Where's Daddy?
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The
crowd stood stationary, looking as if a painter had captured their portrait on
his canvas. As the visiting team kicked the ball high into the air, the people
in the stands lost their composure, jumping, screaming, lifting
hands in the air. The roaring noise
continued until the player on the home team caught the ball on the ten yard
line.
Gripping
the ball with passion, the return man tucked it away and headed up the
field. He got tackled at the twenty yard
line. The scoreboard reflected 1st and
10 at the 20 yard line.
“Number
5 on the home team tackled at the 20-yard line.” the announcer said.
Rebecca
and the girls cheered along with the cheerleaders. At times, they paused to watch Rebecca. She didn’t care about being the loudest voice
in the section.
“Girl
sit down.” Marcie demanded. “Nobody can see with your
big head standing in their way.”
“I
gotta’ cheer for Richard.” Rebecca said as she continued to cheer for
her hero.
“You
need to get a grip.” Marcie replied.
Two
minutes before half‑time, the score stood at 14 points for the home team
and 21 points for the visitors. Rebecca
left the stands in order to make it back the concession booth before the fans
crowded around to quench their thirst.
She excused herself and walked down the ramp. When she got to the bottom of the stadium,
she heard sudden foot stomps all over the home section. She walked quickly to the lower ground area
where the people gathered to see the players depart for half‑time.
She
looked out on the field. Richard had
intercepted the football. She watched as
he cuddled the ball within the cradle of his arms, protecting it from the rough
hands of his opponents. He ran like a
sprinter, down the field toward the area where Rebecca stood. For a split second, her eyes united with Richard's
eyes when he reached the goal line. As she looked within the windows of his
soul from a distance, she saw the man within the teen.
Richard
spiked the football to the ground with excitement. The ball hit the dirt a few times before he
reached down to pick it up. Leaping up and down with a victorious smile on his
face, he turned towards Rebecca's direction.
She froze.
"A
touch down, by number 33," the loud speaker announced. "The score at half‑time is 21 to
21."
The
football team ran past Rebecca. She stood, quietly waiting for the last player
to cross her pathway. She looked for
Richard, but she didn't see him. The
thrill of watching him score the touchdown took her into fantasy land, and she
had not returned in time to notice him as the last player to come her way.
Disappointed,
Rebecca walked to the door of the booth.
She knocked and waited for Ann to let her inside. She found her way to
the sink to wash her hands. Then, she
placed her apron over her jacket and took her position at the oversized popcorn
popper. She couldn’t believe that she
had missed her secret crush. She was so
close but still so far away. Pondering
the sequence of events that led to the touchdown, Rebecca felt a strong tingly
sensation in her stomach. She didn’t
know what it was but she liked the feeling.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Where’s Daddy? is a fictional story of
Rebecca, which addresses issues shared by young people who know the feelings
loosing a parent due to divorce, job separation or death.
In
this novel, Rebecca experiences a tragedy that causes her to view her life through
the eyes of abandonment, rejection and anger.
Dealing
with the emotional pains of lust and love, insecurity and fear, anorexia and
bulimia, Rebecca struggles to balance her relationship with family, friends,
the male species and her inner self.
This
novel reaches its climax on graduation day. It is at this milestone of her life
that Rebecca is finally able to answer the question, Where’s Daddy?
About the Author
Corey was born in
WHERE’S DADDY? touches on issues that affect young adults through a fictional format which allows the reader to follow the journey of fictional characters as they deal with various issues of life and settle their own personal issues in a creative way. The fact that Corey’s father died on Father’s Day when she was a child gave her a story line that she felt passionate about.
"I believe that the trauma I experienced at 11 years old with my dad’s death was meant to destroy me and my dreams. However, it was a great moment when I realized that his death only prepared me for this time in history where our young people are dying on the inside from the pain of loss."
Corey says that some of our hurting teens are making strait A’ s and others are opting out of life through suicide (physical suicide, emotional suicide and social suicide ). "1 have an assignment to help mend the hearts of our nation’s teens through books, music and the spoken word-while making sure that my own children are secure and ready to face life’s challenges."
An advocate of volunteerism, she often volunteers with non-profit organizations such as the American Red Cross and the