Love Tornado: A Novel - Softcover

John, Mable; Ritz, David

 
9780767921671: Love Tornado: A Novel
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0767921674 ISBN 13: 9780767921671
Verlag: Crown, 2008

Inhaltsangabe

Pastor Albertina Merci, the former blues singer turned minister, juggles rap, romance, family, and faith in the third book in this delightful series.

The unexpected arrival of fifteen-year-old rapper J Love hits Pastor Merci with the force of a whirlwind. When J’s mother is killed in a tragic bus accident, Albertina is named his legal guardian. The situation quickly complicates her budding romance with Mario, the owner of a thriving L.A. café.

As Albertina struggles to keep things on an even keel, J embarks on a dangerous journey of his own. Seduced by Bishop Henry Gold’s daughter Damitra, J abandons his career as a gospel rapper and joins the flashy, materialistic world of gangsta rap. Pastor Merci must draw on every ounce of faith she has to bring everyone’s voyage to a happy ending.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

MABLE JOHN was the first female recording artist for Motown, a former lead "Raelette" for Ray Charles, and a successful solo artist for Stax/Volt. She also appeared in the John Sayles movie The Honeydripper. Dr. John is now an ordained minister with a doctorate in counseling.

DAVID RITZ is the critically acclaimed author of the bestselling biography Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye and coauthor of the autobiographies of Smokey Robinson, Etta James, B. B. King, and Ray Charles.

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POSTCARDS FROM GOD


"Albertina," my friend Justine asks me, "do you really think the Lord is sending you postcards?"

"It's just a figure of speech," I say, "but yes, I always feel Him communicating with me."

"Even here in Hawaii in June when everyone's running around practically naked?"

"Especially here in Hawaii where His natural wonders take my breath away. Everywhere I look, I see Him."

"Well, everywhere I look, I see hot men."

"You're a married woman now, Justine."

"Happily married woman," Justine adds. "But that don't mean I've gone blind. Like you say, this is a state of beautiful sights. And when it comes to beautiful men, I'm always in a state of excitement."

"Overexcitement," I'd say.

"Albertina," says Justine, "you've had your own excitement in that area. Why just last year, you had two mules kicking in your stall."

I can't help but laugh. In some sense Justine is right. Clifford Bloom and Mario Pani had both proposed marriage. But looking out at the gorgeous orange–red-pink-blue sunset from Justine's house high on a cliff in the Honolulu suburb of Kahala, all that drama feels like a lifetime ago. Clifford has moved to Dallas, and Mario understands that friendship, not marriage, is far more suitable to my lifestyle.

For now I can concentrate on the sunset and the sea.

For now I can soak up God's beauty.

"Do you mind if I pray?" I ask Justine.

"Lemme take another sip of this margarita," she replies. "That'll warm up my holy ghost."

"Father God," I say, ignoring Justine's last remark and taking her hand, "we thank You for this moment. We thank You for keeping us in this moment. We thank You for Your son and the miracle of His being in our hearts—His being our hearts—every moment of every day. We praise You and glorify You, God, for bringing us a mighty long way. What a wonder You are! You allow us to live lives that are forever changing, forever surprising. You allow us to grow and You allow us to know You more intimately, through our triumphs and through our struggles. They all bring us closer to You, Father God--the victories, the defeats, the pain, the joy—they all serve to remind us that You are our strength, our hope, our life. We see You in the sky, Father God, and we see You in the sea. We see You in each other's eyes. We see You when we close our eyes, when we sleep at night, and when we walk through the dark woods and walk on the sunlit beaches. We love how You stay with us, Father, how You whisper love in our ears, how You breathe us, bathe us in Your grace. We give You praise and we give You honor. We bow our heads and simply say, 'Thank You, thank You for this life, thank You for this moment.' In Jesus' precious name, Amen."

"Girlfriend," says Justine, "you sure do know how to pray. We should package those prayers and sell 'em at the mall."

My mind is still on the Lord.

