Is Love Racist?

 




Chapter One





Dawn struck. I sat up in bed. Normally, I would be thrilled to see my family. I know Mars was happy to see his family, and announce me as his fiancé. But, I was not too thrilled. And, with a good reason.
Let me give y’all some background. You see, my family is huge. My dad married my mom. A year and a half later, momma gave birth to my eldest sister, Angelica. Six years later, momma got pregnant again, and gave birth to my elder sister Whitley. Eight years later, (incredibly) my sister Peppermint was born. Four years later, I, Hershey April Finch was born. My earliest memory is Angelica in her prom dress the day before prom buying the dress. Less than a year after she graduated high school, Angelica married her prom date, Conner. The next day, Jean Louise II was born. The next year, Louise Jean was born. A year and two weeks, one day, seven hours, six minutes, and five seconds later, Harmony was born. Philomena was Harmony’s irish twin born nine months, eight weeks, seven days, six hours, five minutes, and four seconds after her.
Now, I and my sisters and parents grew up in Happy, Tennesse. Happy was still a segregated city, even after the civil rights movement and the death of Martin Luther King Jr. The white side was called Brimstone. The richest people that lived in Brimstone were lower-upper class. The black side of Happy was called Valhalla. The richest person there was upper-lower class. No white people could go to Valhalla. And, no black people could enter Brimstone.
And, it wasn’t socially segregated either. It was legally segregated, as in by law, black people couldn’t even sneeze in the direction of a white person.
I learned that the hard way. One day, when I was six, I was playing soccer with my friends Hunter, Lorraine, and Annabel. Our ball rolled away. I volunteered to go get it. The others stood in line, watching me chase the ball.
I didn’t pay attention to where I or the ball was going. It ran through the woods. Then, a stranger picked up the ball. I noticed something different about this stranger. His skin was darker than mine.
We looked at each other like we were both from another planet. I didn’t know what he was thinking. After all, if I ever saw an alien, I would scream and run for my life. Not get my entire family.
He brought out his single mother and sisters (all seven of them). And, then, he introduced himself and his family. In chronological order of age, I met Star, who was eleven at the time, Mercury who was ten-and-a-half at the time, Venus had just turned nine, Earth who was eight, Galaxy was six-and-a-half, Nebula was five at the time, Mars (the boy who had brought me my ball and my current husband now/fiancé in the story) was four, and Universe was six months old at the time.
But, the family happiness didn’t last. An hour and a half later, a cop appeared. The cop tackled and arrested the mom. After that, I got in the car. I was driven home. And, my parent yelled at me for wandering into Valhalla.

Plenty of years later, I graduated from Brimstone High School. I then moved to and attended Dallas University. I graduated top in my class. After college, I became a social worker.
I dated several men after college, but, none of them were gentlemen. I came home from Whitley and Peppermint’s joint wedding. I complained to my roommate Olivia. Olivia clearly has had enough.
“Hershey, if y’all are so worried about being lonely, I can set you up on a blind date. Someone in my singles group at church complains about this all the time. You know what? I’ll set you two up on a blind date.”
I really didn’t know what to expect. I dressed to the nines. My hair was up in a way it hadn’t been in years. The same way with makeup. The restraint had to be the finest restraint in Dallas. I didn’t know if this man was a good man or a bad man.
I waited for half an hour for him. And, he came. I was surprised. It was Mars from my childhood. He introduced himself. I told him who I was, and that I was hesitant to be seen with him. Mars understood. “But, Dallas ain’t Happy. Dallas was liberated during the civil rights movement.” Said Mars.
I was reassured. Then, we talked about me. After that, we talked about him.
Mars graduated from high school, but, his mama couldn’t afford to send him to college because she had to pay for Galaxy’s education to Harvard, Nebula’s education to medical school and Universe’s education at Valhalla Middle school. On top of that, Mercury, Venus, and Earth were getting married. And, Star was pregnant with the first grandchild. So, half of Mars’s salary ($5) in Valhalla’s post office went to his mother. Until he moved to Dallas.
While he had just moved, Mars came upon good luck. He got a better job. He worked as a lower job at the post office, the same job he had in Valhalla. Then, he got a promotion. He became a mailman.

