A short story
Photo by Reneé Thompson on Unsplash
A world without women would be no world because women are the world.-Henery X
The Bigger Picture (Part 2)
2023, Henery X ©
Sixteen years later...
Martin and his beautiful daughter, Ada, were sitting on the porch of their home, which sat before their farm. He was about to give her a history lesson he himself had just received a few years ago and thanks to a visit from their ancestors.
“Ada.”
“Yes, Father,” fifteen-year-old Ada Jones whispered. She was sitting on a swinging bench seat, which swung ever so gently. Her pink dress and shoes matched the four ribbons tied around her braided hair.
“I want to share with you the history of our farm.”
Ada had been looking out at the very farm her father had just mentioned, and at the many melanated employees doing their jobs, but now her attention was on the man she loved like no other person she knew. “I’m listening, Father.”
“The wife of a former slave master gave this land to your great — great — great grandmother. Though the man was a tyrant, his wife was a decent woman who treated the people well, especially your grandmother, named Maya. The woman of the house chose Maya to work closely with her, and they became very close because of it. The wife gave Maya food that neither she nor the others had ever known existed. Because of her kind heart, she generously distributed some of everything she had been given to everyone.”
“I love Granny Maya,” Ada said.
Martin smiled, “As do I, Ada. Now, back to the story. After the man of the house died, the woman of the house changed the way things once were. Her peers frowned upon her actions, but she paid that no mind. She no longer treated the people as slaves, but as family.”
“Wow! Do you know her name, Father?”
“Yes. Her name was Alice.”
“Well, I love Alice as well. She was of a rare breed.”
“Indeed, she was, Ada. So, to make a long story short. After Alice died, she left the house she lived in and the farm to Maya. The house is the one we now live in. Sure, we renovated it, but this is the same house that Maya, and now us, made a home.”
“That was an awesome story, Father.”
“Yes, it was. But it’s only one of many I’ll be sharing with you.”
“Dinner is ready, you two,” Sahara Mitchel-Jones said. The forty-year-old smiled at two of her favorite people. She and Martin met four years after his father died. He had become very ill and had to go to the hospital. As fate would have it, Sahara would be his doctor. Their first encounter brought about a mutual attraction. After they released Martin from the hospital, he returned the next day and asked Sahara on a date, which she quickly accepted. And their love story has been unfolding ever since.
“Mother, Father just told me an amazing story about Granny Maya,” Ada said enthusiastically. She jumped up off the swinging bench, ran towards her mother, and wrapped her arms around her waist.
“That sounds great, Ada. You can tell me all about it during dinner. Now, go wash your hands.”
“Yes, Mother.” Ada released her mother and then went into the house.
Martin stood up out of the chair he had been sitting in, and now stood before his wife.
“It’s as if you get lovelier with each passing second, Sahara,” Martin said. He flashed a smile at his smiling wife.
“Why thank you, Mister Jones. And you haven’t changed one bit since I first laid eyes on you, still handsome as ever.”
The happy couple kissed passionately.
After dinner, the family retired to the front porch of their home. The employees had long since left and now only the light of the Moon occupied space in the field. Sahara and Ada sat on the swinging bench, the daughter laid up on the mother, and the mother hugged the daughter. And Martin smiled at them both, as he lounged in his favorite outdoor chair.
“So, I want to tell you two, some things I’ve never shared with anyone,” Martin said.
“We’re listening, Father,” Ada said, and the excitement in her voice was undeniable.
“The rain you both see isn’t the rain I see. I see purple and gold showers.”
“How is this possible?” Sahara and Ada said in unison.
Martin smiled. “It’s possible because I now own the land. Only the owner and previous owners can see the colored rain. But this revelation is just half the story. The other half is truly something that will make you raise an eyebrow.”
“Don’t keep us suspense, Father.”
“Alright, my little queen. So, after the rain stops, a magnificent rainbow appears, and not one in the sky, but on the ground. Behind this rainbow are the spirits of all my ancestors.”
Sahara and Ada had similar stunned expressions on their faces.
“So, what do the ancestors do or say, Father?”
“They tell me all they feel I need to know, and they work out in the field. They provide it with energy directly from the Universe. This is why the fruits and vegetables are so abnormal. It's our blessing from them to us.”
“So, what does the rain represent, Martin?” Sahara said.
“It represents royalty.”
“I see. I was thinking this, but I wanted to be sure.”
“Yes. But here’s the kicker. Our daughter. Yes, you, Ada. You are the queen our family has been waiting for all this time. You will take what we started to a level never imagined.”
“Really, Father.”
“Yes.
“That’s my baby girl,” Sahara said proudly, she squeezed Ada gently.
“In due time, I will reveal more to you, Ada. By the time you inherit the land, land, you’ll be so prepared that all you’ll need to do is execute your plans without a doubt.”
“I’m excited, Father. I won’t let you all down.”
“You could never let us down, darling daughter. You will always be our powerful little ancestor in the making.”
Ada jumped up from the swinging bench, ran up to her father, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, Father.”
“I love you so much more, Ada.” Martin looked over and winked at Sahara, who was smiling.
The end. Be sure to catch the finale coming soon.
Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge my offering. May all you deserve and desire flow abundantly into your life, as a river does into a sea.
Remember. I’m not here to convince you to believe. I’m here to offer you something else to consider.
May we never lose our desire to outdo what we’ve already done.
Peace, Love, and the utmost Respect.