The Ebony Brothers had been very well received by the Bomb's patrons and they were booked to play every other Saturday night. Two weeks seemed like an eternity. One Wednesday afternoon over the books, Mozel said to Rhonda, "You'll never guess who stopped in here the other day."
"Who?"
"That Lemar from the Ebony Brothers. He wanted to know about you and Henry"
"What did you tell him?"
"The truth."
"NO"
"Yes I did. Why not? He is head over heels about you. Why shouldn't you have some love in your sorry life?"
"Why! because Henry would kill us both- that's why. You know that."
"Well you're full grown now. You could get a divorce. It's the sixties for crying out loud!"
Rhonda didn't answer but she sure got to thinking.
"Well here." Mozel said as she slid a note across the bar to Rhonda.
Rhonda boldly took the note. No trembling hand here. She had become amazingly self assured given her young life's circumstance. Two things were responsible for this; her own strong spirit and the nuturance of her community of Mothers. Rhonda had made up her mind that she would one day have a love and a home and a family. She just had to figure out how.
Mozel watched Rhonda's face expectantly.
"Meet me Wednesday afternoon at the lunch counter at Woolworths around three. Lemar"
Although they both had big smiles, Rhonda and Mozel both knew this was fire they were playing with.
"Girl you better be sure you want to do this." Rhonda had never been more sure of anything.
Wednesday at 2:45 Lemar took a seat at the far end of the lunch counter, away from the street side's big picture window. At 2:55 Rhonda approached from the rear of the store. She had come in the front door and circumnavigated the entire store giving herself a chance to gather herself. At 3 o'clock the lunch counter was busy with the after school crowd having cokes and fries. Rhonda slid into the seat side of Lemar.
"I didn't know if you'd come." Lemar said. "But I'm glad you did."
His smile was warm.
"I had some errands to run uptown." Rhonda said. But then her reserve broke when she looked him full in the eyes.
"I don't know what we're doing."
It wasn't like they were strangers. It was like they had known each other always. Every opportunity to found them together. A lot of that time was spent at the Bomb. Lemar moved nearby so it wasn't surprising he spent time at the club. Rhonda had her job as a reason to be there. Richard gave Lemar a few shifts bartending. As they always had, the community surrounded them and protected them. It wasn't that they usually supported infidelity, but they did oppose what Lewis and Henry had done. They felt no remorse for either of them. Quite the contrary.
1971 found a matured relationship between Lemar and Rhonda. It was hard to imagine Henry didn't know about them, but his health was failing. Not that he was that old, not at all. But he seemed to be fading. Henry went to his Doctor with complaints of lack of energy and vitality. He seemed to be losing his substance. The doctor ran some tests and gave him a multi-vitamin. A week later he went back for results, expecting to hear something bad like cancer. No, the doctor found nothing out of the way. His red blood count was a little low- keep taking his vitamins. He waas getting older after all. "Maybe it's trying to keep up with that young wife of yours," he joked. Yes indeed.
Rhonda and Lemar were just the opposite of Henry. Rhonda was at her height. Like a rose in full bloom. Even Henry wondered how she could be so happy. In his heart of hearts he knew what he had done and how he had treated her were not right. It began to eat at him. Then the fact he was even having these guilty thoughts began to trouble him because he had never been big on conscience. More often than not lately, when he tried to have sex he found he wasn't able. Needless to say this made Rhonda very happy.
Besides the day to day work and community life of the neighborhood, other things went on with the women. They were, after all, descended from people who were tribal; whose ideas on the workings of life went way back. Way back. Potions and charms spells and sacrifices were all part of the old way of looking after yourself and those you loved.
And so Henry continued to diminish. No bloody murder that would sacrifice someone else's life to jail. That wouldn't help anything. Just slowly remove him.
By the Spring of 73 Rhonda and Lemar were married. It was a hell of a wedding; the reception, of course, was held at the Bomb Shelter. The music business was serving the Ebony Brothers well, but Lemar had quit the group. He didn't want to travel away from Rhonda. So he got a degree and taught music in the school system. As the years went on they bought a house and had children. Community life continued to center around the church and the Bomb. Rhonda and Lemar never traveled far from their little community because they did have one other person to look after, an old old man.
