Lucia is lying on the floor, naked, on her back. She is still screaming desperately for it all to stop. Sequoix kneels down and picks up the drawing. Again, Lucia's body seems weighed down and she is unable to move. Lucia tries to quiet her cry and pleads with Sequoix not to give her the tattoo. Sequoix gently places a hand over her mouth. Lucia closes her eyes and continues to beg while her mouth is muffled by the hand. We see his other hand spread Lucia's legs to reveal a vacant three inch by three inch spot on her inner right thigh, just above her knee. We hear the buzzing sound of the needle begin as if Sequoix is about to tattoo the image. Lucia really begins screaming and fighting back as her body has been given back to her, physically. Her eyes are still closed. She is fighting with every ounce of strength. The buzzing continues but is now a broken buzzer sound rather than long and constant. When Lucia realizes it's actually her door buzzer ringing, she opens her eyes to find that the person holding her down, hand over mouth and hand working between her thighs is not Sequoix but Evan! The image on the paper, which Lucia can barely see out of the corner of her eye is that of a woman being restrained by a man…being raped. She fights Evan, clawing at him. Evan is shouting obscenities and proclaiming to do to her body what she's been doing all along. He felt that since she didn't care about what she did to her own body why should anyone else.
Able to hear Lucia's screams from the first floor, Cedric get inside her building and busted her door down. Cedric pulls Evan off Lucia. They fight through the loft. Lucia grabs a heavy object and beats Evan over the head...killing Evan. Evan lies dead next to an exhausted Cedric. Lucia lingers over Evan, taking the same shape as the man over the woman in the rape image.
The room is still and quiet for what seems like an eternity. Cedric looks at Lucia's bloody and nearly fully quilted body. Every inch of Lucia's body is covered except for one three inch by three inch square. Laying there in the quiet, Lucia realizes that the final block, which is located square between her breast, at her heart, will be an image of her death. "Nothing's left. There's no place for me to go from here. When my Grumma finished her quilt, she died. I will do the same. I accept my destiny. It is my quilt." Sitting up and reaching for her piece of coal and a sliver of paper, Lucia waits for her hand to draw her fate. Nothing. She waits and nothing. The tears begin to well up and still nothing. Lucia finally releases a most relieving rush of tears and breath. Cedric moves to Lucia and embraces her, rocking her like a baby in his arms.The light at the tattoo parlor goes out.
Fade To Black.
A year later, Lucia is in the shower, washing every patch with precise care and reverence. When she gets out of the shower, we see her loft is pristine with no signs of an artist living there at all. The floors are a gleaming waxed hardwood which is balanced by the shine of industrial chrome. There are no easels or paints, brushes or canvas. What does exist in this space is peace…peace of mind and peace of heart. There is a card on the kitchen counter with coffee, fruit, and muffins. The card reads "Happy Birthday". Lucia reads the card and smiles as she drinks a cup of coffee and enjoying a strawberry. Cedric enter the loft with a small rectangular box. Cedric, joining Lucia for coffee and fruit, explains how much he loves Lucia and how strong he thinks she is and of course how beautiful. Cedric goes on to say to Lucia that her art is an important part of her life and that it wasn't her art or her passion for it that caused what happened to her. He explains that those things were destined to happen and that she can't cut her passion away. He asks Lucia to unwrap the gift. Lucia hesitates at first because she's uncertain as to where this is all leading. With a reassuring smile and nod from Cedric, Lucia slowly unwraps the gift. It is a small calligraphy set.
This frightens Lucia at first, but Cedric grabs Lucia's hands and reaffirms the notion that art is Lucia's God given gifts and it's ok to go back to her passion. Cedric slowly releases Lucia's hands when it seems she isn't fighting anymore. She slowly opens the gift set and finds fountain pens of various sizes and a pewter inkwell. Lucia takes one of the pens out, opened the inkwell, and a clean sheet of paper. Hand visibly shaking, Lucia writes, "Thank you Cedric. I love you." With that she cries through a smile.
Suddenly, her hand begins to draw an image, frantically. Cedric steps back from the bar. Both are looking incredibly scared. When Lucia completes the drawing, neither are too eager to look at it. They simply look at each other. They both look at the paper…and begin to cry. Cedric embraces Lucia. Lucia grabs Cedric and holds him as tightly as she can. We see the final image: A pregnant woman caressing her swollen belly.
The End.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
"Tattoo" by Teresa Dowell-Vest...Part 4
The next morning, Lucia is on the phone with Dani while Cedric is in the shower. She is gives Dani a quick blow-by-blow of the love making those two did last night. Dani teases Lucia about all her tattoos and if Cedric read her like a Boondocks comic strip. The two laugh as they chat and Lucia prepares some coffee for Cedric and herself. Without warning or her own control, her hand knocks over the mugs, grabs the nearest pencil and begins sketching out an image. When she finishes, it's an image in a 3x3 box. The camera does not reveal the contents of this box up close, but from the look on Lucia's face we know she doesn't recognize the image from any memory. She knows in her gut this would be the next patch on her quilt. She abruptly ends her conversation with Dani. Dani, knowing Lucia has been acting strange lately, is certainly worried about Lucia now.
Lucia approaches the parlor with some trepidation this time. She did not create the image with her own awareness. She is too afraid to know if this photo is to manifest itself. The parlor is cold and empty. Sequoix is there waiting as if anticipating Lucia to be hesitant to apply this tattoo. "You've begun that which you can not stop." Lucia endures what seems to be the most painful tattoo she's received which is odd in that she's now half covered. The image is done and now Lucia must leave the parlor, fearful of what, when, and how this image is going to manifest itself.
Nothing in the world seems to look like the image from the tattoo. The anticipation is unsettling. Every tattoo has meant some sort of act or memory and this should be no different. After class, Constance comes up to Lucia and complements Lucia on her art. Lucia thanks the student and proceeds to pack up her things. Constance continues to explain how much she admired Lucia for continuing on this journey. She asks to see Lucia's new tats. Lucia pauses at first in that her new tats are now in places not appropriate to show to her student. Constance appeals to Lucia's teacher side rather than her artist side by explaining this is a student asking a teacher to share art…to share what is the true essence of this class: ways of self expressing through art. Lucia cautiously considers the student's tactic and then proceeds to lift the back of her shirt to reveal a completely covered back. The student lightly runs her hands over the raised tattoos, gently touched as much of Lucia's quilt before Lucia snaps back down her shirt.
