Mississippi Sapphire

CHAPTER 1: Great Aunts, Nanoo and Tee Tee: Twins

Sapphire was a nickname given to me by my great aunt Nanoo in Arcola, Mississippi in 1974. She got the name from a TV show in the 70s. I learned later in life that Sapphire was a an image portrayed by black women in film, shows like Amos and Andy, as a sassy, smart-alec, taking no stuff, stubborn, hateful, or even as they say, "a bitch". Where I lived then was called the Quarters. The Quarters was a row of ten red houses. I was only three years old and I have vivid memory of my early years growing up in Mississippi. I felt that my aunt Nanoo and Tee Tee wanted me to be their guardian even at 3yrs of age. My other aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in the other red row houses in the Quarters. It was a village and I felt comfortable in it and it felt so safe. It was a village of love for me. I remember so much from my childhood in Arcola, Mississippi. My great Aunts, Nanoo and Tee Tee were twin sisters. Tee Tee had chin hairs and we actually thought she was a man but later in life, me and my sisters believed she was to be a butch or dike or something of that nature. They would sit in the living room a lot in their twin black leather huge reclining lazy boy chairs. They owned a floor model TV and it was huge. They'd sit there watching TV all day. I recalled running to their house all the time. I even stepped on that giant bee running from house to house and I got stung too. I pulled out the black flat stinger. I still remember to this day, or I'd step on a fire ant farm and they'd start crawling all over my legs and I'd get bit. I even stepped on an old board with a nail sticking up and got hurt. All this from running house to house. Yes, there was blood, but I was OK. I even remember making mud pies with my sisters. One cup of water mixed with 2 cups of dirt. Then shape the mud pie like a biscuit and put it in the sun to bake. Then we had mud pie. I also found a turtle one day and I kept that turtle as a pet. I was young and I put the turtle in a big rectangular trunk that was full of clothes and guess what? It died. I didn't even know turtles needed water. I just knew I had a pet. Now, going back to my great Aunt Nanoo and Tee Tee house, I remember sitting in front of the TV. I loved watching their floor model TV. I'd sit right in front of the TV as if I was Carol Ann from the movie Poltergeist. They would sit in those black chairs right behind me; watching over me and I felt safe. I love and miss my aunt Nanoo and Tee Tee.

