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    Over My Head: Tightrope
    Over My Head: Tightrope
    Over My Head: Tightrope
    Ebook168 pages2 hours

    Over My Head: Tightrope

    By A.H. Scott

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Secrets are like a rash. Irritation. Agitation. Frustration. Yet, they always rise to the surface.

    A husband's secret becomes a wife's gamble. Question is: Can a balancing act last forever? Or is trippin' just a price of marriage? This is "Over My Head: Tightrope", the first book in the four part "Over My Head" saga.

    Larry & Angie made for a lovely portrait. Yet, fractures of their marriage weren't easily seen behind the gossamer veneer of charming smile and supportive caress. Puncturing the surface of this couple revealed a relationship not so rosy.

    The lies which we tell ourselves can construct a spine to the weak and a reflection in the mirror that masks a reality which we never wish to speak.

    And, to think - it all began with a single kiss.....

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherA.H. Scott
    Release dateOct 10, 2011
    ISBN9781466057401
    Over My Head: Tightrope
    Author

    A.H. Scott

    "It all begins between the ears". - A.H. ScottABOUT A.H. SCOTT -A.H. Scott is an author of fiction of varied styles. From contemporary to historical; she brings characters into stark view. Romances ever so sweet and tender to adventures of legends from far-away lands, her writing can take a readers’ imagination to places of courage, passion, pride, and sojourn of enlightenment. Yet, don’t be fooled, A.H. Scott does not let her pen rest on a single note of simplicity. She delves into desires within the heart with characters of sensuality and decadent lust. Women of abandon and men of lascivious intent intermingle in plots of hedonistic havens. Beyond the stars or right next door, her fiction soars and swirls with touches of light and excursions into shadow.========================A.H. SCOTT Philosophy -"As an author, I enjoy letting my characters and plots that I've created get inside of the reader's heads. I make a promise to anyone that rolls the dice and catches a glimpse of my work that you will never be bored. Your eyes, mind and soul shall be thrilled. This is my bond to you, the reader: No simplicity ever from A.H. Scott. Always complexity is my main intent on anyone who reads my work." - A.H. Scott********************A.H. SCOTT COLLABORATIONSAs a blogger, her articles and analysis touch on subjects of current events as woven through the lens of the past. Featured on the blog of master photographer, Tony Ward; her spark of wit, sass and charm is on display. In their collaboration, lion of the lens Tony Ward and the peppered pen of A.H. Scott have combined the percolation of image and prose into an invigorating elixir of provocative temptation.Just type in my name (A.H. Scott) in the search bar and you'll find me in Tony Ward's arena of art and provocation -https://tonywardstudio.com/lens & pen intersect in a blistering combination...____________________________"LETTERS TO MY BULLY" ANTHOLOGY CONTRIBUTOR -"I am proud to be a contributor to this anthology. "Letters To My Bully" sheds light on the soul crushing issue of bullying. It doesn't sugar coat the problem. It faces it head on. And, provides a pathway for all who are, or have been bullied in life. Glover Lane Press and Azaan Kamau have gathered together contributors from all walks of life to show that we all have constructed "Letters To My Bully" in some ways along our lives. This book is just the culmination of life's outpouring of emotion and reflection. Stand UP To Bullying! Stand UP For YOU..!" - A.H. Scott"Letters To My Bully" brief description:Letters to My Bully is a thought-provoking collection of letters, poetry and essays written by youth, women, men, seniors and celebrities that will change the way this country views survivors forever...KINDLE - http://www.amazon.com/Letters-to-My-Bully-ebook/dp/B008XB3HJEPAPERBACK - http://www.amazon.com/Letters-My-Bully-Azaan-Kamau/dp/0615582168********************************"I want the reader to be affected in two ways - above the neck & below the belt". - A.H. Scott========================Amazon Author Pages Of A.H. Scott:US - http://www.amazon.com/author/ahscottUK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/A.H.-Scott/e/B006H5SAG8GERMANY - http://www.amazon.de/A.H.-Scott/e/B006H5SAG8FRANCE - http://www.amazon.fr/A.H.-Scott/e/B006H5SAG8"Just when you think you've seen it all - see more". - A.H. Scott

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    Reviews for Over My Head

