The Road To Necks...

Part I: ~Historical Origins~

Velvet-Serenity Bloom trotted across the Fillmore-Fleming train station platform. Her neon green flats tapped loudly against the pavement, like an unrestrained club beat blaring from a sweat-saturated techno club.

As she boarded the crowded train, Velvet-Serenity suddenly felt a wave of giddiness rise up in her gut like a tidal wave. In four days she would be attending her paternal cousin Amethyst-Skyye's wedding in Necks, South Carolina. She was looking forward to returning to Necks. She couldn't wait to learn more about southern cuisine & culture and to catch up with her estranged father.

Velvet-Serenity loved the rural beauty of Necks and was excited about being able to go horseback riding and blackberry picking on her grandfather's land as well as swimming in the local hot springs nearby. She hadn't been to Necks since she was a preteen. Her father Grantwell Bloom left Seattle, remarried and moved back to Necks six years earlier when she was twelve.

She was also very excited to get away from her nitpicky mother. Her mom's constant nitpicking about her personality and wardrobe choices always managed to leave permanent wrinkles in the fabric of her self-esteem. Hopefully, Necks would serve as her mental starch for the next two weeks.

Velvet-Serenity's mother, Rubina Lamb, believed that she would never get a respectable husband or garner any real respect from others if she didn't tone down her wardrobe and her mouth. Rubina felt that her daughter shouldn't be so opinionated and that she should just keep her head down and not bring too much attention to herself because too much attention always brought trouble for young women.

Rubina Bloom was as calm and demure as Mary's Little Lamb, and felt that her daughter should be as such as well. Rubina never let her hair down, literally or figuratively. She wore Leave-It-To-Beaver pearls, bland, colorless, tent-shaped dresses and her beautiful wavy blue-black hair slicked back into an Olive Oyl bun each day.

Velvet-Serenity simply couldn't relate to her mother's old-fashioned style or views. She just wasn't the mousy or conforming type; she was a free bird who simply had to express herself. For instance, when she was in 9th grade she wrote a letter to the local school board, with 300 fellow students' signatures attached, to ask that a Black Literature course be added to the school's curriculum and by the time she hit the 11th grade her high school was enjoying the fruits of her labor. Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Richard Wright and her favorite Poet Phyllis Wheatley each became a part of her school's English curriculum.

In addition to being vocal, Velvet-Serenity was also a Fashion Bug who loved to express herself visually via her unique wardrobe choices. You would often see her rocking a popular head wrap from Ghana (Her greatest country of origin based on her recent ancestry.com test), a leather mini skirt with graffiti plastered on the front of it because graffiti was her favorite artistic medium, daring, dangly, clavicle-touching, rhinestone, earrings shaped like megaphones because of her love of vocal expression, and an enormous t-shirt with American Poetess Phyllis Wheatley's portrait printed on the front of it because of her love for poetry and because of what Miss Wheatley stood for.

Velvet-Serenity believed that Phyllis Wheatley, the first African-American published poet, showed the world that African Americans could be intellectuals too and her stellar work inspired her to write passionate poetry as well and to purchase and watch the Historical channel's documentary on Miss Wheatley's contribution quite often for inspiration. The documentary revealed that Phyllis Wheatley was taken from West Africa and sold into slavery between the ages of 7 and 8 and was subsequently sold to a family in Boston, Massachusetts who taught her to read and write. Eventually her brilliance led her to become the first African-American, enslaved person, and third woman to publish a book of poetry in North America. She accomplished this feat at aged 20 while still enslaved. .

Midway through the documentary, Velvet-Serenity was pleased to learn that Miss Wheatley was a Believer, like the entire Bloom family. Coincidentally, her favorite work by Miss Wheatley was a poem called: On Being Brought From Africa to America. The second portion of the poem was her favorite part, and she would recite it whenever she needed fuel for writer's block because it made her feel powerful as a young, Black, teen girl who was also of Faith. It read: "Some view our sable race with scornful eye, "Their colour is a diabolic dye." Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train."