CHAPTER 2: Great Aunt Arie: The Forever Angel

My great Aunt Arie. Now she was my favorite. She was a Great Protector, A great friend, strong and caring. If I was to have a best friend today, I'd want them to be just like Aunt Arie. I miss her dearly and cry for her to this very day. I think sometimes how I want God to bring her back to life every day of my life. I loved me some Aunt Arie. She lived in her red house next door to my great Aunts Nanoo and Tee Tee. As a Protector, she'd fight off snakes. My great Aunt Arie would take that hoe and chop off that snakes head. I use to think she was brave. My great Aunt Arie would take me fishing with her all the time to the Creek. The Creek was a small river that was located behind the houses, past the pig pen , and down the hill. It swerve along to the next counties in Mississippi. My recollection, it was Estille. My great Aunt Arie would take me fishing which seemed like everyday, but maybe it was a few times a week. She gave me my own fishing pole too. Before all this she would get an old coffee can and go beside the house and use the hoe to dig up earth worms for fishing. She would fill that can with so many big worms and dirt too. When we'd go down to the Creek to fish, we'd take a muddy path down the hill to the Creek. She'd hold my hand all the way down and all the way back up. Aunt Arie with her white bucket and fishing pole. She never wore pants though, I recall. Some checker dresses was all she'd wear. Aunt Arie loved catfish and perch fish. When we get to the Creek to fish, I'd be surrounded by swamp looking willow trees that had green snakes in them and she'd assure me not to be afraid. They would just be hanging all over from tree to tree. She would flip her bucket and make it into a chair for herself until she caught some fishes. Then Aunt Arie put some water into it when she caught her fishes and put the fishes into the bucket. My Aunt Arie caught a lot of catfish. I tried fishing and caught little perch fishes. I was so happy to catch a fish. I remember. I remember how she used to squish the worms onto the hook before throwing her pole into the water. Now at 3yrs of age, I recalled the catfish had these whiskers that would cut her and draw a line of blood on the back of her hands. Aunt Arie told me don't touch the catfish because the whiskers will sting me. I knew not to touch the black fish. I liked the little yellow fishes anyways. The perch had some pointy fins on its back but they really didn't hurt me. When the bucket was filled with catfish and perch, our daily bread, we would head back up the hill. But funny thing, God had been watching over us the whole time. The sun, yes the sun was shining right on the path of the trail going back up the hill between the trees as we went back to the house. A signal of sort to my Aunt Arie. Always at the same time; as if to say, "I'm watching over you two, to make sure you are safe". I felt this in my heart. Maybe that's why kids draw the sun as an happy face? Which I learned later in life. When we get to the top of the hill and to home safely, my great Aunt Arie had a table on the side of the house and she would set it up to clean the fish. This is where she always would gut the fish and clean the fish with this big old rusty butcher knife. At 3yrs old, I can recall these yellow sacs in the fish's guts. That was the perch. She would cut down the belly of the yellow perch from head to the bottom and split the fish open and scrape out the insides. Aunt Arie would grab the catfish, then get the line of blood from the whiskers sting and then cut the head off the fish. I'd often wonder if she was okay and give her that look. She always signal to me that she was fine and okay from the catfish sting. After cleaning the fish, she would fry the fish. And the fish was so fresh, had white meat, and delicious. I remember Aunt Arie telling me to watch out for the bones in the fish. You don't want to get that stuck in your throat. Later on in life, I saw that the catfish had many tiny small bones all over the place but the perch had bigger bones or intact skeleton that was more attached to each other. I remember being extra careful not to eat the small bones. I'd pick out the small bones. I do recall that catfish had lots of white fresh delicious meat in it. After frying the fish, we'd take Aunt Nanoo and Tee Tee some fresh fried catfish and perch. I learned later on in life that buffalo was Aunt Nanoo's favorite fish. On and on, I'd go visit my Aunt Arie in the Quarters because she was my favorite person in the whole wide world. Sometimes I visit, especially on rainy days, she'd bake homemade biscuits from scratch. I would help her too. She would knead the dough ad then we would cut the biscuits out with a tin can so they were perfectly round. After that we'd put them into the stove she had, that was also a heater. It had a metal opening on top that turned and a big opening in the front for firewood. She'd start the fire by putting wood and newspaper in the stove. After baking the biscuits, she would put Alga Syrup on them for me. Then I'd climb onto the bed and wait for my syrup and biscuits. Now in today's world, we know that Alga Syrup was the best thing we had ever put our lips to. I'm talking some yummy syrup. At age 3yrs old, it was like candy! Now lets talk about how my Aunt Arie used to sew quilts. I recall all the little squares from old rags she would use to sew onto the quilts. She had made lots of quilts. Thick huge king size quilts. They had layers to them and they were heavy. She sewed a lot to make those giant quilts to fit that giant bed of hers. All my aunts had giant beds, you'd have to climb. Boy, and I mean climb. I remember the slop jop that sat by the bedside. It was a potty for me. At 3yrs old, I guess I was potty trained. After I used the slop jop, she would take the pee pee and throw it out the back door towards the pig pen. These memories of Aunt Arie, I hold dear to my heart because I miss her so much, dear Lord. All I can do is cry, cry cry.

CHAPTER 3: Great Uncle John: The Candy Man

Great Uncle John lived next door to Aunt Arie in the red row houses in the Quarters. He was a giant. Later in life I learned from my view point, he was about 8ft tall. He was actually-- 8ft tall. He had a slight bend over in his backside. I remember he had these big lumps on his feet that bothered him, Later in life I learned that it was gout. He always wore these very flimsy soft leather house shoes with no backs to them. This man here, used to hold my hand a lot. Whenever one of my greats held my hand, it meant I was safe. I felt safe too. I remember that he was the man with the mixed candy bowl. All kinds striped, red, and yellow hard candy in a bowl. Me and my great Uncle John would sit and watch TV. His house was always dark too. I could tell he enjoyed my company and I enjoyed his company too. I miss him too. Here is where things get even darker with great Uncle John. One visit to great Uncle John was eerie and this would be the last time I would spend with him. Tragedy struck! There was a knock on the door. My Uncle John answered. There, standing in the middle of the doorway, was this midnight black man with a stick in his hand, not a tree limb; but like a broom or mop handle stick. I remember the man talking to my Uncle John but it was a mean way of talking to someone. I didn't understand what the man was saying but I did hear something about a house and where are the papers. After the threatening talk, Uncle John let my hand go and I was standing alone. He went to get some papers. I think he signed the papers over to the man or something. I believed as I looked back, Uncle John must have owned a house somewhere maybe in Greenwood or Greenville, (I'm really not sure where) and the man wanted it. After that, my world went to black. I was only 3yrs old. I believe the man hurt my Uncle John because I never saw Uncle John again. He was The Candy Man. My world with Uncle John went to black. Yuck!! I hate black. I'm sorry to say this, but it molded my idea logic that midnight black people were hateful, ugly, bad and disgusting. It was sad to me to think it-- Black ain't Beautiful, okay? That's how I viewed all midnight black people to this day. Brown people were alright, but midnight black was not alright with me. Whether they were the nicest, kindest, or respectful people, I'd always think they had a deceitful undertone to them and I'd always be looking for it in them. It molded me, what that midnight black man did to my Uncle John. I love you Uncle John and I'm hoping you are resting in peace.