    4/5

    16 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A coming of age story full of the regular teenage drama - boys, fights with friends, rebelling against parental authority - that also presents the difficulties of coming to terms with the serious illness of a loved one. Our protagonist is very typical of most sixteen year old girls. She is wrapped up in her quest for summer romance, wanting to be with the guy who isn't right for her and overlooking the one who's perfect. As the story progresses, however, her perspective of love shifts from the desire for the fairy tale romance and to the realization of how much the love of her family means to her. This is a story that I think many young girls will be able to relate to and will thoroughly enjoy. Despite this being a young adult novel and me being an older reader, I still found this an enjoyable book to read.
    • 4/5
      I am an adult reading a YA adult. I think young adults (age 12-17) would enjoy this book a lot more then I did as an adult. It is a refreshing read, but a little unrealistic for me at the end of the book. The relationships that Sang has with her friends and father are also a little unrealistic, but it is also refreshing that not every YA books main theme has to revolve around sex and drugs.
    • 5/5
      I loved the whole summer love story here. A young girl starts out with all her hopes of what the summer will bring. She learns about love, life, friends and family and what is truly important along with discovering her own strength. An excellent young adult book!
    • 4/5
      A very enjoyable read! Althought it is best suited for teenage girls, it can still appeal to adults. I, for one, read this book in one sitting! I will definitely be looking forward to more from this author!
    • 5/5
      I don't normally read YA but completely enjoyed this book - a good read full of teen angst, drama, complex family dynamics, love, and loss. I was thrown back to my teen years and deeply felt Sang's pain, joy, hopeful wishes and embarrassments as my own!We catch up with teenage girl Sang heading into a swirling upside down summer of the unknown. Sang's summer holds a confusing weave of crushes, new friends, arch enemies, family problems, and humiliations. Sang's pivotal summer just may be the place where she finds her sea legs and swims, instead of sinking. A place where she may finally find herself. And YA Author Lamba gives us a delightful, bittersweet tale to follow - with a heroine we ache and cheer for.Lamba certainly piles on the heavy, complex family dynamics in Sang's life, making it even more difficult for her to wade through on top of her regular teen issues. Lamba also knows how to vividly draw her readers into a painful teen world where the smallest mortifications can snowball into larger problems. And a world where embarrassment lurks in every encounter, waiting to happen.Lamba gives us the black and white world of a teen. We witness how a teen's peers can have the power to shoot down a young girl with a few words. It's all or nothing. A world where every day is a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. Yet, Lamba leads Sang down the path to finding her own balance in this rigid world. A world where sparks between a boy can signal true love or not and we, the reader, seethe with death wishes for Sang's arch enemy!You champion for Sang, as she often searches for the very thing that is in front of her all the time. As Sang learns the true meaning of family and friendship, she also discovers that while you don't always get what you want you may get what you need from the very forces you think are transpiring against you - the ones who love you.Get ready to be teary-eyed at the end of this sweet coming-of-age book by a wonderful YA author. If I had a teen daughter I would want her to read this.
    • 5/5
      Sang changes her mind every minute. She has a crazy summer for just being sixteen and can't go out on a date. Family crisis played a important part in this book and so did love. It will keep you reding until the end.
    • 4/5
      This is a refreshing YA book. It has all the elements of teenage self discovery with the extra pressure of the tug of war between East Indian values and growing up in America. Sang successfully navigates the minefield of discovering her own identity as a teenager/adult and an American/Indian. It was well written, easy to read and the characters were relatable. Marie Lamba was able to effectively portray that awkwardness that EVERYONE feels when trying to convey how you feel about someone or even say those 3 little words.
    • 5/5
      I read Marie Lamba’s “Over My Head” because I enjoyed her previous book “What I Said.” I particularly liked the multicultural point of view of “Over my head” and the empowering message for girls...sometimes the prince will save you, and sometimes you’ll have to save yourself. Marie Lamba wrestles with timeless questions like the nature of love and with hard to face but very current issues like money, family illness, and parents who keep secrets for ‘your own good’. Over My Head was satisfying and hopeful, funny and very real.
    • 3/5
      Sang Jumnal’s pre-senior year summer hits the rocks when her parents force her to take swim lessons and she learns that a beloved uncle has a serious—and expensive—disease. But Sang is tired of being treated like a kid, and so she jumps at the chance of romance with the summer lifeguard, heedless of how her behavior affects her friends and family.I didn’t realize until after I had finished OVER MY HEAD that it is actually somewhat of a sequel to Marie Lamba’s debut novel What I Meant. Which means that OVER MY HEAD can be enjoyed on its own. It is a quick, sometimes annoying, but still gratifying look into a mixed Indian-Caucasian teen’s ups and downs.The YA world very clearly needs more books like OVER MY HEAD, where the main character is of mixed race, culture is an important part of the story, but the story itself is not about accepting one’s culture or battling people’s ignorance of your culturally different family. Everyone knows a girl like Sang, a girl who is smart but is struggling with familial tensions, who is dealing with changing friendships and fending off the comments of less sensitive classmates. So, take an extremely relatable teenaged female protagonist, add in a dash of Indian culture, and you’ve got a setup that’s easy to connect to yet just different enough to expand readers’ horizons.Younger teens may be better able to appreciate OVER MY HEAD, as I found Sang and a lot of her behavior a tad immature for my taste. Okay, yes, I understand that feeling restricted by your parents’ seeming lack of trust in your maturity level may drive you to do irresponsible things such as ditching your siblings or sneaking off in the middle of the night with a boy who may or may not be taking advantage of you, but I suppose this was something that I never did in high school (okay, maybe I treated my siblings poorly every once in a while. It’s what big sisters do sometimes, eh?), and so I felt that sometimes Sang’s actions felt a little contrived, a little overdramatic. Some other characters and their situations felt similarly unnatural, mean girls who acted like convenient nemeses to raise our esteem of our beloved protagonist.Sang’s peers may for the most part feel forced in my opinion, but OVER MY HEAD depicts the nuances of Sang’s family extremely well. I really enjoyed Raina, Sang’s cousin who comes to stay with her. Raina could’ve been yet another shallow mean teenager, or a self-pitying mess, but she is at times shy yet determined, vulnerable yet resilient. Sang’s parents behave believably strictly as well as lovingly, and so on. I often feel like familial relationships are the trickiest things to depict realistically in YA, and so Marie Lamba gets numerous kudos for portraying the Jumnal family in such an empathic and rich way.Overall, OVER MY HEAD may feel a bit young for high school readers, but younger readers will most likely find a bit of themselves, their frustrations and their desires, in Sang, and cheer this promising young lady on.
    • 2/5
      This was the story of a confused teenage girl trying to figure out what it is to love. It is told over a summer when her family is experiencing intense turmoil and she herself is trying to figure how to fall in love. I didn’t believe the story was necessarily unrealistic, but I didn’t personally connect with the characters. I don’t know if that is because I am an adult reading a YA book or because I am not as passive as the main character. Overall, it was a good way to pass some time but I doubt I’ll be reading anymore by this author.

