Lala Paige is floating along in life with a great job, wonderful friends, and Keith, the man who stays by her side all day and night. But when she decides it's time to start thinking seriously about a family, all her well-laid plans come crashing down. Keith decides he can't remain totally committed to their relationship, and Lala won't accept anything less. As she struggles to make sense of her unraveling life, Lala must choose whom to turn to, and where her heart truly belongs. But what will she do when she discovers the real reason Keith's skipping out? Joy & Pain explores the drama of friends, hidden family secrets and lovers who attempt to endure the test of time through the eyes of one woman who's had just about as much as she can take.
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Chapter 1
I never said I wasn't a freak in the sheets for my man. Subsequently on Saturday morning, I find myself eating at the breakfast bar giving him full frontal access without regret or shame. Keith's coy smile lets me know he's pleased with the freedom of my ta-tas. So far, there's been no teasing mention of his ripped T-shirt I accidentally tore while trying to get at him after his week-long business trip to South Beach. He is feeding his face as he sits across from me in his silk pajama bottoms. We both have huge appetites; we are eating hot biscuits with molasses, eggs, and country sausage. Our hunger emerged from a romantic and nonstop Friday night, full of scented candles, warm body oils, and music by Floetry, KEM, Robin Thicke and some other sexy mood-setting, neo-soul performers I had burned just for the occasion.
I knew Keith was aware that he handled his business during the night and then some. He gave a smorgasbord of love -- very satisfying in more ways than one. After six years of living together, this man can push my buttons to the limit. I can't get enough of his chocolate body and the chemistry we share.
At this point in our relationship I think we are as close as ever. Well, as close as a man ever lets a woman in his life. He talks about things that matter in his life. Asks my opinion in difficult situations and shares intimate concerns to a point that makes me feel like we are connected. Everything he is giving is fine with me. I can live and have been living with this level of commitment for a long time. I have no problem living in the moment and as time passes, I know I will get more and more because our trust is growing everyday. I am sure it's been a process all through our relationship so I don't sweat it. The main thing is we are clicking, running on automatic. It is wonderful because we are definitely drama free and feeling our connection.
"You know, I could stay like this forever," Keith says to me.
I intercept his eyes, when they seize the moment to travel down the rest of my bare body when I stand to get the pot of coffee to warm our cups. I also catch his tone. It is overly campaigning for some strange reason. So I decide to check it.
"You mean, this moment? Enjoying this moment?" I confirm.
Keith looks at me quickly without explaining, then goes for more eggs and the last biscuit.
My human radar, inherited from my mother who listened to all my father's shit, up until she left him when I was ten, zooms in tightly on his response.
He is like, "Exactly, that's what I mean, baby. This right here, right now, I wouldn't change it for the world."
If being with Keith for six years has taught me anything, it is realizing unconditionally when he's shuffling me doo-doo. I reach over the table and stop his hand from stuffing more eggs into his mouth with his fork. "Don't even try it. Tell me, what you mean, Keith?"
He glances at me like he does his jurors in the high-profile divorce settlements he has a habit of winning.
"C'mon, Lala, I was just thinking how mellow it is for us right now, and I want things to stay like this, that's all."
I push. "Like this?"
"You know, just the two of us. It takes a huge string of luck for people to get along like this -- for this long of a time period." Keith picks up his coffee cup, places his weekend special of three teaspoons of creamer down in the bottom, then begins to stir slowly and tries to dismiss my concerns. "So, you have a good time last night?" Keith is about to start patting himself on the back concerning his performance because he'd helped me to release several times through the night. He was a satisfier in the bed; almost always on a mission to please me and I loved that about him.
"Last night was okay," I let him know.
He chuckles. "Just okay?"
"That's it."
"Yeah, right."
"Would've been better, if you'd done what I asked," I say.
Keith sips his coffee. He has no expression -- almost like he doesn't hear me.
"So why didn't you?"
"Lala, I keep telling you. It's like an unbreakable habit now that I pull out. It's been our practice since we've been making love without condoms."
"Keith, you're full of it. All of the grief I've gotten from you over the years about how it's so unnatural and now all of a sudden...it's an 'unbreakable habit.'"
