(Continued from Last week) – 26/03/2017

Rejection
Bride! She closed the door and hollered for the old man. “Come you geezer, you’ve got visitors.”
The old man opened the door, “Hey son, what you doing here?”
“It’s a long story. However meet your daughter-in-law.”
His father’s smile turned to a frown. “Aam…aam, come in…come in.”

Condemnation
“Ask your son why he left Guiana” snapped the old lady. “Why he got married to this lady. She will only bring us trouble. Blacks not wanted here.”
“Mother, she is not black, she is East Indian,” muttered Warwick.
“What’s the difference? You either black or white,” said the mother. She reluctantly went to the kitchen to bring them some coffee. There was a tense moment. Then the old man said: “Well, I guess I’ll have to prepare the basement for you both.”
“Oh no!” shouted his wife. “They can’t stay here. He can, but not her. We can’t handle the problems.”
“There will be no problems Mother,” opined her son.

Liverpool
His father interjected: “You were in Guiana so you don’t know what the situation here is with race problems. I’ll deal with that when it arises.”
The mother chimed in: “Warwick you can’t stay here. You must go somewhere else. This lady will cause us trouble. A black daughter-in-law here in this home?” Some silence
“Dad?” Warwick appealed to his father.
“Son, she’s right. They can burn our house down or become abusive. These are die-hard racists. Sorry, but for our safety you cannot live here.”

Father-In-Law
Warwick looked at his mom with dismay. He shook his head in disappointment. An uneasy calm followed, then the father said: “I’ll help you find an apartment but not in this neighborhood.”
The old man goes into the bedroom and gives his son some cash. He said: “Here, take this for now. I’ll keep in touch.”
Betty, Warwick’s wife, got up and thanked the father. She walked over to her mother-in-law and tried to kiss her. The response was cold and the old man watched the couple with tears in his eyes. But his wife was stone-cold.
As soon as they left, she took off on her husband. “Is your son crazy to bring a black person here from a backward country and calling her wife?”
The old man kept quiet.
Then the wife really exploded: “You can support them with your money, not mine!” She stormed away into the washroom.

Housing Bias Even by Blacks
Vacancies exited for tenants in some housing complexes but the couple was refused occupation. Racial discrimination reared its ugly head and they had to settle for a place in a ghetto area that was primarily a black housing scheme. Many felt that a black woman with a white man was taboo. They chastised Betty for her choice of a redneck but Warwick weathered the insults and snobbery. There was nowhere else to go. He drove a cab for a living. And his wife earned a living doing domestic chores and care-giving. Her father-in-law would call now and then and infrequently visit. But her mother-in-law remained a stand-off.

Father Died from Grief
Burdened with heavy grief for his son’s dilemma, the old man passed away. Betty felt she had lost a father. Now the old lady was left alone. Warwick would drop in now and then to see her. This was always on the insistence of Betty.

The Good Heart
Unknown to him she would visit and take care of Mrs. Warwick. The recipient never gave thanks for this service, always wary of what her neighbours would think. To ease her fear of being spotted, Betty disguised herself. She wore a big hat with protruding brim, a scarf, long sleeved blouses and coats.

Disguise
Each day she found time to visit and take care of her bitchy mother-in-law. She once cooked Warwick’s favourite dish of ‘metem-gee’ and Mrs. Warwick loved it.

Social Worker
Betty loved cooking and domestic work. She also enjoyed social work. And in her impoverished community she managed a home improvement center with cooking and sewing priorities. She received the mayor’s trophy for citizenship and community service and hit the news stands. The rustic girl from the “backward” country had been recognized.

Change of attitude
The shock was too much for them. They gave her a new name “Black Beauty” and they would sometimes wave and smile at her. No more disguises. The coast was clear. And now she began to wheel her mother-in-law down Liverpool streets. She was sharp in acknowledging her daughter-in-law while also pointing out that she was from Guyana.

Husband’s Pain
Mrs. Warwick’s health deteriorated and on her dying bed she demanded to see her son. He was reluctant to go but Betty implored him to be at her bedside. There she reached under her pillow and took out a piece of paper. It was the deed to her home in the name of the couple. She had asked her lawyer to have it done and with trembling hands she handed it over.

Back to Liverpool
Warwick didn’t know what was inside the official envelope so he took it with apprehension.
“Go outside and read it,” implored his mother.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. He was flabbergasted. After 15 minutes he went back into the room and bent to kiss her but she was cold as ice. He screamed: “Mother, mother, don’t leave us,” but she was beyond hearing.
At the funeral Betty gave the eulogy with the theme being: “Love conquers all.”

Black Lady, White kids
Once she brought her children to Guyana and many did not know her. They saw the children as being all white. And everyone thought she was their nanny. But when they heard them say “Mom” they were astonished. How could this jet black ‘Coolie’ lady mother these “Bacra Picnis”? They were blue-eyed beauties.

Octogenarian
Today “Black Beauty” is still alive (June2016) over 80 years old. Her kids are all grown and have done well in society. She still cares for her community and God, and she heads a mothers’ union comprised of a multi -racial membership. Liverpool is now a cosmopolitan community.

Pride and Inspiration
I honour this country bumpkin from Guyana. I respect her social work values. Above all I am so proud of her. She is my blood cousin. And I follow her foot-steps. I am a professional social worker. She was born to be an angel of peace and love. A model Guyanese…dark outside, white inside.
Let your heart bubble up with love. It’s the remedy for all ills.