I quite enjoyed the date. It taught me that Mars was a good man. It’s safe to say that we hit it off immediately. We were in love. Four months later, we told each other that. Five months later, I remet Doris, his mama.
Finally, after six months, Mars proposed to me. We had just gotten done with dinner. We were going home, then, Mars drove us up to the park.
Mars said: “Hershey, I love you. You are my white chocolate. I love white chocolate. And, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
I was excited. When Mars proposed to me, fireworks went off. People were applauding. And, I was crying. I finally said yes. I jumped up, and embraced him in my arms.


Now, we lived together. And, now we could afford to travel home to Doris and the rest of Mars’ family and tell them the good news. Then, we would go to Brimstone and tell my family. But, there was a problem.
The problem was my family. You see, I wasn’t the first person in my family to get married (that was my parents). I wasn’t the first of my parents’ to get married (that was Angelica). And, I certainly wasn’t the first one to graduate from both high school and college (that was Whitley) before getting married. The problem with biracial relationships is social. In our case, it was both social and legal.








Chapter Two






I let my counter bear my weight. Mars put his hands on my shoulder. I turned around.
“You nervous?” he asked. I nodded. “Don’t worry. I am also nervous. I have never been to Brimstone before. This is going to be difficult for me.”
He was right. As hard as it was for me to accept me breaking tradition and telling my parents, it was even harder for Mars to go back to the source of childhood trauma. I would have to be brave for my fiancé. I stood up, perked up my chest, and went to our room. I finished packing up my things. I got dressed. And, then, I took the bags to Mars. I finished getting ready, and went for my morning coffee.
We got to the airport all right. I helped Mars with the luggage. We had a worrysome moment getting the luggage. We gave the people our luggage. We went through security. We then sat down and waited for the plane. As we waited, I pulled out a book I wasn’t allowed to read as a child. I was reading “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
I got through the first three chapters before the plane arrived. We got on the plane, and I continued to read. While I read, I got new thoughts. Some of them good. Most of them bad.
Finally, the plane landed. We were in Nashville. Mars’ cousin Lance was picking us up. He, Mars, and their cousin Naquesha became engaged all at the same time. Naquesha lived in Nashville. She would also be there. Lance and Naquesha knew we were engaged.
We finally got to the luggage pick-up. And, Lance and Naquesha and their fiancés were there. They’d help us and each other with the luggage. We were all going to Valhalla. And, none of them were offended. In fact, Naquesha’s fiancé, Thomas, was from Japan. So, we weren’t the first biracial couple in the family.
Sure enough, they had all arrived. After an hour of Mars greeting everyone, he introduced me to his cousins. And, they then introduced me to their fiancés. And, then, we were getting our luggage.
We’d be in town for a while. Tommorrow, Naquesha and Thomas’ rehearsal dinner would be where Naquesha’s parents would meet Thomas’ parents and family. Then, Lance and Jayne had agreed to combine their engagement party with the dinner. So, Lance and Jayne would have an engagement luncheon.
The next day, the wedding would happen. At the reception, Naquesha would tell Asenath, my future mother-in-law the big news. She’d tell the rest of the family in excitement. The celebration of the wedding that occurred the last night would be our engagement party. I would tell my family later.

Naquesha drove us to the hotel. I was nervous for the future events.


















Chapter Three










It was the day of the wedding. I was looking at the salmon-orange dress I was going to wear to the wedding. But, a horrible thought overcame my mind. I was happy for Naquesha and Thomas that their parents accepted their marriage and were attending their wedding. I also was happy for Lance and Jayne. But, what would my family think? What if I got disowned?
Mars came to me all dressed up. He looked unhappy. “Hershey, what’s wrong?” he asked.
He took one look and he knew. His expression changed. “Is this about our families? Hershey, don’t worry about it. If our parents don’t approve, we’ll do what Naquesha and Thomas would’ve done if their parents didn’t approve: we will elope.”
Elope. That word struck me. When I hear the word elope, I think alcoholic rednecks. I think about those Las Vegas weddings in which some guy dressed up as Elvis Presley marries some eighty-year-old man and a show girl in front of three other engaged couples. I think about how couples get married in court, only to divorce less than a year or so later. It doesn’t feel as stable as with an actual wedding. You see, my dream wedding involved my daddy walking me down the aisle. And, I would be devastated if my family didn’t show up to my wedding.
In other words, there was no way in hell that I was going to elope. I was going to have a wedding come hell or high water.
The wedding of Naquesha and Thomas was very beautiful. Naquesha’s dress was very pretty. It was white with an ivory trim. It had perfect white lace sleeves. She had a wonderful ecru veil. And, she was also wearing a lovely swaroski crystal tiara.
The wedding of Naquesha and Thomas’ was beautiful in other ways as well. Thomas and Naquesha’s wedding colors were all white. Her flowers were lilies and roses. The food was country-home three course. The appetizer was breaded catfish. The main course was grilled pork with corn and mashed potatoes. The cake was red velvet.
Doris accepted our engagement pretty well I’d say.

