"Juicillene Joseph aka "Juicy" grew up in the projects with her mother and father who did their best to provide for her and her two siblings. Juicy was innocent unaware of some of the troubles in her own household, until that one night in which her life changed.
She always knew that one day she would get out of the projects and find a better way of life. What Juicy didn't know was the secret that haunted her sister for so many years. Find out what had been hidden away for so long that caused Juicy's life to spiral out of control and turned her existence upside down. Seek the secret that Juicy's sister never told and how she finally finds out what that secret is and how it has affected her in the choices she has made.
You will undoubtedly look into your own indiscretion . . . some secrets are meant to be told.
Hope Hollinsworth Coaxum is a native of Yonkers, New York. She is married and a mother of two, her daughter a freshman in college and a son who was killed in action in Iraq after serving his third tour of duty. Her inspiration to write came from a deep passion within. She is a graduate of Pace and is currently attending Mercy College in order to further her education as an educator. This is her first novel of many so look out for more to come.
Things are not always what they seem. Have you ever looked at someone and assumed that their life was perfect. They always had a smile on their face and had everything going for them. You were sure they had no deep dark secrets hidden away. Juicy had that look, the look of perfection with nothing to hide. On the outside, she was able to exhilarate happiness, but on the inside, she was tormented and out of control. I’m about to take you on a journey of the life of Juicy. This story will focus on things you can relate to, or you have either seen or been a part of. Her story is a typical story of a dysfunctional family in the projects except, their secrets lead to more crucial and drastic measures and that’s what you’re about to find out in Juicy’s life experiences.
It all started when I was a child growing up in the projects that’s right the projects. I never thought of it as the projects, because we had so much fun and I didn’t feel as if I lived in an area that was consider to be ghetto. Running around playing hide and go seek, hop scotch, and my favorite was double dutch. I was good at double dutch; I could jump and do all kinds of tricks with the rope. Me and my friends used to go down to this place they called the green (which was trees and lots of grass). We would have picnics and sell lemonade to our older siblings and their friends. I used to stay out until the street lights when off and then we would have to sit on the front stoop were our parents could see us. It was safe then, we had nothing to fear, and no worries, at least that was outside according to my life.
My mom worked for a family that lived in the suburbs, she traveled 2 hours there and 2 hours home everyday on a bus, she was their cleaning lady. My dad worked as a custodian in the schools. I remember my mother coming home late in the evenings busted and tired. I always thought to myself, when I get older I was going to get myself a good job and help my mother so that she wouldn’t have to clean other peoples homes. She always told us that it was important for us to get a good education, so we wouldn’t end up like her.
We didn’t have much but we made the best of what we had. I had an older brother Marcus who was 18 that resembled my mother, he was a troubled teen and always finding ways to upset my father. My sister Tia was 13 she looked a lot like my dad, me “Juicy” I was 10 and resembled them both. Marcus was never really home a lot and he and my father never got along too well. I remember the night when everything began.
My mom came home that night with sore feet and an aching back and right behind her was the police, she didn’t even see them coming. They pushed my mother into the house and then identified themselves at which time they begin to search the apartment. My mom was screaming the whole time at the top of her voice , “what the hell is going on, what are you doin” they paid my mother no attention and continued to search. They pulled out drawers, searched under our beds went through cabinets and closets. When they got to my brother Marcus’s room, and went through his closet, my mother couldn’t believe what they pulled out. There were shoe boxes filled with all kinds of drugs and money.