The Preface

Hey! Welcome back! Glad you returned! Some of you have asked me about the name of my blog. If you looked at my profile -- I don't know; do people really read those things? -- you know that I am in the process of writing a novel. Reverse Skate is the title of my probably-never-to-be-published novel.

Reverse Skate is the story of an 18-yr-old girl named Karla Forrester, who lives on Galveston Island. It is set in the 1970's. Karla lives in a non-Christian home but wants to know Jesus. It's the story of a girl battling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and her attempts to appear normal to all people, while hiding secrets from even those closest to her. And it's the story of how she comes to know Jesus, who loved her even before the day she was conceived.

In the future I will include an excerpt from the book where Karla talks about "reverse skate" and what the term means to her. Tonight, however, I am posting the preface to the book. Please remember that I am not Karla; Karla is not me!!! This is fiction!!! I will give you an opportunity in the future to read more of the story (if you so desire) by sending me an e-mail and requesting the next chapter. This book could be offensive to some. If you are offended or become upset by reading books including violence, child abuse or neglect, curse words, etc. you may not want to request to read Karla's entire story (which will not be posted here on my blog).

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Reverse Skate

First day of June, 1979… Galveston Island… 18 years old…

Karla arrived at the beach around one o’clock in the afternoon. The party was already in full swing, I Will Survive playing in the background. Karla, an 18-yr-old senior, had grown up during the 1970’s, in Galveston, Texas. Every waking hour not spent doing schoolwork or something absolutely necessary was spent in front of the television set. Karla knew ever commercial jingle and TV theme song by heart.

All her hard work, getting through high school, that was what she was supposed to be celebrating today. It was Senior Day at the beach, an annual event held after commencement. The seniors and their chaperones would drive to the beach and spend a weekday enjoying the surf before vacationers from all parts of the country arrived on the weekend. Soon all schools in the area would have let out, and the shores would be crowded.

But Karla was not in a happy, celebrating mood. Yes, this morning, she had made an amazing life-change, but Stacy was not here with her. This morning had taken its toll on her emotionally. She almost hadn’t come, but Mrs. Cain had insisted. “You will regret not being with your friends today. You will regret it for the rest of your life,” she said. “You may never see some of them again.”

She is the one shining light on today, thought Karla. At least Mrs. Cain is here. Mrs. Cain was Karla’s mentor, actually an obsession of hers for over a year. Karla looked to her constantly for advice and guidance. Karla had kept lots of secrets from Mrs. Cain in the past, and for that, she was very sorry. From now on, no more secrets.

Remembering Mrs. Cain’s words from yesterday, “Karla, you have your whole life ahead of you. I want you to start living it – with Him,” Karla slowly approached the water.

Karla was afraid of the beach. Every since she had seen the movie “Jaws”, she was terrified of the ocean. But everyone else was going swimming. Donna, Karla’s best friend, was yelling at her to come in. Karla was not a strong swimmer and was petrified of sharks, but the group was not far out, only about waist-level. They were standing up. What Karla did not know was that her friends were actually standing on a sandbar.

Karla took her purple float and waded in, ankle-deep, then, waist-deep. The water was still quite cool. No excuse. Get in. I cannot look afraid, thought Karla. The water was now up to her chest. She did not like the way the bottom felt, the seaweed wrapping around her legs. The sharp, broken shells in the sand had cut her feet upon entering the water. She got on top of the float to avoid the seaweed. God only knows what creatures are swimming around me. She began to paddle towards her friends. Suddenly, a large wave knocked Karla off her float. When she turned around to grab the float, she realized that she was actually in deep water, and she was caught in the undertow, much like the drain in a kitchen sink. No one seemed to notice as she began the fight for her life.

~to be continued tomorrow~