Lucia, now nervous as this seemed odd and very unsettling, tells Constance that she needs to get home. Constance asks Lucia to wait as she has a tat of her own to share. She lifts her shirt to reveal her bra-less chest. But what's most disturbing is the full torso mural of Lucia tattooed on Constance's chest. Too horrified and shocked to move, Lucia stands still, eyes locked on the woman's naked upper body shrine. The student then moves in to kiss Lucia. Constance says they are kindred spirits and how their love can grow as they build quilts together. Lucia pushes Constance away, but the student grabs Lucia and drops to her knees and wraps her arms around Lucia's waist so she's unable to move. Constance presses her face against Lucia's stomach while professing her love. Aside from trying to pry Constance from around her waist, Lucia is wincing in pain as her latest tattoo is still pretty fresh. Recognizing this reaction, Constance pulls her head back from Lucia stomach, lifts her shirt to reveal the newest tattoo: the image of a person on their knees holding a woman at her waist and the standing woman pushing the kneeling figure away. Lucia gives Constance a good shove that break Constance's grip and she falls completely to the floor. Constance in stunned. Constance then scampers to her feet, grabs her things and runs out of the classroom.
Lucia goes home and locks her doors as if someone is following close behind. The buzzer sounds. It's Cedric. While she feels Cedric's company will be comforting, Lucia needs time to process what's happening to her. He asks if he can come up and see her for a short while as she sounds a bit distressed. She says yes, but only for a short while. Cedric comes up and embraces Lucia. She tries to explain that one of her students came on to her. Lucia didn't go into the details of which student and what they talk about exactly. This prompts Cedric to comment on how pushed away he's feeling right now and how he wants to be a support to Lucia. He goes to his knees while saying these things and wraps his arms around Lucia. While at first this position seems very comfortable to Lucia (she wraps her arms around his shoulders and embraces him back), she has a flash of a vision of her tattoo and proceeds to physically push Cedric away. He falls to the floor in the same manner Constance did, looking equally dismayed. Lucia apologizes but tells Cedric he has to leave.
Once she gets Cedric out the door, Lucia locks all the doors and begins tearing her apartment up looking for the slip of wax paper with the latest tattoo on it. She wants to know if the other image is a man or a woman?! Did that latest image play itself out and with whom? She can feel herself going mad. Then in the same fashion as the last image, Lucia's hand begins drawing without Lucia's conscience participation. The drawing is coming fast and furiously. Once the drawing is complete, Lucia immediately runs across the room to get away from this drawing. She's afraid to look at it for she knows what ever this image is, she stands a good chance of living it…and she couldn't bear it to be another bad image.
Lucia tries to go to sleep. She can not. She wants to see the image. She can't bring herself to rest enough to close her eyes. She jumps out of bed, grabs the image without looking at it and runs out the door. In the middle of the night, Lucia runs to the parlor and discover all the area shop lights are out except the glow of Sequoix's work light down his long corridor. Lucia stands in the street outside the tattoo parlor, screaming to Sequoix, "What have you done to me?!" Once Lucia fixes her eyes to look inside the shop through the front window and down the corridor, she notices Sequoix's silhouette. It's as if he's been waiting for her.
He stands still in the hallway for a time. Lucia continues to scream out from outside the parlor to make it all stop. The silhouette of the artist disappears in the back room. Lucia is left screaming to herself. When she tires of screaming in the middle of the night, she looks down at the square image. It is of a woman kneeling beneath the body of another who has hung themselves. When Lucia raises her head from looking at the image, she is on the table, seconds away from this tattoo being applied. She screams out "No…I don't want this done to me!" but her body, which appears unrestrained, is incapable of moving. She accuses the artist of drugging her and bringing her into this room. Sequoix assures Lucia that she is there of her own free will. She isn't doing anything her body and destiny doesn't want her to do. Lucia screams until she passes out.
When Lucia feels like she's come to in the tattoo parlor, she finds herself in fresh clothing and in her class room…but lying on the floor. Lucia slowly rolls over and gets herself to her knees. She feels as though she's moving through water because just as she's gaining the strength to get to her knees at least, her hearing slowly clears up and we hear people crying and screaming. When Lucia finally she realizes all her students are crying or staring in shock at something directly behind Lucia. Lucia turns to see what they are all seeing. It is the image tattooed on her body the night before: She on her knees below the swinging body of Constance. Lucia slumps in horror and complete disbelief.
Lucia races home, bags every pen, pencil, slip of artwork, and burns it all in the fireplace. As she is burning these items, Lucia screams out, proclaiming never to draw another tattoo. She will not draw another picture. She will not get another tattoo. She wants this to end. While screaming in complete defiance of what is happening to her, Lucia begins screaming as if in physical agony. She stripes off her clothes to discover the entire quilt, every three inch by three inch image, moving. Each square has a mission, calling Lucia to complete this quilt. Some tormenting her with the horror of that image. Others coaxing her with love and tenderness as if somehow it's important she lived through this. In it all, Lucia can hear her grandmother's voice saying, "You have to live it all baby. You have to live it all." And with that Lucia grabs a coal from the fireplace and sketches out an image on a half burnt piece of paper. She is doing this while asking for her Grumma to save her…to make this stop. The quilt is moving, pushing Lucia's skin. Her grandmother's voice and a male voice can be heard in the room together saying, "It's your quilt. I can't make it stop." When Lucia swings around to see who the male voice is, it's Sequoix. He's in her loft.
End Part 4...
Lucia approaches the parlor with some trepidation this time. She did not create the image with her own awareness. She is too afraid to know if this photo is to manifest itself. The parlor is cold and empty. Sequoix is there waiting as if anticipating Lucia to be hesitant to apply this tattoo. "You've begun that which you can not stop." Lucia endures what seems to be the most painful tattoo she's received which is odd in that she's now half covered. The image is done and now Lucia must leave the parlor, fearful of what, when, and how this image is going to manifest itself.