The next day, the potluck was fantastic. I remember seeing Mars’ Uncle Roy cooking buffalo wings in a way that looked like soup. I remember the dancing. I even remember that they got the finest china.
Finally, Doris took me aside. “Well, you caught me with that stunt yesterday. Do your folks know? When do I get to meet them?”
I explained to Doris that my parents lived in Brimstone. I also explained that I didn’t know whether my parents were racist or not, and I wanted their blessing.
“Well, you got my blessing.” Said Doris. “But, I don’t know about your folks.”
Me and Doris looked at Brimstone. A dark cloud was forming over Brimstone.











Chapter Four











I had decided to go to Brimstone alone first. I was taking our luggage to Annabel’s house by bus. I happened to look to the side of the bench. To my surprise, my aunt Scout was there.
You see, my grandfather had a sister. Two of my sisters were named after her. She became a lawyer like her brother and her father. She also campaigned in the civil rights movement. She was now in her 70s. She had a son who was a lawyer as well. She and her son lived in Alabama. But, she knew my family like it was the Alphabet. She’d know if it was wrong.
“Aunt Scout,” I piped up.
Aunt Scout looked at me. Before she could speak, I asked “Is Love Racist?”
Aunt Scout looked at me. She sighed. “Back when I was young, your great-granddaddy had a case involvin’ racism. There was a family known as the Elwells. The Elwells played hooky, shot people, and took ziltch care of themselves. I learned something about the Elwells when I was six. I learned that the Elwells were racist.
You see, when I was six, Grandpa Atticus had to try a rape case. You see, an African American man by the name of Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella, the Elwells’ eldest child. Mayella was also the matriarch ever since her mother died. Your granddaddy and Dil, a boy who visited Mobile during the summer and died in Vietnam, took me to see the rape case. And, it was obvious that Tom was innocent. However, your ancestors were the only family in Mobile, Alabama that wasn’t racist. So, Tom was found guilty. He was also raped in prison and subjected to other tortures. So, he ran. And, he was shot dead.
The sad thing is that Mayella could’ve been drunk/on drugs, or crazy, or the rapist could’ve been her own father. Yet, that court case believed her anyway.

So, in an answerin’ your question, racism ruins people’s lives. Love isn’t racist.
Hershey, you are twenty-five years old. And, it is 1995. So, why would you even think to ask a question like that?”
I explained to Aunt Scout that I was engaged. After hugs and showing her the engagement ring, I described Mars to Aunt Scout.
Aunt Scout sighed. “The main reason I am in Happy is that there’s a lawsuit against the city. This lawsuit could intergrate the city. I am here to put my name on that lawsuit. I suggest you two put your names on that lawsuit too. However, as for your Pa, if he disowns you, I will kill him. And, as a lawyer, I know how to kill someone and get away with it. But, I support you two, and I will attend the wedding. I just need to meet the man you’re engaged to.
And, there are only three people that have to approve of a marriage before it happens. And, none of them are the in-laws. The people that have to agree are the officiant, the bride, and the groom.” Said Aunt Scout.

I and Aunt Scout hugged. I knew it would be rough. Me and Aunt Scout turned to an old, arcitechtural wonder of Brimstone. Overhead, a dark cloud formed.










Chapter Five












Me and Mars decided to take Aunt Scout out to brunch. We took her to a country club. The food was great. We went golfing after brunch. Then, we went dancing. Aunt Scout had a lot of fun at the brunch. It was obvious that Aunt Scout approved of Mars.
We were at the hotel. Aunt Scout was overstimulated. So, Mars took her and spun her like she was ballroom dancing. Aunt laughed like a little schoolgirl. When she stopped, she turned to us. “I’ll escort Mars in. If they catch him alone in Brimstone, they’ll mail his ass to him years after they’ve kicked it.”

