Between the Pages

Leah Ellison is a 24-year-old single mother living in Gainesville, Florida and raising her 4-year-old twin boys, Michael & Legion. She works two part-time jobs as a cashier at a local grocery store during the day and she works as a waitress overnight at a local diner. After losing her mother, Denise six months ago, Leah was not able to afford the rent to remain at mother’s apartment. She and her sons moved out the week after she died with little money and no chance of being able to move into an apartment of her own anytime soon due to her poor rental history. Leah was left with no other choice but to move in with her best friend, Nikki and her two children. The six of them were living under one roof in a small one bedroom apartment in constant fear of being kicked out if Nikki’s landlord found out about her living arrangement with Leah and her sons living in the apartment without his authorization. While Leah was appreciative to Nikki for taking the risk to make sure she and her sons weren’t sleeping on the street, Leah wanted more and she didn’t want to live this way for the rest of her life.

Leah lives with guilt everyday about the way her life has turned out and the fact that she can’t provide a better life for her sons. She was an honor roll student in school and she wanted to become a doctor when she grew up, and her mother never came up short financially when it came to making sure Leah had everything she needed to succeed. It all seemed to have paid off when Leah was accepted into the nursing program at the University of Florida and Leah had beat every statistic and stereotype that said she wasn’t smart enough because she was living in a single parent household. Leah’s mother never spoke to her much about her father except for the fact that she carried his last name and that he was a doctor. Leah wanted to know more and she asked questions but Denise would only apologize and tell her that she couldn’t tell her anything else. Leah wasn’t sure if she would ever find out who her father was but learning about him being a doctor when she was a little girl stirred a passion inside of her to pursue the same profession when she was old enough to do it.

But life took its toll on Leah after graduating high school and she spent her first semester in college partying every weekend with Nikki and other friends. By the end of her first semester, she had failed all of her classes and dropped out of college altogether after soon learning that she was pregnant with her sons. While some time has passed, Leah wished she could go back and do things differently. But Leah no longer has the hope she once did and her kids are what pushes her to get out of bed every day. Michael and Legion never fail to tell Leah how much they love her and the innocent smiles on their faces is her daily reminder on why life is worth living.

Wednesday afternoon after Leah left her first job, she quickly went to pick up her sons from the babysitter’s house so she could go home and try to rest before going in to work at her second job later tonight. The summer heat made not having her own car to get around in more difficult than normal, but having transportation was another item on her list of things she couldn’t afford to buy. Leah arrived home surprised to see Nikki because she usually didn’t leave work until after nine. Leah fixed Michael and Legion something to eat and sat at the dining room table with Nikki exhausted as Nikki ended her phone call and sat in the chair next to Leah. It was obvious that Nikki had something important to talk to her about so she sent their kids into the living room with their food to watch a movie while they had their conversation.

“What is it Nikki?” Leah asked as she undid the top buttons of her uniform shirt.

“I know you don’t pay much attention to news so I won’t even ask if you saw this article. Look at this and tell me what you see.” Nikki replied as Leah shook her head.

“Girl, I’m tired and I need to lay down before tonight. I’ll look at it later.” Leah replied, yawning.

“Leah, I need you to read this now! Just look at it!” Nikki replied as Leah sighed in frustration and did as she asked.

“Why am I reading about some Atlanta doctor who died in a house fire three months ago? I mean, I’m sorry it happened but this doesn’t have anything to do with me!” Leah said as she laid Nikki’s phone down on the table.

“I think it does Leah, that’s why I wanted you to read it. Here, just look at the name of the doctor under his picture.” Nikki said, pointing it out to Leah on her phone.

“Wait a minute, are you serious? His name was Leland Michael Ellison? That’s crazy Nikki, he has the same name as my son but things like that happen all the time.” Leah replied as Nikki reacted to what she said.

“Okay, I’ll just assume you’re tired and that you’re not thinking straight right now! Leah, you don’t think it's ironic that not only is your last name Ellison but your son has his exact name? Hell, look at your name! Leah Michelle Ellison sounds awfully close to Leland Michael Ellison and he was a doctor, just like what you wanted to be!” Nikki said, excitedly.

“Nikki, stop playing detective and let this go because I know what you’re trying to say. You think he’s my father and that is not true, nor is it possible! He’s white, I’m black!” Leah replied.

“Leah, I know that but I’ve been telling you for years that I think you’re half-white. Your half-brother and your mom are both brown skinned with black hair. You’re fair skinned with light brown hair and gray eyes.” Nikki told her.

“Oh, so that makes me less black now?” Leah asked, defensively as Nikki sighed and shook her head.

“Leah, stop it! You know that is not what I meant. Of course it doesn’t mean that but there was so much your mom never told you about your dad, she didn’t even tell you his full name. She only said his last name was Ellison and she clearly knew more about him or else she would have given you her last name like she did your brother. But she allowed you to carry your father’s last name even though he hasn’t been around and mothers don’t typically do that.” Nikki replied as Leah paused a moment before responding.

“I just don’t know Nikki…”

“Leah, think about how your mom reacted when she found out you were having twin boys. It was her idea to name them Leland Michael Ellison and Legion Miles Ellison, remember?” Nikki asked as Leah nodded and thought for a moment.

“Oh my God Nikki, you’re right! I remember when she came to me with what she wanted to name them, she had it written down in this little black book.” Leah said as Nikki’s expression changed.

“I was hoping you would bring up the little black book Leah, here.” Nikki said, handing Leah Denise’s little black book that Leah kept in a desk in the room after she died.

“Did you read this? I haven’t even read it!” Leah said in a panic.

“No Leah, of course not. But I remember that day too and that’s why I grabbed it. Listen, I know you wanted to wait before reading her diary but what if all of your unanswered questions about your father rest in this book? What if this man really is your father? I’ll give you some time, but I think you should read through it and see what else your mom wrote.” Nikki replied as she got up from the table and walked into the living room as Leah sat in deep thought.

Leah called in sick at her second job and she stayed up the rest of the evening reading through her mother’s little black book and it was just as Nikki suspected, all of the answers to her questions were right in front of her. Dr. Leland Ellison was her biological father and her mother explained that racism among his family and the fact that he cheated on his wife with Leah’s mother is why not much was said after Denise found out she was pregnant with Leah. Leah couldn’t stop crying as she continued reading, especially when she learned that Leland never denied her and he secretly sent money for her to Denise up until her eighteenth birthday which for Leah, it explained a lot.

As Leah walked outside of their apartment the next morning, she was nearly startled as a delivery truck driver approached her with a large white sealed envelope with Leah’s name on it. Leah wasn’t expecting a package and after signing for it, she immediately opened it to see what it was. It was a letter addressed to Leah from a life insurance company explaining that Leah was listed as Leland’s biological daughter as well as the sole beneficiary for Leland Michael Ellison’s life insurance policy which totaled at twenty thousand dollars for her and her sons to receive. The little black book told the side to Leah’s story that she sought for answers to but could never find. It took death for the truth to come to light, and what was revealed came with a needed reward through Leland’s legacy that would finally give Leah the second chance at a better and more productive life for herself and for her sons.