Blue Lines Blog – Love At First Sight – Blue Lines Chapter 12: Chance – Excerpt

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Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Chapter 12: Chance, Bridgeport, Buckhead, Bulls, California, Chance, Chapter 12, Chapter 12: Chance, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Christmas, Connecticut, excerpt, fiction, Gerald, Holiday, Kenneth A Suffern Jr, Kenneth Suffern Jr, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Lenox Mall, Love, Main Street, Michael Jordan, Mitch Richmond, MW, N.B.A., National Basketball Association, NBA, North Carolina, Photography, Prose, Romance, Sacramento, Sacramento Kings, Scottie Pippen, Tar Heels, Trumbull Mall, UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, University Of Bridgeport, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Westfield Trumbull

This Blue Lines excerpt is from Chapter 12: Chance. The scene takes place as our protagonist Key Yemaya Walker happens upon the antagonist Blue Hurt while he writes on a bus headed to the local mall. Though Blue Lines takes place in Chapel Hill at the University of North Carolina, the real life imagery starts with her chance meeting him on the bus, which was the public transit I and friends would take from the University of Bridgeport at the Main Street stop by our dorm Bodine Hall, to Trumbull Mall, now Westfield Trumbull. The mall used in the writing process was a amalgam of Trumbull Mall in Connecticut, and Lenox Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, or Buckhead rather.
As I always state, Blue Lines, is a piece of fiction that evolved from real events, places, and people, therefore elements of this selection, as well as the entire work contain real experiences, and events of the time period in which my manuscript takes place. I’ll be honest, looking over this selection, I may not leave it up, though the work is copywritten. Please enjoy, this early Christmas present.
Blue Lines Chapter 12: Chance

We got together, like, the first week of school and through this I have actually become accustomed to being alone. If he’s not at practice, he’s with his boys and the few times I see him, it’s always conversation about basketball or trying to get ass.”

“And the lack thereof doesn’t do anything for you two.”

“No,” she pursed her lips realizing that she had answered his latent question, “plus all the rumors,” she continued. “I confronted him and I know that he’s lying to me but I don’t care.”

“It seems like you keep mentioning that he isn’t around. Do you think that it would have been different if he was there and spent more time with you?”

What I Learned Sundays (Monday) LATE – 7/10/11 x “Best Of You”

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Adidas Originals Lenox Square, Best Of You, Blue Lines, Foo Fighters, George Clinton, Goodie Mob, Joi, Joi Gilliam, Joss Stone, Key Yemaya Walker, Lenox Mall, Lucy Pearl, Myla Watson, Myla Wyndham, OutKast, Raphael Saadiq, Tower Records, What I Learned Sundays

“I hope you get everything you are looking for,” she said as we embraced and said “goodbye,” for the first and last time. Her embrace and heart was warm as I left my ride waiting so that I could walk her to the metro station. The Lower East Side, was so alive this night. Looking at this belleza, I hated that our night was ending prematurely…for many reasons, just not the right reasons.

Our eyes both full of melancholy, but for markedly different reasons. Earlier that evening we had met for the first time. Very cute, young, idealistic, still looking for something…someone. Us, no mutual connections, just very new friends…coupled with tertiary relationships.

So the night was very cool, dinner, laughs, karaoke (I sang different songs), and as it became quite apparent the direction that it was headed in, my friend and my “new” friends left to allow for a new friend today. Ending with “Californication,” we sat side by side (the most comfortable position for a woman, trust me I used to study this stuff), she mouthed the words of my song, as she had all night. Thus creating conflict in my heart.

For the sake of this story, it’s too easy for me to be “good,” especially when I know I should. Before my last HUGE decision, I knew that unless I was that man, I’d have to stand down…and though left sitting, karaoke-ing with this beautiful young woman, the realization came…

Earlier that night, the conversation progressed from photos of a young couple. The comment was made, “she has so much going for her, and he doesn’t.” Supported by, granted I was at dinner with 3 women, “when we’re young it’s all about romance, and we can change him, when we’re older, it’s about whether he’s on our level.”

So with that, we return to the “realization,” if you are looking for something, you barely know me, however you see something in me…I can’t spoil you, hurt you, or use you and tarnish your thoughts of men. I’d rather you wished it happen, but be smart enough to know that those few fleeting hours, that one hug are not enough to base a future on. So your melancholy eyes, saw this man walk away, likely for the first and last time, I walked away with melancholy eyes knowing, I wanted something temporary, something fleeting, but I would be wrong to do that with you.

“I hope you get everything you are looking for,” I in turn, truly hope that you get what you are looking for, without the hurt, the pain, and path that I took…I hope we meet Again, but we are lucky, we can still be friends. If I touched you, with nothing to offer, I would have left you in a place you didn’t deserve to be in…therefore I traded my immediate gratification, since my sordid heart lies elsewhere, for you romantic health…because your heart doesn’t lie HERE yet.

Now onto the original/edited composition of this week’s edition. The portion, influenced by Joi Gilliam.

I know that this is late. I had a ton of ideas for W.I.L.S. and it wasn’t until I read this post by one of my favorite artists, Joi Gilliam (her work, vocals on Outkast, Goodie Mob, Raphael Saadiq, Lucy Pearl, Joss Stone, George Clinton, etc.). She said:
Ladies like to be taken out on dates. I promise you, they do. Still. The real ones. The courting kind. 🙂 Dates are sweet. Thoughtful. Romantic. Healing. Sexy. And, they scream “I appreciate you so much that I took the time to plan a day we could enjoy together.” Take note, fellas. No matter the weather in your neck of the woods, take your lady on a date today. 🙂

To which I made my comment, and she replied.

@blue take ’em anyway. they REALLY need it. 😉

Why is this striking? Because YOU need to let me be him for you, or figure out why YOU won’t let me go, when I did so with YOU. So I thought what a great starting point for this week’s post, about the previous week. It also played into another thought that had been sitting in my mind this last week, but how did I tackle this idea…I slept on it. I guess I learned that when the body needs rest, it takes it.
Focusing back on the above post, I’ll admit, my thoughts last night better suited my writing this, however, as I sit in front of this screen right now, I feel that I play a public game, with something/one that I should be speaking directly to. And unfortunately as my life changes, so do opportunities, hopes and wishes of days, weeks, and months ago. So with that said…what I learned:

Shell Toe Thursdays – Kid Getting Sushi at Lenox

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Blue Lines, Key Yemaya Walker, Lenox Mall, Shell Toe Thursday, Sushi

from my iPhone.
The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Let the world change you…
…and you can change the world