1

August, 1971…

Marilyn Bannister rushed around her apartment as she finished dressing. It was the first day of school in Houston, which meant it was her first day in the classroom. This is what four years at Texas Southern University and a degree in education had prepared her for, and she was ready.

She just wished she hadn’t received that call last night from her sister-in-law, Arlene. Not surprisingly, Stuart Jr. was acting up again. She wondered how long her sister-in-law would put up with Marilyn’s brother’s foolishness. And that’s just what she thought it was--pure foolishness.

More than once, she wondered why Stuart Jr. and Arlene didn’t get a divorce. In fact, she wasn’t sure why had they gotten married in the first place. Arlene had known about Stuart Jr.’s womanizing ways. Had she really assumed he would change, once he had a ring on his finger? They’d been married three years now, and he acted like a carefree bachelor, still sowing his wild oats. Why Arlene continued to put up with it was beyond her.

Marilyn knew her parents had talked to Stuart Jr. on Arlene’s behalf. She’d also had words with him, herself. She wasn’t sure what response the folks had gotten, but she had been bluntly told by her oldest brother to mind her own business. And she would have gladly done that, if Arlene hadn’t been constantly dragging her into it. She liked Arlene--the whole family did--and they regretted the way Stuart Jr. was treating her.

She heard her phone ring and hoped it wasn’t Arlene again. The last thing Marilyn needed was to walk into her first classroom, in an agitated state. It wouldn’t be fair to her first grade class. Besides, she didn’t want anyone to dampen her excitement. And she was excited. This was going to be the start of something great.

Marilyn toyed with the idea of not answering. But then she figured it might be her parents calling, so she raced across the room and picked up the phone off the table. “Hello?”

“Ms. Bannister?”

Marilyn didn’t recognize the voice. “Yes?”

“This is Darlene Ward from the Texas Senate office. Please hold for Senator Jordan.”

Marilyn smiled. During her first year at Texas Southern, she’d joined Barbara Jordan’s campaign. She and a lot of others had worked tirelessly, knocking on doors, holding rallies and working phone banks to make sure that people got out and voted. Their efforts had paid off when Texas Southern University’s alum, Barbara Jordan, had won the Texas Senate seat. She became the first African American woman to hold that office since Reconstruction.

Everyone was happy Senator Jordan had set her sights on Washington, to make a run for Congress. Marilyn had already received her invitation to the party Barbara was hosting in a few months to kick off her campaign.

Barbara had always treated her campaign workers with dignity and respect. And over the years, she had become Marilyn’s mentor and good friend. She’d always given Marilyn solid advice. At one time, Marilyn had considered going to law school, because she wanted to make a difference. But deep down, she believed education was her calling. Barbara had urged her to find a way to do some good in the classroom. She didn’t have to dismiss the idea of law school, but right now, Marilyn knew she was meant to be a teacher.

“I was hoping I caught you before you left. I wanted to wish you luck on your first day.”

Marilyn smiled. “Thanks, Barbara. I’m excited.”

“Did you get a car?”

“No, but I really don’t need one. My apartment is only a block from the school. If the weather is bad, I’ll catch a cab. No big deal.” What she didn’t have to tell Barbara, mainly because her friend already knew, was that she couldn’t really afford a car right now, since she was sending money to her parents in San Antonio.

Her father had been injured on the job six months ago and hadn’t gone back to work. So right now, extra money was needed at home.

Marilyn was the youngest of three kids. Stuart Jr., who was four years older than her, was a policeman. Roland was two years older and was in medical school at Morehouse. Even though she was the baby of the family—and just starting her first job--she didn’t think twice about helping her parents.

She understood Roland’s predicament with medical school. But Stuart Jr. was another story. He didn’t have any kids and Arlene had a pretty good job, working for the city of San Antonio. However, her oldest brother never seemed to have any money. If that was true, what was he doing with it?

Marilyn’s parents were the greatest, and she was extremely close to them. She wasn’t ashamed to admit to being a daddy’s girl. Her father, who’d worked as a driver at the Hannagan Manufacturing Company for as long as she could remember, had always provided well for his family.