I and Mars put our names on the lawsuit. Aunt Scout stayed behind to sign the lawsuit. She would escort Mars into dinner and Brimstone.
I got dressed, and headed to my parents’ house. I was wearing an emerald green dress. I got to my parent’s house. They greeted me warmly. “Hershey, how are you? Did you find a man? Is he a good man?”
I told them they’d know at dinner. I then went and greeted my sisters.
The only people not there were Jean Louise II and Louise Jean. They were away at college. Otherwise, dad was bragging about how Harmony was graduating from high school.
Finally, there was a knock at the door. Mama opened the door. Outside, Aunt Scout and Mars stood, dressed and ready for dinner.
Mama was shocked. I knew the charade was up. I stood up, and sighed. “Everybody, this here man is my fiancé. His name is Mars. He will eat dinner with us tonight. I should’ve told you that earlier.” I said.
Daddy’s expression looked as if he’d seen the grim reaper. It quickly changed to anger. “Over my dead body!” he snapped. He grabbed me and Mars by our arms, and yanked us onto the deck. He then slapped Mars across the face. Both Mama and Aunt Scout watched, Mama in reverence to Daddy, Aunt Scout in the same amount of shock I was in.
“Hershey, what in hell is going on here? Are you trying to humiliate me?”
“Daddy, why are you so upset about this? He’s happy, I’m happy, and Aunt Scout, who knew before you did, is happy for us. Why can’t you be happy for us?”
“Hershey, do you know what will happen to me if they figure out my daughter married a nigger?”
“I forbid you from seeing her.”
“Mr. Finch, I resent that comment. And, Hershey is 25. It would take a mighty court order to keep her from me.”
“Stay away from him.”
Daddy then punched Mars in the face so hard he fell. I was surprised that Aunt Scout didn’t have a heart attack. But, now I was angry. “Love is patient, Love is kind, Love does not want, Love does not boast… I thought you were aware of that. I thought you were a good man. But, you’re just an asshole.”
Daddy was unmoved. “Ok.” He said. He stormed inside, and grabbed a picture of me. He stormed outside, and tossed it to the ground. It smashed into an infinity little pieces. “But, you’re no longer my daughter. Now, get out of my damn house!” he snapped.
Me and Mars did just that after getting our coats. My sisters were shocked.


Mars suffered a black eye and facial whiplash from the attacks. But, I was worse. My worst fears were realized. I had been disowned.
Chapter Six











We went home the next day. My heart felt like it had been through a paper shredder.

After a couple of months, it was time for wedding-dress shopping. I brought along my Aunt Scout, Mars’ grandmother Bonnie, Doris, Mercury, and Venus.
I was looking at a dress. I began to cry. The saleslady asked Aunt Scout if this is the dress. “Those ain’t tears of joy.” She answered.
She was right. I personally hated that dress. It made me look like I needed help finding a black man, not marrying one. I mean, it made my ass look huge. My ass was already huge. That’s why I got Mars. In fact, I’ve realized and compiled a list of things that men of certain races want in their women. Black men, some Hispanics, and most dark-skinned men prefer women with large asses. White men, some Asians, and most lighter-skinned men prefer large boobs. I don’t know what native Americans and Arabic men like. Their women are too covered up.

But, that’s not why I was crying. I was crying because this wasn’t how wedding dress-shopping was supposed to go. I was supposed to have my mom and sisters there. I was supposed to find the wedding dress that I “allegedly” dreamed about since I was two, even though I have dreamed about it since I was five. Oh, why had daddy disowned me? I needed my family then more than ever.
Just then, I felt Bonnie’s hand on my shoulder. “Dear, do not worry about your family. You have your great-aunt. And, soon, you’ll be Mrs. Mars Asenath. So, you’ll have a whole new family. And, you won’t have to worry about your maiden family.”
She was right. And, that’a what scared me.

