Christa Allan - Walking on Broken Glass

Walking
on
Broken Glass

Walking on Broken Glass

Copyright 2010 by Christa Allan

ISBN-13: 978-1-4267-0227-3

Published by Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202

www.abingdonpress.com

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form,
stored in any retrieval system, posted on any website, or
transmitted in any form or by any meansdigital, electronic,
scanning, photocopy, recording or otherwisewithout written
permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations in
printed reviews and articles.

The persons and events portrayed in this work of fiction are the
creations of the author, and any resemblance to persons living or
dead is purely coincidental.

Published in association with WordServe Literary Group, Ltd.,
10152 S. Knoll Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130

Cover design by Anderson Design Group, Nashville, TN

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Allan, Christa.

Walking on broken glass / Christa Allan.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4267-0227-3

1. African American womenFiction. 2. Women alcoholicsFiction. I. Title.

PS3601.L4125W35 2010

813.6 dc22

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 15 14 13 12 11 10

In memory of my precious grandson
Bailey Ramon Cadoree
who taught me how to live
April 23May 24, 2000

Contents

Acknowledgments

Youre holding my dream. Because of the thin threads God wove to connect people, places, and events, it became a realitya reality that far outshone the one Id always imagined. But then that's what makes God awesome.

Henry David Thoreau said, If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. My castle has been built; now Id like to introduce you to everyone responsible for its foundation.

To my five children:

Michael: purveyor of medical information and father of Emma and Hannah, my delightful grandgirls whose smiles remind me what's truly important.

Erin: my ever-patient Google-girl, formatter, critiquer, and finder of minutiae, who endured listening to me whine and fret, and still answered my calls. Bless you, Andrae, my generous son-in-law, for sacrificing your time with Erin so she could help me.

Shannon: without you, I wouldnt know Marc Jacobs from Mark Twain, and I certainly would be a fashion nightmare, as would my characters. Im learning to walk in high heels, I promise. Your humor provided my stress-relief.

Sarah: you spent time with puzzles and books without complaining while Mommy wrote. You also learned how to fix my coffee; youre a trooper.

John: Ive followed your Facebook rules, so now it's your turn to make good on your promise to marry Oprah so I can score a guest spot. Or, you can use your influence and book me on the Les Miles show. In the meantime, thanks for being you.

To my brother, Johnny Bassil, who loved me when I wasnt lovable; your support has been my anchor. To Carolyn Ekman, my mother-in-law, for your calls, your company, and your kindnesses.

To Carrie Randolph, who knew about this novel when it was a baby, and whose enthusiasm gave me the courage to keep typing. Youve traveled so many roads with me; your friendship has been a generous gift. To Shelley Easterling Gay whose lesson-sharing saved me during my writing marathons and whose feedback I respected. You and Carrie put the brain in my storm. To Melissa Strata-Burger and Carole Jordan for readings on demand. To the GNO group for monthly sanity dinners and girl-talk.

Dennis and Rhonda Stelly and Linda Moffett: for harboring us after Hurricane Katrina.

To my Barbe High School students, for encouraging my dream. To my Fontainebleau High School extended family, for nurturing and celebrating it, and to Lakeshore High School's staff and students, for being a part of its arrival.

Thanks to: Cheryl Wyatt, my constant cheerleader when I first dared to write. Lisa Samson, whose critique of this novel in its early stages pushed me forward. Jessica Ferguson for insisting I attend an ACFW Conference, and to Mary DeMuth for reaching out and giving me hope.

A venti-sized thanks to Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary, my dynamic and industrious agent, who got Leah. Your phone call changed my life. You walk me off ledges, steer me back to writing, and teach me how to be a professional in this business.

To Barbara Scott, my fearless and tireless editor at Abingdon Press, who championed this novel: I admire your faith, appreciate your tenacity, and enjoy your friendship. You believed in Leah, and I will be forever grateful. Thank you for your expertise in bringing her story to life.

To Peggy Shearon, Fiction Publicist, and all those at Abingdon: thank you for all you do to bring our novels to readers.

To my husband, Ken: You played more golf, cooked more meals, and watched more movies so you could disappear during deadlines and I could focus on writing. Your confidence in me gave me courage. Your goofy jokes made me laugh when I wanted to cry. And when I didnt believe in myself, you did, and you let me lean on you until my belief could stand on its own. Im so grateful for the ways youve blessed my life.

And to everyone who reads this novel, thank you for turning these pages.

Patient Discharge Statement

If I had known children break on the inside and the cracks dont surface until years later, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known some parents dont live to watch grandchildren grow, I would have taken more pictures and been more careful with my words.

If I had known couples can be fragile and want what they are unprepared to give or unwilling to take, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known teaching lasts a lifetime and students dont speak of their tragic lives, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known my muscles and organs and bones and skin are not lifetime guarantees, that when broken, snagged, unstitched, or unseemly, cannot be replaced, I would have been kinder to the shell that prevents my soul from leaking out.

If I had known I would live over half my life and have to look at photographs to remember my mother adjusting my birthday party hat so that my father could take the picture that sliced the moment out of timeif I had known, if I had knownI would have been more careful with my life.

Leah T.
August 4

C ruising the sparkling aisles of Catalano's Supermarket, I lost my sanity buying frozen apple juice.

Okay, so maybe it started several aisles before the refrigerated cases. Somewhere between the canned vegetables and cleaning supplies. I needed to kill the taste of that soy milk in my iced vanilla latte. Darn my friend Molly, the dairy Nazi. I blamed her for my detour to the liquor aisle. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. What to pour in my Starbucks cup? Amaretto? Kahlua? Vodka? And the winner was Amaretto. Perfect for an afternoon grocery event.