Nothing in the world seems to look like the image from the tattoo. The anticipation is unsettling. Every tattoo has meant some sort of act or memory and this should be no different. After class, Constance comes up to Lucia and complements Lucia on her art. Lucia thanks the student and proceeds to pack up her things. Constance continues to explain how much she admired Lucia for continuing on this journey. She asks to see Lucia's new tats. Lucia pauses at first in that her new tats are now in places not appropriate to show to her student. Constance appeals to Lucia's teacher side rather than her artist side by explaining this is a student asking a teacher to share art…to share what is the true essence of this class: ways of self expressing through art. Lucia cautiously considers the student's tactic and then proceeds to lift the back of her shirt to reveal a completely covered back. The student lightly runs her hands over the raised tattoos, gently touched as much of Lucia's quilt before Lucia snaps back down her shirt.
Lucia, now nervous as this seemed odd and very unsettling, tells Constance that she needs to get home. Constance asks Lucia to wait as she has a tat of her own to share. She lifts her shirt to reveal her bra-less chest. But what's most disturbing is the full torso mural of Lucia tattooed on Constance's chest. Too horrified and shocked to move, Lucia stands still, eyes locked on the woman's naked upper body shrine. The student then moves in to kiss Lucia. Constance says they are kindred spirits and how their love can grow as they build quilts together. Lucia pushes Constance away, but the student grabs Lucia and drops to her knees and wraps her arms around Lucia's waist so she's unable to move. Constance presses her face against Lucia's stomach while professing her love. Aside from trying to pry Constance from around her waist, Lucia is wincing in pain as her latest tattoo is still pretty fresh. Recognizing this reaction, Constance pulls her head back from Lucia stomach, lifts her shirt to reveal the newest tattoo: the image of a person on their knees holding a woman at her waist and the standing woman pushing the kneeling figure away. Lucia gives Constance a good shove that break Constance's grip and she falls completely to the floor. Constance in stunned. Constance then scampers to her feet, grabs her things and runs out of the classroom.
Lucia goes home and locks her doors as if someone is following close behind. The buzzer sounds. It's Cedric. While she feels Cedric's company will be comforting, Lucia needs time to process what's happening to her. He asks if he can come up and see her for a short while as she sounds a bit distressed. She says yes, but only for a short while. Cedric comes up and embraces Lucia. She tries to explain that one of her students came on to her. Lucia didn't go into the details of which student and what they talk about exactly. This prompts Cedric to comment on how pushed away he's feeling right now and how he wants to be a support to Lucia. He goes to his knees while saying these things and wraps his arms around Lucia. While at first this position seems very comfortable to Lucia (she wraps her arms around his shoulders and embraces him back), she has a flash of a vision of her tattoo and proceeds to physically push Cedric away. He falls to the floor in the same manner Constance did, looking equally dismayed. Lucia apologizes but tells Cedric he has to leave.
Once she gets Cedric out the door, Lucia locks all the doors and begins tearing her apartment up looking for the slip of wax paper with the latest tattoo on it. She wants to know if the other image is a man or a woman?! Did that latest image play itself out and with whom? She can feel herself going mad. Then in the same fashion as the last image, Lucia's hand begins drawing without Lucia's conscience participation. The drawing is coming fast and furiously. Once the drawing is complete, Lucia immediately runs across the room to get away from this drawing. She's afraid to look at it for she knows what ever this image is, she stands a good chance of living it…and she couldn't bear it to be another bad image.
Lucia tries to go to sleep. She can not. She wants to see the image. She can't bring herself to rest enough to close her eyes. She jumps out of bed, grabs the image without looking at it and runs out the door. In the middle of the night, Lucia runs to the parlor and discover all the area shop lights are out except the glow of Sequoix's work light down his long corridor. Lucia stands in the street outside the tattoo parlor, screaming to Sequoix, "What have you done to me?!" Once Lucia fixes her eyes to look inside the shop through the front window and down the corridor, she notices Sequoix's silhouette. It's as if he's been waiting for her.
He stands still in the hallway for a time. Lucia continues to scream out from outside the parlor to make it all stop. The silhouette of the artist disappears in the back room. Lucia is left screaming to herself. When she tires of screaming in the middle of the night, she looks down at the square image. It is of a woman kneeling beneath the body of another who has hung themselves. When Lucia raises her head from looking at the image, she is on the table, seconds away from this tattoo being applied. She screams out "No…I don't want this done to me!" but her body, which appears unrestrained, is incapable of moving. She accuses the artist of drugging her and bringing her into this room. Sequoix assures Lucia that she is there of her own free will. She isn't doing anything her body and destiny doesn't want her to do. Lucia screams until she passes out.
When Lucia feels like she's come to in the tattoo parlor, she finds herself in fresh clothing and in her class room…but lying on the floor. Lucia slowly rolls over and gets herself to her knees. She feels as though she's moving through water because just as she's gaining the strength to get to her knees at least, her hearing slowly clears up and we hear people crying and screaming. When Lucia finally she realizes all her students are crying or staring in shock at something directly behind Lucia. Lucia turns to see what they are all seeing. It is the image tattooed on her body the night before: She on her knees below the swinging body of Constance. Lucia slumps in horror and complete disbelief.
Lucia races home, bags every pen, pencil, slip of artwork, and burns it all in the fireplace. As she is burning these items, Lucia screams out, proclaiming never to draw another tattoo. She will not draw another picture. She will not get another tattoo. She wants this to end. While screaming in complete defiance of what is happening to her, Lucia begins screaming as if in physical agony. She stripes off her clothes to discover the entire quilt, every three inch by three inch image, moving. Each square has a mission, calling Lucia to complete this quilt. Some tormenting her with the horror of that image. Others coaxing her with love and tenderness as if somehow it's important she lived through this. In it all, Lucia can hear her grandmother's voice saying, "You have to live it all baby. You have to live it all." And with that Lucia grabs a coal from the fireplace and sketches out an image on a half burnt piece of paper. She is doing this while asking for her Grumma to save her…to make this stop. The quilt is moving, pushing Lucia's skin. Her grandmother's voice and a male voice can be heard in the room together saying, "It's your quilt. I can't make it stop." When Lucia swings around to see who the male voice is, it's Sequoix. He's in her loft.