Velvet-Serenity loved that section of the poem the most because it forced non-black people to look at Phyllis' humanity rather than her lower value, at the time, as an African slave. Most Importantly, Phyllis Wheatley's triumphant life showed her that as a fellow African-American young poetess, she too could reach for the stars and actually touch them.

History was also another one of Velvet-Serenity's passions. She absolutely loved it and, as a result, she aspired to become a History teacher one day. Her love of history and knowledge naturally led her to do some last minute research on her father's hometown of Necks before she arrived.

What Velvet-Serenity found out about Necks on The South Carolina Historical Society website was astonishing. She learned that Necks, South Carolina became a proud symbol of freedom for African-Americans because it became the first city in the United States to be established by freed ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery). Although Necks, South Carolina boasted only 1,107 residents as of 2021, it was a hot tourist spot each summer because of its historical significance for African-Americans.

Interestingly, in recent decades, Necks, South Carolina also became a popular tourist destination for spiritual reasons when in 2004, two Necks residents made national news when they were said to have been miraculously healed during baptismal services. Legend had it that one day, a large dove with lavender wings flew through an open, stained-glass window of the town of Neck's only church and landed on the edge of the primary baptismal tub right before a man and his niece were about to be baptized.

Witnesses say that the lavender dove stirred the water with its beak, cooed softly for 3 minutes straight, then gracefully flew back through the open window that it had initially entered through. Shortly thereafter, once the uncle and niece were baptized, the chronic ailments that the pair once suffered with had been fully cured. Once the uncle came up from under the water his Juvenile Arthritis had miraculously vanished while his niece, a local hearing-impaired infant, emerged from the water with the ability to hear perfectly and as a result of the town's miraculous healings many tourists flocked to Necks each year hoping to see and be healed by the mysterious lavender-winged bird that had cured the uncle and niece duo back in 2004.

In addition to spending much needed daddy-daughter time with her father, Velvet-Serenity couldn't wait to get to Necks so that she could reconnect with some of her favorite cousins, get some of her Big Momma's world-famous banana pudding, and to take some lit pics of her new Southern paradise for the gram. She had a feeling that many fun adventures awaited her in Necks, South Carolina.

Part II ~The Train Ride~

Velvet-Serenity decided to nap to help pass time during her train ride; she awoke to a dingy, heavily cologned African-American man dressed in a pair of holey brown cargo shorts, a faded orange t-shirt with the phrase Anointed printed on it and a pair of green flip-flops sans socks on his feet. He also sported a navy Mariner's baseball cap atop his tiny head and a large diamond cross around his neck. To make matters worse the mismatched stranger was clearly not dressed properly for the misty 45 degree Seattle weather that they had just left from, but he seemed like he hadn't been bothered by it by the serene, goofy look plastered on his handsome face.

"My name is Moses Lamb. What’s yours?" The stranger asked, in a thick southern accent that exposed two gold crowns attached to his two front teeth, as he extended his right hand.

“Velvet-Serenity,” Velvet-Serenity said curtly without extending her perfectly manicured hand.

Velvet-Serenity secretly wanted to run away. This guy looked like a real stick-up king (a common thug). She clutched her new baby blue Louis Vuitton wallet to her chest, gave the stranger a fake smile, then purposely looked out the window. She had cased the joint when she first arrived. Everyone in the vicinity looked nice enough to sit next to, but this guy must have been in the restroom when she did her initial assessment of her environment.

“Whew young lady! What a name! Bet you can't ever find a keychain with your first name on it,” the stranger replied with a loud cackle.

Velvet-Serenity managed to dispense another fake smile. She hoped that no one was paying attention to them; she didn’t want people to think they were related. Although, the stranger with the same toffee complexion and kind ebony eyes did look like he could have been a blood relative. She glanced around. The two elderly couples seated in their vicinity were each snoozing away.

"And If you're wondering about my first name, yes my mother was once a seamstress and yes Velvet was her favorite fabric to work with. She also loved the Serenity Prayer so much that she named me after it. Anything else?" Velvet-Serenity added rudely.

