Loves Redemption

proud grandmother of Maya Grace Richardson.
As Maya prepared her bath, she recalled how she felt as she watched the videotape of her
deceased grandmother. Her Grandmother had told her that she’d wished she could have had the opportunity to meet Maya in person…

CHAPTER 3
“…However, fate has decreed otherwise, it would seem. Obviously dear, if you’re getting this videotape now, then I am no longer a member of this plane of existence and have gone on to my ‘ reward.’ She uttered a small half-hearted chuckle.
“If the good Lord has any mercy, I am reunited with your mother, and we are finally
together. Oh how I’ve missed that child. She was a precocious little thing, even as a baby. Why she was in such a hurry to experience life, she came almost two months earlier than they thought. Now back then, that was something to be concerned about. Babies didn’t always make it when they were born so early.
“Well not your mother. She was not much bigger than your granddaddy’s hand, but when
she opened those big beautiful green eyes of hers, well we all knew we had us a fighter on our hands.”
Pausing for a moment, Catherine began to pull her lower lip into her mouth with her top
teeth before visibly catching herself.
“As your mama grew up, she maintained that same fighter spirit. Lord have mercy, the
disagreements that girl and I would have! She was what your grandfather would call an ‘alpha female.’ I thought she was just plain old stubborn. In all honesty it was a trait that most women on the Rutherford side seem to share. Maybe I didn’t receive my fair share of that trait. If I had, then I would have been able to stand up to my husband on behalf of my only child.
“I won’t try and defend myself, but I will say that it was a different era. Women didn’t have the same options that they do today. But that’s no excuse, Maya, and I won’t use that way out.
“She was our only child. So, I guess you can imagine how very indulged your mother
was. My goodness, there was nothing, and I do mean nothing, that she lacked.”
An unhappy frown crossed her aged features.
“The era that your mother was a young person in, the1960s and 70s, were fraught with
turmoil. The war, the civil rights movement, and the assassination of the president--yes it was definitely a tumultuous time in our nation. Your mother went to college up north against your grandfather’s wishes. He’d wanted her to go to the women’s Baptist college right in Savannah, but there was no way your mother was going to agree to that. No, that young hatchling was ready to test her wings to see how far and fast she could soar. Finally giving her his blessing, your grandfather ‘allowed’ her to go.”
She uttered a small chuckle.
“We didn’t know it, but your father, who was the nephew of our gardener, had earned
himself a full scholarship to this same college.
“Her visits became more and more sporadic as time went on. Your mother was very
intelligent, but it took her a long time to graduate. She told us she couldn’t decide on a major.
Finally, she’d written us to tell us that she’d completed her degree in psychology.
“When it came time for your mother to receive her degree, we happily made the trip to
see our baby girl cross the stage, there was no way that we were going to miss this!! When we got there not only did we see our baby cross the stage, but we also saw her cross the stage with you strapped to her back! When I got over the shock, I could not believe they had allowed her to do that. Your grandfather left in the middle of the ceremony.
“When it was over, I found him and convinced him to come back to the auditorium. We
saw your mama at the same time that she saw us--and she waved us over, as though everything was as right as rain! ‘Mama and Daddy’ she said, ‘I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I’d like to introduce you to my baby Maya Grace Richardson.
“And then she took you out of this native wrap thing she was wearing around her body,
and handed you to me. You were absolutely beautiful. You had the prettiest eyes that I had ever seen, and so much hair!
“When I turned to your grandfather I noticed that his face had gone totally gray.
“I didn’t know what was wrong. In my excitement, I hadn’t noticed the one thing that
your grandfather had zeroed in on. Although you were very light at the time, you were definitely not a white child. Your skin was a beautiful lightly toasted brown that had a gorgeous shining glow. I promise you Maya that is all that I saw when I looked at you. But not your grandfather.
By that time your father had joined us, and your mother introduced him to us as her husband.”
Pausing, she’d closed her eyes, as she placed her fingers against her mouth, before
continuing.
“Your grandfather, in a voice devoid of all emotions, told your mother that he never
wanted her or her ‘spawn’ to grace his presence again. Your mother didn’t say a word; she took you back and walked away. She and your father walked away to join their friends by the stage.
Before she turned, I saw tears in your mother’s eyes. She’d always been a