In Memory of My Dad, by Berengaria Brown

When I was small my Mom was quite ill. My Dad had never had to look after me for more than an hour or two at a time until then, and he wasn’t too sure what to do with me. The first day he bought me a wonderful set of blocks with bridges, and towers, and awesome things in the box, and I played with them all day. I’m pretty sure he enjoyed playing with them too. At least for the first hour or so. But by the second day he was once again at a loss to know what to do with me.

He loved reading, so he sat me down and taught me to read. I was already fascinated that the black squiggles on the pages of my books actually meant something, and picked up the idea fairly quickly. My Mom was ill for several months. Long before she had gotten better I was reading voraciously. All the kids’ books I owned, I could now read, and I read them over and over. When I got tired of that, Dad took me down to the local library, and signed me up for a membership card. That worked well for several years, until I’d read everything in the children’s section. Dad didn’t even blink. He just handed me his adult borrower card and I started to read the adult collection.

Some people were horrified that I might read something little girls shouldn’t know about. Dad wasn’t worried. “If she doesn’t understand it, it won’t hurt her. And if she knows what it means, there’s no need to hide it from her”, he said.

Likely that explains why I write FF, and MM, and ménage, as well as MF romance. I like to read all genres so that’s what I write.




Aquamarine: Courage and Comfort
by Berengaria Brown

Available from Torqueue Press

Edmund’s sister Mavis was tragically widowed by a hit-and-run driver, when he was rushing to the hospital for the birth of their son. Now Mavis can’t cope with the loss of her husband and a new fatherless baby to care for.

Mavis’ friend, AJ, tells Edmund that he and his partner, Utah, must go and retrieve an aquamarine. The stone will bring courage and comfort to Mavis. It will hold the spirit of her dead husband and she will be able to rear their son and have a fulfilling life.

Only lovers can find the stone. Edmund and Utah are a little skeptical, but very willing to try.

EXCERPT

Utah just smiled at his partner. Edmund had all the confidence in the world, and likely some naughty plan in mind. Well, they'd soon see just how doable his plans were. One of the things Utah loved about Edmund was his insouciant acceptance of sex as an integral part of daily life. And Utah's dick was always ready to get involved in sex with Edmund!

Even just looking at Edmund in that tight, body-hugging wetsuit, made Utah's cock grow and harden, and his balls tighten. Down boy he thought widening his stance a little to ease the pressure on his equipment. First we find this mystical aquamarine for Mavis. Then we fuck each other's brains out.

The more he thought about it, the crazier it sounded. Here on a public beach where dozens, even hundreds, of people swam every day, they were going to swim out to a sandbar and find a precious stone. They would then give this stone to Edmund's sister, and with no other help -- no therapy, no psychiatrists, no lawyers, nothing else at all -- she would accept the loss of her husband and focus on rearing her kid. When he put it like that, it almost sounded like he was the one who needed a good therapist. Deluded didn't come close to explaining the lack of logic in those thoughts. Ah well, all he could do was support Edmund. AJ had made it quite plain Edmund would not succeed if Utah wasn't there with him. And anyway, he wanted to be with Edmund. Wanted to help him.

Shrugging his shoulders he swung around to look at Edmund. "Are you ready to go fetch this rock?"

"Yes, sure. But how are we supposed to recognize it?"

"Hell if I know. Isn't it supposed to call to you, or something?"

___________________________________
Berengaria Brown
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6 comments:

  1. Your dad sounds pretty amazing. As a librarian, I LOVE that he turned you loose in the Library. Positive early experiences can have a life-long positive influence on reading and library use.

    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Catherne,
      He took me to the library every Saturday until I was grown enough to go by myself. Children were only allowed to borrow a certain number of books each week at that library, and I always took the maximum!
      Berengaria

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  2. How very fortunate you were to have had such a devoted and open minded dad, Berengaria. When I saw your post was about your dad, I just had to come over and read it. What a wonderful way to remember your dad.

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  3. BEAUTIFUL story, Berengaria! My mom was a voracious reader too, and taught me to read before I started school. I had to advance 2 grade periods because of my reading level! I grew up as a professed/confessed Book-A-Holic and proud of it! And I actually wrote my first "book" when I was 5! Ahh, the memories! THANKS for sharing yours ---so beautiful!

    hugs, Kari Thomas, www.authorkari.com

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  4. Thank you, Sarah, and Kari. People who love books and reading are special indeed.
    Berengaria

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  5. What a great story!! Your Dad was an amazing man!! I have been reading Romance Novels since I was 13 years old! Thanks for that story...When you get back in the group, post some of your book covers and info please!!

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