    Book preview

    Over My Head - A.H. Scott

    Over My Head: Tightrope

    By

    A.H. Scott

    Copyright 2013 A.H. Scott

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright 2013 A.H. Scott

    Smashwords Edition, License Notes

    This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    This book is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this story are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, dead or alive, or other real-life entities, past or present, is purely coincidental.

    Over My Head: Tightrope

    by

    A.H. Scott

    Chapter One

    Lawrence Chase felt himself lucky. A good job and great wife were all signs of fortune. Married to his employer's daughter, his future seemed brighter than a thousand stars. Angela Carter's passion and spirit filled him with overwhelming joy. Larry found a gem in Angie.

    With light temperament and coy smile, Angela had a varied effect on every man she came in contact with. Angela's own sense of fortune, was reflected in being adored by all the men in her life. From her husband to her father, she had the persuasive gift in wrapping each of them around her manicured finger.

    Yet, even with the ease of the feminine power that Angela Chase had, her husband Larry waltzed with a mistress that no spouse would ever compete with.

    Lawrence's luck began to slip with every losing hand from a blackjack table at the Rabbit's Foot in 1979.

    Beneath the shimmering surface of the Chases' relationship, there existed jagged shards that pricked away at the portrait of marital tranquility.

    Doubts and misgivings that had been locked away in internal silence within husband and wife, suddenly began to sound once again with the jangling keys of secrets and lies.