She’d even thought about moving back home and getting a teaching job in San Antonio to help out. However, she had been recruited for a position in the Houston School System before graduation, with a salary that San Antonio couldn’t come close to matching.

Taking the teaching job in Houston made perfect sense at the time, and now she was glad she had. She loved her tiny apartment and had been lucky enough to find one close to the school where she would be teaching. It was in a nice neighborhood, with a grocery store, a laundromat and the library all within walking distance. Cabs ran frequently in the area if she ever needed one and there was a bus stop on the corner.

After ending her call with Barbara, she went into her bedroom for a quick look in the mirror. She had chosen to wear a dress with a jacket today. Since she would be walking to school this morning, she could remove the jacket if it got too hot and put it back on once she arrived.

She had talked to her parents last night. They were almost as excited about her first day of school as she was. She hadn’t told them about Arlene’s phone call, though. It would only upset her parents to know Stuart Jr. was causing his wife grief again.

Shortly after talking to her parents, she’d received a call from her best friend, LeTracia Kinsey. She and Traci, as everyone called her, had been best friends since elementary school. They’d separated after high school, leaving San Antonio to attend the college of their choice, but they’d always found ways to stay in touch. Marilyn had left for Houston, to attend Texas Southern and Traci had moved to Florida to attend a university there.

But it hadn’t been easy for Marilyn’s friend. Traci had become pregnant in her second year. Unfortunately, the guy had been a total jerk, who’d refused to take responsibility for anything. He’d even suggested she get an abortion. Traci was now a single mom who lived in San Antonio with a beautiful little girl named Erika. Marilyn was Erika’s godmother.

Marilyn was proud of her best friend. She hadn’t allowed one bad decision to ruin her life. She had learned from it and refused to be defeated. Traci worked at a bank during the day and attended night classes, working toward finishing her degree. She would be graduating in the spring.

Going into the kitchen, Marilyn grabbed her lunch off the counter. Taking her own lunch every day, instead of buying food in the cafeteria, was another cost-saving move she intended to utilize. Pausing in her living room long enough to slide her purse straps over her shoulder, she quickly headed for the door. Her future started now.

* * * *

Jonathan Madaris stood at the window in his office, a cup of coffee in his hand, and looked out. In a couple of hours, the students would start arriving, marking the beginning of another school year. And he was ready. When he’d first decided to be an educator, he had promised himself that he’d make a difference, and he intended to keep that promise.

Already he had shut the mouths of the naysayers who’d thought he was too young to hold the position of principal, when most of his contemporaries were still in the classrooms. He hadn’t let the talk bother him because very few people had accomplished what he had.

After graduating from high school at sixteen, he had immediately attended Texas Southern University. In four-and-a-half years, not only had he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education, but a Master’s degree as well. He had been a teacher for couple of years when he’d applied for the principal position at this school. And he’d got it.

Two years ago, he had turned what was once considered a failing school into a model one. He expected the teachers to do their best and when they didn’t, he made sure they decided to look for employment elsewhere.

Parkwood Elementary School had a sterling reputation because he and his staff worked together as a team with the same goal--to educate the students to the fullest. The children would spend the first six years of their school lives here, moving from first grade to sixth. Jonathan wanted to make sure that when his students left for junior high school, they were not only academically prepared but mentally, physically and intellectually equipped as well.

He took a sip of his coffee. Usually he hand-picked his new teachers, but he’d be meeting someone completely new today. In fact, he still had yet to meet the highly recommended Marilyn Bannister. But he was looking forward to it. Not everyone received such a glowing endorsement from Senator Barbara Jordan. All that was well and good; however, he would know by the end of the week if she would last in his school. As principal, he demanded a lot of his teachers.

He turned when his phone rang. His secretary had her hands full this morning, which was probably the reason the switchboard had sent the call directly to his line. More than likely, it was a family member calling, the way they often did at the start of a new school year, to wish him well. He appreciated their support. He was close to his six brothers and was grateful they’d understood when he’d decided ranching wasn’t his calling. All of them had given him their blessings and urged him to pursue his dream.

