Hello my faithful readers!
I am excited to share more of my family's story with you. Since this is my blog, I decided to tell it in first person. Yup, I am breaking the writer's rule of telling a story in one person. I am giving my Aunt Jacy a voice. She is my grandfather's oldest daughter. Jacy has no problem speaking her mind. She fears no one.
"Oh, my leg is dead". My brother had laid his head on my leg all night. See my sister, brother and I sleep in the same bed. My sister and I sleep at the top of the bed and my brother sleeps at the bottom. He sleeps in the middle because neither me or Goldie want to be the only one who smells his feet. I remember one night having a dream that I was in the grave yard. It was so real that I could smell the dead bodies. I was searching for my mama's grave when a brush hit me in the face. As I fought the brush off, my brother hits me. I was fighting his feet. They had brushed up against my face. It wasn't the dead bodies I smelled, it was his feet. Ugh. I couldn't wait for the day that I had my own room and bed.
I rubbed my leg hoping to get feeling back into it. It felt like a log as I swung it out of the bed. As I coaxed my leg back to life, I heard a knock on the front door. Who could this be this early in the morning? I eased myself to the bedroom door, dragging my poor leg behind me. I eased the door open, praying that it would not squeal on me, and seen my dad at the door. I heard a familiar voice that instantly caused my heart to beat faster. It was my mom's sister, Carol Lee, what was she doing here? I could hear her doing all the talking and my dad had this funny look on his face. So I got down on my hands and knees and crawled closer to the door. I got as close as I could without my dad seeing me. Oh, I wish I could see what he was looking at. I heard Aunt Carol Lee apologize for her behavior at my mom's funeral. As sad as we were, my sister and I could not help laughing at how Aunt Carol Lee acted at my mom's funeral. Her behavior was so bad, I was hoping mom would come back from the dead to put Aunt Carol Lee in her place!
My Mom, my eyes started watering thinking about her. I glanced at the mantle and saw her picture. She was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. Oh how I wished she had smiled in the picture, because I would never see that smile again. Then I heard something that made my hair stand up on the back of my neck. It made me turn my head so fast that I almost broke my neck. Aunt Carol Lee was suggesting that my dad marry her. She didn't give my dad a chance to say anything. She began to build her case about how much she loved us and because she was my mom's sister she wanted to help raise her children. I couldn't breathe, this woman was the devil's spawn. She was born without a soul. Her own mother didn't want her. Her two husbands had ran away. Her first and second husband both left her a note, took a few belongings and never looked back. There was no way I was going to allow this to happen! I had to say something. I knew my daddy would beat me for jumping in grown folk's business but this was one beating I would gladly take.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Don't do it. My dad was momentarily distracted and that's all I needed. I jumped up and slammed the door close. As I turned around, my dad's hand connected with my face. My daddy had never hit me in his life. I was stunned, shock and hurt. I threw my hands up in defense because he had raised his hand to hit me again. "Don't you ever disrespect your Aunt like that." "What made you do something like that, have you lost your mind?" I fell to my knees sobbing. "Daddy, don't hit me no more, I don't want you to marry her." "She is mean to us." "Girl, get up from that floor and go into your room." " I should take my belt off right now and handle you." You go in that room and think about what you have done." I looked up at my daddy through my braids and I could see the rage in his eyes. My cheek throbbed and I could feel it already swelling. Then I smelled it, the liquor. My daddy was drunk.
So I am going to end right here. A new blog post is coming soon, hang in there with me.
-Your favorite Ruby Girl