Generations - Gen A for Ascendants

My name is Araya. In Arabic it means "Opinionated". My Great Grandmother, I call her Nana, named me that. "It just sounds like gentle breeze of wind or a fresh breath of air" is what she used to tell me. My Nana was white, Dominican, and black but passing as white. Her fair skin and dark brown almost black curly hair had everyone fooled back in those days, when being a black or mingling with the black folk was not permitted.

Nana's momma Dehlila was a maid in a white man's house, he had a wife and five pre-teen and teenage children, but was in awe of her beauty. 1927 was the year. When the white man, named Mr. Wyatt, wife died from Pneumonia he needed someone to comfort him and began to lay with Nana Dehlila to put himself to sleep. However, it didn't make her uncomfortable; she started working for this family when she was just 17 and now she was a woman of 19 and had a heart for his family; took care of his kids as if they were her own. Mr. Wyatt would have Nana Dehlila bathe herself in olive oil, wear Mr. Wyatt's favorite perfumes that he loved so much on his dearest Julia, and put on the night gowns of the deceased and would spoon her until morning. There would be no kissing or touching of any sort. He just wanted someone to hold at night. The first few nights Mr. Wyatt would cry on Nana Dehlila's right shoulder blade; he didn't want to look at her face because she wasn't his wife Julia so he made sure that he faced the wall next to Mr. Wyatt's bed. Nana Dehlila had as hard of a time sleeping as he did I'm sure.

Three months passed by and so did Mr. Wyatt's mourning period, it began to turn into a different kind of laying. Mr. Wyatt must have started feeling better because he began kissing her night after night with gentle pecks on her neck and nibbles on her ears; escalating to him allowing her to face him. Mr. Wyatt would tell Nana Dehlila how beautiful she was and would softly touch her face brushing her hair over her ears, and trace her nose, eyes, and lips with his fingers. He told Nana Dehlila that he loved her on several occasions, that was about all he said when he did say anything; he also called her Julie every now and then. Nana Dehlila believed he really did love her and she fell in love with him, hard.

Mr. Wyatt started turning Nana Dehlila over so she could him and he would kiss her. Almost with the same passion he felt for his own wife, like she had been resurrected! Lying with Mr. Wyatt got really different. Nana Dehlila wouldn't touch him in any way, but she would let him stroke her breasts and caress, and grab her rear as he kissed her. She thought they were in love, being amazed that a white man would fall in love with h. No one had ever expressed that kind of emotion towards her. Every night he would take it further gradually easing his way into deeper Nana Dehlila's heart. It was about 5 months total after Mr. Wyatt's wife Julia died when he took her all the way. I guess he didn't want her to scream or shout out of fear or pain when he took her innocence; Nana Dehlila was too far gone in love when he did, and didn't realize what was going on until he entered into her. She ended up pregnant after his first try. He didn't know at the time and neither did Nana Dehlila, but when her belly began to grow, he stopped her from sleeping in the same bed that he was in and made her return to her room.

When she gave birth to my beautiful Nana Annina, Mr. Wyatt kept Nana because of her fair skin, silky curly hair and light brown eyes; then kicked Nana Dehlila out of his home and hired a new maid. He would tell his kids that Nana Dehlila wanted him to keep Nana Annina because she had to leave and wouldn't be back. The kids thought she was going to die, just like their mom. Mr. Wyatt's children loved Nana Dehlila, all except the oldest. He was a bad little somethin'! Sixteen when she first began working their he never showed her any respect. On one occasion he spit in her face. His daddy whooped him good however.

Nana Dehlila only had an education up until the 5th grade, and being a maid was the only thing that a copper-toned female could do in those days. She waited for a sign hoping God would open up the sky and reveal heaven to her, and by the grace of God a lady took her in on that rainy day. She got into the car and stepped into a whole new world. To Nana Dehlila's surprise she later found out this lady owned a brothel and wanted her to work for her since she was such a pretty girl.

