Letters Between Lovers
Part I.
I’m playing around with these characters so comment any suggestions on their storylines that you would like to read, and I’ll write it.
6 September 1957
Sweet Marjorie,
I miss you baby, I really do. I miss your howling laugh. I miss your clowning. I miss your scent. I miss the taste of you on my lips.
Our time together was plenty short. What is one lonely day to do for lovers tied at the soul? My God, I miss you so much already Jorie. If I’d known you’d be pursuing advanced education, I would’ve became a professor to teach you everything you need stateside. But I understand you been wanting to get out of poohdunk Alabama. Trust me baby I know. I just miss you, that’s all.
Write me back as soon as you get this. And don’t go sharing my sweet nothings with them dorm girls. Tell them to get a man if they want to receive letters.
That’s all babygirl. I miss you.
15 September 1957
Marlin,
Oh baby, I miss you dearly! Yes the girls are jealous, but I pay them no mind. How is your daddy’s shop coming along? I wish I could’ve been there for the grand opening. Are the babies in school doing well? They seem to love them some of you, and I see why too.
The memory of our first encounter tickles me. I remember the day like it was yesterday rather a month ago. When you approached me, the first thing I did was look down at the shoes and baby, I thought you mistook me for the special kind. It made no sense to me why the soles of your shoes curled up into themselves. I didn’t even care what you had to say, I knew my response would be a rejecting silence…I guess I was wrong. I’m happy for all the wrongs that happened that day since they all led me to you.
Didn’t I tell you I had no business being at that block party? Mama never let me have any fun, let alone socialize with anyone darker than her. She has yet admit to telling me about my real daddy. That man you saw, raised me and my sister believing I am his first born despite it only being my baby sister. Sometimes I think, during the winters when my skin didn’t lighten much, his double blinking glances in my direction conveyed his suspicion that I wasn’t his. He never said so though. For a while, I chose not to see it either.
My fears were proven on the morning of the party after stumbling across one of Mama’s treasured hat boxes. An entire box filled with pictures of her and my dark skinned daddy that even a blind man can see how we favor. And so on that night, I had enough of her hypocritical nonsense and snuck out with my two girlfriends.
Sherice put it on her boyfriend real good so he could drive us across stateliness to this jazz club in Atlanta. Well sugar, all that loving didn’t mean much of nothing when we ended up stranded in Jefferson county.
Fortunately, a pair of strangers headed to a block party on the eastside hitched us a ride. We had no intention on staying there, let alone having as much fun we did. I didn’t plan on separating from my girls either. You simply had that effect on me – getting lost in moments. Ellissa says it was the alcohol, though I like to think it was the bass in your voice making precious parts of my body vibrate. It made forgetting about those ugly shoes you had on much easier.
I’m still surprised I took you up on your proposal. A night out in the countryside is not what I regard as a good time. Although, I must confess, it was by far the best outing any man ever took me on! I can’t even remember the last time I experienced a day like that before. I never once thought how rejoiceful it’d feel to roll around in hay fields. I can still feel your breath on my neck as we panted like wild animals under the moonlight. My bath water that night was as filthy as your hideous shoes.
Oh darling, I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m counting the days until our next rendezvous. School is working my last nerve while all I can think about is getting worked by you.
19 September 1957
My dearest Marjorie,
You got jokes. You going to stop joaning on my shoes now. They ain’t stop you from accepting my offer and sure enough didn’t stop you from kissing on every inch of me either.
That was some night wasn’t it? I got hot just thinking about it. But babygirl, why am I now hearing word of your misadventures? If I had known I got caught up dealing with Bonnie, then maybe I would’ve copied her Clyde’s style. During summers, I pick up odd jobs around the neighborhood which is why I don’t mind looking dusty Ma’am. Maybe if you didn’t run off so soon, leaving me with a damp crumpled paper containing a faded address, we could’ve gone out on a proper date. Could’ve had a day out in the city, instead of the fields. Probably got ourselves a nice bed to lay on. Remember, you had my body and I had the dirt.
The shop is coming along quite alright. Pops is working my everlasting nerves. He keeps taking items off shelves to put them up elsewhere, only to come right back around and return the items to their original shelf. Customers keep flagging me down about where things are and I wind up getting lost looking for them! And he has the gall to get buck with me for calling him out on his crazy. Ma been scared thinking he’s losing his mind, I just think it’s growing pains.
The school year returned with vengeance. These kids are more rowdy than I ever seen them before and I have a half dozen more children, tallying up my corner of the schoolhouse at 26. That’s a lot of youngings to teach the ways of the world, especially when my repeat offenders keep stealing the chalk. I told Loretta they need livelier playtime before they step into my classroom, I’m getting tired of having to lock up supplies. The other day I left my desk key in the shop and had to resort to teaching mathematics using odd effects in the room.
Tell me more about your daddy Jorie. Do you want to find him? I might know somebody who knows someone else if you send the picture to me. I’m quite certain it’s on your person. How would you be if your Mama told you the truth? It may be worth your time to have that talk with her. Rest assured, I’m by your side whichever way you please.
Speaking of work, I’d like to imagine our next time together too…