McCall had been a kind, considerate, sensitive, caring, loving, walking and talking dream come true, ready to give his all, until as undeserving as she was, he hooks up with Andrea. During the midst of their courtship, Andrea confesses that she is committed to current boyfriend, Derrick and is unable to give herself completely. This would be the first of countless, desensitizing blows that McCall would be all too willing to endure during the course of their relationship.
Insanely, McCall kept hanging on; believing that one day Andrea would be all his or he would die with his boots on. Everyone he encountered attempted to convince him that the relationship was doomed. William turned a death ear to all naysayers. Because shaking sense into William McCall was not an option, tearfully, I read on, only to find he had taken yet another dagger to the heart. Callously McCall moves through life, wanting to show the world that he can be a strong Black man and in the process leaves the women in his future taken for granted. When would he come to his senses?
William McCall, who wasn't one to cry in the dark, says it best, "Our sisters network and communicate their hurts. We're not supposed to have vulnerabilities, especially as Black men, though we struggle in denial of emotional sensitivity everyday." I say, at ease men, its okay to feel, to be real, to be human.
William Cooper has written this tale with such depth that we are taken through a gamut of emotion, all the while cheering for William but unable to hate Andrea due to his love for her. Although I feel this to be a dynamic read and as unimportant to the story as it was, I would have liked to learn more about his failed marriage to Angela and seen her as a multidimensional character.
Nevertheless, my heart went out to William as I found myself turning page after heartbreaking page needing to know if those long ago memories and the pain of being a jilted lover could be tucked away, enabling him to give of himself again?
Mr. Cooper does an EXCELLENT job of sharing the heart of a man. Speaking from a woman's perspective, we often forget (if we ever knew) that men are hurt just as deeply, or even moreso, than women. Men are not encouraged to rid their inner beings of the woundedness that results from a relationship "gone awry".
I would like to personally use this forum to thank Mr. Cooper for allowing himself to "relive" his pain so that he could share it with others. I know that had to have been a bittersweet assignment. Mr. Cooper accurately portrays that both men and women have many "battle" scars. But, he allows us revel in the blessing that instead of the pain remaining as huge dents on our soul, oftentimes these dents become dinks. I believe God revealed this to Mr. Cooper so that he could share this insight. His insight encourages the reader to continue in relationships, despite the past pain and vulnerabilities experienced. 6 Days in January reminds us that relationships are God's gift to us to grow: there is no better forum for growth, or if you choose to go in the opposite direction, retardation- in the strictest sense of the word. Instead of battling, we would benefit from remembering that being in a relationship is a blessed opportunity to SERVE: to serve with love. There is NO COMPETITION NOR SELFISHNESS in serving.
So, I thank you Mr. Cooper, for sharing: as an author and as a man.