Moving over to his desk, he picked up the phone. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Jonathan.”

He frowned, recognizing the voice and wondering why Shirlene Graves was calling him so early. “Shirlene, this is a surprise.”

“I know, but I wanted to catch you before you made plans for later. My parents arrived in town yesterday and I’d like them to meet you. It’s about time, don’t you think?”

Why would he think that? Although they dated every now and then, it wasn’t as if they were in a serious relationship. He made sure the women he went out with knew the score. He was married to his career...regardless of what his mother might be going around saying.

His mother...Felicia Laverne Madaris. She was a force of nature. Even his dad was powerless when his wife decided she wanted to do something. Jonathan was well aware that his mother had been instrumental in selecting the wives of his four oldest brothers. He also knew that she was determined to get something going between his other older brother, Robert, and Diana Austin.

His mother’s shenanigans were fine with Robert, since he’d had his eyes on Diana anyway. In fact, Jonathan suspected Robert appreciated the help. But Jonathan wasn’t looking for a wife. He liked being single and intended to stay that way, at least for a while. Agreeing to meet Shirlene’s parents might put ideas in her head. Ideas he didn’t want there…especially since he planned to take Patrice Leavenworth out to dinner this weekend.

“Sorry, Shirlene, I can’t make it by this evening.” Or any evening this week, he was tempted to say. “Today is the first day of school and it’s already looking like a busy week.”

“Oh.”

He ignored the disappointment he heard in her voice.

“What about the weekend? Mom and Dad will still be here then. Can you join us for dinner Saturday night?”

Since it was likely Shirlene would find out anyway--not that he cared one way or the other, since he’d made it clear that they were not in an exclusive relationship--he said, “Sorry, I can’t make it on Saturday, either. I have a date.”

There was a pause and Jonathan figured she was steaming. He’d heard from more than one source that she was going around telling people that they were a couple.

“You’re dating other people?” she finally asked in a stinging tone.

Had she assumed she’d managed to convince every woman in Houston that he was off-limits? “Yes. I assumed you were, as well.”

“I’m not.”

“Any reason why not?”

“Because I’m dating you.”

“We’ve had this conversation before, Shirlene. We are not exclusive. Why do you keep forgetting that?”

“I didn’t forget, Jonathan, but I see what you refuse to.”

“And what’s that?” he asked, sliding into the chair behind his desk.

“That one day, I will be your wife.”

He leaned back. Evidently, she knew something he didn’t. “And how do you figure that?”

“Because you’re a man who is going places. You need a woman by your side who is going places, as well. How many twenty-five-year-old women have enough money to open up their own pharmacy?”

Jonathan figured there was no need to remind her that it had been her parents who’d purchased the building she’d made into a pharmacy.

“And your mother likes me,” she added.

He hated bursting her bubble on that one. His mother would like any woman he brought home…not that he’d ever considered taking her home to meet his mother. She and a girlfriend had happened to pop up one evening at the same restaurant where he, his youngest brother, Jake, and their mother were dining. He often wondered if Shirlene’s appearance that night had been a coincidence or an orchestrated move, since he’d casually mentioned his dinner plans with his family to her the day before. Regardless, it had worked out in Shirlene’s favor. Thanks to his mother, she and her friend had been invited to join the Madarises.

“The fact that my mother likes you doesn’t mean much, unless you’re marrying her. My mother won’t be selecting my wife.”

“I heard she found them for all your other brothers.”

He got up and walked over to the window, glad the phone cord extended that far. It seemed everyone in Houston knew that his mother took pride in playing matchmaker. “If that’s true, it’s between my mother, my brothers and their wives. But rest assured, it won’t be that way with me.”

“We’ll see.”

He lifted his brow. Was that a dare? “No, Shirlene, you will see. Have a good day.”

“Are you going to call me back later?”

If she had the nerve to ask him that after this conversation, then he needed to respond in a way that would hopefully make things clear. “No, I don’t think so. In fact, I think it’s best if we give each other some space. Goodbye, Shirlene. I wish you well.”

She didn’t say anything, then slammed the phone down in his ear.

It looked like the school year was off to a good start.