Conversations with Grandma (Part II): "Sit Still"

My little Grandma is 79 years old. She was born one day before Martin Luther King, Jr.

79 years on this earth...

Grandma has seen A LOT of things.

I like to take her to the movies whenever there's something out that I think she would enjoy. She especially enjoys movies starring Denzel Washington. A few years ago, I took her to see the movie Antwon Fisher.

"Grandma, you wanna see that new Antwon Fisher movie?"
"Uh, I saw the advertisement for that on television. That looks good."
"You wanna see it?"
"It has that Denzel Washington fella in it, doesn't it."
"Yes."
*Long pause. She is contemplating*
"Yes, he's a handsome fella. He sure is. I would like to see that."

LOL!!!!

She'd probably pass out if she ever met him in person. LOL!!!

Late last year, I took her to see The Great Debaters, a movie produced by Oprah's film company, about the 1935 Wiley College Debate team and their trek leading up to debating the Havard University debate team for the National Championship.

I took her to the Magic Johnson theatre over by Greenbriar mall. I still remember the first time I took her to the movies, to see Antwon Fisher. She was a bit hesitant, since she hadn't been to the movies since the 1950's. She'd gone to see The Ten Commandments at the Fox theatre in downtown Atlanta.

The last time she went, well. . . it was a time when blacks had to sit in the "colored section", i.e., sit up in the balcony.

So she was a tad bit apprehensive to say the least.

"You sure we can sit anywhere, Lisa?"
"Sure, wherever you want to sit, grandma."
She looks around, clutches her popcorn and soda close to her chest. "Are you sure, little girl?"

That was a funny day. She was amazed at the fact that there was a cupholder attached to the seat for your drink. LOL!!

But, a couple of years later, by the time I took her to see the Great Debaters, she knew she can sit anywhere she wanted.

That was a good movie and she loved it. (I know, because Grandma talks throughout the WHOLE movie.

But later that afternoon, we had what I thought was the most interesting conversation.

She asked me to stay and have dinner. I had other plans, but I decided to stay and hang out with her. We sat at her little yellow crowded formica table in her small cramped kitchen. She fixed our plates - baked chicken leg quarters, black-eye peas, and cornbread muffins.

And we talked about the movie.

The Great Debaters had an intense lynching scene that took me aback. I didn't think much about how it affected Grandma. Afterall, it was only a movie.

It made her cry.

Now that perplexed me. I have NEVER seen my grandmother cry. NEVER. Even when my grandfather died several years ago, she broke down his whole dying process. She was sitting next to him when he died, and she told it in such detail that I couldn't believe she wasn't choked up. I got all choked up just hearing her talk about it.

But this movie it made her cry.

It reminded her of when she was a little girl. And living in a time when the Klan was a problem.

Now, as much time as I've spent growing up around Grandma, we've never talked about such things. Grandma is grandma. I haven't thought much about her past.

She said she the Klan threw her Uncle in the river. He had a small, but successful business raising and selling chickens. The Klan didn't like that, and harrassed him much over it.

That bothered me. You mean, you're gonna harrass me for trying to make a living?

Humph.

But what she told me next really bothered me.

She remembered that, when word came that the Klan was coming that night, her father would go hide in the woods.

And she and her family would sit real still in house. There would be no light or anything. They just sat there in the dark, as still as possible. They could hear the sounds of the horses outside and all.

But they sat very still, only breathing. As long as the Klan thought no one was home... well, that's all they wanted.

That may not sound like anything much to think about. But to see my Grandma sitting there at the kitchen table, re-enacting how still she sat, mesmerized me. And Grandma talks in such detail, that heck, I felt like we were sitting back at the very table of her young girl years. I could almost feel how afraid she was.

My best friend LadyTee always says, "Girl, the Lord knew who to let be born back then, because ain't no way I would've put up with all that was going on."

"Yes you would," I always counter. "You would, because you wouldn't know any different way of life."

We argue about that much.

But could you imagine some of us and our stuff being transported back to that time.

"Alright everybody, the Klan is coming. I hear them horses coming up the road." I flick off the flat screen television. "Somebody turn off that light, and everybody sit down and be still."

*We all sit down in the dark*

Klan is outside. We can hear them hooping and hollering. We hear the sound of the horses.


Southern Black Gal's blackberry goes off, lighting up the room AND making a ton of noise.

*LadyLee snatches blackberry*

I squint hard at her. "Southern Black Gal, what is your problem? You tryna get us killed up in here."


She shrugs, but doesn't look at me. She stares down that Blackberry.

Queen of Lurk City breaks out the IPOD and starts watching a show on it.

*LadyLee snatches IPOD*

Queen of Lurk City reaches for IPOD.


"NO!" I whisper. I give her the Celie crooked two-fanger point. "What is your problem, Queen? We're trying to stay alive!"


*Queen of Lurk City gathers her pink fur coat tightly about herself*

My cell phone goes off, and is loud as all get out.

Everyone looks at me as I frantically push buttons to shut it off.

No, we wouldn't make it. Wouldn't make it all. We have way toooo much going on. And I doubt any of us could sit still for too long.

No, we would have to send that white dude Terry outside to talk to the Klan. I snatch the cigar from his mouth and point to the door. He reluctantly gets up...


This seems to be the best thing to do. But this would be a bad move.

He would smile at them, then cuss them all completely out.

And we would all be in trouble.

Sigh.

I'm just glad Grandma lived long enough to see a new day. We haven't completely overcame, but it is better than it use to be. That is for sure.

And you know it's getting better when the media is calling Barack Obama an "elitist".

Shoot. Going from sitting still in the dark to being thought of as an "Elitist".

Grandma must be smiling hard right about now.