"Look Mama, it's a giant white bird with giant white wings". Those were the words I said to my mother the first time I saw an airplane.
Mama had looked down smiled at me and told me it wasn't a bird, it was a means of air transportation.
I had stared at her blankly.
"It's like a magical machine that carries hundreds of people".
I gasped, "Hundreds?"
Mama nodded, "Yes baby"
"Have you ever been in the magical machine?"
"No honey"
"Then it's settled, I'm gonna take you. You and I will soar in the sky, forever and ever"
She laughed, "Of course you will be my little princess. Now come on, you are going to be late for school"
I scurried as fast as my little legs could carry me.
Mama and I lived in a small cabin near a local airport. My obsession for planes grew anytime I saw one fly over my head.
I do not know what happened to Papa but he has never been in my story and as it turned out, Mama wasn't going to be in it either much longer.
I patted Mama's back as she threw up in the toilet, holding her hair up. Convinced that she was okay, I let go but a chunk of her hair went my hand.
She smiled at me weakly, "It's okay Kimberly"
I nodded trying to fight back the tears in my eyes.
But it wasn't really okay, the cancer was back, this time terminal. I saw her grow weaker with every minutes that passed and I wished everyday for some miracle to happen.
It never did.
I closed my eyes as I threw a rose on her coffin. It hurt, it hurt so bad that I could almost not breath.
"Kimberly, are you ready?"
I turned to look at the man whose DNA unfortunately ran through me as he stood alongside his parents,the same people who had turned Mama away because she was according to them classless and any product of hers would be the same.
After I heard the story, I wondered why he would even look at a classless woman in the first place since he was so sophisticated.
I hated him and I hated the fact that I had no choice but to go with him.
"Just two more years", I told myself.
As it turned out, two years was an awfully long time.
Girls dream of a fairytale life, the exact one I was thrust into, a new school, fairyland bedroom, millions of designer clothes. I hated every minute of it.
I became a figure not a person, a prize for my rich grandparents to show off.
"Yes, it's quite unfortunate, Jerome didn't know she was pregnant with his child. Yes a commoner. No with time she will learn to be a proper lady".
All these were answers when people asked how I came about.
Something didn't make sense to me because I knew they were aware of my existence, even with Mama died, they shouldn't have still come for me.
One night I couldn't sleep so I took a stroll. I paused when I heard my grandfather's angry voice from his study.
"It's final Jerome, she will marry Luther's son, and produce heirs. That's all the little twat is good for".
I've always been a smart girl so it didn't take me long to finally realize the answer to the question "why?", I have been asking myself the past one and a half year.
I rushed upstairs, there was no way I was marrying anyone, I was only seventeen.
I threw everything I could grab into a bag, I was about to zip the bag close when I heard my room door open and then shut.
I spun around so fast to find Jerome or should I say "my father" staring at me.
"I really loved her"
I looked at him blankly.
"Your mother, I loved her. I was on top of the world when I found out she was having my baby. My parents found out. They are not good people Kimberly. They would have made you both disappear permanently"
I continued staring,
"I know you hate me, I see it in your eyes whenever you look at me. I'm ashamed to admit that I'll never be able to stand up to my parents but I will not let them do this to you"
He stepped forward and handed me an envelope, "It has a plane ticket and a cheque. Go and live your life my little girl".
I took it from him with shaking hands, I finished gathering my stuff as turned to look at him one last time, ran to him then hugged him.
The flight attendant smiled at me, "Is this your first time on a plane".
I nodded my head nervously.
"Don't worry, you'll be just fine".
I stared out the window as she walked away, beautiful green lights surrounded the plane as it soared in the air.
Source
A tear escaped my eye as I thought, Mama's favorite color,
"We are finally flying Mama", I whispered.