    For Lawrence, he thought staying on top of his losses at the Rabbit's Foot and a few other locations around the state, would be a secret that would be easy to keep from his wife. But, he knew in the back of his mind, that Angela would be the precious petal being betrayed by a spouse whose ego had gotten the best of him when the truth came out.

    As for Angela, there were the lies that she told herself about Larry not gambling anymore. But, beyond the financial storm that had begun to swirl around her world, there remained something far more destructive than a husband's rising debt.

    It was something that neither of them wanted to face head on or speak of. But, a lie of the heart would never stay buried forever.

    Alas, life wasn't as placid as this couple would have wished it to be.

    During a period within the first two months of their marriage in 1975, Larry's gambling debts became an accepted burden which Angie paid off. Like any other loving spouse, she wanted to help her husband with any complications that arose. Pulling Lawrence's neck out of that financial noose, Angela sold several savings bonds.

    Pity this husband didn't learn his lesson back then in those blossoming days of marital bliss.

    One thing that Larry didn't want to do at this present time in 1979, was to go to his wife for those funds as in prior days of their marriage in 1975 for the sum of thirty-five thousand dollars.

    At an unlicensed gambling establishment off Highway 44 and 49 in Fairwater, Wisconsin, Larry's debts began to rise with several digits. He knew this reality couldn't be placed on his beloved Angie's subtle shoulders.

    The Rabbit's Foot seemed an unlikely place for him to stand on that tightrope of self-destruction. Yet, there Lawrence Chase was on a June night in 1979.

    Rommoulus Thorne, manager and owner of The Rabbit's Foot had physical similarities to film noir actor Sydney Greenstreet. His large frame and commanding presence intimidated many unfortunate patrons in this Fairwater gambling establishment.

    One person who was on that descending scale of favor was seated at the blackjack table.

    June 19th seemed like any other night at the Rabbit's Foot for this regular patron. Man who sat at the table was a slightly anxious businessman from Eau Claire, dressed in tan suit with a white shirt and black tie. Hand after hand of cards coming up short to the number twenty-one, was making him begin to squirm in of the red chairs seated around the black gaming table.

    Thorne and two of his employees stood near a column nearby the blackjack table, watching the spectacle of lost bets by this single man seated there.

    Born Rafik-el Rommoulus Talami, this Turkish native had been in the United States since the late 1950's. After changing his name to the more innocuous Thorne, from a trip to the Thorne Market in Fond du Lac, Rommoulus began a new life of prosperity.

    Having had prior visa problems that led to a sizable fine by the IRS, Rommoulus was blocked from a full licensing of the Rabbit's Foot in 1966. Without the liquor license needed for full expansion of his business, The Rabbit's Foot would always remain on the shady side of the gambling world.

    The last thing that Rommoulus Thorne needed was a blackjack table that had little to no action occurring around it. Thorne made a decision to talk to the seated patron.

    Six words that no gambler ever wanted to hear came from Rommoulus Thorne, The table is closed to you.

    Listen, just one more bet ,pant of urgency rolled from Larry's lips, as two cards rested upon that dark green velour table top, I've got a good feeling about this next one.

    Thorne placed his hand onto the blackjack table, as fingers tapped the two cards that were just dealt to this man by the dealer, Larry ,Rommoulus nodded to the dealer and the neatly dressed croupier walked away from that table slowly.

    Lawrence Chase had taken many an evening sojourn East on I-94 from Eau Claire to Fairwater and saw no reason to exit early.

    Childish petulance came over Larry, has he wished to stay at that blackjack table, No ,raising voice to a level pitch where several other patrons gazed at him, Chase lowered his voice and smiled, I want to continue.

    With a diplomatic flair, Rommoulus Thorne bent over slightly and whispered downward to Chase's left ear, Don't make a scene, Chase ,not wanting their business to be known by anyone else on the gaming floor of the Rabbit's Foot, I want you to stand up and come with me.

    Dejected at not having a winning hand at the moment, Lawrence Chase stood and began to walk with Thorne and two other men behind him, I just don't know what went wrong ,shaking his head in disbelief at the possibility of a losing streak washing over him, he added I was up 50.

    The quartet walked across the gaming floor and towards the back of the building, where some offices were located. Pair of other males stopped a few feet from the last office in the rear and waited for further instructions from Thorne.