End Part 4...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
"Tattoo" by Teresa Dowell-Vest...Part 3
Wracked with depression, Lucia locks herself in her loft for days and grieves relentlessly. Her answering machine is loaded with messages of concerned friends…and Cedric. Grumma was her only remaining family…her everything. In the middle of the night, Lucia decides she wants to draw. She realizes she could find comfort in her drawings. She works through the night and created ten to twelve drawings depicting images of a child, a young girl growing into a young woman. Lucia decides to build her quilt. One by one, Lucia takes the drawings to Sequoix and has each image scribed on her skin. As always, when Lucia leaves the parlor, she happens upon a real live replica of her image before having her own memory of that scene taking place in her life. Lucia is no longer afraid of this happening. She is having strong vivid memories of her life with her grandmother and that is her comfort. Everyday she would return to the parlor with a new drawing and an addict's patience.
The drawings chronicles Lucia's life, major milestones as well as tender recollections…working through her life to the present moment. With every tattoo applied to her body, the memory that reveals itself is of a time not as long ago as the memory before it. Lucia also realizes she's not in control of the images she creates. It's as if her body's memory is dictating what's to be drawn. Again, this becomes easier for Lucia to accept as most the images are of happy times in Lucia's childhood, adolescents, and young adult life. Occasionally a recollection of a hard time in her life presents itself, i.e. her mother's death, but remembering that she heals the hurt. Her quilt would be rich with this history makes it all ok for her.
Lucia works day and night on a long series of drawings…all in three inch by three inch boxes. Each image is on a separate piece of wax paper which would make it easy for Sequoix to transfer the image to Lucia's skin. While her students think Lucia is cool and hip for transforming herself, Dani is growing disturbed by her friend's new obsession. Evan is disgusted and vows he would never touch Lucia again. Cedric, on the other hand, finds Lucia's quilt to be a masterly designed sculpture. As they grow closer, Evan grows jealous and angry at Lucia's behavior. Lucia begins to fall in love with Cedric.
Lucia sketches out an image of a woman and a man in a close embrace, kissing. When she is done with the image, Lucia is a bit concerned and confused. She's angry with Evan and has no recent memory of being intimate with him. Given where she is in her life and where she is in her quilt, she figured that once she places the patch on her body, she would have a memory of being intimate with Evan. But how? The curiosity of this situation forces Lucia to leave her desk right then and there to have the tattoo applied. She needs an answer now. When the tattoo is applied, Lucia leaves the parlor like always. She looks around hoping to see two people kissing at the very least. She spotted a couple moving into each other as if about to kiss. This seeming to be in slow motion for Lucia, she waits patiently for the lovers to connect. When they do…nothing. No memory. No vision.
Lucia continues home perplexed. Why didn't she feel or see anything? When she gets home, Cedric is there waiting with flowers and Chinese take-out outside her door. She is charmed and tickled by his gesture. She literally feels her stomach drop. Lucia swings her arms around Cedric's neck and plants a long deep kiss on him. When she does this the world stops, literally. Everything freezes for a three second count and resumes. It all happens so quickly Lucia wasn't sure if she noticed it correctly: did the world really just stop or was Cedric's kiss so wonderful she thought the world stopped? Cedric commenting about the shell shocked look on Lucia's face brings her back to the present moment. They make passionate love that evening.
Later that night, while Lucia and Cedric are sound asleep, we see a close up of the tattoo on Lucia's body of the man and woman embracing. The two figures in the tattoo on her body move! They continue to embrace.
Fade to black.
End Part 3...
The drawings chronicles Lucia's life, major milestones as well as tender recollections…working through her life to the present moment. With every tattoo applied to her body, the memory that reveals itself is of a time not as long ago as the memory before it. Lucia also realizes she's not in control of the images she creates. It's as if her body's memory is dictating what's to be drawn. Again, this becomes easier for Lucia to accept as most the images are of happy times in Lucia's childhood, adolescents, and young adult life. Occasionally a recollection of a hard time in her life presents itself, i.e. her mother's death, but remembering that she heals the hurt. Her quilt would be rich with this history makes it all ok for her.
Lucia works day and night on a long series of drawings…all in three inch by three inch boxes. Each image is on a separate piece of wax paper which would make it easy for Sequoix to transfer the image to Lucia's skin. While her students think Lucia is cool and hip for transforming herself, Dani is growing disturbed by her friend's new obsession. Evan is disgusted and vows he would never touch Lucia again. Cedric, on the other hand, finds Lucia's quilt to be a masterly designed sculpture. As they grow closer, Evan grows jealous and angry at Lucia's behavior. Lucia begins to fall in love with Cedric.
Lucia sketches out an image of a woman and a man in a close embrace, kissing. When she is done with the image, Lucia is a bit concerned and confused. She's angry with Evan and has no recent memory of being intimate with him. Given where she is in her life and where she is in her quilt, she figured that once she places the patch on her body, she would have a memory of being intimate with Evan. But how? The curiosity of this situation forces Lucia to leave her desk right then and there to have the tattoo applied. She needs an answer now. When the tattoo is applied, Lucia leaves the parlor like always. She looks around hoping to see two people kissing at the very least. She spotted a couple moving into each other as if about to kiss. This seeming to be in slow motion for Lucia, she waits patiently for the lovers to connect. When they do…nothing. No memory. No vision.
Lucia continues home perplexed. Why didn't she feel or see anything? When she gets home, Cedric is there waiting with flowers and Chinese take-out outside her door. She is charmed and tickled by his gesture. She literally feels her stomach drop. Lucia swings her arms around Cedric's neck and plants a long deep kiss on him. When she does this the world stops, literally. Everything freezes for a three second count and resumes. It all happens so quickly Lucia wasn't sure if she noticed it correctly: did the world really just stop or was Cedric's kiss so wonderful she thought the world stopped? Cedric commenting about the shell shocked look on Lucia's face brings her back to the present moment. They make passionate love that evening.