"Grief?" He sips even more coffee and says no more.
But I can't hold back. "First of all, let's get things straight. You didn't want to practice the withdrawal method because you felt cheated, and I managed to see things your way. Then you practically begged me to get back on the pill and I gave in again. Then when I stopped taking the pill because I wanted to get my body ready for pregnancy, all of a sudden, you're now so in tune with the withdrawal method like you've never had a problem with it."
Keith looks at me over the brim of his cup. Our eyes meet and I stay glued to him without letting go. Things are becoming clear that he's been thinking of not following through with our plans. So I ask him.
"You don't want me to have your child, do you? You've changed your mind, haven't you?"
Keith doesn't say a word but he picks up another piece of sausage and shoves it in his mouth. Then he starts to chew like it is somehow a new flavor. His silence answers my question, and I need to find out why.
© 2008 by Franklin White
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Joy and pain of life,
By The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Joy & Pain (Paperback)
Lala Page is loving life. She has a great job, wonderful home and a good man she has been with for over six years. They are looking toward the future, when suddenly her life starts a downward spiral. JOY & PAIN is her story of realizing life isn't as it appears and life is full of joy and pain.
Lala must deal with betrayal and try to move forward with her life. In this process, she starts to mentor a young boy who is struggling with the fact his mother has left the family. When Lala finds the boy's mother, she also opens more drama than she ever could have realized. Lala also befriends Sydney, an older married gentleman, who turns into a father figure for her, but she also becomes the confidante for Sydney's wife. With so much going on in Lala's life, it is a wonder she can keep it together and all she wants to do is get over the pain of past hurts and help others in need. The problem is she tends to get in too deep and makes some impulsive decisions that do more bad than good. Everything Lala deals with and endures leads her on the road to self-discovery. As a fan of Franklin White, I have anxiously awaited his newest tome. JOY & PAIN exhibits many of the finer attributes of White as a writer. One is his ability to write in a female's voice and delve into the issues women must deal with. He does bring the drama in this tale, even if at times it may not be warranted. I would have loved to have more background on Lala so I could understand her naiveté and impulsiveness. I also would have liked to see her character move past the anger of her betrayal instead of lingering in it. With so many subplots, the story was bigger than Lala's issues and the focus seemed to be on the drama surrounding her friends and acquaintances. The pacing was moved along by the predicaments Lala found herself a part of. A natural progression of the main character was lacking and the ending just seemed unsettled. Although this story didn't meet all my expectations, it was a quick read with some great topics for further discussion. Reviewed by Cashana Seals of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed..,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Joy & Pain (Paperback)
Franklin White is one of my favorite authors and I was really looking forward to enjoying his latest novel. I was highly disappointed when I finished it. His characters were not colorful and none of them really stood out. I didn't really care what happen to any of them. This book was very predictable and I figured out the ending before I even got to the end."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Brought me no joy,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Joy & Pain (Paperback)
It hurts to write this review because I am a Franklin White fan. Potentially Yours is an example of this author's work at its finest. Unfortunately Joy and Pain is not. Let's start with the positives. It's a quick read and a very fine story concept. Now the negatives. The book's back cover doesn't accurately describe it's contents. The cover mentions exploring the drama of friends and lovers. That didn't occur. I wanted to read much more about Lala's and Keith's relationship and what lead up to their drama-filled situation. Readers are told Lala and Keith were together six years and Lala "wasted" so many years with Keith. Too bad readers aren't given a chance to read about this experience. The book instead begins with Lala's and Keith's untimely demise when the father of Lala's best-friend Adria's baby is revealed. It gets very interesting but there was no closure. And that plot is practically abandoned when Lala decides to volunteer at a youth center and eventually fights to save a little boy and his family while being guided by her mentor, a mysterious man named Sydney who is old enough to be her father but has been burdened with relationship problems of his own. There was hardly anymore mention of Keith and Adria. I didn't get it. The book was boring and lacked substance and entertainment value. It would have been much more interesting had the author stuck to the original plot--the love triangle between Lala, Keith, and Adria.
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