Copyright Page
I Repent
Renea Collins
Joyce Elizabeth Goff
January 5, 1940–May 5, 2012
To my momma, Joyce Elizabeth Goff,
I love you more than I could have ever imagined. Miss you. I never could have thought life without you was life without my legs and arms. You were my biggest supporter, my backbone, and it took you leaving for me to realize you equipped me, you taught me, you loved me . . . All the other stuff I thought was so important wasn’t, it was you!
I love you, Momma . . . Beautiful!
Leigh LaCour Belyn
June 6, 1993–August 11, 2011
Repent: to feel sorry or self-reproachful for what one has done or failed to do, be conscience-stricken or contrite: often with. To feel such regret or dissatisfaction over some past action, intention, as to change one’s mind about or direction for good. To feel so contrite over one’s sins as to change, or decide to change one’s ways. To feel sorry, contrite, or self-reproachful over an error, sin, etc. to feel such regret or dissatisfaction over as to change one’s mind about and one’s heart. To turn around and go a complete and different direction; opposite.
–Webster New World College Dictionary, fourth edition.
Thank You
I want to thank Jesus Christ, who I love so much and who I thank for His blood! Thank You, Lord, for allowing me the mistakes, the love, and the forgiveness that you have sustained in me and allowed to flow out my life. Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving me and for giving me a new life every time I repent to You. Your grace is sufficient enough!
To my mother, I love you so much. Thank you for allowing me to tell my stories with no interruption. People don’t often understand things, but you have sacrificed by allowing so many things from our lives to be told, and I thank you for thinking of others and allowing people to be healed and made whole through Jesus Christ. I love you, Momma, forever!
I’d like to thank my family for all the support, prayers, and dedication they have shown. Momma, Aunt Yvonne, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Mary, Aunt Linda, and Krissy: you all have sown life into me continually, and when nobody else was there to support me, you all have been there. Thank you to all my cousins, Toni, especially, for helping me and being a true friend and for the new laptop. I truly love you all.
To my wonderful daughters, there are really no words to express the love I have for you two. You two are my all; understand that, Brittany and Brooke. I would not be anything if I didn’t have your beautiful eyes staring up at me, depending on me and loving me. My son-in-law, Dana, I truly love you. I am so happy that God made you for my daughter. You are truly a part of us, and I could not ask for a better son.
I want to thank Apostle Maurice Broomfield for teaching me holiness and righteousness. Thank you for being a true example of a man of God and telling me the truth no matter what.
I want to thank Pastor Sherry Broomfield for loving me and praying for me. I thank you for your smile and for always being there whenever I need you and even when I think I don’t. Thank you both for being my spiritual parents.
To Nikki Ajan, thank you for everything you are. You are a blessing. To have you on my team is like having a priceless jewel. Your humbleness of what you do and the encouragement and truth you sent when I wasn’t able to open this book and deliver has literally helped me get up and continue! Thanks Nik and I love you
!
And Shatoya Wilson. Thank you Toya for always being here and never letting anything or anyone come between our friendship. Thank you for never turning your back on me, never stabbing me in the back and always telling me the truth no matter if it hurts or not. You have cried with me, laughed with me, and held me up when I could not stand at all. I thank you for that and thank you for listening to every story, listening to me read and listening to my plans. I could never have found a friend (sister) like you. You truly were sent from God! Love you, sis!
Thank you to Prophetess Cynthia Roberson for all of your prayers and love over the years. I thank you and your husband, Scott Roberson (John boy), for believing in me. (Sorry, I didn’t come to see you). I love y’all.
Thanks, Elder Bean, for pushing me so hard and not accepting anything but excellence from me. I love you.
Also, a special thank-you to Joylynn Reese for expecting the best and always teaching, leading and displaying the best to me as an author.
To everyone who listened as I read that day at my house: Gina, Big E, Lesha, Brittany, Brooke, Malonda, Joni, Toya, Jesse, Jeannette, Niaja’, Phermin, Toni, and Saundra. Thanks so much. I love y’all.
And to The Original Cast of I Repent, the Urban Stage Play, thank you all. You all brought forth this novel into a live drama that brought the house down! Thank you Taniesha (Money) Frazier, Hermon (Flyboy) Noble, William Hicks, Capresha Hicks, Jackie Stone, Courtney Short, John Lipkins, Princess Price, Tammy Hampton, Justin Kee, Hope Evans, Kasper and Jodi Harris, Brittany and Dana Bradley, Sinatra Coleman, Ronald Lyles Jr., Jonathon Lyles, Gerald Lyles, and my li’l Brother, Sawaun Blakely.
To everyone else, God bless you and I love you,
Renea
Chapter 1
Where’s my money?
“No, Jason! Please don’t shoot me!” Reese screamed from the top of her lungs. She was standing upstairs, trembling in her hallway.
As shaken as she was, she was still beautiful. Her sandy-brown locks curled up instantly from the perspiration of all the action going on. Her light brown skin was flawless. She had the most hypnotizing hazel eyes a person ever wanted to see, and her body was carved out to perfection from God Himself.
She was holding on to Kev, her live-in boyfriend’s best friend, tight, so tight that her freshly done fake fingernails were digging into Kev’s flesh as he stood in front of her while Jason followed, aiming the .357 magnum at her head. She was terrified! She hid behind and had wrapped herself around Kev while he tried so desperately to pull her into the bathroom that was between the two bedrooms and away from Jason’s rage. That was the quickest room to get her in and out of Jason’s sight.
Reese’s mouth was so close to Kev’s ear that he could hear her whispering repeatedly, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”
Kev shook his head and couldn’t help but think about how everything had happened so fast: the argument, then the fight. His thought was quickly interrupted with Jason yelling.
“Man, Kev, I’m tellin’ you.” Jason charged Kev, and looking him right in the eyes. “You better back up, son! I ain’t playin’. I’ma do this broad!” Jason’s eyes were glassy, big and red from all of the weed he, Kev, and Reese had smoked earlier that day.
Reese was screaming and hollering, trying to get away from Jason as he cocked and pointed the hollow barrow of the gun in her face. He was waving it back and forth, trying to get a steady aim at Reese’s head.
“Jesus! Jesus!” Reese screamed out.
