Beyond the Blues
A Ravry Sloan Novel
by
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THE ANNOUNCEMENT CHAPTER 1 I sat on the pillow in my bay window from my room looking at the day wake up, going over all kinds of things in my head. I could not believe the events that transpired over the past couple of months would turn my world up side down. When and why in the hell did things go so wrong? I never imagined our lives would end up this way. Let me get my thoughts together and say a prayer in search of words of wisdom to try and get through all of this shit! Like my Grandma Collette used to tell us, “Every lesson learned, is a blessing earned.” My name is Courtney, a single 23-year-old woman taking you on a journey through the most important time in my life. It was an important turning point from wanting to be a young adult to actually being a young adult and more importantly, trying to figure out how I’ll get there. It was a time where I knew I was grown, in an adult world, with adult problems and making adult decisions. I was letting go of a childhood I had come so comfortable with, to accepting the changes that friendships go through. I finally accepted allowing God to prepare me for the future He has already planned for me and to stop trying to run the show. I come from a very close-knit family. My mothers’ name is Corliss, my dad is Calvin, my younger brother, Corey (14 years old) and my grandmother lives with them, and we call her Grandma Collette. I have a sister named Caitlin (26 years old) who’s married to Carlos, Sr. and they have two kids, Carlos, Jr. (3 years old) and Crystal (6 years old). I guess now you see the pattern? Somewhere down the line, someone went crazy with the C’s in our family but personally, I think it’s cute and as you can see; my sister has kept the tradition. I’ve only been living on my own for about 1 year and so far, my life has seemed pretty simple. First, let me go back and start from the beginning of the turning point in my life. About 4 or 5 months ago, around the beginning of spring, I first started noticing strange behavior between my two best friends. My friend girls and I were hanging out at Piedmont Park on a warm and muggy day when we saw a group of nice looking guys playing flag football. My best friend Kathy, her ghetto ass associates Natalie and Vanita, my other best friend Rhoni and another one of Rhoni’s friends named Bobbie. All of the guys seem to be kind of nice looking with bodies to die for. My friend girls and I had been drinking beers and before arriving at the park we smoked some doobies. We had a nice little hi which caused us to act a little silly. We started acting like cheerleaders to get their attention. It worked because they each kept looking our way and smiling. I caught the eye of this very nice looking guy. His complexion was that of a man who spent a lot of time out side. He was about 6’4”, weighing a solid 175-185 lbs. His eyes were bright and wide with the longest, darkest girl eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a man before in my life. I can’t tell if he wore braces previously or not, or did God just bless him with the straightest, whitest set of teeth. He gave me a wink, which I can’t believe made my thong immediately dripping wet. Wow, I thought, this has never happened to me before! We continued cheering and having a good time. It seem liked their game went on for about an hour, as we continued to cheer. Finally their game ended and the guy who winked at me, motioned for me to come to his direction as he walked the opposite way of his friends. I could feel my thong getting wet again as my heart started pounding. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how I got the strength in my legs to get over there, but somehow I did. “Hi, I’m Christopher Winslow, but you can call me Chris,” as he extended his big sweaty hand. I shook his strong sweaty hand, but it felt tender inside of mine. I answered, “My name is Courtney Alexander, but you can call me Courtney.” We both laughed and I was almost knocked off of my feet as he flashed that beautiful smile at me. If only he knew how much he made my flower blossom inside, almost a full bloom…ump, ump, ump. “I appreciate women who stand behind their man, and encourage him to do well. Isn’t that what you and your friends were doing?” he asked, sounding corny. I knew that was some sort of line and I didn’t want to bust him up and say that shit is corny, so as I chuckled inside, I answered, “Yeah, that’s what we were doing!” He could have done a little better than that, but maybe that was all he had or was he as nervous as I was. I asked, “Was this a guy thing team, or was it practice for an organized team?” “Well, my partners and I are trying to get sponsorship to start a flag football league, but this is just what we do to relax from time to time to catch up and hang out. So, are you from here?” “Yes, I’m a true, genuine, GA Peach!” I said very proudly grinning from ear to ear. “You don’t sound like you come from here, where are you from?” “Good observation, I’m from Glendale, CA, but I’ve been here in Atlanta ever since I graduated from high school. I moved here to go to college.” “What college did you attend?” “Morehouse, of course! Don’t I look like a Morehouse man?” At first, I didn’t want to answer that because I’ve always heard the men at Morehouse were gay. Instead I answered, “I’m not sure what a Morehouse man is suppose to look like, but if they all look like you and your friends, then cut my hair and enroll me tomorrow.” “Well, it would take more than cutting your hair for you to