Myths Everlasting

VaLysia couldn't remember a time that she had felt so nervous as she was now about a date. She had looked at several outfits trying to decide what to wear. It had been so long since she'd been on an actual date. She finally gave up looking at clothes the prior night and just went to bed.

It was now Saturday morning the day of the date, and she still didn't know what she was going to wear. She didn't know what she was getting all worked up about! It was just a casual date, nothing serious! She quickly got her keys and headed for her grandmother's apartment.

She pulled in front of her grandmother's apartment glad to have something to take her mind off of the upcoming date. She had promised to take her shopping and that would help her pass the time and take her mind off of things. Matheson told her that he would pick her up at six and that was a whole seven hours away.

She stopped at the front desk of the assisted living facility and signed in. Her grandmother was waiting for her when she knocked on her door.

"Val!" she said giving her a kiss. "Come on in. Let me get my pocketbook."

"Hi Grandma" Val replied grinning returning the kiss.

"I appreciate you taking me out" Mavis said. "I just have a few things to pick up."

Val knew that the facility supplied transportation for seniors, but her grandmother preferred her to take her to the store, and Val enjoyed the time she spent with her.

"So, what's your plans for the weekend" Mavis asked as the pulled off.

Val was quiet for a moment. "Uh, I'm going out tonight."

Mavis looked surprised and grinned broadly. "Really? That's great honey! It's about time you do something besides sitting around reading all the time! You're a cute girl! You should go out more."

She noticed that Val didn't comment and she patted her on the leg.

"So...is it a guy you're going out with or will you be hanging out with the girls?"

VaLysia cleared her throat. "It's a guy."

"That's great!" Mavis replied. "Did you meet him at work?"

Val pulled in the parking lot of the WalMart. "No...I'm going out with Matheson."

Mavis eyes got big. "Matheson! You've got to be kidding! Is that why you wanted his number? I thought you two may be planning something for my birthday at his mom's so I didn't ask any questions!"

"Well that wasn't why I was calling him...but he ended up asking me out."

Her grandmother looked upset. "Oh my, god!"

Val looked at her surprised. Suddenly she was hurt and confused. She knew her grandmother loved her, but did she also think that she was too plain of a girl to be with Matheson.

"It's not that big of a deal, Grandma." she said looking away. "I know that I'm not a beauty queen. It's just a friendly date."

Mavis grabbed her by the chin turning her to face her.

"You're a beautiful girl. What are you talking about? I'm just shocked that's all. Why in the world would you even consider going out with someone like Matheson?" Mavis said clearly upset.

"I thought you told me that his family was so great, Grandma. I thought you loved all of them and was there when they came out of the womb. You grew up with them and you raised his mother from birth! What happened to all that? Why now are you so upset about it? I don't understand." She cut the car off looking waiting for Mavis to explain.

"Look honey." Mavis replied "I love them and all, but they are white people. You are my blood, my one and only granddaughter. Now back in my day if a white man tried to get with a colored girl it was for only one thing! He didn't love or respect her. He just wanted to sleep with her back behind the house or in the barn or something. He'd marry a white girl, and sleep with the black one. She would never be more to him than his private piece of ass, excuse my French!"

Val laughed. "Times have changed, Grandma. I'm not going to be Matheson's piece of ass. You can put that in the bank for sure. Don't you trust him?"

Mavis rolled her eyes. "Look, he's a man aint he? I'd trust a man with my money before I trust him alone with my young granddaughter and that's a fact."

Val couldn't believe her grandmother's attitude. "Grandma, I'm shocked. I can't believe you're saying these things."

"I'm not just saying them, Val. I've lived them!"

She looked out the window and Val wondered what she was talking about.

"You're not telling me that you had an affair..."

"Won't no affair, honey. It was rape, pure and simple! It won't me though, it was my Mama!" She turned and looked at her granddaughter. "My mama told me my daddy was a white man. She was just fourteen years old! He was a friend of Miss Emily's grandfather. He came and stayed with them over the Christmas holidays. He saw her and he wanted her and he took what he wanted. Of course it was all hushed up and Ms. Emily's family took good care of me and all."

"Grandma!" Val whispered shocked.

Mavis patted her on the leg again. "I always kept a knife strapped to my leg. That's what my mama told me to do. I made up my mind if I was ever put in that position, he'd leave different than he came. No man was going to take from me what was mines to give freely and no man ever did. "

Val didn't know what to say. Her grandmother took on a faraway look and continued talking.

"My daddy used to come back every few years at Christmas and Emily's folks would let him stay and act like nothing ever happened. He would look at me with his cold gray eyes and smirk like he was all proud of what he done to my Mama. I was scared to death of him. I was glad when he died and that seemed to take such a burden off my Mama even though she was seemed depressed all the time and I used t wonder why.  Probably because no man wanted her after what that man done to her!."

Val was shocked. "I'm so sorry Grandma."

Mavis patted her leg again. "Nothing for you to be sorry about. You just be careful. Matheson is a good boy. I like him. But blood is thicker than water. He's Mr. Gregory's only son. I know his daddy wants him to marry white and make white babies. I know how they think and I'm sure they have some influence over Matheson. This may be a new day honey, but the old ways live on."

"So you don't think I should go out with him then?" Val asked. "I don't think he's a rapist, Grandma"

"I didn't mean it that way, Val." she said shaking her head. "I just don't think there's any future there. If you start liking him and he starts liking you, you can be sure that his daddy will step in and have his say. I don't want you to end up hurt. Matheson has been taken care of all his life. He don't know what it's like to want for anything. I don't know if he's strong enough to go against his daddy's wishes. You just keep that in mind!"

"What about Emily?" Val asked. "Do you think she feels the same way?"

