On the thirteenth of September in 1969, a light was born. It took pain, blood, and the ear shaking screams of Elowen Walson to turn on that light, but eventually it was there. "What a beautiful baby girl." The nurse held the baby in the air before going over to place her on Elowen's chest. "She's beautiful."
The white nurses quickly left the room and the only black nurse stayed behind to clean the baby up once Elowen was finished breastfeeding. Her mother stood up from her seat as her granddaughter whisked by her face. "It's time to do what we talked about."
"Philip just sent me a letter mama." Mrs. Walson frowned as her daughter attempted to argue with her. "He's fine."
"You really want your daughter to have the last name of a family she won't ever get to know. For all we know, Philip could die tomorrow." This stung Elowen in the chest but her mother had a chance of being correct. Before she could think of any other excuses, the paperwork came in. "Do the right thing."
"Winter break isn't all fun and games. Remember that homework is still assigned and learning is very essential." The professor whirled her ruler in the air which was a signal to be dismissed.
Students crowded out of the classroom in a hurry to not waste a second of their one month break. Elowen was one of them rushing to her dorms to catch her train ride back home. Nervousness filled her body as she thought about the vacation home. It'd be the first time she'd be back home to see her mom and daughter since she started her sophomore year of college. It would also be the first time her boyfriend, Vernon, meets her Yvette.
Elowen met Vernon in a class they shared during the second semester of her freshman year. He asked her out within a month of meeting her which Elowen was a bit skeptical of, but not once has he made her feel unloved. With all the talk she's told her mom, Mrs. Walson said she wouldn't be surprised if they got married. Elowen brushed off the idea and decided she'd focus on her studies to ensure she gets the best teaching job out there.
"Is she expecting me?" Vernon asked as they rushed past their last stop on the train before Elowen made it home. "I wore my best suit." He smiled brightly while fixing his tan vest that was layered over his white collar shirt.
Elowen grinned when he brushed off his matching tan slacks. "You're are a bit overdressed, but that's why she loves hearing about you. My mom knows you're coming but she's a bit wary about how you'll react to my daughter." Elowen was obviously the one with the most worry in her heart.
"I told you that there is nothing to worry about. What's most important is if she likes me. If not, I'll pack my bag and head straight out on the next train." Those words caused Elowen to lean over and hug him as tight as she could. In return, he asked her to not wrinkle his suit.
"And she returns to take my room again." Elowen eyed down Spencer who stood in the doorway with a swirly green and yellow crop top tied in the front and tight jean bell bottoms. Her serious face turned to a smile when Elowen cracked a grin. "I missed you, Elowen!" She jumped into her sisters arms and met eyes with Vernon who stood proudly behind Elowen. Spencer released Elowen quickly and fixed her wild Afro. "So this is Vernon?"
"Nice to meet you!" He held out a hand to Spencer who quickly accepted it. "You're Spencer? I can tell because Elowen describes you as short and sassy." Spencer frowned at Elowen.
"Where's Yvette and mother?" Elowen asked desperately.
Spencer stepped out the way so the couple could enter the living room. "They went to the grocery store. You came back sooner than expected. Also, Henry said he wasn't going to talk to you since you didn't call for his seventeenth birthday."
Elowen gasped. "I didn't have the money to dial that day."
Everyone turned to look out the front door when they heard a car door slam. To Elowen's surprise, it wasn't her mother with Yvette, it was Henry leaving some stranger's car. Then that stranger got out and her heart almost stopped beating. "Philip?" she whispered while stepping on to the porch to get a closer look. Spencer rushed out right after her, fanning herself although it was nowhere near hot outside.
"Let me know when your sister leaves so we can hang out at that park again!" The white boy shouted while leaning over his green Chevrolet. The boy said bye to Henry and no one else before speeding off down the road in a second.
"Hey, Elowen!" Henry jogged up the steps, taller than her yet almost reaching Vernon's height. He gave his sister a hug and she weakly hugged him back, still stunned by what and who she just saw. "I rushed back when I saw it was getting late. I knew you'd be here. Roy and I-"
"Roy?!" She spat while jerking her body away from her brother. "When did you start hanging out with that spoiled rat? Henry, you went to school with a million black people. Why the hell are you riding around with him?"
Everyone stared at the fuming Elowen in fear and confusion. She didn't see what was wrong with her reaction since Roy was never a decent human especially to black people. Just like his father.
Henry simply laughed while placing his basketball on the porch. "I'm just going to assume you're acting crazy cause you miss Yvette." He walked past Elowen to enter his home.
"Did Roy's friend say anything about me?" Spencer fixed her afro as she stepped into the house. "What's his name again?"
"Jared," Henry answered.
"Yes! Jared!"
Elowen watched the scene before her with wide eyes. "Spencer. Is this Jared guy..."
She rolled her eyes in Elowen's direction. "Yes, he is. Not everyone is like you. And it wasn't until recently that you finally started to realize that white folks hate us. But it's funny cause you waited until after you had a mixed baby to remember that." Spencer laughed to herself.
Vernon chuckled at the young girl then looked at Elowen who's mood went down a thousand percent. "You didn't tell me Yvette was mixed with white. You actually never told me anything about the father."
Elowen shrugged. "Doesn't matter now. I haven't heard from him in months. He's good as dead." She took her suitcase from Vernon's hand and went back to her room that Spencer was probably forced to clean just for their company. "Yvette should be here any minute. You want to see what I got her during one of my weekend outings?" Vernon nodded while taking a seat on the bed. Elowen pulled a pillow out the bottom of her suitcase with Yvette's name sewn in the middle of it. "An extra five bucks for a custom name."
"She'll love it especially since it comes from her mother." Vernon leaned down to give Elowen a kiss on the cheek just before she got up from her knees to sit next to him. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.
"Love you too."
"ELOWEN! THEY'RE HERE."