The Harris Family: A Novel - Softcover

Johnson, RM

Softcover

ISBN 10: 074342302X ISBN 13: 9780743423021

Verlag: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Inhaltsangabe

The unforgettable crew of characters from RM Johnson's bestselling debut novel, The Harris Men, returns in a riveting story of love, loss, and second chances.

Julius Harris walked out on his family twenty-five years ago—and not a moment goes by when he doesn't regret it. Five years ago, after learning he had cancer, Julius tried to make peace with his three sons. It didn't take. Now, the disease has gone into remission. Overjoyed, Julius is grateful for this miracle, and the time it affords him to make up for his past mistakes.

It won't be easy. In Chicago, life isn't exactly simple for his three grown sons. The oldest, Austin, a successful attorney, struggles to be a good father to his children despite his ex-wife's attempts to turn them against him. Marcus, the middle son, wrestles with a fear of commitment that drives away the woman he loves. And young Caleb, just released from prison, fights to rebuild his life and win back his wife and child. The three Harris brothers have a hard enough time being there for each other—let alone a father they haven't seen in years. Nor are they sure they even want him in their lives.

Filled with intrigue, romance, and shocking twists, The Harris Family is a deliciously gripping novel of contemporary black relationships and, ultimately, a moving testament to the power of family, love, and forgiveness.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

R.M. Johnson is the author of ten books, including bestsellers The Harris Family, The Harris Men, and The Million Dollar Divorce. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Chicago State University. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Chapter 1

Julius Harris was exhausted as he sat in his car at eight in the morning. He hadn't gotten a full night's rest, and he felt awful. He reached forward, pulled the visor down to take a look at himself in the mirror, to see if he looked as bad as he felt.

What he saw was an unshaven, sixty-year-old man, who looked more like a one-hundred-year-old man. His hair was short and uncombed, dark circles hung under his tired, bloodshot eyes, and as he dropped his face in his hands, rubbing the graying stubble on it, he asked himself, Was he losing weight? Was he shedding pounds without even trying? He sank a thumb into the waist of the wrinkled trousers he'd pulled off the back of his bedroom chair that morning, and gave them a tug. He could've sworn he'd lost weight, but every time he asked his wife about it, she simply smiled and said that he was being ridiculous.

Julius left his pants alone, flipped the visor back into place, then looked toward the window. He smeared a circle in that foggy driver's-side window to reveal a fuzzy image of the small medical center across the street. He had a view of the parking lot, and as he focused his attention there, cars started to roll in.

He wished that he weren't alone at that moment, wished that he could reach across the car and feel his wife, take her hand, and gain strength from her, as he was used to doing. Cathy had wanted to come with him, begged him to let her come, but he wouldn't do that to her again.

He remembered five years ago when they'd last come to see this doctor, she was destroyed sitting there beside him in the doctor's office. He could practically feel the life leave her, her body falling limp in his arms after they had received the news. Julius had decided he couldn't subject her to something like that again, and he knew that would be the kind of news the doctor would have for him.

"The cancer is back, and it is more aggressive than ever before," the doctor would tell Julius. He wouldn't even have to run any tests, because he'd be able to see it seeping out of Julius's pores, his posture weakened by the damage the disease had already done to his bones.

Julius brought his face nearer to the window, his attention caught by a silver Jaguar slowly pulling into the parking lot. He watched it as it took the closest space to the building. The driver's-side door opened, a foot was placed on the pavement, and a man stepped out, a thin, graying man with glasses.

Julius, his eyes narrowing, recognized him immediately. It was the doctor, his doctor. His doctor popped open an umbrella over his head and took casual steps toward the building, as if it weren't raining at all.

With that, Julius reached across the passenger seat, picked up his umbrella, and made his way out into the rain himself. The clouds drenched everything under them, sending down a perpetual sheet of rain on the city. Julius dodged through the cars that skimmed across the rain-slick street, stopping once to avoid getting splashed by a wave of water thrust toward him by a passing car.