Later that night, while Lucia and Cedric are sound asleep, we see a close up of the tattoo on Lucia's body of the man and woman embracing. The two figures in the tattoo on her body move! They continue to embrace.
Fade to black.
End Part 3...
Big Mama's House, Killah Beez, and Rule 2!!
Rule 2: If Big Mama tell you to do some…or DON'T do something…you listen, damn it!
Aight then…I was 10. My brother, Chris, 8. My cousin, Sandy 8. My sister La'Shawn, 4. We were at my great grandmother's house with my aunt Nellie. My great grandmother, Magnolia Harris, was my family's "Big Mama". Her husband Robert…"Big Daddy". Ok, so we're at Big Mama and Big Daddy's house…summer time…beautiful day. Big Mama's house didn't have running water. If you peed, you used a pot and if you pooped, you used the outhouse…and child…you know if I had to do a number two, I waited until we got home!! Greatest invention of the modern age: indoor plumbing. But I digress…
The great thing about going to Big Mama's house was the country livin': feeding the animals (cows, chickens, horses, rabbits) and going to the spring to get the water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing. Now spring water is the shit! You had to walk down this long path beyond the hen house and pig pen, down a long "Little House on the Prairie" type hill and The spring water at Big Mama's house was perfect and cold…straight out the mountain. I'm sayin'! But one summer, Big Daddy dug a well close to the house and was able to place a water pump closer to the house. Aw man…that killed us because the kids loved to go down to the spring to get the water for Big Mama. You know we were down there playin' in the water first but we always came back up the hill with our pails of water. Well, Big Daddy and that dang pump finished all that!
We asked Big Mama if we could go down to the spring anyway, to play in the water. She said, "No. The path had grown over and there may be snakes in that grass! Big Daddy needs to cut the path down before ya'll go do there." We knew that wasn't happening. Big Daddy wouldn't need to cut the path as he had a brand new pump bringin' him water damn near to the door! Shoot! We went out and played in the backyard. Knowing we had the devil in us, Big Mama looked out and saw us inching towards the gate that led to the spring. She made us come sit on the front porch until Aunt Nellie was ready to leave. Oooh child, we were mad! Aw man…and I was the oldest…and the ring leader…so you know I had a plan! I whispered let's try again. We were going to the spring! We tip-toed off the porch, slinked around the house and took off runnin' for the gate. Boy, we were runnin' like something was chasin' us!
We were out of view from the house, we started down the long hill towards the spring…in this order: I was in front, then Chris, then Sandy, and then way up the hill was La'Shawn, pickin' flowers or something. We made it down to the spring. All of a sudden, I hear this screaming sound coming from up the hill. We turn around and my sister is barreling down the hill, running. Gravity was bringin' her ass down that hill. She tripped, fell and rolled the rest of the way down the hill. We ran up the hill to meet her halfway. She finally stopped out our feet. I grabbed her and got her to her feet only to discover YELLOW JACKETS clinging to her back. My sister had stepped on a yellow jacket hive! Aw child, our little hearts started racing because we could hear them but we couldn't see them! And they were coming! We were so far from the house…so far…but we had to run…and run through them! You see, these were the woods…the bushes…there was no trying to run around the bees…there was only one trail and that wasn't even a real trail anymore. Chris took off running first. He was the fastest and I remember thinking, "Please Lord, let Chris out run them bees!" He was gone…but they got him. They got us all.
Chris was running. Sandy was behind him and I trailed in the back, dragging my sister by the arm. That child was heavy that day!! The bees felt like someone was beating us with lemon straw against our wet bodies, long stinging lashes, hot burning pricks. It was continuous and long lasting. I could only hear bees and Chris shouting as he ran, "Killah Beezzz…Killah Beezzz!" He made it to the top of the hill, disappeared over the ridge and sprinted for the house…steady screaming. Sandy also reached the top of the ridge and disappeared. Man, between the bees and my sister, I didn't think I was gonna make it to the top of the hill, much less the house. I finally reached the top of the hill.
In the distance, I could see my aunt running from the house, pass Sandy and straight for us. She was yelling, "Let go of La'Shawn and run!" Thank Jesus my aunt was an athlete because I did...I let go and ran! La'Shawn made it back to her feet and was trying to run with me, screaming for me not to leave her. I was crying so hard hearing her like that, but Nellie was coming. I could see her. She was in the distance, but she was coming. La'Shawn was running as hard as her little legs could take her. Whoosh! Nellie ran by me and said keep running for the house. I looked over my shoulder and saw Nellie get to La'Shawn just as my sister was collapsing. She was exhausted. She was in shock. Nellie, with her hand, wiped a sheet of bees off La'Shawn. She scooped La'Shawn up and started running behind me. Big Mama attached a water hose to that damn pump! (To this day, I have mixed feelings about that pump!) As we came running towards her, she was yelling, "Stop running and take off your clothes." Chris ain't hear shit! He was running for the sake of running at this point. Big Mama had to run catch him to keep him from running in the house! He was still yellin' "Killah Beez…Killah Beezzz!!!" We were all stripping out of our clothes and running at the same time! As we all stripped, we realized, the bees weren't on our clothes, they were attached directly to our skin. Aw man…it was awful. We looked like the black Little Rascals! We were all standing in our underwear and socks, getting sprayed down by Big Mama. And you know she was preachin' us out…not yellin'…very quietly actually, "Didn't I tell ya'll not to go down to that spring…naw…but ya don't listen." This being said over the whimpers of her bad ass great grandkids.
We rode home, none of us able to sit down fully. We each sittin' on half a butt check because the bees lit up the other half. We got home and we each were so miserable that all we could do was lay down on the floor in front of the box fan that was drafting cool air from the front screen door. Mama came home to find us all laid out and still whimpering. She asked what happened and my aunt explained. My mom, so completely disappointed in me, said, "I guess you don't need a butt whippin'. Bees took care of that." Man…that damn pump.