look like a man. I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful you were when I was playing ball. I’ve been here all of this time and you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever come across. I’m not quite sure what Georgians feed their children or what’s in the water, so to be on the safe side, I have to ask first,” he said kind-a-of giggling, “How old are you?” “I’m 23 years old, so don’t worry, I’m legal.” He laughed at my little funny and once again, that smile had me blossoming again. I asked, “what part of town do you live?” “The Grant Park area. Are you familiar with that part of town?” “Oh okay! That’s a beautiful neighborhood.” “Hey, come on playboy,” shouted one of his friends. “Well, I have to be going. My partners and I have already made plans for this evening, but I wouldn’t mind getting to know you a little better instead,” he sarcastically said trying to run a line, but sounding corny as hell, again. “No, no, no…don’t change your plans for me,” I played along, too. “I have plans, too.” “I was just kidding. I was trying to see where we were. But seriously, can I get your number and call you sometimes? I would like to take you out and get to know you a little better.” I had forgotten all about my friends, but I didn’t seem to care. I had transformed into another world and for those few minutes Chris and I talked, it seemed like nobody else existed. “Sure, let me see if one of my friend girls has a piece of paper and something to write with.” I ran over and asked my girls if they had something for me to write my telephone number on, thank God Kathy did. I looked at what she gave me and noticed it was her business card, you bitch I thought to myself. I tore apiece off, but of course not the part with her number, then wrote my cell number on it. I ran back over to Chris and said, “I hope to hear from you soon?” “Sooner than you think!” He shook my hand again, but this time a little bit firmer, gave me the sexiest eye contact, and bit a little portion of his bottom lip. At this point, I could have exploded. I watched his body and his form as he trotted across the field to catch up with his boys. I had to stand there a minute and get myself together, because my thong was sticking to me at that point. I hate that wet spot next to me when I walk, it always. starts so cold! I think I’m in love, because no man has ever done that to me befor
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About the Book
Beyond the Blues is a journey through the next step of friendships between three, childhood, best friends. Courtney Alexander, a single, humble woman with goals and dreams and isn’t quite sure how to go about reaching them. Courtney captures the heart of an admirer, Christopher Winslow, while confronting her own inner emotional cravings for sex, or lack thereof. Rhoni McMillan-Benton, a plain, ordinary newlywed who made past decisions based on other people’s feelings. When Rhoni decides to share good news with her best friends, all kind of secrets becomes unraveled. Then there’s Kathy Crawford, a boisterous, matter-of-fact, single woman who doesn’t know what she wants out of life because of a disappointing past. Kathy has been covering up her own emotional scars while dealing with the struggle of what’s reality and what she sees in her own twisted mind. Can the three ladies survive the journey and is friendship really that important after all? While going through the transition of life together, the three, childhood, best friends must choose from the past they once knew and felt so comfortable with, to the unknown future they will have to face…Beyond the Blues.
About the Author
In 1979, Ravry Sloan and her family moved from Michigan to Georgia. Only seven-years-old at the time of the move, Ravry soon adopted the status of being a genuine Georgia peach, a true southern girl by heart. Ravry was educated in the Atlanta Public School system, which ironically, the elementary school she attended was named after Joel Chandler Harris. The school was affectionately known as, J. C. Harris and he was the author of the famous Uncle Remus Collections and other slave dialect tales. Ravry started her high school education at Joseph Emerson Brown, but after one year of not being challenged, she transferred to the prestigious school of the Black and Gold Astros of Frederick Douglass. She attended one of Georgia’s finest Historically Black College and University, Albany State University in rural southwest Georgia. Ravry has been married to her loving husband, Tony for eleven years and they have two beautiful children, a son, Terry Jason and a daughter, Raven Antiana. Ravry’s future plans will be to continue her education and to complete her degree in the study of Business. Ravry has two brothers, David and Calvin, Jr., and is the youngest child of two devoted and loving parents, Calvin and Eleanor Stevens. Having been brought up without a sister and being forced to play alone, she developed a vivid imagination, which seemed to grow each year. Unaware of her talent to write, Ravry knew that her life was not going in the right direction and it was time to do something about it. Seeking fulfillment and a higher purpose, she turned to her faith for guidance and direction. In March of 2001, at the mere age of twenty-nine, Ravry’s prayers were answered. Although Ravry never had any formal writing classes or training, she soon learned that with hard work, dedication, patience, faith and a loving family supporting her, any and all things are possible. After three long years and nine agonizing months, Beyond the Blues was born.