“Why so angry?” The stranger responded sweetly.

“I’m not angry!” Velvet-Serenity protested loudly. “Just tired of pretending,” Velvet-Serenity mumbled.

“Who are you pretending to be?” The stranger asked earnestly.

“Never mind… forget I said anything! I don’t know why I even went there!" Velvet-Serenity exclaimed with a look of exasperation on her face.

“You are what Momma calls just plain Chismoso--- nosey. Now leave me alone!” Velvet-Serenity practically shouted.

“You speak Spanish?” The stranger said with delight. You certainly are full of surprises,” he continued.

“If you must know, my mom is from Dove Island, TX. It has a large Spanish population. My mom's best friend Gabriela is Mexican-American, therefore Spanish is second nature to her and my dad is from South Carolina. So, yes, I did grow up speaking some Spanish,” Velvet-Serenity said with a neck roll, then quickly covered her mouth. She could not believe that she was telling a stranger so much personal information about herself.

“My Lord, what a small world! I grew up on Dove Island as well. I just returned from attempting to visit my sister in Seattle, but she had moved. Sadly, I haven’t seen her in twenty years. The last time that I paid her a visit, she wasn’t too happy to see me because I used to have a problem with crystal meth. But she just doesn’t seem to remember her younger brother Red Snapper. Both of my siblings nicknamed me that when I was a kid because I loved that type of fish so much. It's sad that she doesn't remember that I was the brother who used to take the blame when she was naughty, the one who walked her down the aisle after daddy died suddenly. I know my actions have shamed my family. But one of the worst parts of our estrangement is that I heard through the grapevine that I have a set of twenty-year old twin nephews and an eighteen-year-old niece that I have never met.”

Velvet-Serenity sat in stunned silence. She was truly touched by the man’s story.

"Enough about me and my troubles! Who are YOU pretending to be, young lady?" Moses asked again with concern.

“A blendable, mute, clone with no opinions of my own.” Velvet-Serenity replied dejectedly.

“Why?” Moses asked with a look of confusion.

“I guess…I don’t want to let my mother down.” Velvet-Serenity answered glumly.

"When I wear bright make-up and clothes, she doesn't see it as classy. She thinks that it sends the message that I am a Hot Mami. I try to explain to her that it’s just about creativity and self-expression, but she is old-fashioned; she just doesn't get it. She is always pressuring me into wearing more subdued colors like tan, brown, white and black. She feels that those colors represent class, sophistication, and success. I care about volunteering. What does it matter what I wear while doing it?” Velvet-Serenity added passionately.

"Momma always says girls should keep quiet and be like 'sugar and spice and everything nice' or they'll draw trouble, but God Almighty created me to be outspoken. He didn't create me to be "a little her". I feel like she hates me and wishes I was different," Velvet-Serenity said dejectedly.

“But, let me hush... I feel like I’m in therapy,” Velvet-Serenity concluded with a sheepish grin.

“No, please continue...," Moses gently commanded.

“I want to apologize for my rudeness earlier, Mr. Moses. I just realized that I was taking out the anger that I’ve been feeling towards my mother, on you,” Velvet-Serenity replied softly.

"No problem, young lady. I’ve been there before myself... I'd like to offer you a little advice: Remember that closed mouths don't get fed! Talk to your mom and let her know how her views make you feel. Be sure to include what you said about God Almighty making you the way you are. That was a very strong statement. But remember to do this calmly, with your inside voice. Trust me; Momma's don't like feeling as if they are being sassed," Moses concluded, his bright eyes shining with a special wisdom that only comes with age.

"Thanks so much for the advice, Mr. Moses. May I ask where you are headed?" Velvet-Serenity replied calmly.

"You're very welcome. I'm headed to Charleston to meet up with an old friend from high school. How about you?" Moses responded warmly.

"I'm headed to my cousin's wedding in Necks, SC. It's a really small town. Have you heard of it?" Velvet-Serenity asked excitedly.

