Update on "Wake-Up Call"

 Yes, I'm still writing and editing too. I don't have a lot of free time, but I haven't yet given up on this hobby of mine.

So, today, I set aside a little time to edit Wake-Up Call. Warning! It's only the first edit and it is not yet fully polished. I'm slowly nearing the end of the book with the first edit (still several chapters away from it, but the end is in sight).

It feels like it has been ages since I last published a book and it's about time something new was added onto my published books list.

And now it's time to share with you an excerpt from the book. I hope you like it.

Mum got up and walked to Alicia, hugging her, “Stay strong sweetie, those beautiful kids of yours need you. I’ve got your back. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.” Mum hugged Alicia tighter, tears still glistening her eyes and then let go while dad was shooting daggers at Alicia.

“Let’s go Liz, I’ve heard and seen quite enough. Where is your loyalty, woman? After all the things she did to our boy. Can’t you see Alicia drove Daryll to it? All this is her fault and hers alone.” Next Dad strutted to the front door, his steps echoing on the tiles in the hallway, held it open for mum to step through, then shot another death glare at Alicia and slammed the door behind him.

Well, good riddance to bad rubbish. How dare dad behave like that to my beautiful wife? Certainly she did not deserve that? Had Alicia done anything to upset me to such a degree I would take my own life? No, no matter what dad had said, there did not seem to be any truth in it. There was no way I would consider those words as truth. Dad’s words were poison.

Alicia shuffled back to the couch in a daze and slumped back onto it. Leaning forward, her head in her hands, tears flowed freely down her face. “Daryll, I miss you so much. Why did you have to leave us? What did I do which was so terrible you had to take your own life? Will I ever find out what was in your mind when you took that overdose? Why did I not see the agony you must have been going through? You should have talked to me; nothing could have been that bad.”

How could I leave Alicia in agony and full of despair? This was all my doing and had nothing to do with what Alicia did or didn’t do. What had I been thinking? Drugs? An overdose? Alicia was right; nothing would be bad enough for me to want to leave the ones I loved; my wife, my kids, my parents, my best friend, or even my business. Why had I done that? And why could I still not remember taking an overdose, or the reason for it?

Only one thing was important now; I had to comfort the woman I loved. As I sat next to her on the couch, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close. Alicia came willingly but did not appear to notice. My free hand stroked her arm and I could not resist grabbing her chin and pulling her face closer, and kissing her gently on the lips, “I’m so very sorry, sweetheart. Dad should not say that; he has no right, and he is so very wrong. Nothing you did would ever make me take my own life, nothing. Come here, we can do this, you can do this. And I’ll be there for you every step of the way. I love you so incredibly much and I’m so proud of you.”

Again, I kissed Alicia on the lips. This time, her hand moved to her lips and lingered there, a question forming on her face. “Daryll? No, it can’t be. Oh, look at me, now I’m starting to hallucinate, too. It must be the grief and the shock of Joseph’s hatred. But I don’t deserve that. Certainly Daryll did not take his own life because of something I did or didn’t do? No, Daryll would have talked to me about it first if something upset him that much he no longer wanted to be here. And why would Joseph even think Euan would have an affair with me? No, that’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Alicia stared into space for a while, “Hmm, maybe that thought is not so ridiculous after all.”

My heart jumped in my chest.

“Perhaps Joseph had a bit of point after all.”

Now my heart appeared to stop. Was it possible for my heart to stop when I was already dead?

“Euan has been behaving strangely these last few days, like he wants to step into Daryll’s shoes. No, that can’t be true. And there is no way I would fall into his arms. Certainly not so quickly after losing the only man I ever loved. Well, except for my dad, of course. No, if Euan thinks I will simply swap from Daryll to him within days of Daryll’s death, he has another thing coming. No matter how supportive he has been, I’m not interested in a relationship with Euan.”

A sigh escaped, and I pulled Alicia closer, hugging her and kissing her all over her hair, face and lips.

Again Alicia looked a little confused and thoughtful, then shook her head.

Love,

Joni