I’m sure a lot of women who date or marry white men don’t have a problem holding on to themselves. I pray that they don’t. But I wasn’t able to separate myself. No, that’s not true—I wasn’t able to be myself, because I was too busy trying to gain acceptance. Truly, Khan, I wasn’t ashamed of being black. I merely wanted recognition. Recognition for my talents, my education, and for who I was. That didn’t happen. I had to sue to get respect from a company to which I gave over twenty years of my life. The money doesn’t matter. Because it can’t buy respect.
Cy’s written to beg me to come back home. There’s no way. I can never go back to lies and deceit. And those children won’t disappear, I don’t care how far away they are or how much Graciella believes she can keep him from seeing them. They’d always be between us. No, it’s better these days. I’m hurting, but I’m taking control of my life and not looking back.
I’m loving where I am. I’m working at Atheneum Enterprises as their new operations manager. I also head the Small Plastic Parts Division. They’ve set me up in a beautiful home just outside the city, and I have a maid, driver, housekeeper, and the best cook I could hope for. And, as you might expect, I’m no longer a size six. I’m closer to a ten, and I’ve gotten rid of all my permed hair. And you know what, I’m happy and I’m home.
You won’t believe this: I’m pregnant! Forty-six years old and pregnant! Can you believe it! I plan to marry my child’s father in June. I hope you can come for a visit when the baby is born in December.
Enclosed are my address and telephone number, and a ticket good for one year. Khan, there’s also a ticket for Buddy. I hope by then the two of you will be married.
Wishing you love and happiness.
Love always,
Thyme.
Now tell me you weren’t surprised. You knew that fine-looking black woman had to find her a hot-blooded black man who would bless her with some younguns, didn’t you?
* * *
As for Khan, well, Mama Pearl indeed saw her granddaughter’s wedding. Buddy and Khan put on a fine show. The newlyweds decided to take a whole month off work. Then, after a nice long vacation, Khan returned to work—this time for her husband. But Khan ain’t no blue collar worker, no sir. She’s got new collar status now and she’s right up there in the office working with Buddy every day. And don’t let me forget about children. You know they want some, but that’s a long way away.
You didn’t think Khan forgot about her friend, did you?
Right now, they’re planning a trip next year to Ghana to visit Thyme. Khan returned the tickets, however, explaining why they didn’t need to take them—and in the same letter informed her friend it was too late to hope they got married because they already were!
* * *
And what about Cy? Well, Cy opened up his own engineering firm and is very successful. Presently, he’s holding on to another woman—a black one.
Now, you know he’s gotten used to that dark skin. But anyway, he wasn’t all bad; he really did love Thyme. God must’ve given the brother a break and forgiven him for his sins, because Cy didn’t sue Champion for ten million dollars. They gave him twelve.
* * *
I know what you been really waiting to hear about: Ron’s implant. Yes, the man is still screwing his ass off with other women. Did you think he would ever change? ’Course, Ida ain’t concerned. She took out a $250,000 insurance policy on Ron and made his two grandsons the beneficiaries.
Yeah, yeah, Sarah had another boy. But this one ain’t too pretty. He looks just like his grandpa Ron. After the baby came, Sarah thought the best way to keep busy until her husband came home was to get a job. And where you think she headed straight for? You got it, the repair shop. She’d been watching Valentino repair those sets for years, though he didn’t know it. And when he comes home in a couple of years, they might just be able to swing opening a small shop of their own.
Hold up. You wondering if Valentino is in the brick bitch switching his booty like some he-she. Naw. Valentino’s learned his lesson after killing Luella. If he’d admitted the problem he was having then, trying to figure out who he was, and accepted himself, he might have never killed her. He has pictures of his sons pasted on every wall in his cell. One day he will sit down and tell them what it takes in life to be a real man.
Guess what! You won’t believe what Graciella did. She took the kids back home to Mexico and moved to Mexico City. In less than a year she had moved a twenty-two-year-old matador in with her and opened up a chain of soul-food restaurants. With their newfound wealth, it didn’t take long for Graciella and the kids to forget about Cy.
Oh yeah, don’t let me forget about Sydney. Well, the bitch is still sizzling about Cy and his new black chick that dresses like an African queen and is three shades darker than Thyme. She’s sick over the fact that her brother has broken all contact with her. Hmm, she deserved as much—don’t you think? Sydney even took Thyme up on her suggestion to see a shrink. She’s been through three more of them. She’s still a size two. You didn’t think she’d get all depressed and gain weight, did you? Gracious no. The hussy spends money on personal trainers, face-lifts, tummy tucks, lyposuction, collagen treatments, and skin peels. She’ll keep fighting truth and what’s real forever.
But you know what? Even though she’s worth seventy million bucks, that’s one miserable bitch!
Blue Collar Blues Page 34