(This story stems from my upcoming novella: “A Time To Forgive”)

Dear Diary,

It’s April 1935, Creekside County, Georgia. I’m fifteen, free-spirited, miserable all the time, but love my sister FlossyMae. I mean the girl minds runs slower than a turtle but she is drop-dead gorgeous. Deep blue eyes with a gentle smile that makes men on this side of Georgia, go insane.

Her hips are wide, she has fine long hair, mannerisms like mama but she loves her straw hats, wearing those long dolly dresses. She’s the opposite of me. Everytime I cussed she pops me on the mouth after I moon Franny Sue McCoy then broke wind in her face, telling her to kiss my hind.

“Summer, do you want me to wash your mouth with soap just like mama does?” I smacked my lips whispering no but I hate Franny Sue. She thinks, she’s the greatest thing walking around Creekside County. Well, I gotta surprise for that herifer. I’m going to smack Barry Noble on the lips after Sunday School then she’ll know who’s running things in Creekside County.

The next two aliens that I hate is, daddy and my grandmother known as Nanny. The wicked-witch of the south. The name I christened her when I spit in her glass of water, after yelling at me because I did the splits infront of Barry Noble of Jackson County.

Mama I just can’t hate. I wish she knew how important her life is to me. Sometimes I hear her crying softly in the night, wondering why she always holds her pain inside. The other night, I saw her crying. She begged me to go back to bed but I grabbed mama’s hand touching her dark warm skin. As we sat in silence.

I just can’t understand why she allowed a man like daddy to impregnated her with sixteen high colored negro children. Last week, I asked her if she knew what birth control was? She grasped holding her hand on her chest. I thought I had killed the lady. Mama snatched me by my neck marching me into the washroom. “Summer, open your mouth nice and wide so I can remove those sinful words”. I did what I was told but I can’t hate mama.

Dear Diary,

The weather seems strange in the season of spring. Dark clouds were rising out of nowhere. My horse Lucky was spazzing out, FlossyMae mind twirl towards the left. Her voice screamed into thousands bolts of cries, as she locked in herself in the closet singing nursery rhymes.

Mama tries to unlock the closet door, Nanny chastising mama for not placing FlossyMae in the sanatorium. “Sue, I told you to leave that chile in there”. I got inbetween them. “She belongs here with us not some nut house”, Nanny wags her finger in my face, “You mind your business”. I readjusted myself like the woman, “Absolutely not!”

Those slanted evil green eyes matched mine, “You act just like your Aunt SallyMae”. SallyMae is mama younger aunt, everyone says she’s a sweet patootie. She order me out before I get whooped.

I decided to sit on the porch watching the display of angry clouds forming their personal mantra in the sky. Daddy always preaching about living in the last days, you’ll think it’s the rapture appearing. While I’m sitting on the porch watching my younger brother Larry toss the baseball into the air. I see Ralph one of my much older brothers barefoot and naked being chased by Moose. Ralph keeps messing with his wife. He’s into immoral sex like, “Golden Showers”. I never looked at Ralph the same.

The Rev.Milton and Mrs.Milton stops by lending mama a hand trying to get FlossyMae out of the closet. “Children aren’t seen and not heard”, says my manly looking sister Freda. Larry the sixteenth of the tribe and I decided to detest those improper remarks.

We stepped toe up the stairs watching The Miltons trying to encourage FlossyMae out of the closet. Freda holding mama hand whispering in her ear that everything is going to be okay, until the devil had possessed Mrs.Milton tongue.

She started to speak excessively like Spanish mixed with shoo-doo’s.

Nanny repeatedly clapped her hands making Mrs.Milton stop speaking in the devil’s tongue. The spirit of God engulfed her until she passed out. Rev.Milton continued to pray as if he was singing. Larry and I had to put our fingers inside of ears. He gasped in between God’s power like a bolt of thunder. Nanny sister Aunt Lucy said last month she got a ear infection when she attended Rev. Milton’s church on the east side of Creekside County where the improvish negro lives.

Nanny explained that Holy Rollers are nothing but dancing monkeys who sings off key. I almost laughed out loud calling the kettle black. Last Sunday, Nanny wailed so badly on the chorus, “Jesus Rose”. Her dentures felled out.

Finally, the angry clouds stop churning and Rev.Milton rebuke Satan. FlossyMae cried for me to get her out. I twisted myself in my Jezebel shorts, excusing Rev.Milton out of my way. “FlossyMae, do you want ice cream for dinner?” “Are you sure Summer? Last time, you made me eat my dinner first”. I had celestial idea. “You can eat ice cream before and after dinner”. She ran out of the closet so fast. Nanny became furious.