Nana Annina on the other hand grew up in a wealthy family and was home schooled by her father to avoid the fact that she had a partially black mother. Not knowing her true identity. She always felt like something was different when it came to her and her brothers and sisters. Mr. Wyatt never told he about her mother or why she didn't have straight blonde hair or blue eyes like the rest of her siblings who would tease her and call her "porch monkey, tar baby, or that nigga's child." They seemed to be the only ones who knew the truth about her, but wouldn't share it with her. Lucky her they were all much older than she was so she didn't have to deal with it for long, around the age of 9 the last one Charlotte got married and moved away. Even though she didn't like Nana Annina for taking her place as the youngest, she adored Nana and would take up for Nana when they called her names. They'd also play with dolls and would go to the library and read books together. Charlotte was only 19 when she got married, and ended up dying while giving birth to her second child when she was 21.

Mr. Wyatt died of a heart attack and then, the truth came out. He left a letter for Nana Annina and let her know about her mother and what he did to her, he knew he was gonna die. The kids who had grew and were adults, were unwilling to accept the fact that Nana Annina was indeed their sister because she had the blood of a black woman flowing through her veins. They figured since she wasn't really their sister that they'd take matters into their own hands so that they could exclude her out of Mr. Wyatt's will. "I told you ya mama was a nigga. That nigga was foolin' around with my daddy and tried to hide it from us. I used to see him bring her into his room every night. Daddy must've thought I was blind and deaf." These words came from the oldest Rufus. He gave Nana Annina as hard of a time as he gave Nana Dehlila. "I can tell you where she is if you really want to find her. And then you can just go where you belong cause ain't no one about to take care of you. You might as well gone pack your clothes and live with her. You ain't our sister no way nigga." Those words pierced her soul but and there was nothing she could do about it. She never fought her brothers and sisters, she just took it. Because they hated her so much especially that Rufus, she thought it would be best if she left . She figured her daddy didn't leave anything in the will for her no way. They gave Nana Annina the address and didn't even bother show her the way. She was 17 at the time, and very educated and sophisticated. She graduated high school when she was 15 and had attended two years of college for music. She had such a beautiful voice. Those kids were jealous of her beauty. Out of all of Mr. Wyatt's kids she came out to be the most humble, quiet, beautiful, and full of knowledge compared to the rest who seemed to fit the classification of a 21st century redneck in spite of how much money they had.

Nana Annina took all the courage she had to enter that huge white house that read "Genevieve's Lady Ranch" in Burgundy Script on a sign in the front yard. It was only half a mile from where she lived. The placed looked odd and had an odd name to it. When she walked in the hostess immediately dropped everything. "What can I do for you miss?" Nana Annina examined the place she walked into looking at the 50 foot ceilings in the entrance and looking into an open door on her right hand side. She had never seen so many women with such beautiful colors on. The hostess noticed her eyeballing the crowd in the bar and went and slammed the door that slowly crept back open leaving a small opening. That caught Nana's attention and brought her back to what she really came for.

"I...I'm Annina, I'm looking for Ms. Dehlila Betz. Is she in?" The hostess viewed the very beautiful and fair skinned young lady wondering what this young white gal was doing in such a place. "Yes she is ma'am may I ask what for?" Curiosity was present, all over the hostesses face. She thought to herself "That girl can't be over 18." And she thought that she just may be one of those funny women who like women.

"I'm her (gulp) daughter..." Nana Annina looked down at the ground and barely looked the hostess in her eyes. She could see the look of astonishment on her face even as Nana Annina's eyes looked upon the ground. She didn't want to make eye contact. As my Nana was ready to tell this woman she had never met her whole life story, the hostess cut her off and said "Just a minute." Nana Annina informed that the hostess not to tell her momma who she was. Nana Annina examined the old building once more, as the hostess turned around and sashayed up a flight of stairs. She couldn't see much going on but she could hear laughter coming from behind the door that the hostess closed. Nana stretched her neck as far as she could trying to see what was going on behind the door when she noticed a lady smoking a cigarette on a barstool accompanied by 3 very handsome men. They were laughing heartily like it was the last time they'd ever laugh again. Nana wanted to laugh too, so she crept to the door and poked her nose in just a little until she heard something coming down the stairs that mildly startled her. She looked up to see legs that crept down the stairs as a lioness creeps upon its prey, covered in fishnet stockings. Her legs were revealed up to the middle of her thighs. She had a skirt, black and short adorned in black lace. Her fuchsia corset was trimmed in black lace as well and her curled hair, hung down by the corset opening revealing her cleavage. Her skin was smooth and creamy like peanut butter, with a smile that was as soothing as the rain decked in ruby red lipstick. Her eyes were like an uncontrollable blaze. This woman was absolutely beautiful.

