Broken Family Ties by PC Marks

[PC Marks]

I don't exactly write "erotica" but do enjoy reading it. My genre is mystery/suspense.
Below is an excerpt from my first novel Broken Family Ties:

Chapter 24

Hurricane Alicia Brooks


Grandma never left the table. She was clutching the seventh picture to her heart. Her mason jar of ice water was half empty. Charles was sitting by her side.
In true form, Grandma Alicia began speaking as if the fight witnessed hours ago had never occurred. “This picture here is of Carl and Charles’ father. That jezebel of a momma of yours cheated on Mr. Grover twice. Your momma liked weak men like her Daddy here,” she said pointing nonchalantly to Grandpa Henry. “He kept forgiving and forgiving over and over until you were born Charles.”
Charles said nothing. He looked straight ahead. His focus was intense.
“That’s what broke his spirit. He knew there was no way you could have been his Charles. He suffered a hernia and was told he could father no more children shortly after his one child he bore with your momma. Caroline is the only child that Kevin and Ann had together. You other two are her dirty little secrets, bastards actually,” she said.
Caroline was visibly relieved to find Kevin is in fact her biological parent. She breathed a sigh of relief. “So Grandma is the money mine? Is that what this is leading up to? There is some sort of clause to reveal who their real father is upon our parent’s death? You didn’t know how to tell Carl and Charles?” she asked.
“Unbelievable, you are truly ill in the head. After all I have tried to do for you! After the talk we’ve had not
five minutes ago! All you can think about is money. Would you really let Charles and I finned for ourselves! Caroline, how do we know any of what she is saying is true?” Carl stared at his sister. “Already you are turning on us, what the hell,” he screamed. Grandpa was standing behind him as if he was a fragile piece of China about to crumble to the floor.
Carl was not about to let that happen. He refused to give them the satisfaction of watching him crumble up and die.
Carl snatched the picture out of Grandma’s hand. He stared long and hard. He looked for some sort of resemblance. The man in the picture had a stocky build. He and Ann were about the same height. He could have been Brandon’s dad. He and Charles were short for men. Both were of stocky builds. Carl is six feet even with a slim muscular build.
Carl returned to his seat. He took a deep breath. “What’s his name?”
Grandma looked confused. She didn’t answer right away. She gulped down what was left of her water, paused and turned to Caroline. “You my dear are a lovely child. I hope one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me. I thought it was time to get everything out in the open. No the money isn’t all yours. Kevin being the weakling that he was let that lying no good daughter of mind trick him into believing your brothers were his up until the day they were leaving for New York,” Grandma said.
Carl and Caroline had been asking for years what had happened in New York. Their ears became radars. It was finally about to be revealed. Carl couldn’t stop himself from interrupting.

“Grandma, what is the gentlemen’s name in the picture, I would really like to know. Does he live around here, Does he know he has two handsome young sons, did you know anything about this Grandpa,” Carl asked.
Grandpa didn’t respond. Grandma stood up swiftly. “I am tired. We will finish this tomorrow. Goodnight Miss Grover. Goodnight to the young Misters Smith.” She strutted away from the table with her head held high like a peacock.
Before she reached the hallway leading to the stairs, Charles pounced like a wild ally cat. “Hold the hell up, old lady. This was never in the plan. You told me that my dad was this Kevin Grover person,” he said. “You are lying, he is probably both are dads. I told your crazy old ass, I don’t trust the living and walk careful around the dead. Did you think I was excluding you?”


Charles was in her face. Spit flying out of his mouth. His hands balled into fists. “I don’t think you want to walk away from this right now. You may want to double check your facts. Sit down before I sit you down!”
Not a tear fell down Charles’ cheek. His eyes turned bloodshot red. He seemed to have grown five inches overnight and there had been a rage never seen nor heard exuding from him.
Caroline and Carl sat and stared at their little brother. Grandpa’s lack of reaction was even more frightening. He did not pray, he did not speak, he did not move. The tension inside was threatening to blow the roof sky high.
Grandma Alicia stood frozen in time. Charles was in a demonic trance with a killer grip on her wrists. Their arms trembling, suspended in mid air. Grandma’s trembling caused by fear. Charles’, pure uninhibited hate, and the desire to do bodily harm.
Finally Grandpa stood in place at the table. He walked toward Charles slowly. He got down on bended knee. He was eye level with Charles. Grandpa placed a hand on each of Charles’ shoulders. He waited until Charles’ grip on Grandma was subsiding. He quickly stood, picked Charles up and slammed him on the center of the table.
“Boy I heard more than I care to hear about the goings on of you and your Grandmother. Your Momma knew you would all go crazy. She voided all that mess you been reading. The last will and testament is locked in the vault at the bank. Only the Manager and I have a key. This madness is going to end tonight,” Grandpa said.
“Alicia sit your behind down and tell this boy who his father is! Charles I think the real demon lives inside of you. Take your butt to my seat and think about your

actions. What were you going to do, kill your own grandmother! None of you kids asked for this. It’s the hand you were dealt,” Grandpa Henry yelled.
He continued shouting, “What in God’s name is wrong with you?” Caroline, you are unusually quiet so I can just about figure you know more than you’re letting on. Carl, you are a good man, you deserve better. God got good things planned for you. Charles, I will continue to pray for your soul, I will rebuke the devil in the name of the Lord.”
Caroline and Carl hadn’t moved. Charles was seated at the end of the table. Grandma was at the other end.
Charles had finally done what no one had accomplished in nine years. Tears flowed steadily down Grandma’s face. She didn’t bother to wipe the tears away.