Aight then…I was 10. My brother, Chris, 8. My cousin, Sandy 8. My sister La'Shawn, 4. We were at my great grandmother's house with my aunt Nellie. My great grandmother, Magnolia Harris, was my family's "Big Mama". Her husband Robert…"Big Daddy". Ok, so we're at Big Mama and Big Daddy's house…summer time…beautiful day. Big Mama's house didn't have running water. If you peed, you used a pot and if you pooped, you used the outhouse…and child…you know if I had to do a number two, I waited until we got home!! Greatest invention of the modern age: indoor plumbing. But I digress…
The great thing about going to Big Mama's house was the country livin': feeding the animals (cows, chickens, horses, rabbits) and going to the spring to get the water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing. Now spring water is the shit! You had to walk down this long path beyond the hen house and pig pen, down a long "Little House on the Prairie" type hill and The spring water at Big Mama's house was perfect and cold…straight out the mountain. I'm sayin'! But one summer, Big Daddy dug a well close to the house and was able to place a water pump closer to the house. Aw man…that killed us because the kids loved to go down to the spring to get the water for Big Mama. You know we were down there playin' in the water first but we always came back up the hill with our pails of water. Well, Big Daddy and that dang pump finished all that!
We asked Big Mama if we could go down to the spring anyway, to play in the water. She said, "No. The path had grown over and there may be snakes in that grass! Big Daddy needs to cut the path down before ya'll go do there." We knew that wasn't happening. Big Daddy wouldn't need to cut the path as he had a brand new pump bringin' him water damn near to the door! Shoot! We went out and played in the backyard. Knowing we had the devil in us, Big Mama looked out and saw us inching towards the gate that led to the spring. She made us come sit on the front porch until Aunt Nellie was ready to leave. Oooh child, we were mad! Aw man…and I was the oldest…and the ring leader…so you know I had a plan! I whispered let's try again. We were going to the spring! We tip-toed off the porch, slinked around the house and took off runnin' for the gate. Boy, we were runnin' like something was chasin' us!
We were out of view from the house, we started down the long hill towards the spring…in this order: I was in front, then Chris, then Sandy, and then way up the hill was La'Shawn, pickin' flowers or something. We made it down to the spring. All of a sudden, I hear this screaming sound coming from up the hill. We turn around and my sister is barreling down the hill, running. Gravity was bringin' her ass down that hill. She tripped, fell and rolled the rest of the way down the hill. We ran up the hill to meet her halfway. She finally stopped out our feet. I grabbed her and got her to her feet only to discover YELLOW JACKETS clinging to her back. My sister had stepped on a yellow jacket hive! Aw child, our little hearts started racing because we could hear them but we couldn't see them! And they were coming! We were so far from the house…so far…but we had to run…and run through them! You see, these were the woods…the bushes…there was no trying to run around the bees…there was only one trail and that wasn't even a real trail anymore. Chris took off running first. He was the fastest and I remember thinking, "Please Lord, let Chris out run them bees!" He was gone…but they got him. They got us all.
Chris was running. Sandy was behind him and I trailed in the back, dragging my sister by the arm. That child was heavy that day!! The bees felt like someone was beating us with lemon straw against our wet bodies, long stinging lashes, hot burning pricks. It was continuous and long lasting. I could only hear bees and Chris shouting as he ran, "Killah Beezzz…Killah Beezzz!" He made it to the top of the hill, disappeared over the ridge and sprinted for the house…steady screaming. Sandy also reached the top of the ridge and disappeared. Man, between the bees and my sister, I didn't think I was gonna make it to the top of the hill, much less the house. I finally reached the top of the hill.
In the distance, I could see my aunt running from the house, pass Sandy and straight for us. She was yelling, "Let go of La'Shawn and run!" Thank Jesus my aunt was an athlete because I did...I let go and ran! La'Shawn made it back to her feet and was trying to run with me, screaming for me not to leave her. I was crying so hard hearing her like that, but Nellie was coming. I could see her. She was in the distance, but she was coming. La'Shawn was running as hard as her little legs could take her. Whoosh! Nellie ran by me and said keep running for the house. I looked over my shoulder and saw Nellie get to La'Shawn just as my sister was collapsing. She was exhausted. She was in shock. Nellie, with her hand, wiped a sheet of bees off La'Shawn. She scooped La'Shawn up and started running behind me. Big Mama attached a water hose to that damn pump! (To this day, I have mixed feelings about that pump!) As we came running towards her, she was yelling, "Stop running and take off your clothes." Chris ain't hear shit! He was running for the sake of running at this point. Big Mama had to run catch him to keep him from running in the house! He was still yellin' "Killah Beez…Killah Beezzz!!!" We were all stripping out of our clothes and running at the same time! As we all stripped, we realized, the bees weren't on our clothes, they were attached directly to our skin. Aw man…it was awful. We looked like the black Little Rascals! We were all standing in our underwear and socks, getting sprayed down by Big Mama. And you know she was preachin' us out…not yellin'…very quietly actually, "Didn't I tell ya'll not to go down to that spring…naw…but ya don't listen." This being said over the whimpers of her bad ass great grandkids.
We rode home, none of us able to sit down fully. We each sittin' on half a butt check because the bees lit up the other half. We got home and we each were so miserable that all we could do was lay down on the floor in front of the box fan that was drafting cool air from the front screen door. Mama came home to find us all laid out and still whimpering. She asked what happened and my aunt explained. My mom, so completely disappointed in me, said, "I guess you don't need a butt whippin'. Bees took care of that." Man…that damn pump.
Country Livin' Rule 1: If You Didn't Put It Down, Don't Pick It Up!!
