Katherine T. Tousant
A contemporary novel inspired by a true story, it depicts the life of Kate, from the unusual circumstances surrounding her birth through her painful childhood days of sibling rejection. As time passes, she experiences her glance with first-love only to have it quickly removed from her by an older brother who insists that the object of her affection, an-eighteen-year-old gentleman, is "just too old for her."
While trying to cope with this loss, Kate experiences another loss that devastates her. Out of rebellion and anger, Kate sets out to make better memories that'll help her forget the bad ones. This pursuit sends her into the waiting arms of a forty-year-old married man working for her school.
Concluding she deserves nothing better, she yields to his advances while secretly looking forward to shocking her brother. She imagines how he'll feel when he discovers her hot romance in progress. Certainly, since he thought eighteen was "too old," he'd say a forty-year-old was "an antique."
Before long their torrid affair is well known throughout the community. It becomes the town talk and an even hotter topic once Kate becomes pregnant and drops out of school. Only her quick-thinking abilities provide maneuvers keeping her lover out of prison and allowing the affair to continue as it climbs the heights of raw passion and experiences the gambit of turmoil.
The story traces Kate's return to school and the hostilies she face while struggling to graduate and go on to college. A gifted learner, Kate excels academically and in her involvement in school activities, which acts as a catalyst for a less hostile environment as she continues her role of sterling student by day, mother and lover by night.
The work reveals how Kate successfully transfers her reputation from scandalous to a repected professional woman.
About the Author
KATHERINE T. TOUSANT
Katherine, a native of Louisiana, credits her fifth-grade teacher, a highly intelligent, gifted communicator, with kindling her interest in creative writing, by introducing her to poetry, novels and plays as forms of literature. Possessing a fervent desire to positively influence her students, this beloved teacher touched Katherine's life in a special way, motivating an ever-growing love for writing.
Meanwhile, Katherine continued her education, during which she participated in drama, debate and speech competitions along the way. This further increased her interest in creative arts.
While endeavoring to earn her BS and JD degrees, she worked in a variety of jobs, including teaching at the middle school level for a while. Also, she worked over 20 years in the justice system wherein part of her work was with troubled youth and children crime victims.
A mother of three and grandmother of one, Katherine has an intense interest in the quality of human life, especially for young people and the need for them to become the best they can.
A cool breeze welcomed the first day of May 1967 as a large group of Kate's family members lined the sturdy wooden porch of the little sharpshooter house on Second Street. The demeanor of the group contrasted sharply with the cool breeze as a heated discussion was underway. One of the persons who occupied the little porch was a heavyset, tall, redheaded woman who bellowed with a loud, strong, commanding voice. This woman, who was Kate's aunt, her mother's sister and the one for whom she was named, seemed to be exercising control of the discussion.
She was openly and plainly expressing her disgust with the circumstances of Kate's unwed teenage pregnancy. Her dictatorial voice reeled, "It's a disgrace! I need to pass through here at night with a mortal tail cocktail and light it. The very idea, a young girl like that pregnant for a married man! Not only is he a married man, but a married forty-year-old man! I know your Sheriff and we are close personal friends. I have a mind to call him myself."
Her words seemed to crack through the stillness of the warm spring day as she continued, "Lord have mercy, I don't know what this world is coming to. All these little bastard children and..."
Meanwhile, Kate had been listening at all of those statements as she lay across the living room sofa. The living room was the first room of their little house and immediately behind the porch where the crowd sat. As she listened, Kate became more and more enraged.
...Meanwhile, Aunt Kate continued her nasty words, "I mean what I am saying..."
Suddenly, the commanding voice of this towering woman was interrupted by the sound of a door being thrown open as it slammed against the wall.
All eyes of those on the porch were drawn to the front door of the little house where Kate's presence on the porch and the angry mood she was in became evident. As she threw open the door, she bellowed angrily at all those family members who had been openly gossiping about her and her condition of being unwed, a teen and pregnant.
Overcome by her rage, Kate yelled at them, "Wait a minute! Oh, just wait a minute, all of you! Now, I have lain in there on that sofa listening to each of you rant and rave about me and my disgraceful situation. And now I want you to know that I have heard as much as I am going to hear! I am not going to lay in there and hear all this trash you are throwing out. So let me tell each of you and all of you something. Next, looking directly at Aunt Kate, Kate continued by saying, "And that includes you, Ms. High and Mighty, Red Head, Big Time, Want to Be In Control, Boss Lady!"
Surprised by Kate's direct words, Aunt Kate tried to stop her comments by saying, "Hey, wait a minute young lady, who are you talking to like that?"
…Kate smirked at her and yelled even louder as she said, "You dare? You dare? You have no right to dare me about anything. You started this by sitting out here yelping and yapping about my business and my life so I, the one who you are out here running down and scorning, am here to answer you. And please believe me, I have only just begun. You ain't seen nothing yet!"