"You listening to me, Albertina?" Justine asks.

"Baby," I say, "I hardly have a choice."

Just then Justine's husband arrives. Ken Kawika is a short, handsome brown-skinned man who speaks with an island accent and indulges his wife shamelessly. He's a successful singer who performs at many of the hotels on Waikiki Beach. This is his second marriage. He's thrilled to have found someone as lively and unpredictable as Justine.

Justine has found work as a merchandise manager at the local Wal-Mart, where the pace is several beats behind Los Angeles. Despite the fact that her new husband makes good money, Justine wants to remain independent. I give her credit for that.

Ken is cooking an exotic pork dish he learned from his mother, who had been the personal cook of the owner of a great pineapple plantation on the island. He sings an enchanting Hawaiian melody as he busies himself in the kitchen with the elaborate preparations.

"You gals let me know if you need anything," he offers. "I'll have the appetizers out in just a sec."

"You've struck gold with that man," I tell Justine.

"He's a sweetheart," says Justine. "And I love him dearly. But he does tire quickly."

I leave the last remark alone.

Fortunately Justine changes the topic. "I wish you were staying a few more days."

"I promised the church I'd be back for Sunday's service."

Justine raises her eyebrows. "Sounds like a blast," she says.

"These last three days with you have been beautiful," I tell her. "I couldn't have asked for a more restful vacation."

"If only we had found you a man . . ."

"I found what I was looking for a long time ago, baby," I say.

Justine cuts me off and says, "I'm going to find that reality show I was telling you about, Albertina. The one where five sex-crazed women get on an island to go after three men and battle it out for--"

"I could skip that one."

Justine turns on the set anyway and starts clicking the remote.

I suddenly see the face of my godson, J Love.

"Hold it there, Justine! That's my boy!"

"That rapper?"

"He's rapping for the Lord."

Justine accidentally hit on the Word Channel, the cable station that broadcasts preachers and gospel singers. J Love is up in front of the congregation of a megachurch and has the saints going crazy.

I see he's gotten taller. Last year when I saw J he must have been five foot six. Now he looks like he's shot up to five foot ten or eleven. At fifteen, he looks even younger. He has a baby face and sparkling dark-brown eyes. He's skinny as a pole and flashes his smile in a way that makes you love him. Plus he moves like quicksilver. Ever since he was a little boy he has been a brilliant dancer. He eyes the camera like it's his friend. There's not a shy bone in this boy's body.

"He's adorable," says Justine. "I'm just now realizing that's Shaleena Love's son, isn't it?"

"Sure enough is."

I knew Shaleena back when we were both Raelettes singing for Ray Charles. J is the spitting image of his beautiful mama.

Over a strong hip-hop beat, J is saying,


Ain't none but the One
And One's all you need…
Yo, it ain't about bling and
And it ain't about greed
The One is your Father
Who had but one Son
And the Son is the One
Who can't be undone
He done saved us from sin
And sacrificed His All
Now let's hear His Word
Let's hear His call
He say, "My yoke is easy
My burden is light,
Just do My Father's will
And do it right
It's all as easy as one, two, three
Believe in My Father
Believe in Me
And when Holy Ghost comes down
Well, that makes three
Say, it's all easy as one, two, three
Believe in My Father
Believe in Me
And when Holy Ghost comes down
Well, that makes three
Let the church say—
It's all easy as one, two, three
Believe in My Father
Believe in Me
And when Holy Ghost comes down
Well, that makes three.


"I love his outfit," says Justine. "Haven't seen blue velvet harem pants since the days of MC Hammer."

"J always wears flashy clothes," I say. "Ever since he was a little boy. Always loved those sparkly shirts and those fancy sneakers."

"What's the 'J' stand for?"

"Julius Jay. His father was Julius Jay Turner, the fight promoter. But Julius never married Shaleena and never...

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Verlag
Crown
Erscheinungsdatum
2008
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0767921674
ISBN 13 
9780767921671
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
256
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
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gpsr@libri.de

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