Rule 1: If you didn't put it down, don't pick it up! I repeat!! IF YOU DIDN'T PUT IT DOWN, DON'T PICK IT UP!! Seems like this would be a no brainer. Seems like common sense would lead on this one. Naw…
When I was in 12, I had a rubber black snake. It was one of those gag toys that you acquire, not really remembering where you got it or why you had it…but I did. My cousin, Yvette, a city girl for the most part, came out to visit. Yvette was 6. She had seen the rubber snake…played with it…wasn't nearly afraid of it. I mean, it was a rubber snake. Well, we left the house and started walking up to the baseball diamond up the dirt road a bit. Yvette and my sister La'Shawn, also 6, began to trail behind my brother Chris and I continued ahead towards the baseball game up the road. I hear Yvette say, "Terésa! You dropped your snake on the ground!" Chris and I turned just in time to see Yvette reach down and pick up the black snake. For some strange and fortunate reason, Yvette knew to pick the snake up at the head, and thank goodness she did because no sooner than she had her little 6 year old hand around the snake's neck, the REAL snake coiled its body around her hand, wrist and up her arm to her bicep! That child's eyes got so big!! Oh my goodness…she started screamin' and took off runnin'! Do ya think she dropped the snake?! Hell no! She was steady runnin' TOWARDS us tryin' to get someone to help her take the snake off her arm! She's runnin' and screamin'…chokin' the snake. The snake's mouth was wide open because she had a death clutch on it! Now we're all runnin' FROM Yvette but yellin', "Just drop it! Drop the snake and run!!! Just drop it!!! Stop playin' Yvette!! Just drop it!!" Oh my goodness…we ran back to grandma's house. My grandma, Thelma, came runnin' outside. We went runnin' past her, screamin' "Yvette chasin' us with a snake!" She saw Yvette runnin', cryin'…no…screamin' about the snake that got her…WHEN SHE HAD THE SNAKE!! My grandma stopped her, quickly grabbed the snake from her hand by the head and tossed it in the bushes. I know that snake was so glad to see my grandma! I know we were! My grandma saved the SNAKE's life that day! So…IF YOU DIDN'T PUT IT DOWN, DON'T PICK IT UP!!
When I was in 12, I had a rubber black snake. It was one of those gag toys that you acquire, not really remembering where you got it or why you had it…but I did. My cousin, Yvette, a city girl for the most part, came out to visit. Yvette was 6. She had seen the rubber snake…played with it…wasn't nearly afraid of it. I mean, it was a rubber snake. Well, we left the house and started walking up to the baseball diamond up the dirt road a bit. Yvette and my sister La'Shawn, also 6, began to trail behind my brother Chris and I continued ahead towards the baseball game up the road. I hear Yvette say, "Terésa! You dropped your snake on the ground!" Chris and I turned just in time to see Yvette reach down and pick up the black snake. For some strange and fortunate reason, Yvette knew to pick the snake up at the head, and thank goodness she did because no sooner than she had her little 6 year old hand around the snake's neck, the REAL snake coiled its body around her hand, wrist and up her arm to her bicep! That child's eyes got so big!! Oh my goodness…she started screamin' and took off runnin'! Do ya think she dropped the snake?! Hell no! She was steady runnin' TOWARDS us tryin' to get someone to help her take the snake off her arm! She's runnin' and screamin'…chokin' the snake. The snake's mouth was wide open because she had a death clutch on it! Now we're all runnin' FROM Yvette but yellin', "Just drop it! Drop the snake and run!!! Just drop it!!! Stop playin' Yvette!! Just drop it!!" Oh my goodness…we ran back to grandma's house. My grandma, Thelma, came runnin' outside. We went runnin' past her, screamin' "Yvette chasin' us with a snake!" She saw Yvette runnin', cryin'…no…screamin' about the snake that got her…WHEN SHE HAD THE SNAKE!! My grandma stopped her, quickly grabbed the snake from her hand by the head and tossed it in the bushes. I know that snake was so glad to see my grandma! I know we were! My grandma saved the SNAKE's life that day! So…IF YOU DIDN'T PUT IT DOWN, DON'T PICK IT UP!!
Hikin' and Chasin' Waterfalls...
Originally posted on July 24, 2007
So, I made it to the waterfalls of Solstice Canyon on Saturday! Amazing hike. Beautiful morning. It was foggy at first. Kinda made me think of "Gorillas in the Mist"! But this time...this time...this time there were a lot of folk there who I KNEW wasn't scared to go in the bushes to investigate...you know what I'm sayin'? So I figured I'd stay close to them!! And that proved to be a good choice. I cruised through the woods without a care. Because I've been going to Runyon Canyon twice a week and joined the Hiking Hunnies last week at Big Santa Anita Canyon over above Pasadena, I was in better physical condition to take on the trail. I wasn't as winded and whatnot…but still wasn't tryin' to run if something jumped out at me. You know I would though! Anyway…lots of great photos and motivation to keep on hikin'! Join us Wednesday for another trip to Solstice…for those who couldn't go Saturday. Also, losing 15 pounds behind this whole hikin' bit is reason enough too!
I forget I'm in Los Angeles. I completely forget there is a city of loud, dirty cars and road rage when I'm hiking. Waterfalls people! Waterfalls and trees and blue mosquitoes. Now, I ain't never SEEN no blue mosquitoes and I'm praying they ain't so special that they carry some funky disease or something. What I do know is this: God is a creative being. A BLUE MOSQUITO?! AND WHY?! They were pretty and in great abundance by the creeks and falls in the canyons. While hiking on Saturday, I was reminded of my great grand mother's house in Nelson County, Virginia. I grew up in the mountains in Covesville, Virginia…just outside Charlottesville. I'm a country girl who was always curious about the country. There were rules. There are always rules wherever you live and livin' in the country ain't no different. Check out my next blog for rule number 1!
So, I made it to the waterfalls of Solstice Canyon on Saturday! Amazing hike. Beautiful morning. It was foggy at first. Kinda made me think of "Gorillas in the Mist"! But this time...this time...this time there were a lot of folk there who I KNEW wasn't scared to go in the bushes to investigate...you know what I'm sayin'? So I figured I'd stay close to them!! And that proved to be a good choice. I cruised through the woods without a care. Because I've been going to Runyon Canyon twice a week and joined the Hiking Hunnies last week at Big Santa Anita Canyon over above Pasadena, I was in better physical condition to take on the trail. I wasn't as winded and whatnot…but still wasn't tryin' to run if something jumped out at me. You know I would though! Anyway…lots of great photos and motivation to keep on hikin'! Join us Wednesday for another trip to Solstice…for those who couldn't go Saturday. Also, losing 15 pounds behind this whole hikin' bit is reason enough too!
