African American Urban Fiction
Date Published: 06-06-2023
Publisher: Kcin Entertainment Group
The Waters’ are a strong, prominent black family in Philadelphia with
access to the good life. Money, power, and lack of respect flow through the
tight-knit family as destruction threatens to rock the foundation they are
all trying to keep together.
Judge Waters and his wife, Lillian, work overtime to save their marriage,
but when hatred and bitterness take over, all bets are off. Once the
fighting starts, their children Keenan Jr., Naomi, and Saint go off into the
world, wearing their parent’s drama as a coat of arms. They then lie,
cheat, and steal, causing havoc in the lives they come across, just like
their mother and father taught them to do.
Ultimately, damaging secrets and decade-old lies will all come crashing
down around them. When death comes knocking, The Waters Family and their
shattered fate hang in the balance, wondering what’s coming next . .
.
EXCERPT
Lillian stands there holding a manila envelope with divorce papers inside. Then, she coldly starts talking at her husband. “You are a liar, Keenan, and you are a cheat. You sit here and tell the family how good it is for them all to be here with us on our anniversary. But you didn’t tell them that you spent our actual anniversary with that whore you keep in Queens Village!”
Keenan Sr. is now glaring up at Lillian, giving her the meanest look. “Lillian, sit-down! This is not the time for any of that. It’s dinner time.”
“Then when will be the time, Keenan, huh? You didn’t come last night because you were with her! And then you left her house, smelling like pussy, and headed right to your office this morning. You went into court today smelling like pussy. I know you did because when you came home after work, you were still smelling like—”
Keenan Jr. interrupts his mother. “Mama, please don’t say—”
Now Lillian interrupts Keenan Jr. looking right at him. “Pussy! Your daddy came home after court smelling like pussy. He took a long hot shower, then walked down those stairs and greeted everybody here except for me!”
Naomi added, “And y’all always say I’m drama. Uh, okay.”
Saint Kenny stands up and looks around the table. His sad childlike eyes look at his father first and then his angry mother. “Mama, let’s go into the kitchen, please. I don’t like this. I want you to calm down.”
Keenan Sr. is livid. “Listen to your son, Lillian! Do you want your granddaughter to hear you in here speaking the way you are? Talking about the smell of pussy at the dining room table like a goddamn, fucking madwoman!” His teeth are clenched together. “Now go into the kitchen with Saint and calm your ass down!”
She doesn’t. Instead, Lillian lays the manila envelope in front of Keenan Sr. completely unfazed by his anger. “My attorney worked on that decree all month to make sure it was ready for tonight. Uh, and I’m not going into the kitchen. I’m not going anywhere . . . you are! Now, I want your nasty, triflin’, dirty ass out of this house as soon as you are finished with your last meal here. Or better yet . . .” Lillian takes his plate of food to the kitchen and dumps it in the trash before coming back into the dining room. “. . . How about you leave right now!” Keenan Sr. looks ready to jump out of his seat as Lillian continues. “I want you to march right back up those stairs and grab all of your things! And then I want you out of this house, Keenan! Out of this house and the hell away from me. For good this time. Meaning, don’t come back, ever!”
About the Author
Nick Haskins is the author of My Husband’s Wife, Betrayed,
She’s Obsessed, and his new book series, Dark Waters, dropping this
summer. Nick was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, where he currently
resides. After years of aspiring to become a professional screenwriter, he
began to shape his creative dreams and released his first African American
fiction book, On the Edge of Heat, in 2011. In addition, Nick has been
actively working on his first feature film and developing a new streaming
series.
Readers can visit Nick’s website at www.nickhaskinsbooks.com, email
him at nickhaskinsbooks@gmail.com, or follow him on social media
@iamnickhaskins
Contact Links
Purchase Links
