Distant+Whispers

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McClantys hail from Beaufort. That’s down there below Charleston, near Hilton Head. You know any McClantys?” “I—I think my father is a McClanty.” Mikell’s voice was a whisper. “Is that right! Now that is something. The McClantys’ aren’t a big family. There’s still some in Beaufort, some in Myrtle Beach and some went to New Zealand. Can you imagine that? All the way to New Zealand! So, where ‘bouts are you from?” “From Germany!” “Is that right!” There was awe in the woman’s voice. “Let me think. Uh uhh! I don’t think the McClantys made it to Germany. Well now. Let me see. Is Germany close to New Zealand? We don’t stay in touch with the family in New Zealand but they do have a son and maybe he—” “No! My father was a soldier. An American soldier. He was…black American. A, umm, Negro.” “Ohhh! I see! A Negro!” There was a long pause. “A Negro? Hmmm. No! There aren’t no Negro McClantys. We are all Caucasians. White people. I’m sure of that. I hope so.” Another pause. “A Negro! No! I’m sure we don’t have any Negroes in the family.” Mikell exhaled like a person who held their breath too long. “Okay. I see. Well, thank you. I’m sorry for disturbing you. Thank you.” The woman didn’t seem to hear Mikell. She seemed to be talking to herself. “Uh uhhh! Not a one. No Negros at all! And you can’t count the time that Aunt Cleida took in that colored boy. She was something else, that Aunt Cleida. Always liked the colored people. Even went to a Negro church, in Charleston. She liked that church. Always talked about the preacher and his red hair. She said that the preacher must have some Irish blood in his family line. Or even Scottish. But that was a long time ago. Know what she did? She even took in a Negro child. After that preacher died. Treated that chile just like real people. But that’s how Aunt Cleida was. Always treated the coloreds well. She just took him in this little boy. You know—that’s how we does thing in South Carolina. It could be a cat—or a dog—or leaving food for the birds. Folks don’t understand us sometimes. But we’s got a big heart down here.” Mikell caught his breath. He was too stunned to even pick up the woman’s insulting words. “Your…aunt…had a Negro child?” “I said she took in a Negro child! He wasn’t part of no McClantys. Uh-uhhh. My aunt usta wave these papers around saying he was her child, legal like. She even started signing that boy’s last name as McClanty. But, as I said before, she wasn’t wrapped too tight. She even went to a Negro church.” “Where is your aunt, now?” “Oh, she’s dead. She died a long time ago.” “Dead! And what happened to the boy?” “He went back to the coloreds! Like he should. He wasn’t a McClanty. Not a real McClanty, so we weren’t going to take him in. Not into our…our real homes. So, he went back to his people.” “Which people?” “I don’t rightly know what folks that boy had. But ask those people from that colored church. They call themselves the AMEs. Something African or the other. They handled all of the paperwork. And that was the right thing to do. That boy belonged with the Negros. Them was his people! Well, I gotta go. Nice talkin’ wit ya. You seem like such a nice boy even though you talk kinda funny.”
Mikell didn’t hear those last few words. The phone had already slipped out of his fingers and plopped onto the bed. He stared into the darkness. A quick search through the hotel’s phone book told him everything he wanted to know. The A.M.Es. The African Methodist Episcopal Church!
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Distant Whispers Adrian Erik McCray
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Also by the author… Dogs of Brazi
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ICH BIN GEECHEE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2
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Ich Bin Geechee German Geechee
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killed - in spirit and in flesh - a
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order guard flew open, his eyes ten
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moaned. She had not been to the tra
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Chapter 2 THE PETITE YOUNG WOMAN fo
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taller than her, a little over six
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Chapter 3 “LOOKIN’ FOR YOUR DAD
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oy’s head. Working in a barbersho
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hands increased each time Mikell tr
Page 26 and 27: curled back into a huge grin. “Wh
Page 28 and 29: “They got too many skeeters,” s
Page 30 and 31: Horn jumped out of his chair and st
Page 32 and 33: plant, with its thick green leaves
Page 34 and 35: Chapter 5 “MIKELL, COME HOME! You
Page 36 and 37: Chapter 6 THE TONGUES BEGAN WAGGING
Page 38 and 39: eautiful,” Mikell said, his eyes
Page 40 and 41: ecuperating.” “We both are recu
Page 42 and 43: Mikell jumped up. “I’ll go with
Page 44 and 45: her home. Behind them a yellow mini
Page 46 and 47: see the stars inside of the stripes
Page 48 and 49: “They’re not my friends!” Mik
Page 50 and 51: The woman stood in her own spotligh
Page 52 and 53: Chapter 11 MIKELL CRUISED DOWN THE
Page 54 and 55: Chapter 12 MIKELL STAKED HIMSELF OU
Page 56 and 57: “Autistic,” Mikell said. Toni g
Page 58 and 59: “Wow! It looks just like the wome
Page 60 and 61: Chapter 13 THAT FRIDAY AFTERNOON Mi
Page 62 and 63: Mikell took a deep breath. “Tony,
Page 64 and 65: A choir comprised of two adult wome
Page 66 and 67: Mikell’s tears flowed freely. Eve
Page 68 and 69: “Dat buss haid.” “Dat red hai
Page 70 and 71: “Well now, there’s a first time
Page 72 and 73: in South Carolina and after emancip
Page 74 and 75: huge home was alive with the aroma
Page 78 and 79: Chapter 19 TONI NERVOUSLY WATCHED D
Page 80 and 81: Chapter 20 MIKELL SPENT MOST OF TUE
Page 82 and 83: Chapter 21 THE DIAMOND-SHAPED TOWER
Page 84 and 85: *** “Until Sunday! Do you mean th
Page 86 and 87: type of sporting event. Maybe an Am
Page 88 and 89: the road blocked. A line of state t
Page 90 and 91: in disbelief at a weather-beaten wo
Page 92 and 93: terrorized middle-aged white woman
Page 94 and 95: JT walked to where the sidewalk end
Page 96 and 97: Chapter 24 HORN STORMED INTO THE SH
Page 98 and 99: father is no butcher! My mother is
Page 100 and 101: Chapter 25 HORN EXPLODED. He storme
Page 102 and 103: checkers.” JT gently tugged on hi
Page 104 and 105: One of the skinheads, a short muscu
Page 106 and 107: the KKK boys made the error of tryi
Page 108 and 109: enough was enough. The Klansboys st
Page 110 and 111: her eyes wide in disbelief at the p
Page 112 and 113: Mikell at arm’s length and slowly
Page 114 and 115: Chapter 26 MIKELL SPENT THE NIGHT A
Page 116 and 117: pounds of shrimp. “That boy sure
Page 118 and 119: The narrow road began to crowd in o
Page 120 and 121: oyster shells covered the outside w
Page 122 and 123: lood children. So, I tries to make
Page 124 and 125: all the boys he took in. I swore be
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that. Anyhow, that was a long time
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Toni! Just ahead of him two cars, p
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on the coffee table. He was especia
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Chapter 1 “WHEN DE COOLIE MAN COM
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her mother asked, sitting more erec
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Petra shook her head and raised the
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“Now, you listen, mommy,” Petra
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nodding and smiling. They had been
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All work and no play makes Denmark
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“Wuk it gyul! Wuk it, Tammi!”
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“It’s dis ting with Raj,” whi
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Chapter 3 SHANTI SHUKLA WAS ANGRY.
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graduate school when he was working
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Denmark rolled his tongue in his ch
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huge oval cherry wood table that do
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The Trinis along the wall understoo
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The room went silent. Eyes awkwardl
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Somehow--” Denmark shook his head
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Chapter 5 ON MONDAY MORNING, his th
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However, graduate school had change
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diverse island in the Caribbean, he
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supposed to be a population breakdo
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Chapter 8 THE NEXT MORNING as Denma
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Chapter 9 THAT NIGHT, PETRA SAT ON
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“No, Petra. Ah jus think that Den
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He knew the voice though they hadn
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Chapter 11 PICTON HILL IN LAVENTILL
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day.” Petra’s mind flashed back
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perspiration from his brow and roll
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when you kept pushing me away, I th
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“Nigel!” Petra tried to stare h
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Chapter 12 THANKFULLY, THE CHAOS BE
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Chapter 13 JUST AFTER HALF-PAST ONE
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The trembling Nalini finally manage
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Chapter 14 IT WAS LATE FRIDAY AFTER
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“Yes!” “Assess them! Denmark
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Chapter 15 LATE ON SUNDAY NIGHT Pet
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Chapter 16 DENMARK SAT IN TRINIDAD
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Chapter 17 CONFUSION DOMINATED TnTC
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He logged onto TnTClaim’s site an
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Denmark was not aware of the two me
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others in response to their support
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Denmark turned towards Petra and on
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Chapter 19 PETRA STRUGGLED TO KEEP
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Denmark rolled his eyes. “If you
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department. Her smooth brown face g
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But Denmark saw no one. He was in h
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killed a deal? They exchanged nervo
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yesterday, they had stripped all of
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“My jewels, Mr. Alexander.” “
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her head, trying to find the words.
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Chapter 21 A COOL EVENING BREEZE bl
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Petra felt two hands caress her arm
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We did share a road together. That
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Coming this summer by Adrian Erik M
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