous.  Tenants don’t realize how their actions affect us.  They leave taps running, lights are left on; more damage is done in one minute than we can replace in a month’s time.  I’m worried about running into debt.  Our rental payments are in arrears from one to four months.  I lowered the rents to keep the tenants, but with high interest and vacancies, I believe we’ll have a loss this year.”

Warren considers my words.  “It’s not that bad, is it?  Let me have a look at the books.”

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

Austin Macauley Publishers™ (my publisher)
Amazon.ca
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“In the Pink: A World War II Story,” is now available everywhere!

Hello everyone!

“In the Pink: A World War II Story,” is now officially available for order everywhere!  Click on any of the following links to see the book at your preferred retailer:

Austin Macauley Publishers™ (my publisher)

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Barnes & Noble

Walmart

Thanks again for your interest and support!

- Johanne Levesque

My new book, “In the Pink: A World War II Story,” is now available to order!

Hello all!

Great news: My new book, “In the Pink: A World War II Story,” is now officially available for order through my publisher, Austin Macauley Publishers!  In the coming weeks, it will also become available through major retailers, like Amazon and others.

If you enjoyed my first book, "Trouble and Strife," you should order a copy of the sequel now by clicking on the book cover or link below!

Thank you for your interest and support!

- Johanne Levesque

Buy the book from my publisher's website here!

“As we walk back to the bus stop, a black cat crosses our path...”

 An excerpt from “Trouble and Strife,” by Johanne Levesque

Every year, we go to the Sunnyside Amusement Park.  This year, I thought we would not be able to afford it but Eugene said it would be fine.  I’m glad to see the children so excited.  It is a gorgeous spring day with temperatures in the 70s.  The children will have a lovely time.

Evelyn loves the giant rollercoaster, and she would be on it all day long if it was up to her, so she’s lucky her big sister Gloria doesn’t mind going along with her.  Gloria is so patient with Evelyn.  I don’t know how she does it.  Evelyn will no doubt talk non-stop the whole time they are up in the rollercoaster.

Alvin likes the carousel.  He insists I ride with him over and over, but all I get out of it is dizziness with a queasy stomach.  Melvin loves the games and wins a stuffed animal for both Alvin and Evelyn every year.

“I don’t want a pig.  I want a dog,” whines Evelyn as she pulls the dog out of Alvin’s arms.

Alvin takes the pig with no protest.

It’s good to have the family together like this.  It doesn’t happen very often.  Melvin and Gloria are working and going out with their friends a lot these days and Eugene never stops working, as usual.  His face shows signs of constant worry.  He has more vacant apartments now than he ever had.  I hope that things will get better soon.

It’s getting cooler, so we decide it’s time to go home.  We used to have a motorcar, but Eugene sold it after Christmas.  He says he has to reduce his expenses.  We took the bus to get here today.  As we walk back to the bus stop, a black cat crosses our path.

If you liked this excerpt from Trouble and Strife, you can buy the book at any of the following links:

Austin Macauley Publishers™ (my publisher)
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
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Walmart