From the bestselling, award-winning authors of TRYIN' TO SLEEP IN THE BED YOU MADE comes a novel of sisterhood, family secrets, and the ties that bind. Donna Grant is a bestselling, award-winning author. She met Virginia DeBerry while they were both working as models, and what should have been a rivalry ended up as a decades-long friendship. Together, they wrote much-loved books including the New York Times bestseller Far From the Tree , the Essence Magazine bestselling Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made , and the Oprah Book Award-winning Better Than I Know Myself . Donna lives in Brooklyn, NY. Virginia DeBerry is a bestselling, award-winning author. With her co-writer Donna Grant, she is the author of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made , which won the Merit Award for Fiction from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, as well as the 1998 Book of the Year Award from the Blackboard Bestseller List. They are also the authors of Far From the Tree and Better Than I Know Myself , both Essence bestsellers. A graduate of SUNY at Buffalo, Virginia worked for 10 years as a high school English teacher in Buffalo, before moving to New York to start a successful career as a plus size model. She met Donna while they were both working as models, and what should have been a rivalry ended up as a decades-long friendship. Virginia lives in New Jersey. Far from the Tree By Virginia DeBerry St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2004 Virginia DeBerry All right reserved. ISBN: 9780312330910 Chapter One "You can't cut your dresses by my pattern. Present Day Buffalo, New York "Ma?!" Ronnie leaned against the blue Formica counter and shuffledthe hodgepodge of dishes in the cabinet. "Where's my mug?"Even though she'd been away for years, there was something about beingin the kitchen at home that made her sound like she was nine years old.She looked over her shoulder at her mother.     Della sat at the dinette table, head in hand, staring into her lukewarmcup of coffee like she was searching for something she'd misplaced a longtime ago.     Ma is really out of it . Ronnie had been torn up since she got the callabout her Daddy?and getting through this long, sad day had sucked herdry. In between her own tears and grief, she wondered how her mothercould act so calm. Not that she ever goes to pieces. Ma's just strong, I guess .Ronnie stretched to reach the top shelf and tugged at her little bit of skirt,trying to keep her butt covered. "You know the one, Ma, with the Essotiger on it?"     Della's expression never changed.     "You mean the Exxon tiger? I haven't seen that cup since ... maybesince before I left for college, Aunt Ronnie." Niki left the bag of garbageshe was tying and opened another cabinet to look.     "There are a hundred mugs here!" Celeste backed against the swingingdoor and came in toting an armload of platters and serving bowls. "Useone of them!" Her tone was sharp as barbed wire. She set the stack on thecounter and examined a gold-rimmed plate. "Humph! Friends call themselveshelping you, but these are still greasy, Mother." She looked acrossthe room for an acknowledgment, but Della stayed in her own world.     "Do you mind if I drink my , tea out of the cup I want to?" Ronnie slida foil-wrapped pound cake, a stack of paper plates, and a shrink-wrappedfruit basket out of the way and hoisted herself up on the counter. "Youknow that mug has been my favorite ever since ..." Ronnie's voice caughtin her throat. "... Ever since Daddy brought it home"     "Daddy died five days ago and you just showed up yesterday, so don'tcome telling me about how much some cup means to you!" Celeste rolledup her sleeves, dropped her pearls inside her blouse.     "You haven't seen your sister in a long time, Ma" Niki spoke in a hushas she stepped between her mother and her aunt. "Maybe you don't wantto argue ..."     "I do not need you to tell me what I want, Nicole. Maybe you couldfinish taking out the garbage some time tonight!"     Niki just barely turned her head before she rolled her eyes. "Right, Ma!"     "And you might sit on kitchen counters in New York, but we don't dothat here!" Celeste reached in the pantry and snatched the apron.     Ronnie crossed her leg defiantly.     "Fine. Sit there. But I have work to do." Celeste turned the hot wateron full force. "Of course, helping out would be of no interest to you."     "Get over yourself," Ronnie barked, then jumped down from thecounter. "This has been a hard day, and I'm exhausted...."     "Exhausted?!" Celeste gripped the sink with both hands to keep fromthrowing the plates at her sister. "You flew in here yesterday like the queenbee, acting like everybody was supposed to stop what they were doingand buzz around you."     "I did not!"     "You have no idea what we've been through this week! All the planning,the arrangements. Funerals don't just happen!" Celeste took aimand launched a laser beam of anger. "And whe