The End
"Who?"
"That Lemar from the Ebony Brothers. He wanted to know about you and Henry"
"What did you tell him?"
"The truth."
"NO"
"Yes I did. Why not? He is head over heels about you. Why shouldn't you have some love in your sorry life?"
"Why! because Henry would kill us both- that's why. You know that."
"Well you're full grown now. You could get a divorce. It's the sixties for crying out loud!"
Rhonda didn't answer but she sure got to thinking.
"Well here." Mozel said as she slid a note across the bar to Rhonda.
Rhonda boldly took the note. No trembling hand here. She had become amazingly self assured given her young life's circumstance. Two things were responsible for this; her own strong spirit and the nuturance of her community of Mothers. Rhonda had made up her mind that she would one day have a love and a home and a family. She just had to figure out how.
Mozel watched Rhonda's face expectantly.
"Meet me Wednesday afternoon at the lunch counter at Woolworths around three. Lemar"
Although they both had big smiles, Rhonda and Mozel both knew this was fire they were playing with.
"Girl you better be sure you want to do this." Rhonda had never been more sure of anything.
Wednesday at 2:45 Lemar took a seat at the far end of the lunch counter, away from the street side's big picture window. At 2:55 Rhonda approached from the rear of the store. She had come in the front door and circumnavigated the entire store giving herself a chance to gather herself. At 3 o'clock the lunch counter was busy with the after school crowd having cokes and fries. Rhonda slid into the seat side of Lemar.
"I didn't know if you'd come." Lemar said. "But I'm glad you did."
His smile was warm.
"I had some errands to run uptown." Rhonda said. But then her reserve broke when she looked him full in the eyes.
"I don't know what we're doing."
It wasn't like they were strangers. It was like they had known each other always. Every opportunity to found them together. A lot of that time was spent at the Bomb. Lemar moved nearby so it wasn't surprising he spent time at the club. Rhonda had her job as a reason to be there. Richard gave Lemar a few shifts bartending. As they always had, the community surrounded them and protected them. It wasn't that they usually supported infidelity, but they did oppose what Lewis and Henry had done. They felt no remorse for either of them. Quite the contrary.
1971 found a matured relationship between Lemar and Rhonda. It was hard to imagine Henry didn't know about them, but his health was failing. Not that he was that old, not at all. But he seemed to be fading. Henry went to his Doctor with complaints of lack of energy and vitality. He seemed to be losing his substance. The doctor ran some tests and gave him a multi-vitamin. A week later he went back for results, expecting to hear something bad like cancer. No, the doctor found nothing out of the way. His red blood count was a little low- keep taking his vitamins. He waas getting older after all. "Maybe it's trying to keep up with that young wife of yours," he joked. Yes indeed.
Rhonda and Lemar were just the opposite of Henry. Rhonda was at her height. Like a rose in full bloom. Even Henry wondered how she could be so happy. In his heart of hearts he knew what he had done and how he had treated her were not right. It began to eat at him. Then the fact he was even having these guilty thoughts began to trouble him because he had never been big on conscience. More often than not lately, when he tried to have sex he found he wasn't able. Needless to say this made Rhonda very happy.
Besides the day to day work and community life of the neighborhood, other things went on with the women. They were, after all, descended from people who were tribal; whose ideas on the workings of life went way back. Way back. Potions and charms spells and sacrifices were all part of the old way of looking after yourself and those you loved.
And so Henry continued to diminish. No bloody murder that would sacrifice someone else's life to jail. That wouldn't help anything. Just slowly remove him.
By the Spring of 73 Rhonda and Lemar were married. It was a hell of a wedding; the reception, of course, was held at the Bomb Shelter. The music business was serving the Ebony Brothers well, but Lemar had quit the group. He didn't want to travel away from Rhonda. So he got a degree and taught music in the school system. As the years went on they bought a house and had children. Community life continued to center around the church and the Bomb. Rhonda and Lemar never traveled far from their little community because they did have one other person to look after, an old old man.
The End
posted by minniepeckham at 9:47 AM
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