Your Forever Love

Me and You Forever (pt. 2)

Miranda turned towards her front door and took a deep breath before entering the house. She called out to her parents.
"Mama?! Daddy?"
She heard shuffling and giggling from the den, finally, her parents called to her.
"Mandy? Sweetie, we're in the den!"
Miranda looked back at Ben with suspicion. "What the hell was going in there?" She thought to herself. Ben shrugged and nodded toward the den and they both walked in to see her parents hugged up on the sofa, "watching" the television.
            "Oh... Hey Ben."
Her parents looked at each other in confusion. They knew their daughter like the back of their hands and something was off. Miranda took a deep breath.
"Mama, Daddy. I'm glad you're sitting down already because I have something to say."
Miranda's parents sat up hearing this coming from their daughter. Miranda looked between her parents and her boyfriend. Ben nodded his head, letting Miranda know everything was going to be fine.
"Ben and I are going steady, and have been for three months. I know you guys are probably disappointed, because I waited so long to tell you but...I'm so happy, like really happy mama. I'm sorry if I disappointed either of you."
Miranda finished catching her breath. She was on the verge of tears. Ben saw this and reached for her hand, holding it tight.
"Miranda, sweetie. Why would we be disappointed in you? We love you no matter what. And if you're happy, we're happy too. We can relate more than you think."
Miranda looked through her tear-filled eyes, a slew of emotions hit her like a truck. Relief, confusion, and joy.
"My Mandy, are we that bad? Why did you wait so long to tell us, to tell me?"
Her father was a little hurt. He and Miranda talked about any and everything under the sun. And the fact that she was scared to tell him because she didn't want to disappoint him, hurt to the core.
"Daddy, l had been so busy with band, school, and volunteering. I lost track of time until now. And no, but sometimes you treat me like a porcelain doll. Like I have the word fragile stamped on my head. I try to tread lightly so, I don't upset you guys."
Her parents sighed. She was right, they were just trying to protect her, but she was no longer a baby. She was starting to blossom into a young woman in front of their very eyes. Elena Bailey looked from her baby girl to her husband.
"William, I think it's time she knows."
Her father nodded. Miranda looked back at Ben. Ben was going to excuse himself until his Auntie and Uncle told him he could stay. Ben and Miranda sat in the love seat directly across from her parents. Everyone was silent, the noise in the house was the humming coming from the television. Finally, her parents spoke.
           "It was the summer of 1965..."
It was summertime and a new family moved in across the street from the Banks'. Elena watched as the other black family moved in. There was a Mother, a Father, and 2 boys. One looked around her age and the other was a small child. 'No need to introduce myself, I'm leaving tomorrow.' Elena Rose thought to herself. She was leaving bright and early in the morning for Hampton Institute, in Virginia.
Later that afternoon, Elena was walking back from the town's General Store with the last few items she needed before she left. Up ahead she saw a group of white boys gathered at the corner, where she needed to go to get home. She took a deep breath and tried to carefully walk through the group. 
      "Look at the Negra. Oh, she's mighty fine, ain't she boys?."
One of the white boys pushed her against the building.  And the rest huddled around them. Elena regretted wearing her Afro out because the boy grabbed a handful of it when she wouldn't look him in the eyes.
      "Look at me, Negra! You know you want this. You know you want me."
He shoved his tongue in her mouth. And Elena choked on it. It wasn't long before she felt his hand snake up her pencil skirt. Elena squirmed desperately trying to get free. Until she heard another voice in the distance.
      "Get your filthy, honky hands off of her!"
The white boy looked in the direction the voice was coming from, Elena tried to use this as an opportunity to run away. She finally got free and was trying to run but the white boy grabbed her again.
       "You trying to run away from me, Negra? You think your boyfriend is gonna save you?"
She finally looked at the person to whom the voice belonged. It was the boy from across the street. He was clad in all black and a beret. He had a long golden chain with a fist on it. The white boy tightens the grip he had on her hair.
      "Let her go, NOW!"
       "Or what?"
The white boy sneered. The neighbor boy pushed back the tactical black vest he was wearing, to expose a handgun. Suddenly the grip on her hair was loosened and she was pushed towards her neighbor.
       "You can have her. Negra tastes like Watermelon anyway. You know how porch monkeys love your melons. You stay from around here or you'll be just like that fruit on that tree!"
The white boy pointed to the fig tree in the distance. The neighbor boy grabbed Elena's arm and pulled her around the corner. Finally, when he felt like they were a good ways away he stopped.
"Are you alright? What were you thinking walking into them honkies like and by yourself."
Elena scoffed and snatched her arm away. Yes, she was grateful for his help, but he was new here. She grew up here and had walked that path alone for as long she remembered. And no man, white, black, and every other color in between wasn't going to change it.