A - Prelude - Draft
Henrietta dreamed about her future with Frannie as she slowly meandered home that night. She had wished and hoped for this moment for what seemed like a lifetime even though she realized that the odds were against her.
Frannie had beautiful, pale ivory skin like that of a porcelain doll while Henrietta would describe hers as coal that had no luster to it. Getting past the color barrier was worse than being lesbians. Both things were despised but your sexuality could be hidden. Your skin could not.
Henrietta didn’t think about their barriers that night though. She dreamed of a lovely home with a garden and children running through a sprinkler in the backyard. Frannie was there beside her. Frannie grabbed her waist and gave her a loving, joyful kiss as they looked out at their idyllic life.
That’s how Frannie kissed her earlier that night, sweetly, happily, lovingly. She would never forget that kiss or that night for as long as she lived.
Frannie had invited her to her thirteenth birthday party at school Friday. It was going to be a slumber party with every girl in school. They both knew the unsaid though. No Blacks allowed. This meant that Henrietta was to be hidden from everyone there. No games of spin the bottle, light as a feather stiff as a board or truth or dare for her. Years later while recalling this story, they’d say that Henrietta was Frannie’s dirty little secret but they didn’t think of it that way at the time. It was just the way it was.
Henrietta snuck out of her bedroom window at 10:30pm and began walking towards Frannie’s house. She was dressed in black and avoided the streetlights for fear of being spotted. Every car that came by caused her to quickly hide behind the closest object large enough to hide her. She took extra care once she crossed the railway tracks to the “White” side of town.
Any girl out at that hour could be harmed but being Black increased her risk. If her attacker was White, no one would come to her aid and she would never see justice done in any fashion. If her attacker was Black, no White person would intervene.
When she reached Henrietta’s gate, her heartbeat quickened. If she was caught on a White man’s property, she would surely be shot before uttering a single syllable. Her death would be deemed “justifiable” homicide.
Her senses were heightened as she slowly and quietly unlatched the gate, opened it and relatched it from the backyard. No detail was ignored. She made sure not to leave tracks on the street or in the grass. Everything that she touched was memorized in great detail beforehand and put back exactly as it was and as quickly as possible.
She saw Frannie by the back door as she rounded the corner of her house. She wanted to race into Frannie’s arms but had to remain ever vigilant. She looked up and saw a light on upstairs. She saw Frannie’s mother cross in front of the window before the light went off. It was only then that Henrietta walked towards Frannie while remaining as close to the rough brick exterior as she could.
When they were close enough they quickly embraced before speaking in hushed tones so as not to be detected.
“Are they asleep?” Henrietta asked.
“Yeah. I snuck some booze from Dad’s liquor cabinet. I gave them the 180 proof Rum. I told them,” Frannie began before putting on her most saccharine act. “I want my bestest friends in the whole wide world to have this. Daddy got it on his business trip to the islands. It’s absolutely THE best alcohol in the whole world. It’s extremely rare but when I had some, I had the most horrible allergic reaction. I got myself some Vodka instead. I would be just heartbroken if my bestest friends didn’t drink the rum though. Let’s party.”
She returned to her normal self and continued.
“It was really water that I was drinking but they bought it all, hook, line and sinker. They’re so stupid and gullible.”
Henrietta stopped listening to what Frannie was saying after that. She felt safe with her and let herself get lost in every detail of Frannie.
Frannie’s perfume clung heavily in the warm night air. Henrietta thought herself intoxicated by its aroma. She recognized it as the birthday gift that she gave her and smiled even brighter at her.
Henrietta noticed every gorgeous curve of Frannie’s body as her slinky, silk nightgown moved across it. She noticed how the moonlight caused her light blonde hair to glow like a halo perched above her angelic, porcelain face. She watched her ruby red lips as she spoke, wishing that her lips were touching them.
Frannie continued to babble, as was her nervous habit. She wasn’t sure if Henrietta shared her romantic feelings towards her. She was nervous to approach her out of fear of losing her friendship so she babbled endlessly, praying for a sign to free her from her torment.
As Henrietta drank in every aspect of Frannie, Frannie was doing the same with her. Frannie gazed at her gorgeous mahogany skin that shimmered in the moonlight. She often wondered how it always seemed to shine and sparkle like the stars in the sky no matter the day. She noticed the few stray strands of kinky, black hair peaking out from her hoodie. She could stare at them and get lost in their beautiful twists and turns for hours. She tried desperately to keep eye contact but even Henrietta’s eyes entranced her. She felt helpless under the spell of her sweet, soulful, teddy bear eyes.
Frannie soon noticed that Henrietta had stopped listening and was just staring at her lovingly with a big smile on her face. That was when she decided to take a risk.
Frannie grabbed Henrietta by her waist and pulled her hip next to hers. Henrietta’s body was touching hers but they both remained happy and calm like that for what felt like an eternity to them both. Frannie then moved her body in front of Henrietta’s without taking her hand off of her waist. When she found no resistance, she encircled her free arm around her waist and pulled her close. They stared into each other’s eyes that were filled with love before kissing each other so delicately and softly that they thought they had melded into one.
They were no longer two classmates from opposite sides of the tracks. They were one entity that could never be separated. They knew this as fact at that very moment. Time would prove them right.
On Henrietta’s walk home she noticed the weeping willow tree where she had first met Frannie. The willow seemed even more magical that night. Its leaves shimmered in the moonlight. She decided to make her way through the branches to the trunk of the tree. She sat there for what seemed like an eternity and only a moment at the same time, daydreaming of Frannie.
At one point she decided to call upon the fairies of the willow to help her dreams come true. She was one of the few people left who could see and talk to the fairies and other mythical beings.
“Oh, Fairy Queen, I’m sorry to disturb you but I would like your help. Could you call upon your friends to help me? I love Frannie with all of my heart but I’m afraid of losing her. I want to be able to live happily with her until the day that I die. Do you think that my dreams for us are possible? Could you send me a sign that will ease my troubled soul?” she implored.
Henrietta stayed there, waiting for a reply when she fell fast asleep under the protective canopy of the willow. A few hours before sunrise she was suddenly awoken from a dream. She saw what appeared to be a snow white owl before her. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, trying to get herself fully awake. That is when she noticed the owl had a companion, a pitch black raven who was barely visible in the darkness.
Most girls her age would shoo them away but Henrietta was no ordinary girl. “May I help you wise owl and noble raven?” she inquired.
“In time, our young friend. In time,” the owl began.
This most certainly would shock most people but as I’ve said, Henrietta was no ordinary girl. She saw and spoke to the creatures thought to be mere legend by most humans. The fairies were her friends after all. She had entered the Enchanted Forest on many occasions and met trolls, unicorns, giants and all sorts of creatures. To hear an owl who didn’t inhabit this area speak was nothing out of the ordinary to her.
“The queen of the fairies sent word to us about your plea. We have come to tell you that Frannie will be with you all of your days. You will face many difficulties but your love for one another will only grow stronger,” the owl stated.
“We will meet again soon enough but we won’t recognize each other. I will be with you until you take your last breath. You are destined for greatness,” the raven said before flying off into the night.
