Chapter 1
Shyleen Amaura Jackson-Forrest was a bright, ambitious woman. She had always been tough, straightforward, and fearless. Even as a child, her mother had both admired and been annoyed by her daughter’s aggressive, take-charge attitude. She was sassy, but clever, and smart as a whip. She was feisty, demanding, and impatient. She always knew what she wanted, and would stop at nothing to get it. Her mother always said, “Doing what you want and knowing what you want are two different things, but you seem to have a knack for both. It ain’t always good, and it ain’t always bad, but you need to learn the difference between the two and use them wisely.” Her mother had never steered her wrong, and, over time, she did learn the difference, found that balance between doing and knowing. This gave her a fairer disposition, and also made it easier for her to determine when to be pushy and aggressive, and when to take a more compromising stance.
Shyleen always went after what she wanted, no matter what. She asked the man who later became her husband to the prom, and she demanded an interview with the head of a company who had once before told her they weren’t hiring. She got the job almost solely because the supervisor was impressed with her candor. She was intimidating, and struck both a fear and unique respect in her employees and friends alike.
She was also very beautiful, which was another reason people were in constant awe of her. Her skin, a beautiful cinnamon-mahogany, was smooth and clear. Her prominent almond shaped eyes were the color of raw honey. She had a small, rounded “button” nose, and full, heart-shaped lips. Her thick, dark hair, naturally streaked with lighter shades of brown and reddish-gold, was long and very curly. She usually kept it pulled back into a large knot at the nape of her neck; and, when untamed, it was a bursting mass of unruly curls. She stood at five feet eight inches, and her body was long and curvy, with full breasts, a small waist, rounded hips, and a high, wide bottom. The latter was the bane of her existence, mainly because she had to buy pants that were a little larger than most to accommodate her derriere. But her curvy figure was mostly the least of her worries, as her husband didn’t complain. In fact, he loved it, and was always encouraging her to buy clothes that fit snugly to show off her body. She was very in love with him, and valued his opinion so much, that she always acquiesced. She loved their life together, and their kids, and just knew they would be together forever…
Chapter 2
Shyleen had always been a productive person. Growing up, she took dance classes and piano lessons, and throughout high school, she was in every club and group imaginable. She was very popular, and her dominant and exuberant personality made her very likable and gained her numerous friends, some of whom she remained close to even after high school and college. After college, she married her high school sweetheart, William Blake Forrest, who she’d also grown up with.
William, or Will, as she so affectionately called him, was very handsome. He was tall, well over six feet, and had skin the color of caramel. His hair was dark brown, and very wavy. He wore it cut short and faded off at the sides and back. His bedroom eyes were a light chestnut, and framed with long, thick lashes. His nose turned up slightly at the tip, giving it an almost feminine quality. His mouth was wide, his lips full, and extremely kissable. He had a dimple in his chin, and dimples in his cheeks that flashed when he smiled. He was a large man, with broad shoulders, a wide chest, muscular arms, and a stomach so hard and flat you could iron a shirt on it. His narrow waist and hips accentuated his tall frame, and the back view was just as amazing as the front. He’d fallen in love with Shyleen almost from the moment they’d met at the age of 4. They grew up on the same street, went to the same schools, and spent most of their time together. She’d asked him to the prom in high school, and both were crowned prom king and queen both years. He asked Shyleen to marry him after graduation, but she wasn’t having it. She and her mother both believed education came first. So he waited, and their love grew stronger throughout college. Shortly after college, they got married.
They had two beautiful children, the first a girl, Amber Rose Forrest, named for her amber-colored skin and rosy cheeks and lips. She was very much like her mother and just as beautiful. She inherited her mother’s light eyes, her father’s dimples, and her mother’s button nose. She had dark, wavy hair like her father’s, a pert little nose and full rosebud lips. Even as a baby she was very demanding and extremely straightforward. She, like her mother, had Will wrapped around her little finger from the moment he laid eyes on her. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her happy. Shyleen was in love with her daughter, and dressed Amber up for every small occasion. Her room was pink and white, and as she grew, it became obvious that she was going to love being “girly” as much as her mother did.