Julius saw the doctor disappear behind the tinted, double doors of the building, which made him pick up his pace. He took the stairs as fast as he could, pulled the door to the building open, and ducked inside, his umbrella still open, dripping rain onto the dark carpet. The waiting room was filled with patients, most of them older, their bodies naturally deformed by age, silver sprouting from their heads, sad expressions on their faces. A TV droned on, mounted high in a corner of the room, no doubt there to take the patients' minds away from their illnesses and how long it would be before they could see the doctor, just so he could go about putting their illnesses back on their minds.

Julius looked left, then quickly right, and saw his doctor disappear behind the door of his office. He walked briskly after him, almost running, but was halted by a young, thin receptionist. She got up and leaned over her desk just a bit, as if to reach out and snag Julius by his collar and yank him back if he continued to move in the direction of the doctor's office.

"Sir, can I help you?" she said in a tone that actually said, "You can't go back there."

"Yes, I'm here to see Dr. Phillips," Julius said, not looking at the receptionist, but at the closed office door, as if he was afraid the doctor was slipping out the office window as they spoke.

"Okay, yes, fine," the woman said, pulling a scheduling book in front of her, keeping an eye on Julius.

"And your name, sir?" she said, her finger resting at the top of the page.

"Mr. Harris," Julius said.

It only took her a moment, to say, "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't see your name on the list. Are you sure it wasn't for another day?"

"I don't have an appointment," Julius said, now giving his attention to her, "but I still have to see Dr. Phillips."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Harris, but all these people have to see him, too, and they do have appointments."

Julius looked over his shoulder at the half dozen people sitting in the chairs behind him. Their eyes were on him, as if they had been listening to his conversation with this woman since he'd started it. He sympathized with them, but his case was more important than theirs. At least it was to him, and that was all that mattered.

Julius turned, placed both palms on the woman's desk, and leaned into her, speaking softly.

"I understand what you're saying, but I really must see Dr. Phillips today," and Julius even gave her a little smile after his request, thinking it might make some bit of difference.

The dark-haired woman looked up at him from behind her glasses and said, "I'm sorry, Mr...."

"Your sorrow does nothing for me!" Julius said, pounding the desk angrily, sending a tremor through her Garfield and Odie trinkets, making them do a little dance, then fall to their sides, playing dead. "I have to see him now. Please!" Julius said, softening his tone, trying to appeal to this woman.

The receptionist stared at Julius sympathetically for a moment, then said, "Hold on. Let me see what I can do." She picked up the phone, dialed the doctor's office.

"Dr. Phillips, there is a Mr. Harris out here to see you. No, he doesn't have an appointment, but I believe you might want to see him...Okay...yes...all right," she said, all the while looking at Julius. Then she hung up the phone.

"He'll be right out to see you, Mr. Harris," the receptionist said, smiling.

"Thank you," Julius said, softly.

A moment later, the doctor's office door opened, and Julius turned to face that direction, watched his doctor walk down the short hall toward him, a phony little smile pasted across his face, which Julius knew was meant to appease him long enough to get him out of there.

His hand was outstretched, and his demeanor seemed more that of a car salesman than a man of medicine. "Good morning." He grinned. "Mr...." and he looked down briefly to his receptionist, who said softly, "Harris."

"Good morning, Mr. Harris," the doctor said again, keeping his hand out for Julius to shake. Julius stared down at the man's hand as if he had just yanked it out of his ass. The doctor lowered his hand, his smile shrinking a bit with the movement.

"What seems to be the problem?"

Julius stood in front of the man, expecting to see something in his eyes, a glint of recognition, something. But there was nothing. Julius was a total stranger to him. But Julius didn't care that it had been five years since he had last seen this man. He should know me, he thought.

"I need to speak to you," Julius said, then turned to see that he still had the attention of every patient in the waiting room. "In private."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Harris, but as Susie told you, you'll have to make an...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Simon & Schuster
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2002
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 074342302X
• ISBN 13: 9780743423021
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 368
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Simon and Schuster Netherlands BV; info@simonandschuster.nl; ; Herculesplein 96; Utrecht; 3584 AA; Niederlande