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The Amen Sisters
PURCHASE
#10 on February 2006
Essence Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List -Essence.com
"If you are looking for a juicy novel, this
definitely fits the bill. Kudos to Angela for a courageous novel!" -Bahiyah
Woman Magazine (BWM)
"Powerful! Soul-searching! Spiritually provoking!" -Romance
in Color
". . . a rich, multifaceted work of Christian
Fiction that is both timely and realistic."
-RAWSISTAZ Black Book Reviews
"Benson writes
a powerful and compelling novel with characters you will either care
deeply about or want to see fall fast and hard." -Armchair
Interviews
". . .Kudos to
Ms. Benson for dealing with one of the last remaining taboo topics in
today's church in such a straightforward and compassionate manner. " -Fallen
Angel Reviews
". . .a bold and gritty look at sexual abuse in the
church. . ." -Book Buzz at APOOO Bookclub
"This book also boldly confronts the abuse of power
by some who are in leadership roles in the Church." -Mini-review
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PURCHASE
EXCERPT
“You’re a liar, Toni,” Francine Amen said, forcing a calmness she
didn’t feel to project in her voice. She pressed her palms down on the
counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room in the
two-bedroom apartment that she shared with her childhood friend Toni
Roberts. “I don’t believe you.”
Toni,
standing on the dining room side of the counter, took a step closer to
her roommate. “Why would I lie to you, Francie? Tell me that.”
The
plea in her friend’s soft brown eyes was almost more than Francine
could bear. “I know you, remember? You and me go way back. It wouldn’t
be the first time you’ve lied about something like this.” Francine
didn’t turn away from the stricken look on her friend’s face. She knew
her words needed to be spoken. “Well, if we’re talking about truth
here, we should talk about truth.”
Toni
wrapped her arms around her midsection and said, “You may not believe
me, Francie, but I am pregnant and Bishop Payne is the father. We’ve
been having an affair for months.”
Francine
laughed a dry laugh. “An affair? Come off it, Toni. Bishop told us all
how you’ve been coming on to him. And you know what? He didn’t condemn
you for it. He asked us to pray for you. And what do you do to him in
return? You come up with these lies. I pray to God you haven’t told
anyone else this pack of garbage. That man has a wife and kids, and all
of them have done nothing but love you. You have to know the damage
these lies of yours will do to them.”
“I’m
not lying, Francie,” Toni said, her eyes clouding with tears. “You know
me,” she pleaded. “You have to believe me. I knew nobody else would
believe me. I’ve known for weeks now, and I’ve wanted to tell you so
badly, but I just couldn’t. I know what people say about me around
here. I’ve overheard them saying I’m not a real Christian, that I don’t
have the fire. I heard it from them, but I never thought I’d hear it
from you. You’re the one who shared the gospel with me. You’re the one
who told me that life in Christ could be different. You know I’ve
changed.”
Francine’s heart ached
for her friend, but she couldn’t let emotions deter her. Toni had to
suffer the consequences of her actions. Tough love was exactly
that—tough. “If you’ve been having an affair with Bishop like you say
you have, then you haven’t changed that much, after all, have you?”
Toni
turned away, seeming to deflate right before Francine’s eyes. “You know
how he is, Francie. He can be so charming. I loved him as the man of
God he seemed to be, and then I simply loved him. It was like I
couldn’t help myself.”
“I
don’t believe you and neither will anyone else. I don’t
know what you think you’re going to get out of this.”
Toni
turned back to her. “I need a friend, Francie. I need someone to hear
me out, be on my side. He wants me to have an abortion. He said he’ll
deny anything ever happened between us.”
“I can’t help you, Toni. I won’t be a party to whatever game it is you’re playing.”
“But
you’re all I have,” Toni pleaded. “I can’t go back home now. This would
kill George and Momma. I have nowhere else to turn.”
Francine
inhaled deeply. “Not this time, Toni. Not this time. I’ve stood by you
through a lot of your drama, most of it of your own making, but not
this time. This time you’re on your own.”
Toni opened her mouth as if to defend herself, but then she shook her head. “What does it matter?” she said, the defeat in her voice wrenching Francine’s heart.
As
Francine watched, Toni turned her petite frame away and headed off,
shoulders slumped, toward her bedroom. Francine closed her eyes and
issued a brief prayer on Toni’s behalf. She didn’t know what had gotten
into Toni, but she prayed her friend would soon see the error of her
ways and repent. Francine loved her, but she couldn’t support her. Not
this time. She and Toni had grown up together, been friends for as long
as Francine could remember, but Francine had to face facts. Toni wasn’t
ready to give her life to the Lord, and Francine couldn’t be held back
because of it. She heaved a deep sigh, knowing that even though it
hurt, she had done the right thing. She could have ignored Toni’s
actions, but that would not have been love. She knew from Psalms that
the harsh truth from a friend was better than sweet words from an enemy.
As
she reached for the phone to call Cassandra, her friend and prayer
partner, to tell her about the conversation with Toni, Francine heard
what sounded like the backfire of a car, followed by a loud thump, both
coming from the direction of Toni’s room. Wondering what Toni was doing
to make such noise, Francine forgot the phone and headed for her
friend’s room. When she got no answer to her knock, she turned the
doorknob. She screamed as she realized the sound she’d heard hadn’t
been the backfire of a car at all.
PURCHASE |