"Yes! Yes I have! My sister was once close to someone from that town," Moses responded with a smile.

"Really! Who?" Velvet-Serenity asked enthusiastically.

"My sister's ex-husband. In fact, I have a picture of my sister, her ex-husband, and their three kids in my wallet. Although I haven't spoken to my sister in over 20 years, I have been in contact with my big brother over the last year. He was kind enough to mail me the photo a few months ago," Moses replied as he searched his backpack for the photo.

"Here it is!" Moses said triumphantly as he handed the photo to Velvet-Serenity.

When Velvet-Serenity saw the photo, she nearly passed out. She saw her mother, father, twin brothers, and herself staring back at her from the photo. She looked to be about three years old. It looked like she was storing nuts for the winter in her cheeks, she had tons of pink frosting smeared all around her mouth, and she was wearing her favorite Strawberry Shortcake pajamas while sitting with her parents and siblings on her old pear-shaped bed. Apparently, pears had been the only thing that she would eat when she first began eating table food, and that was the reason that her parents had jokingly chosen her bed type. Her two brothers, who were wearing matching mischievous grins, were about five at the time and were sitting on each of her father's knees, and she was joyfully sitting alone on her mother's lap.

Velvet-Serenity pulled her cell phone from her coat pocket, frantically unlocked it, searched for a while in her photo gallery, then pulled up the same photo of her family, then she turned to the stranger and said: "Uncle?" with tears in her eyes.

Moses replied: "Niece?" as he glanced down at Velvet-Serenity's matching family photo.

The pair embraced. Then Velvet-Serenity began dialing her mother's home number. When her mother answered, Velvet-Serenity said: "Mom, brace yourself. There is someone I'd like you to remeet..."

Velvet-Serenity's mother recognized her younger brother, Red Snapper's voice, right away. The two talked for four hours straight. They caught up on the births, deaths, and family milestones in between. Moses learned that Velvet-Serenity's twin brothers Teven and Tyson had tragically died in a car accident when they were just seven years old. Therefore, Velvet-Serenity had grown up an only child.

Moses let his sister know that he had been clean for 15 years and that he was sorry for pawning her Tiffany tennis bracelet for drug money. He revealed that he began taking meth as a way to escape from the loss of his only child to SIDS, and he apologized for his selfishness and reckless actions. Rubina's heart immediately expanded with compassion, and she forgave her baby brother: Red Snapper. It must have been hard to lose a child at just 20 years old, she reasoned.

Moses even talked to Velvet-Serenity's mother for her. He explained how rejected Velvet-Serenity felt by her constant criticism and Rubina revealed that she was nearly intimately assaulted at 16 when she spoke up and confronted a school bully and that that was why she was so strict with Velvet-Serenity.

Rubina apologized to Velvet-Serenity and let her know that she never meant to make her feel inadequate and upon hearing the reason behind her mother's strictness for the first time Velvet-Serenity felt like she understood her mother for the first time.

Several days later, while going through an old photo album with her favorite cousin Amethyst-Skyye, Velvet-Serenity soon learned that she had been a major part of the town of Necks' history when she stumbled across an old newspaper clipping. The clipping revealed that she had been born hearing impaired and that she had been miraculously healed at a baptism when she was just 7 months old. The article also mentioned that her dad's younger brother Nehemiah had also been healed from Juvenile Arthritis that day. It turns out that she was the miraculous baby that she had read about on the South Carolina Historical Facts website.

Velvet-Serenity was truly amazed by the discovery, and one day when she became a History professor, she would have the unique honor of sharing her monumental discovery with her students.

Velvet-Serenity was absolutely thrilled by the recent turn of events. She had gained an uncle, her mother's understanding, and a new respect for her father's hometown and its legacy. She felt extremely proud to be an ADOS and to have ties to Necks, South Carolina. Her Neck's ancestors had courageously taken their dignity and power back from slavery by creating a new space where members of the ADOS community could thrive. They had essentially made lemonade out of lemons. It was at that moment that Velvet-Serenity realized why lemonade had always held a special place in her heart.