"I'm not so sure about Miss Emily" Mavis replied. "She loves me like a Mama. I know that, and she's all about family. Knowing her, she might just accept it if it's what her son wants and it would make us all family for sure. But then again, she loves Mr. Gregory something fierce and she may just agree with him if it came down to that."

Val got out of the car and walked around and opened the door. "So you are telling me to step back from Matheson!"

"No, I'm telling you to be careful and to look at the whole picture." Mavis replied leaning on her cane. "Let me ask you something."

Val linked her arm in Mavis as they walked into the store.

"Ask me anything, Grandma."

Mavis leaned closer. "You still got your gift? Have you given it to any body yet?"

VaLysia felt herself blushing. Her Grandmother had always talked to her about her special gift. The one thing you should give only to the man you love and that was your virginity.

"No Grandma. I still have it" she murmured.

Mavis smiled and patted her hand. "Good. Just make sure that whoever you give it to, deserves it. Make sure he's worth it."

Val kissed her cheek. "I got you, Grandma."

Matheson was surprised when he got up at five to find his mother in the kitchen.

"You're up early" he said pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I went to bed early last night. I had a headache" Emily replied. "I feel good today though. I'm surprised that you stayed here last night."

Matheson sat down. "I didn't feel like driving home."

Emily walked over and kissed her son. "I'm glad you did. I hardly ever get to see you anymore. You're always working!"

She noticed the manila envelope on the counter by the coffee and picked it up.

"What's this?"

"It's some pictures I copied out of the photo album. I couldn't sleep last night." he replied.

Emily took the pictures out looking at them.

"They're of Mavis and her daughter! Why are you copying these?" she asked looking at him.

Matheson didn't want to tell her about his date. "I'm getting my birthday present together for Mavis" he lied.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Emily exclaimed. "Wait a minute! I have a few more pictures in another album."

She left the kitchen and returned with an old album made of cloth and began to flip through it.

"Here's a picture of Mavis' mom and there are also a few of Mavis when she was young."

She carefully removed the pictures and handed them to him.

Matheson looked at the old sepia pictures. A dark skinned black woman stared back at him. She had a white cap on her head and she wore a black dress with a large white apron. She reminded him a lot of VaLysia.

Emily handed him another picture of the dark woman with a young white child about two clinging to her leg.

"Who's the baby?" Matheson asked.

"That's Mavis" Emily replied.

Matheson looked shocked. "She looks white in this picture!"

Emily shut the album. "Just scan them before you leave and put them back in the album."

Matheson looked at his mother. Why was she suddenly so tense? He dismissed the thought once she looked at him and her trademark smile returned.

"Alright. Let me do it now. I have to go home and change before I go in to work." he said getting up. "I'm only working a half day. Let Dad know that, please. He says I never take time off"

"Matt.."

His mother hesitated a bit looking at him.

"Valerie told me that Elliott saw you yesterday at the Crescent store."

Matheson was surprised. "Really? I didn't see him. Why didn't he say hi?"

His mother busied herself wiping off the counter. "He said you were preoccupied."

Matheson laughed. "What was I doing that kept him from coming over to talk? I swear that man has an opinion about everything."

"Well..." his mother replied looking at him. "He said you were eating with some girl and that the two of you were in a deep conversation."

She watched as Matheson turned red and looked away. "Mom really! Mr. Harris is the worst gossip! So what if I was talking to someone? I'm a grown man!"

"He says she was black!" Emily blabbered out quickly. Her voice had risen an octave.

Matheson looked at his mother. "And?"

"Is that why you haven't brought her home? Who is she? Are you two serious?" His mother's words tumbled out.

Matheson laughed again. "Mom, it was VaLysia. She came into the store for something to eat. Naturally we would talk!"

His mother looked suddenly relieved and started laughing. "You're so right! I need to stop listening to Valerie and Elliott! They're so dramatic! When I didn't know what she was talking about, they were sure you were hiding her from us or something. What a relief! "

Matheson stared at his mother as if she had two heads. What was the big deal? What if he was dating a black girl? So what? He never once heard either of his parents say anything against black people before. Maybe this was why VaLysia was so uncomfortable when she was here. Maybe she could sense something.

"Don't look at me like that Matheson! I'm not prejudiced or anything" his mother said defensively. "You can date whomever you want. I mean, just make sure she's a decent girl and not one of those ghetto black girls with fake hair and gold teeth!"

"Mom, please" Matheson replied rolling his eyes.

"You're not thinking about dating VaLysia, are you?" She looked at him, her expression guarded.

"Why? I thought you loved Mavis so much! What if I did date her?" he asked.

His mother stared at him a moment. "I mean...she seems nice enough, but we don't know anything about her! How do you know she doesn't already have a boyfriend? I mean, until the dinner, I hadn't seen her since she was a baby! I don't want you upsetting Mavis. You can get sex from any girl. I just don't want any problems."

Matheson looked at his mother as if seeing her for the first time. "What makes you think it's about sex, Mom? Do you think that if I go out with a black girl that it must be about the sex?"

"You tell me!" his mother snapped. "The way some of them dress with their tits hanging out and their navel rings and their booty shorts, what else is it about?

Matheson placed his cup in the sink. "I've got to go, Mom. Thanks for the coffee. It's been a real eye opener!"

He picked up the envelope of pictures and walked out the kitchen. He quickly copied the extra pictures and put the originals back on top of the album which was on the kitchen table. His mother was still sitting at the table sipping her coffee.

"Matheson-"

"I don't have time to talk, Mom. I've got to go" he said brushing her off.

Matheson walked out of the house fuming. He couldn't believe the conversation he had just had with his mother. Knowing her, she had already discussed this with his father. Well he was way past the age of consent and if they didn't like his decisions, then they'd just have to get over it.

He quickly got in his car and sped off, wondering if VaLysia would get the same amount of grief that he had received.