I looked down for a second. And, then, I looked up. In the corner of my eye, I saw them. I was shocked. Could it be? No, it couldn’t be. But, it was.
My family was there. Specifically, my mom, my dad, and Angelica. They were coming toward me. My sorrow turned to excitement. But, then, my excitement turned to worry. What if Daddy was just here to forbid me from marrying Mars?
Instead, they were all smiling, except for daddy. Daddy looked upset. When they got to us, Daddy sighed. “I’m sorry about a couple months back. I put my foot in my mouth, I should support y’alls marriage even though I don’t agree with it. Can y’all ever forgive me?”
I already had. After hugs and introducing everyone, we went back to dress-shopping. We found the perfect dress and then, Daddy said “Now, let’s see about the lawsuit.”












Chapter Seven











Me and Mars went to attend the lawsuit. And, it was jampacked.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, was there. My whole family was there, even the extended family. Mars’ entire family was there, even his extended family. People I’ve known since kindergarten and in high school were there. People Mars knew since he was in kindergarten and in high school were there. All of our old neighbors were there. Both the Brimstone and Valhalla School District got off for this. You wouldn’t have to worry about getting fired for going to it instead of work, because your boss was there. Literally, the only reasons one would not be there was one was in the womb or in the grave. I heard rumors that a woman gave birth to a baby and another woman had a heart attack and died waiting for the trial to begin. Men, women, children, even three-day-old babies were all there. All I can say is Thank God Happy’s courthouse isn’t segregated like a prison.
I thought of many things to quell my excitement. However, the things I thought about only added to my excitement. I thought about my wedding. Me and Mars picked a date six months away. We also picked our honeymoon destination. We were going to Brazil. Then, I thought about how Brazil’s drug cartels look like Al-Quaeda.

Finally, the judge came in. After a couple of minutes, the city’s defense came out. And, that was very racist. First, he claimed that this was up to the town, and, that they didn’t want to change. His first witness was a member of KKK. His second witness was a pastor who felt the same way. His third and final witness was the oldest and most racist person in all of Happy, who said “I wouldn’t change the town even for an earthquake.”
Every spectator was offended by the witnesses. They were yelling. They were swearing. One person threw a bottle at the pastor as he left.
The people who were suing the city’s lawyer finally came out. He said the exact opposite. It was unconstitutional, and it was up to the nation, not the city, to decide whether racism exists. His first witness was a member of NAACP. The second witness was a pastor who read the bible correctly. The third witness was the sociologist of Happy. She agreed with the plaintiff’s lawyer both morally and economically, saying “Here’s the issue: Brimstone’s average pregnant lady is 37. People are able to afford birth control pills and condoms, as well as hysterectomies and vasectomies. Brimstone has a lot of job opportunities available, but, not a lot of people to do them. Vahalla’s average pregnant lady, however, is 15. Because of this, there are more people than job opportunities in Valhalla. Integrating the city will solve these and other issues.”

The final arguments came like the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagisaki. And, then, it was time for jury deliberation.
Waiting for the jury’s decision was like waiting for the white Vatican smoke. Finally, the jury reached a decision: the city had to be integrated.
The whole town was celebrating. There were woops. There were hollers. Even the judge was happy, saying “I only wish this had happened earlier.” People ran out of that courthouse like they had just graduated from high school. Me and Mars kissed on the way out of the courthouse. And, I’ve heard that there were parties all that week. And, they had every right to. Now, a man could walk across the line into Brimstone without being attacked by the police. Now, a father could send his daughter to Brimstone Elementary without making her put on Marilyn Manson-style makeup first. And, interracial couples could now marry in one of Happy’s many churches.








Chapter Eight












Finally, the wedding day arrived. And, oh boy, was the wedding beautiful.

My dress was wonderful. It was white, with lacey sleeve vines. These leaves were also on the fabric of the dress, and it went down to below my crotch. It was the most elegant thing ever.
Our wedding color was lime green. The flowers were carnations, lilies, and roses. The first course for dinner was Caesar salad. The second course was T-bone steak with baked pototo. Our cake was an apple-pumpkin cake.

Happy also got better. Last I heard, they built a new amusement park. Valhalla’s now the art district. Brimstone is the corperate district. Happy still has some ways to go. However, there is progress it has made.

Me and Mars’ 10th anniversary is coming up. We have three beautiful, perfect, wonderful kids. One of our beautiful, perfect, and wonderful kids, our only daughter and eldest child Freya, has just started high school. Our other children are in middle and elementary school. That gave me the time to write the memoirs of my engagement and wedding. I leave you with this bible verse, possibly James 4:10 : “Love is patient, Love is kind, Love does not want, it does not boast…”