BooksBarbecue
Back The Village Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sadness descended as she opened a box of Grace’s clothes. She lifted a T-shirt emblazoned with a pink heart and her nostrils were assailed by the bittersweet smell of damp. She folded the item and put it back, pushing the box to one side. She tugged another box over, the stiff cardboard tearing beneath her grip. Clothes bulged from within the box. These must have belonged to Susan, she thought. She was about to push it away when something red and frayed caught her eye. She lowered her hand into the folds of the clothes. The item was free with one tug. It was a hard-backed diary, and she placed it to one side before checking the rest of the box. Typical that the last box to check was the one that held the most.

‘Bingo,’ she said, pulling out a video tape. Written on the label was ‘Grace’s birthday’. The thought of seeing the little girl on screen made Naomi tingle with excitement. She stared into the box, checking for spiders. Three more tapes were stored within. The video would have to wait, but she could begin with the journal, at least. Did it contain anything significant? Taking a breath, she opened it up and read the words committed to the page.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I’m just trying to be a good mother. But it’s hard not having anyone to talk to. I don’t want to burden my family with my worries. My Bible is my refuge and I love my daughter, truly I do. But I’ve known from the moment that she was born that something was not right. They say a mother knows these things. Turns out my husband did too. But Lord knows, I had to go to my fair share of doctors to find one who agreed with us.

Being pregnant was the happiest time of my life. I’ve never felt so special, so treasured. So loved. I knew then; I was having the most precious thing in the world. I may have lost myself in the accident, but God found a way of bringing me back. I don’t know why he spared me, but Grace has been my reason for living. She keeps me going on the hardest of days. I remember lying awake at night, feeling her move inside me, excitement mingled with fear. After all the operations I had been through. The tests. The drugs. Anticipation intertwined with uncertainty.