The Brooch

The Promise

As they all sat around the table, now in silence, knowing the final truth of brooch, Mama Woods could no longer sit idly by....

"I can't take much more of this." Mama Woods moaned frustrated. She got up from the dining room table. "Why didn't you tell me all of this after all these years Mumma? You could have at least saved me some unwanted heartache! Shoo! My child, heartache for that matter!"

"It wasn't that easy Scarlet, child. Didn't you just hear my expla-Nation?"

"Course I heard it Mumma! Gives no excuse for all this.... This..."

"Bull hocky?" Jeffy sarcastically interjected.

"Ya darn tootin!" Mama Woods scowled! Not catching onto Jeffy's apparent sarcasm. "All these years Mumma, I thought Mrs. Crowder was just plain off her rocker..."

"She is off her rocker Mama!"

"Hush child!" Mama Woods fussed at Maple. "That's not the point!"

"Well whut is the point Mama?" Maple said once again cutting off her mama in mid sentence.

"Didn't I just tell you hush Maple!"

"Dang it alive Scar! Let her talk!"

"Don'tchu start with me, Jeffy!" Mama Woods fussed.

"She has just as much right as you and I do, to speak up and give her say!" Uncle Jeffy hissed.

Mama Woods huffed! She began to leave the room.

"Mumma, please..." Maple cried.

Mama Woods reluctantly stayed.

"Naw, I know you feel whut Grandmama dun was wrong, keepin us outta the loop all these years. But it wasn't rightfully her fault! As clear as a day on spring mornin, you heard the same story, we heard. Didn't ya? I mean Mrs. Lexington pinned that precious brooch to yo little fannie hide and made Grandmama cross her heart and promise to button her lips! So help her God, she did! So you can't be mad at her! Heck.. you can't be mad at yourself for that matter. And I mean... shoot. I didn't mean to say heck Mumma... But heck!"

"Scarlet, huney..." Grandmama Woods softly uttered walking up to her daughter. As delicately as she could, she placed her hands on Mama Woods steaming cheeks. " I know this is hard to hear. And perhaps I knew this day would come. But you have to understand and see it from my point of view. I was tryin to protect ya. And my sweet grand baby from all of this."

"If that's the case Mumma," Mama Woods replied pulling away. "why wouldn't you say anythang sooner? We could have at least prepared ourselves."

"It wasn't that easy Scarlet, child..."

"Yes! Yes it is Mumma!"

"Scar..."

"No Jeffy! Mama could have told at least me, the day I found that brooch in the curie the blatant truth of it all."

"You wouldn't have understood back then Scarlet..."

"Why wouldn't I, Mumma? I was of age! If I was of age to be given that brooch! Then I was of age to hear the history behind that brooch!"

"Yes. You're right." Grandmama Hastings said shamefully putting her head down. "Maybe you were, my Scarlet. And maybe I can't make excuses for not telling you on that day. And letting all this time you and Maple, be none the wiser. But I can't say I regret it."

"Mumma!" Mama Woods uttered in shock.

"I'm not Scarlet... and I don't apologize for it." She assertively replied. "Didn't you hear yo child? I made a promise. And we, Hastings do not back down from our promises."

"You did to daddy!" Mama Woods fussed!

"That's enuff Scar!" Uncle Jeffy scolded.

"No, she's right Jeffery." Grandmama Hastings said calmly grabbing my upset uncle's arm. "She's right. And she's wrong." Grandmama Hastings boldly stated. "It is true, I promised yo sweet daddy, that I would not go after that brooch. And I didn't. But I did promise him, from the very beginnin, I would get it back. And perhaps it wasn't the way I suspected. Or even the years for that matter. But somethin yo father forgot and you seem not to want to understand... that brooch is of our family. Your grandfather Julius bled for that. And when Mrs. Lexington asked me to take back what was rightfully ours. And promise my silence... so with that, then I buttoned my lips. With only one regret... that yo daddy never knew sooner. And maybe you..."

"Don'tchu see Scar? Mumma did nuthin wrong. You did nuthin wrong."

"Perhaps we didn't do nuthin wrong in yo eyes and Munma's eyes. And sadly even my child's. But naw we can do somethin right and end all of this." She said walking away from Uncle Jeffy and Grandmama Hastings.

With a look of deep sorrow, she reached out her hand. She hesitantly looked at Maple. She began to speak as her voice slightly cracked.

"Maple, huney... give me that brooch."

"No Mumma!" Maple argued. She hid the brooch behind her back.

"I'm not gonna say it again Maple!" Mama Woods reprimanded. "Naw hand it over!" She sternly fussed.

"I'm sorry Mumma... but I can't. Don't make me do that. I won't."

Mama Woods, slowly walked closer towards Maple. She held out her hand again. But Maple wouldn't budge. In a deep sigh, Mama Woods leaned over. She reached behind Maple. She grabbed her daughter's tight grasp from beneath her back and removed the brooch as delicately, but still in some force from Maple's grip.

Heartbroken, and inconsolably disappointed. Maple looked at her Mama.

"I hate you!" Maple cried running away to her grandmama's spare room.

"Why did you do that Scar?"

"Because Jeffy, we have to make things right. Once and for all." Mama Woods said with a deep lump in the back of her throat. Lifting her head, she held back her tears and said no more. She just walked to the bathroom and closed the door shut.

Mama Woods said she had to make things right... but what was that right in her eyes? And how would it affect her family? Would it break her daughter's heart any further than it already was? Expose the secret that her mama had kept all them years? And would it finally end the feud between her family and Mrs. Crowder once and for all? Or would the real feuding only just begin....