"Excuse me miss, what can I help you with?" Nana Annina couldn't find the words to say. This lady standing before her shifted her hip to the left with her hand resting upon it "This ain't no place for little girls...Are you lost child?" Nana couldn't believe her eyes but some how mustered up the courage to speak. "Ummm..." She tried to speak but was stuttering and stumbling over her own words. "Are you Dehlila Betz?" Nana breathed a sigh of relief when those words passed the threshold of her mouth.

"Who wants to know?" Nana Dehlila asked with both the confidence and the cockiness of the president of the United States. Nana Annina looked around to see if someone was around before she dropped the bomb on her mother who was standing before her in impatience waiting for her answer. Nana gathered the courage to part her lips once again and swallowed hard. "I do, I'm Annina. Dehlila is my mother, are you her?" All of Nana Dehlila's cockiness and nonchalance went straight out the window! She made the transition from impatience to compassion in a flash of lightening. Her whole face changed right before Annina's eyes.

"My LORD!!! It's you! You're all grown up! I...I don't know what to say..." Nana Dehlila said in a yell that was as loud as a whisper and her eyes filled with tears, and she grabbed Nana Annina's hands. Nana Dehlila was very delighted to have Nana Annina before her. She got to hold her for two hours after she was born when Mr. Wyatt sent her away and hadn't seen her since. As Nana Dehlila circled her daughter getting a view of what she looked like she felt sudden shame. "I'm so sorry you had to see me like this." Nana Annina's eyes were full of tears by this point as she looked upon the woman who gave birth to her whom she favored greatly. "Please don't worry about your clothes. Can we talk in private?"

They walked to the back porch, Nana Dehlila wasn't allowed to go on the front porch dressed the way she was. The backyard was large and quite quant. There was a swing hanging from the ceiling that they decided to sit at. "What's this about Annina? You know Mr. Wyatt would have me lynched if he knew you found me and...

"My daddy is dead! He died three days ago!" Nana Annina couldn't continue to hold her posture upright or keep her eyes dry any longer. She sobbed bitterly. "And...and Rufus doesn't want me to live in the house anymore since daddy gave it to him! He hates me because I'm your daughter! I'm sorry I'm crying, I didn't know what else to do. I don't have no where to go! Nana Dehlila was real shocked to find out the reason why Nana Annina was there. She didn't want her to live in the brothel, but obviously the girl didn't have any friends or a home. She just held Nana Annina and wiped the tears from her eyes trying her best to comfort her. Her face all red and her puffy eyes looked up at Nana Dehlila and asked, "Can I stay here with you? Mom? Please?" That word, Mom, a word that had failed to roll off of Nana Annina's mouth since she arrived at Genevieve's Lady Ranch. Never-the-less it felt right to the both of them. Nana Dehlila couldn't turn her down although she wanted to. She knew the Lady Ranch was no place to take care of a daughter.

The ladies at the Lady Ranch found a nice clean room for Nana to sleep in. She cried the whole night her first night there. She didn't even cry at her daddy's funeral. A rush of emotions must've came over her because she missed her father and now that he's gone, her rude, racist big brother Rufus decided to give her the boot. Nana Dehlila was there the whole night with her, she just held her until she finally fell asleep. It felt pretty awkward to Nana Dehlila that someone who she meet that very day would put their trust in her the way that Nana Annina did.