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We were all recuperating from Ms. Newsome, when Jo was born. Money was probably low, so we got into all kinds of mischief because when you have somebody so strict as Ms. Newsome smacking your hands all the time and then she is gone, you get into trouble. The angel was born out of love in September. She was a New years resolution, one year. We spent that whole New Years at Grandma Monica's house and I remember it was the most boring New Years of my life. When are they ever going to come and get us? We hadn't done that before. No more nannies. Karla Rampey started watching us and Lorraine, sometimes and we were enraptured by the little face of this creature who was born and we were allowed to touch her? Not like Jackie, born with an armed guard, you couldn't keep us off that baby. There was no nanny. We probably bounced her off the walls. Okay Ju, you stand over there and catch? No, don't touch the baby. Who said? Where's Ms. Newsome? Mom was in for it now. We gave her what for. No more love dates for the parents. Martin Luther King, Died, Malcom died and Dad started cussing. We were partly to blame. Maybe. We definitely participated in the transformation of our parents from lovers into inmates. We started the internal home movement. It is us against them. No more Ms. Newsome, no more rules and regulations. We were the rules. Black power, kid power, James Brown, "say it loud...I'm Black and I'm proud." We were the movement and music and a little touched and touchable baby running around with us to direct and influence. We took full advantage of the power of having authority, or I did. I remember the naked baby on the beach at Sag. couldn't keep a pamper on. Praying for Christie to be our cousin by Karla and Richard getting married. It happened, that meant there had to be a God in heaven, because best friends became best cousins. Love American style! More about JO later.
It's not unusual that she seemed to get lost in the events of the day. She was born into turbulence and had a very compliant spirit. You can see it on her face. Why am I here, she was always saying? Why is this place such a mess? We stayed up and we had our sister's meetings in the bathrooms upstairs when events happened. What happened? Don't tell the children. Everything was interpreted to the children through me. They thought it was good to whisper behind the children's back, but that just gave me the ability to interpret the gossip as I pleased to my crew JJJJ. Jo was different. Are you chewing gum? Jo. Are you telling the truth or lying? Who would tell the truth under such tyranny?
1 comment:
Thanks for the tribute Jayne, on such a special day as Summer starts. I would not be who I am with out the very influential Big Ones in my life. I did not agree with the Tyranny at all and could not understand why we couldn't just ask for things nicely and treat each other the way we treated Dad... But I understand so much more now.
God knows what is and who are needed. I was not wanted (not another daughter) but I do believe that I was needed & ultimately loved! thanks Jayne
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