The Biography of Arlinda Willis
Arlinda Willis was always moving. Feet tapping, hips swaying, hands reaching for something just beyond her grasp. From the red-dirt roads of Alabama to the bright lights of Cleveland, from the hum of beauty pageants to the pulsing rhythms of stage performances, she knew how to command a room, how to make it come alive. She danced on television screens, in the shadow of legends, in the smoky haze of nightclubs where the music never truly stopped. But fame flickered like a candle in a draft, and the life that had once been sequins and spotlights closed like a red velvet curtain.
When the stage lights dimmed, she found herself in the halls of corporate America, where a different kind of performance was required. She sharpened her mind, learned the art of survival in a new world that operated on a different set of rules. The law firms, the boardrooms, the quiet battles fought in offices where the air smelled of masculine power and printer toner. She built a name for herself again.
And then there was Rob. Young, eager, watching, learning. He entered her life by accident, by fate who knew she would need someone who would not abandon her. Together, they walked through the years building stories, triumphs and losses, and enjoyed meals sharing laughter and contemplation.
Arlinda had always known how to make something beautiful out of the hand she was dealt. She had done it with music and dance, then in the corporate world. But life kept throwing her wildcards, first with alcohol addiction. Shortly after overcoming that, she got handed a cancer diagnosis. After a lifetime of independence, she would have to learn to let down her guards and let people in to help with this one last fight.
