Carnival Queen - Softcover

Joseph, Roland P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1475948352 ISBN 13: 9781475948356

Verlag: iUniverse, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

On Trinidad, the island of the steel pan, calypso, and carnivals, Annabelle Castello grows up in the impoverished Bristol Village before circumstances transport her to the affluent city of Port-of-Spain. At an early age, Annabelle achieves more than she could have ever imagined in her wildest dreams- wealth, power, and fame-due to her youth and bewitching beauty. As she grows older and her looks begin to fade, however, Annabelle yearns to embrace the simple values and happiness she once knew. Forty-five years after leaving for the city, Annabelle impulsively abandons everything and heads back to Bristol Village in search of her past, the only man she has ever loved, and the baby girl she left behind. But as she arrives in the village with the hope of reuniting with her love Ricardo, Annabelle is distraught when she learns he has died. Just as she finds solace in the fact that she still has her daughter, Annabelle receives devastating news that will change her life forever. In this poignant tale, a woman embarks on a heartfelt journey back to her past where she soon discovers that nothing is ever as it once was. "Joseph has obvious empathy for his characters and the remarkable ability to slip into and out of the persona of each character and maintain voice and tone" -Foreword/Clarion Review

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CARNIVAL QUEEN

By Roland P. Joseph

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Roland P. Joseph
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-4835-6

Chapter One

1993

The red Mazda coupe travelled dangerously fast along the narrow, tortuous road of the island's east coast, precariously negotiating the sharp bends and wooden bridges. The driver's gauzy white scarf fluttered about in the breeze as she rushed through the alternate single-lane bridge, ignoring the queue of eastbound traffic which was about to enter the bridge. She knew she acted uncouthly, but she had to get to Ricardo quickly. The letter alluding that he was on his deathbed was already three weeks old when she opened it. It was a race against time. Pulses of excitement raced through her body like a loaded electrical wire dangling in a storm. Her thoughts were a fusion of distant memories and wishful imaginings of a faint and misty world—a world she had to embrace again before it faded into obscurity. Her dwindling sanity depended on it.

Forty-five years was along time—a very long time. What if ...? She quashed any negative thoughts that emerged in her mind. As far as she was concerned, everyone and everything lay frozen in time, waiting to unfurl when she arrived. She was as nervous as a child anxiously awaiting the results of an important exam, but highly optimistic. This had to be her reward for the seemingly good deeds she had done in her life. She had already paid in full for her bad deeds, she pacified herself. An aura of sadness came over her as she recalled her father saying to her as a child whenever she was sad, "No situation is permanent; time heals all wounds." Oh, how she wished he were still here to hold her and tell her it would be okay.

Darkness had descended as she approached the village of Manzanilla. The white, distant breakers of the long stretch of beach came into view as she cleared the sharp bend. The car tyres against the loose planks of the Bailey Bridge dispatched a volley of clattering echoes into the serenity of the evening. A dark canopy of clouds posed a threat to the October moon which waited on its cue from the fading sun. A chilly breeze periodically rustled the copious stretch of coconut palms, which formed a revolving panorama in the rear-view mirror.

Her left hand moved away from the steering wheel to the back seat, groping around for a black leather handbag. She glanced quickly to the back to navigate its location, but as she redirected her focus onto the road, she frantically grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. Her heart pounded loudly; she had to make a snap decision. The dark outline of a bison appeared out of nowhere and stood statuesque in the middle of the road. She was driving too fast to stop, and both sides of the road were lined with coconut palms. As she approached the animal, she closed her eyes and fidgeted with the steering wheel, slamming on the brake pedal with enormous force. Her head remained down, her eyes closed. After a few seconds, she slowly raised her head, took a deep breath, and exclaimed loudly, "Thank you, God!" She reached into her handbag and retrieved a packet of cigarettes, lighting one with trembling hands. She took a deep pull and exhaled slowly.

The loud screech of the brake interrupted a group of gossiping women who sat on the steps of a cluster of small, craggy cottages of the nearby coconut estate. Bare-breasted men attending to small, scattered fires of burning sticks and leaves abandoned their chore. Children of varying sizes attired in ragged hand-me-downs left their game of hide-and-seek to investigate the commotion. With the assistance of two of the men, she managed to reposition the car onto the roadway. The right fender was damaged, but she would worry about that tomorrow. For now, her only concern was to get to Ricardo.

Night was approaching swiftly. The large, luminous moon peered through streamers of dark clouds with a shimmer of violet and purple. A cool sea breeze caressed her face and stroked her mussed hair, sending a refreshing sensation through her body. The thick growth of coconut palms was now a mass of dark shadows sprinkled with silver splashes. The peaceful ambiance emanating from the hamlet she now approached triggered her into a nostalgic mood.

The flickering light of candles and kerosene lamps peered through the windows and crevices of the squalid cottages. The serenity comforted her like the arms of her pa. It reminded her of the world she was once a part of, a direct contrast to the harsh world which had adopted her. It was as though the wind of change had spared this village from its cruelty—to her, this was a good omen. The cacophony of croaking frogs and buzzing insects overpowered the distant roar of the ocean and occupied her consciousness for a fleeting moment.

Joyanne? What will she think of me? Will she think that I had abandoned her? She must know the truth. The memory of the little baby girl she kissed goodbye forty-five years ago brought tears to her eyes.

Sparkles of lights through teary eyes were her first vision of Mayaro. But she was too engulfed by thoughts and filled with excitement to become nostalgic over the town which filled her childhood memories. Her old school and other familiar sights did, however, manage to flash through her mind, if only for a moment.

She was now a short distance away from the hamlet of Bristol Village—her home. There were other places she had called home in her lifetime, but to her, this was her ultimate home. She felt safe and comforted there. Memories of her father saddened her. She had disappointed him and was denied the opportunity to make amends. She was not going to be denied the opportunity to make amends to Ricardo. Fate would not rob her of that chance again. If only she had taken heed of the haunting presentiment which assailed her, she would have been home to respond to the letter right away. The flight from New York was delayed by almost four hours. It was an unrewarding trip. Her business deal went sour; nothing substantive was achieved. If only she were there to have immediately responded to the letter, she scolded herself.

While in New York, she had a gnawing premonition to return home. It made her uneasy and sad. But it was a dream, a recurring nightmare that convinced her to abort her stay in New York. The first time she had had the dream was about a year ago, and it was a long time since she'd had the dream, only this time it was more vivid, more intense. It petrified her.

She was walking along a road with Ricardo, and he was holding a baby in his arms. Although she didn't see the baby's face, she instinctively knew it was Joyanne. No words were spoken between them. It was dark, pitchblack. They walked without seeing where they were going. Then suddenly, she realized that they were way ahead of her; she was being left behind. She grew scared and began walking faster and faster, but she could not reach them; then they disappeared from sight, and she was left alone in a sea of darkness, scared to death. At this point, she sprang from her sleep, sweating profusely. The dream was the same as the previous times, only this time it lasted longer. Usually, she awoke at the point where she realized they were slightly ahead of her.

That very morning, she'd called the airline, adamant that they book her on the next flight home. She scrambled her belongings and bundled them into the suitcase, ran into the shower, dabbed on some make-up, twisted her hair into a roll, and called a cab. But this had to be the worst day of her life. Thinking that nothing else could go wrong, an announcement that...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: iUniverse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1475948352
• ISBN 13: 9781475948356
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 326
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland