I wear pink pearls. I wear them all of the time except when I am running or in the pool. I wear them even when I wear red shoes. I wear them because my great aunt Corinne gave them to me. She is 91 years old. She bought them a very long time ago from a department store that I never heard of and that no longer exists. One day she simply went into the store and bought them with her very own money. End of story, she proudly says.
No man bought them for her. Not her brother, father, husband, or secret lover. I don’t know if she ever had a secret lover. I can imagine her having one after her last husband died, but she never said. I never asked. She tells me that it isn’t too late for her to get married again. She could if she wanted to. She is still breathtakingly beautiful. In fact we made a pact to stand up for each other when we decided to get married. She said we should get married this year. I am not so sure about me, but I can see it happening to her, if she wanted it. I don’t think she does, but one never knows.
Back to the pearls, she wanted them and she bought them. And now they are mine. I wear them proudly as a symbol of her passing the torch of empowerment in flight to me. That is a small measure of my inheritance from her. The rest is too numerous to describe. I am truly grateful for her courage to fly and for her continued flight at a different altitude, but just as sassy, just as proud, just as beautiful, and just as free. Exactly how I want to be.
For a very long time, no one told African American women that they could fly, so there are very few of them as commercial pilots. This website is for inspiring women to fly. Flying being defined as succeeding. Succeeding defined however you decide. We are simply here to tell you sistergirlfriend, YOU CAN FLY!
2 comments:
This story reminds me of my father. My passed when I was 10 years old. A couple of days ago, some 12 years after his passing, my mother and I went into the part of house named "Daddy's Den." We looked through the things he collected in his life and shared memories. There they were: about 100 albums. There was a Purple Rain limited edition album, Michael Jackson's Thriller and so much more. All the music I like now. As I got more and more excited about the next album, my mother said, "And your daddy said you'd like these one day." She would always get mad when he bought another and that was always his response. I looked at this as another thing I will have of my father for the rest of my life. The list already includes my love of education and my drive for success. Even though, he is not here with me physically. The memories I have of him and those records (smile) will stay with me the rest of my life.
Thanks for sharing. My aunt is still very much alive and I talk to her every Saturday at 6pm. If I do not call, she tracks me down or calls my mother! I know that one day she will not be there for me to call. I am glad that I have her pearls and her spirit as part of her legacy and as part of mine to pass on one day.
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