The tables had turned and Grandpa had the upper hand. He began to finish the story. “I am going to go around this table with pure facts. I will start from the oldest and work my way down to the youngest. I will not be interrupted. If you have questions you will wait until I have told your whole story.”
Grandpa exited the dining room. He was absent from the table a half hour. Everyone waited. No one spoke. No one made eye contact.
He returned with a serving tray filled with a pitcher of ice tea, lemon slices, and bucket of ice, sugar cubes, butter cookies and two stacks of napkins.
“Okay Alicia, I guess I got to clean up your mess again.” Grandpa started to speak matter-of-fact while walking around the table placing drinking glasses in front of everyone. His movements were methodical. His speech clear and deliberate. “You wanted these kids to know what

kind of woman Ann was so that they could see you in a different light. You were no saint. Ann was not my biological child but you better believe she was my daughter. I loved that child as if she were my own. I would have done anything for her,” he confessed.
Grandma looked as though she wanted to say something. Grandpa’s long arm came up so fast. The palm of his hand halting Grandma. Obediently she lowered her head.
Grandma looked beaten. Henry had revealed her secret. She was no better than the daughter she criticized.
Grandpa went on. “I am not going to give these children all the dirty little details but I think you should not judge anyone. You and I know what we’ve been through. I told you years ago I turn it over to God and he’s working it out. Alicia, I sat back these past years and let you tear

this family to shreds. I talked to God about it, if I hadn’t it would have eaten me alive,” Grandpa said.
He stirred the ice tea with the wooden spoon. He began speaking again. “We don’t go no where, we have no friends. I can’t remember the last time anyone visited after the kids died. The only outing we have is to church functions. I’m invited only when you are not around. You have been so mean and hateful.” He sighed before continuing. “After forty one years I have thought about throwing in the towel. This crap you been pulling on these kids the last two weeks have just about pushed me over the edge. I cannot and will not tolerate it a moment longer. It stops tonight!” Grandpa said.
. He exhaled before speaking. “Son, Carl it’s your call do you really need to know who your biological father is. Wouldn’t you rather go on with the memories of the great man who raised you?” Don’t answer me now. I want to give you a few minutes to think about it.”
Before Carl could speak, Grandpa was making the rounds at the table. He dropped five ice cubes in each glass.
As soon as Grandpa returned to his seat Carl turned to face him. “Not only do I want to know Grandpa, I need to know. Please tell me who James Brandon Smith is as a person.”
Grandma pulled her chair in closer to the table. Her face brightened with the anticipation of what was to be said.
“You should not perk up because of someone’s misery. You are not going to come out shining in this little piece of family history,” Grandpa said.
Grandma’s smirk was replaced with a scowl directed at Carl. It was confirmation for him. She never liked him now he was going to find out why.


“Smith is Sister Mays’ brother, the young man who visited you in the hospital.”
Carl’s dark brown skin went gray. He said nothing, he continued listening.
“He had taken an abnormal liking to the girls before he met God. He preferred them young. When they are so insecure and trying to find their way. As beautiful a girl your momma was she felt ugly inside. Your Grandmother made a religion of telling her daily how unattractive she was. That girl went out with any man that asked. There is no telling what type of crap she put up with or things she did just trying to feel something, anything but ugliness. The ‘saint’ at the head of the table saw to making that child hate herself. She became so withdrawn. She stopped hanging out with her friends, wouldn’t talk to nobody. I sat her down one day and explained as best I could men and women are different. A girl who only has boy friends is

gone find herself labeled something she didn’t want to be called,” he said.
Grandpa took a long pause. He passed a disgusted look to his wife. “Low and behold it happened, right here in her home by her own mother. Smith new that child was insecure and unhappy. He took advantage of her in the worst possible way.”
Grandpa got up. He went around the table with the pitcher of ice tea and started pouring. He said aloud, “I got to finish this.”
He returned to the seat next to Carl. He stared at him. He reached for his hand. He quickly released it. He stood again this time picking up the bowl of lemons placing two slices in each glass.
Grandpa returned to his seat with a tormented expression. “Okay Carl, I’m just gone come right out and say it. Smith is your grandfather and father.”


Grandma lets out an incredulous sigh and drops her head.
Carl finds his voice. “I don’t understand. How could he be my father and grandfather?” He would have to …my mother and her!” He said pointing at his grandmother.
Carl stared at Grandma Alicia. His throat became dry. He reached for the tea. The taste was just as bitter as the news delivered.
Alicia couldn’t lift her head. She refused to show her face.
Grandpa immediately got up grabbing the sugar cubes. He placed four cubes in each glass and walked out on the front porch leaving everyone in complete silence.
Carl sat there staring at the crown of Grandma’s head, daring her to show her face.

Grandma reared her ugly head. She was talking so fast. Her teeth were clinched, her fist hitting the table with every syllable. “Your daddy and the man I should have married fathered your no good momma and you! She knew JB loved me. With her looking as I did twenty years earlier of course he had mistaken her for me that one night. That little jezebel had him liquored up and she raped him. He did not rape her. She went airing this mess to the Reverend Cole. That’s why God took her away from here! JB was the man I was supposed to marry. The devil was stewing in that child. She couldn’t let that happen. She got pregnant with you just to add salt to an open wound!”
Glasses and plates shook. The blows to the table became harder. “I told her she was ugly inside out. I told her she wasn’t gone amount to nothing. I told her she was the seventh child, as evil and low down as a rattle snake. I prayed for her death!”
Grandma abruptly stood. She headed for the porch. Fury showing in her eyes, revenge in her heart. Grandpa was not to escape the wrath of Hurricane Alicia Brooks.

Official Site: www.pcpcmarks.com

Part II- Severed Family Ties soon to be released!