    Ambling through his office door, Rommoulus waved him inside and closed the door behind them, And, now you're down 250 ,Thorne pointed to a straight-back, black leather chair, Sit down, Larry, we need to talk.

    Slightly agitated by the owner's request, Larry sat down and sputtered, I've got to get back out there ,almost feeling that itch of the gambling bug nibbling at his essence, Chase gently squirmed in that leather chair.

    Fairwater business owner laid this client's digits bare to him, Lawrence, you owe the house 250 ,Thorne took the patron's history into account, Now, I let your credit get that high, because in the past whenever you owed a large chunk it was paid back quite quickly. Alas, for Rommoulus Thorne, past performances were negligible.

    Scratching head at the thought of that debt dangling above his head, Larry exhaled with a hint of desperation, Well, that sum might not be so easy to come up with.

    This is why you are in here ,Rommoulus inhaled deeply and dropped a verbal bomb on Chase, The door will not let you in anymore.

    But, I- ,Chase paused and thought of all the times he'd been in the Rabbit's Foot over many months, I've been a good customer to you.

    Thorne chuckled at the optimistic fortitude that Chase tossed his way, Good? Well, that's debatable ,getting right to the core of why Larry was in that office, Your losses outweigh your winnings.

    You know me, I'm good for it ,Chase made no bones in the past to Thorne about who his employer was in Eau Claire. And, at this point in the waning night, he was going to use any ace of remaining at the Rabbit's Foot that was available to him.

    Maybe, Carter Manufacturing Corporation held weight in Eau Claire's financial spreadsheets. Yet, in the back room of an unlicensed gambling operation in Fairwater, the only weight that mattered was Rommoulus'.

    The house can no longer cover your credit ,Thorne rested large frame against sturdy structure and folded arms, You are no longer welcome here.

    The Rabbit's Foot's owner laid out the reality of what was happening that June night to this faltering card player, without frills or puffery.

    Lawrence Chase was fitting the mold of the gambler that could see a winning hand just over the horizon. Yet, was unwilling to just give up his place at the gaming table, I'm just having a bad streak, that's all. It will pick up soon.

    I'm sorry, Larry ,slowly he walked behind his black Lucite desk, pulled a single paper from its drawer and placed it next to a gold ballpoint pen, I need you to sign this note for the 250.

    Lawrence Chase signed the paper quickly, thinking that he'd be able to get in a few more hands of blackjack before leaving for that night, Now, what?

    Adorned in a light colored suit, Thorne spoke, Don't be the rabbit, Larry, smirking at the thought of how unlucky that foot was for the hare, another bewildered beast came to this elder male's mind, Or, in this case, the ostrich.

    Larry's luck became a figment of his own ego. Being a gimpy bunny was one thing of misfortune. He could outride the losses in future months. Alas, turning into that flightless bird that didn't realize the depths of financial loss Chase actually was in, transformed into a shame that not even his wife would be told of.

    Blindsided by these events in the Rabbit's Foot, he was a bit baffled with that comparison, I don't understand.

    As a man who'd known the bitter brew of revenge from his youth in Turkey, Rommoulus ruminated to Larry, In my country, when a man doesn't pay his debts, the dawn never rises for him ever again ,for the present moment, a tempered reaction was needed, But, then again, Mr. Chase, this isn't my country. It's yours.

    Wanting to wash Chase out of his hair, Thorne made a decision of what should be done with this unfortunate gambler. Larry had come to the end of the line.

    Rommoulus walked to the door and motioned for two of his employees to enter the office. No violence would ever come from this Turk on the American shores. A dismissal of this losing patron was best for all involved, as he spoke to a pair of men, Please, show Mr. Chase outside.

    Motioning out of the chair, Larry muttered, Are you throwing me out? ,almost unable to believe that his time could ever be up at the Rabbit's Foot, Chase shrugged and gazed at Thorne and this pair.

    One man in his mid-30's had a slim build with a dark suit on. As for the other person, he was a tall Nordic blond in his early-40's. Larry had seen them around the Rabbit's Foot many times and knew what their duties were. Sad for him, they would be acting upon throwing out the unpaying trash of this evening.

    No, no, no ,Rommoulus Thorne became amused at

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