Mama,” shouted sixteen-year-old Emmaline Johnson over the din of the pre-Thanksgiving activity in their kitchen.
Her mom, Maybelle, was cooking up a storm. Her younger brother and sister, eight-year-old AJ Jr. and twelve-year-old Cardrina, were in the way more than helping as Maybelle prepared the sweet potato and apple pies she was making early to put in the freezer for Thanksgiving a week away.
“Mother,” Emmaline shouted again, trying to get Maybelle’s attention to ask her the most important question of her life.
Things calmed down for a moment as Maybelle shooed Cardrina and AJ out of the kitchen so she could hear what Emmaline wanted. Her little Emmaline had grown into a lovely young woman. Quiet, shy, and as smart as Einstein, Emmaline was tall at five foot seven in her stocking-feet. She was lanky compared to Maybelle and her mother and sisters.
Emmaline Ruth Johnson was a beautiful dark-skinned girl with short, thick, coarse hair. Her mother had finally allowed her to relax her hair so Emmaline could take care of it herself as she got older.
“Yes, ma’am,” Maybelle said to her oldest child, a teasing glint in her eyes.
When Emmaline Johnson wanted something, she knew exactly how to go about getting it. She was more determined than any of the other children and did not back down. Maybelle often teased her that as disciplined and authoritative as she was, she should probably be a drill sergeant. The girl was hard to turn away and went for what she wanted.
“Mama, can I go to the Thanksgiving dance at school with Bobby Joe Hall?” Emmaline blurted out before she lost her nerve. Once she blurted the request to her mother, shyness overcame her, causing her to cast her eyes to the floor. Emmaline couldn’t believe that Robert Joseph Hall, captain of the basketball and football teams and one of the handsomest boys at North Charlotte High School, had asked her out.
Emmaline just couldn’t believe it. She thought he was dating someone else. Not being a part of the in crowd, she didn’t know and really hadn’t cared until now. Because she had been teased for years by other students and sometimes the teachers, Emmaline had shunned any activities except academics at school. Naturally tall, she was good at basketball but chose not to go out for the team because the other girls ridiculed her physical appearance.
Thought to be a snob because of her shyness, Emmaline didn’t have many friends. She and her best friend, Sonora Ann Huffman, were like two peas in a pod. They enjoyed the same activities and were both highly intelligent. Neither Emmaline nor Sonora ever really put much thought into boys simply because they just didn’t trust them.
As a matter of fact, because of her height, a lot of the boys called Emmaline “Em-zilla,” referring to her long legs and arms. She’d had her share of days running home from school crying because someone had made fun of her dark skin or thick, coarse hair. She’d not had an easy time of it but was determined to make the best of it.
“Bobby Joe Hall?” Maybelle asked. “Do I know his parents? Where does he live?” she questioned, not trusting any boy around her baby. She had high hopes for Emmaline. She would not let a boy come between her girl and her dreams and ambitions.
“Mama, you know Mrs. Rita from church? He’s her grandson,” Emmaline explained. “His family moved here year before last from Chicago. He’s the captain of the basketball and the football team,” Emmaline beamed dreamily, ecstatic that he had asked her out.
Emmaline had seen for herself that Bobby Joe was one of the good guys. She had never known of him making fun of her or anyone else and he seemed so nice. When he approached her at school the other day, she actually looked around to make sure he was talking to her, really talking to her, when he walked up and said, “Hi!”
She’d almost run away. Instead, she forced herself to be calm so she could figure out what he wanted. She anticipated that he wanted help with his math or English homework as many of the other students often did. Emmaline had an established reputation as a good tutor who was willing to help anyone with schoolwork.
When he invited her to the dance, she’d leaned back against the locker so she wouldn’t sprawl to the floor from shock. This handsome boy was asking her out? There must be a catch, she thought. Nobody cute ever asked her out. She felt destined to date only undesirables in school. Now Bobby Joe Hall was asking her out?
She had the presence of mind to timidly say, “Yes,” before they both had to go to class, he to chemistry and she to math. All during class, she barely focused on what Mrs. Conner taught. Her thoughts were in the stratosphere as she pranced around on cloud nine. Just as she was doing now as her mother tried to get her attention.
“Emmaline! Emmaline!” her mother said for the second time. “Girl, what’s got into you? I said ‘yes,’ you can go to the dance with this boy. But I want to meet him before he takes my little girl anywhere,” she warned Emmaline, smiling.
“I can? Oh, Mama, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Emmaline bubbled ecstatically, grabbing her flour-dusted mother and dancing her around the kitchen table. She heard the front door close as her dad, Alton, came in from work. Oozing with excitement, Emmaline ran to tell her father the good news.
