My Favorite Memory

I was about 10 years old. My Mom, my Granny, myself, and my brother (he was 5 at the time) lived in a very rough area of North Charleston, SC. It was very common for me to be brought home by a neighbor because I had been in a fight or because someone was trying to fight me (or something worse). My Mom worked 3 jobs and went to school - working on her Bachelors of Science (she now has a Masters). She had just recently passed her GED and earned her Associates in Science. My Granny also worked part time and kept an eye on us.

Since Mom was working and going to school, I was basically in charge. I cooked, I cleaned, I got GeeChee Bubba ready every day and sent him to school. (I also fought for him but that is a story for another time!)

My Mom did not have a lot of time to spend with us, the time she spent with us was very special. At 10 years old, I wasn't a child, yet, not a teenager. I was that awful being that no one can explain, that person that is now called the horrible name 'tween'.

Barbies meant nothing, boys and makeup also meant nothing. Climbing trees suddenly seemed wrong, yet that is what I wanted to do! I was nothing more than a very tall, skinny kid who liked books and had no place in the world.

My Ma saw that something was wrong with her girl, with her oldest, with her soul. She saw that her child was no longer a child, yet not a woman, a person in conflict.

My Mom did the greatest thing a Mom could do, she gave herself.

Suddenly, my Ma demanded my presence after church on a Sunday. I was rather confused, what did I do now? I joined her (relucntantly), in her bedroom. She asked me to sit on her bed beside her and watch TV. I was shocked! She was usually studying, we were told to leave her alone. What was wrong with this picture?

It was 3:00 pm on a Sunday afternoon when I meet King Authur and The Knights of the Round Table on PBS.

I spent the winter and spring learning the wonderful tale. Every Sunday, whether she was at work, studying, whatever, she would stop what she was doing and spend one hour with me, King Authur, Merlin, Morgan Le Faye, Lancelot, Gwain, we would all become one world! I would no longer be alone, I would no longer be the tall, skinny, pale kid who lived in the library. I became that world, along with my Ma.

Thank you Mom. I Love You. I have loved you from the beginning. I will love you till the end. I love you Mom. I pray every day that I can give my child the same type of memory.