The Boy She Illegally Brought To The Lavender Field (bwwm)

Page 13

"Mama." Once she'd finished getting ready for bed, Annie found her mama in her parent's room, sitting up and reading while her daddy laid asleep beside her.
"Yes, Annie?" Diana replied.
"Can I speak to you please?"
Diana looked up from her book at her daughter, wondering what was wrong.
Annie left the room to walk back to her own.

Diana crawled out of bed and followed.

The two stood in Annie's room and Annie shut the door behind her mother.

They both took a seat on Annie's bed.
"What is it, Annie?"
"Mama,...do you...love my daddy?"
Diana was confused. "Of course I do. I love your daddy very much. Why would you ask me such a thing?"
"Do you love Mayor Ross?"
Diana froze.

She stood up.

"Who told you that?" she whispered.
"I just..."
"You listen to me good, whatever they told you was a lie. You hear me?" She grabbed Annie by her shoulders.
"But..."
"Don't you repeat those words to nobody else! You understand me?!"
Annie nodded.

"Goddamnit, Annie." Diana panted. Her head dropped. "Why would you ask me a question like that?"
"I heard...Mayor Ross...he..."

Diana took her seat again and placed her hand on her daughter's.

"Annie, I'm gonna tell you a secret and that secret don't leave this room, you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Diana took a deep breath.

"I loved him." She sniffed and looked at her daughter with wet eyes.
Annie's lips parted in surprise.
"I loved him very much and he loved me too."
"But..." But Mayor Ross is a white man.
Diana used her knuckle to wipe her tears.
"Well then...what happened?" Annie wondered.
Diana scoffed at the memory.

"He decided to run for mayor." she answered. "And you can't get that job in southern Mississippi and not be a family man. You also can't get it huggin' on no negro woman."
Annie listened to her mama.
"We used to spend all day everyday together in private. My happiest days were with him before I met your daddy and had you and your brother. But his competition was beatin' him in votes because he had a happy family and the people loved it, made him seem more like them I guess. Mayor Ross lost the first time. But afterwards...they told him what he needed to do in order to win. So he got with the woman who was the daughter of his boss at the time. Nancy Wright. They spent a few months together. Their dates would end and he'd come see me. And I knew what he was doin'. I couldn't be surprised. They got married a few months later. She wound up pregnant with a baby boy and I cried. I cried 'til my eyes couldn't cry no more." Diana sniffed. "He offered me a job. Asked me to be the nanny in his home because he couldn't be without me is what he said. I was still in love so I said yes. But walking around that house, seein' that woman touch on and kiss him. I couldn't handle it." Diana shook her head.
Her hand held tightly onto Annie's.
"But...luckily around that time, a beautiful tall black man had his eyes on me. I let him take me out and he was just as good on the inside as he was on the outside. I continued workin' in the Ross house but I had my eyes on Sirius Moore now. I couldn't handle being in love with a man who had a family of his own anymore. Around a year later we got married, me and your daddy. And I was happy. Loved him with all my heart. But I couldn't help but be jealous hearted when I entered the Ross house. And my marriage and his ain't stop him from huggin' me, kissin' my cheek, and makin' me laugh. Nancy had seen it with her own eyes but what was she gonna do? Tell the town that a negro woman was capable of takin' her husband away from her? That he loved a nigga more than her? She'd be more embarrassed than I would. She ain't tell nobody but Mr. Ross himself. I used to hear them arguin' all the time. Her yellin' at him, callin' me all kinds of names, but he never stopped."
Annie looked at the floor as her mother spoke.
"I was pregnant with your brother not long after the wedding." Diana's tears fled down her cheeks. "And Mr. Ross used to touch my belly and say it should've been his." She cried and covered her eyes with her free hand.

Annie rubbed her mama's back. "It's alright, mama."

Diana wiped her tears. "Why'd you have to ask such a thing?"
"Well...I've become acquainted with Mr. Ross' son."
Diana shot up and looked at her daughter. "Annie, you steer clear of that boy, do you understand me?"
"But-..."
"No buts! You will not speak to that boy. No more!"
"Why, mama? You just said his daddy loves you."
"That boy grew up with both parents in his house, not just his daddy. His mama's no good and taught him to be even worse. You don't talk to that boy, ya hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am." Annie agreed.
"Good. You keep these conversations between me and you."
"Yes, ma'am." Annie nodded.
Diana kissed her daughter's head and gave her hand a gentle pat.

"You get some sleep now. We'll talk in the mornin'." She stood.
"Goodnight, mama." Annie replied.
"Goodnight, baby girl." Diana left the room and softly shut the door.

She stood there, her hand still holding onto the knob with the other clasped over her chest.

She tried to stop herself from tearing up any more.
"Don't you come between me and my family, Stephen." she whispered to herself. "Don't you do it."

Annie sat on her bed thinking about her mama's words.

She'd already promised Daniel she'd see him tomorrow.
She figured maybe tomorrow would be when she'd tell him they can't speak to each other anymore. She'd see him just one last time then break the news.

She crawled under the blankets and turned off her lamp.

She thought about something. She'd never seen the mayor before, only read his name in papers or heard about what he'd done.

But she thought if Daniel looked anything like his father, her mama had real good taste.