Maybelle had never seen her daughter so excited and happy about an after-school event. Emmaline usually stayed away from those things because she thought they always turned into something that could cause emotional pain from the teasing she always seemed to experience. Maybelle knew her oldest daughter feared being rejected because of what she knew concerning her birth into this world.
But life has a way of changing how we see things, Maybelle thought as she smiled at her daughter’s happiness. Her life was proof of that … and so was her husband’s. Alton was a changed man. Since his four years in prison for almost killing Emmaline and her mother, he had made a total change. Two years after he returned home from prison, he and Maybelle decided to get back together under the watchful eyes of their families.
Maybelle’s brothers made it abundantly clear to Alton that if he even so much as looked as though he would raise his hand to hit either their sister or niece, he could go ahead and reserve a spot with the mortician. They let it be known that they would gladly go to prison to protect Maybelle and Emmaline, but they didn’t have to worry about that happening.
After prison and anger management therapy, Alton made up his mind to be the husband and father he should have been from the beginning. He started by attending church regularly. After re-establishing his relationship with God, he eventually decided to go back to college to see if he could salvage his lost dreams.
Following the devastation of the beating so many years before while still in college, Alton never believed he could get anywhere with his life. He thought that all hope was lost and he would just be a cripple for the rest of his life. But God blessed him. He was able to turn his life around. He was so glad he had.
God blessed him through college. Alton received a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He graduated with honors at the top of his class.
After graduation, Alton went to work for Carrier Corporation in Charlotte. The company was good to him and paid for his master’s degree in chemical engineering. Alton and Maybelle were finally happy. And they intended to keep it that way.
Emmaline ran to her dad as he walked down the hall toward the kitchen. Alton, eyes shining brightly with happiness at the thought of his beautiful bride, children, and life, opened his arms wide to receive his jubilant daughter. Giving him a big hug, Emmaline excitedly told him about the dance and the boy who had asked her to the dance.
“Wait a minute,” Alton said with sternness in his voice and the severest glare he could muster toward his daughter. “I didn’t say anything about you going to any dance with any boy,” he said, teasingly.
“But Daddy, it’s not just any boy. He’s Mrs. Rita Hall’s grandson, the one who moved here from Chicago. Daddy, please! Bobby Joe is sooo nice,” Emmaline emphasized. “He’s the captain of both the basketball and football team, Daddy. Please!” she pleaded, justifying why this wasn’t just any date.
Emmaline looked at his face, hoping he was joking but not really sure. She looked from her dad to her mom and back again as she considered what was going on. Both her parents hid their humor well as they “discussed” the problem.
“Well, honey,” Maybelle said as she and her husband continued to play with their daughter. “I had told Emmaline yes. But if you don’t think it will be a good idea, I can change my answer,” she said, glancing at their daughter, a woeful look on her face.
“But, but, Mama …” Emmaline said, trying to make sense of this change in developments.
“Emmaline,” her dad began. “I don’t know this boy. And you know I have always been a little suspicious of anyone who lives in Chicago. This boy might be trying to take you for a ride, you know,” Alton said matter-of-factly, unaware he was speaking prophetically. “Does he have good grades? What does he look like? You know those high-yellow boys are nothing but trouble. All they want is a little dark chocolate on the side.”
Finally, Emmaline caught the humor of the situation. Her dad was light-skinned or “high-yellow” and her mom was dark-skinned or “dark chocolate.” She caught the glint of humor in her dad’s eyes and understood that he and her mother were joking with her.
“Dad,” she said, exasperated. “Stop teasing! This is serious!”
“Aw, come on, baby girl, we were only joking. I guess our little girl is growing up, huh, hon?” he asked his wife.
“Yes, she is. Emmaline, are you going to need a formal for the dance or just a nice dressy dress?”
“Gee, Mom, I don’t know. I’ll have to ask around to see what everyone else will be wearing. We’ve got about a week before I will need anything. Thanks, Mom and Dad!”
Emmaline happily danced down the hall to her room to start planning for her date. She would be attending a dance, with a boy, a good-looking boy at that. What dances were they doing now? She had no clue. Soul Train would be her major TV viewing until the dance.
She decided to call Sonora to see if anyone had invited her to the dance. She hoped someone had. Sonora was so sweet and her very best friend. Even though they both wanted boyfriends, they didn’t want to just be someone’s joke of a date or anything like that.
Emmaline was happy she was finally going to go out on a date, a real date. Even though Bobby Joe’s parents would take them to the dance and pick them up, it was still a date.
Sonora answered on the first ring. “Hello,” she said, excitement flowing through the phone to her friend.
“Sonora, it’s me, Emmaline. What’cha doin’?” Emmaline asked, thinking about her impending date.
“Emmaline,” Sonora screamed through the phone. “Sheldon asked me to the dance!” she shouted excitedly. This had turned into a banner day for them both.