I had handled all of my conference obligations. The quiet of my hotel room and the king-sized bed were welcome rewards. Then the phone rang. "Hello," I said, trying to sound a little energetic. "Hi Ronni. Eric Lewis here. Hey, I know you're leaving soon and I'd like to see you tonight. Please say yes?" There was something different in Eric's request. Maybe he thought I would be a cure for his being homesick. I wasn't quite sure, but something in his voice connected and I knew I couldn't refuse him, and said yes. "I'm on my way. Be there in a few." Click. ------------------------------------- As I drove closer to the hotel I wondered whether I would be met with any of Ronni's famous silver bullet questions. What was I thinking coming over like this? Did I think that she'd fall all over me? Of course not. She's an amazing woman and I know it usually comes back to God with her. Any answer I might give without some spiritual connection would probably be shot down so I thought, even before I arrive, I may as well prepare to exit as gracefully as I could. ---------------------------------------- I fell back on the bed. What was I thinking? I didn't want to fall victim to one of my flesh backs - that passion-plagued pothole that was once Eric's and my trademark. I looked in the mirror. I heard a scream and realized it was coming from within me: Help me somebody?! H.V. Bennett and W.E. Lawson offer a unique female/male perspective of "She Thought, He Thought," moreso than "She Said, He Said." These fictional characters may ring true for many readers. Is this love deferred a delay, a deception, a delight, or a delusion? Is it Man-Manufactured or God-Given?

What happens when the heart wants what the mind resists?Cadence Nice went from being an optimistic romantic to a coldhearted commitment-phobe. She convinced herself she was over it, finished, done with searching for a stable relationship after wasting her time with an ex who wasn't serious.No longer did she pine for her stomach to flutter with butterflies or her heart to skip a beat for love. In fact, throw the whole Prince Charming away, his white horse, and the storybook happily ever after too.All she wanted was sex. Just sex, only sex, and with someone she couldn't love. She thought she found the perfect placeholder in a man she despised but life has a way with switching things up. After sleeping with an enemy, her next-door neighbor, Meki Knight, Cadence believed she found bliss in keeping things only physical between them. She was so wrong.Cadence adopted her cold exterior with hopes of giving herself a permanent fix for her jaded heart. But she'll soon learn just what happens when you accidentally find love in a hookup culture.*Readers are advised to read the short story, "Unsilent Knight," before reading "A Love Deferred." "Unsilent Knight" serves as a prelude to this novella. "Unsilent Knight" is available for download here on Amazon!

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

IT'S MY SOUL, MY MOVEMENT, MY WAY! The Afro-American has a strong culture of soul that goes far back past our enslavement in America. It is that spirit that keeps us strong. Poet Jeffrey Perry speaks as an ex-slave (descendant) who realizes the true impact that slavery, Jim Crow laws and all our struggles had and continue to have on the Black psyche and nature. These trials have been circumvented by an understanding of the soul of African people. It has been faith, love of God or just life itself that keeps us keeping on! Conversations with a Soul Brother is a calling to embrace our past, present and future with a love of our spirit. It is Jeffrey's soul that is heard in his words.