Two years after little Amber Rose was born, Shyleen gave birth to a little boy, William Blake Forrest, Jr., who she and Will affectionately nicknamed “Little Will.” He had his mother’s cinnamon mahogany complexion, his father’s chestnut eyes and turned up nose, and his mother’s wild mop of curls. He had his father’s wide mouth and an identical cleft in his chin. His parents were overjoyed at his birth, mainly because he almost didn’t make it. Shyleen’s pregnancy with him was a bit troublesome, and very high-risk, as she’d had preeclampsia, that is, pregnancy induced high blood pressure, and gestational diabetes. She and her doctor did their best to control the diabetes, but it still got out of hand. The doctor decided to induce her labor at 34 weeks, and although there were risks of serious problems or even fatalities from the early delivery, the risks of carrying him to term were even greater. But Little Will was perfect in every way and even big for his gestational age at a healthy eight pounds and three ounces. He only stayed in the hospital a week for observation, and his parents and big sister were happy to finally bring him home.
Both Amber Rose (who was nicknamed Rosie, for her rosy cheeks and disposition), and Little Will (also known as Willy) got along extremely well as they grew up. They were also as different as night and day. Where Rosie was demanding and precocious, Little Will was peaceful and complacent. He rarely argued with anyone, and he was always happy to help out wherever needed. His sister, however, was another story. She not only argued, she threw temper tantrums; and not just any tantrums, either. She threw foot-stomping, eye-rolling, screaming-at-the-top-of-her-lungs, if-I-can’t-get-what-I-want-then-nobody’s-happy tantrums. Rosie’s mother and father soon tired of these peevish outbursts, and began punishing her for them: taking away her favorite toys, restricting her from her favorite activities, or taking away her favorite Dora the Explorer DVDs. The tantrums soon abated, and life soon returned to normal in the Forrest household. Shyleen and Will doted on their children, and they on their parents. There was a lot of love and affection present in their home, and both children grew and thrived considerably as the years passed.
Shyleen returned to work once Little Will was big enough to be left with a babysitter, but she altered her work schedule so that she could spend more time with her husband and children, and did a lot of work from home. She worked as an Account Executive for a very large, very reputable company in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. She supervised a large number of employees, so much so that her department took up an entire floor of her office building. She imposed both fear and respect in her employees, and was no-nonsense yet very fair, and therefore well-loved by them. She developed a strong and pleasant rapport with most, if not all, of her employees, and they often came to her with both work and even personal problems. Because of this, many of them stayed with the company years after most would have moved on to higher positions and better pay with different companies.
In Shy and Will’s eighth year of marriage, on their anniversary, they were to attend an anniversary party being hosted by their parents and close friends. It was being held at The Blue Dog, a snazzy little jazz café with excellent food and live entertainment, located in South Buckhead and minutes from both their jobs. Shyleen was running a bit late, and called Will to tell him so. Will had gotten off early and was preparing to drop the kids off at the babysitter when Shyleen called him.
“Hey, baby, what’s up?” Will answered the phone in the rich baritone that sent shivers down her spine even after all the years she’d known him and they’d been together. “Nothing much, honey. I was calling to let you know that I’m running a bit late, and that I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. I got caught up at the job, you know we’re working on the Blaston account, and I had to put in an extra hour. But I’ll be there soon.” She paused as she tucked away a stray tendril of hair that had come loose from the stylish updo she’d arranged it into. “No worries, baby,” he said, as he maneuvered through the traffic on the six lane highway on his way to the babysitter’s. “I’m a little late myself; Rosie’s dance class ran over, and Willy couldn’t find Toodle,” he said, referring to their son’s beloved teddy bear that he just couldn’t seem to sleep without. He heard Shyleen chuckle. “So I’ll see you soon. I love you, and I can’t wait to see you.”
“Love you, too. ‘Bye, sweetie,” Shyleen replied, and hung up the phone. She was so excited, and couldn’t wait to get to the party and enjoy a night of celebrating and dancing with her husband and close friends. She called her best friend, George Wallace, who she’d nicknamed “Georgie,” to apprise him of the situation. She waited patiently as the phone rang, and while it rang, she gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror. Satisfied, she sat down to pull on her shoes.
“Georgie,” she said when he’d answered the phone, “I’m running a little late, and I should be there in the next ten minutes. Don’t start the party without me,” she said, chuckling.
“Now you know I’d never do that,” he said in his mellow voice. “However, you didn’t say anything about drinking without you, so I’ve already gotten started on that!” He laughed. “I’ll let your family know, and I’ll see you when you get here.”
“Thanks, Georgie, and leave it to you to get started on the drinking! You are so crazy. I’ll see you soon!” she said, and laughing, hung up the phone and rushed out the door to get to the party in the time she’d estimated. She just couldn’t wait to see everyone. But she had no idea that her celebratory spirits would soon be crushed, and that nothing would ever be the same as it had been again.