I forget I'm in Los Angeles. I completely forget there is a city of loud, dirty cars and road rage when I'm hiking. Waterfalls people! Waterfalls and trees and blue mosquitoes. Now, I ain't never SEEN no blue mosquitoes and I'm praying they ain't so special that they carry some funky disease or something. What I do know is this: God is a creative being. A BLUE MOSQUITO?! AND WHY?! They were pretty and in great abundance by the creeks and falls in the canyons. While hiking on Saturday, I was reminded of my great grand mother's house in Nelson County, Virginia. I grew up in the mountains in Covesville, Virginia…just outside Charlottesville. I'm a country girl who was always curious about the country. There were rules. There are always rules wherever you live and livin' in the country ain't no different. Check out my next blog for rule number 1!
"Tattoo" by Teresa Dowell-Vest...Part 2
When the tattooing is over, Lucia leaves satisfied with what she has done. When she leaves the parlor, Lucia calls Dani on her cell phone to tell her about the tattoo and begins walking home. Lucia passes a pregnant woman on the sidewalk and just as the woman passes, Lucia feels a lightening hot flash of pain in her stomach. Simultaneously, we see a flash of an image of a black woman standing naked, caressing her swollen belly. In nearly the same amount of time it overcame Lucia, the pain was gone. A little stunned by what has just happened, Lucia stands still in her tracks for a brief moment, shakes it off, and continues on.
That evening, after a sweet birthday dinner, Evan and Lucia return to her studio. Evan apologizes for getting so upset about the tattoo issue and, most importantly, for physically harming Lucia. He explains how much he loves Lucia's body: her perfectly sculpted shape and evenly bronzed complexion…not a single blemish to be found. Lucia does not confess to getting the tattoo right away. Evan wraps his arms around Lucia. Lucia winces in pain at the exact time Evan's hands discovers the square bandage on Lucia's lower back. Quickly pulling away from Evan, Lucia lies that she scraped her back and it required a small bandage…no big deal. Evan is concerned and wants to see the wound. He is worried it may need care and wants to make sure it isn't infected. Lucia tries to keep Evan from seeing the tattoo, which causes suspension in Evan. He asks Lucia to show him her back. She balks at first and then reveals the tattoo to him. Evan is not happy at all as he feels he's been disrespected and disregarded. When asked "What's the big deal?", Evan explains that he thinks marking yourself is a devil's act and that she is doing something that is morally wrong. She exclaims his having a sexual relationship with her without being married is also thought to be morally challenged but he doesn't seem to mind being there night after night fucking her every way to Sunday service and Wednesday bible studies. Evan slaps Lucia. He quickly apologizes and tries to make right his wrong, but Lucia wants him out. Reluctantly, Evan leaves.
Lucia goes to bed but is unable to rest. She gets up and begins drawing another image in a box. She is sitting at her draft board in the dark with a single work light. Her pen never leaves the paper. As she completes the image, she turns off the light and heads to bed. We see the image is of a woman cradling a small infant in her arms.
The next morning in class, Lucia tells Constance of her new tattoo. She asks Lucia what her next one will be. This startles Lucia. Constance explains that once you get your first tattoo, you instantly begin thinking about getting your next one. "Like Hemingway, I am a drunk but my drink is my ink my pen to my skin. I am a writer…a true artist. I am a unique soul…gypsy of sorts. I live my art and I live my pain. The sting of its beauty is not a cost at all, but it's a test to see if I am worthy."
Thinking hard about Constance's comment about tattooing becoming an addiction, Lucia pauses before getting this second tattoo. Finally believing the whole idea is ridiculous, Lucia has the second tattoo placed on her back above the first tattoo. Dani accompanies Lucia to the parlor this time. When the women leave the parlor, Lucia spots a woman sitting at an outdoor café, breast feeding her newborn baby. We hear Dani going on about how woman should be more private about that sort of thing. Lucia doesn't hear a word of what Dani is saying. She is having a reoccurrence of what happened the first time she got the tattoo. The only difference this time is the pain isn't so sharp. The pain is accompanied by a flash of an image of a black woman cradling and bouncing a small baby and just as quickly, the image is gone. This time the image feels more like a memory rather than a random flash of an image. Dani notices something is wrong with Lucia and asks if she's ok. Lucia tries to downplay it all at first but then ask Dani if she thinks the ink has side effects she should consider. They go into the coffeehouse and Lucia explains to Dani what happened after getting her two tattoos. Dani first asks if she thinks she might be pregnant. Lucia answers no. She wouldn't get the tattoo if she was pregnant. She also answers that things weren't all that great between she and Evan since she first mentioned the tattoo. Dani then resigns the entire situation to Lucia being tired, stressed, and sexually deprived and that maybe she needed a new somebody to show the tats to. Lucia says no. She loves Evan. Evan will learn to bend a bit and love her despite her tattoos.From the coffee shop, Lucia heads to her grandmother's house. Her grandmother raised her and is her best friend. Grumma, as she is called, is stitching the square patches of a quilt together. She explains that all the women in her family quilted and while she was proud of her granddaughter…this new woman of the new world…she was disappointed her granddaughter wasn't participating in her heritage of quilting. At first Lucia argued it was such an old fashioned thing to do. No one quilts anymore. Grumma then proceeds to take out two quilts: one built by her grand mother and the other by her mother. The quilts were rich with designs , colors and patterns of an earlier time. The images were of people, animals and shapes. The quilts both seems to tell stories as each block belonged to a person, place, or time significant to the quilt's maker. The quilts revealed these women's lives explained Grumma. Without them she would not be able to say she truly knew the women who reared her. She learned of her mothers' loves and pain and lives through those quilt. She didn't want the story telling to die with her. Her grandmother asks if Lucia would consider changing her mind and built a quilt of her own one day. Lucia promised she would.
We see a young girl playing the back yard of an old trailer home and a woman calling for the girl to come inside before the storm get her. The woman exclaimed she could smell the rain coming and that, because it was so hot, that storm was going to be a bad one. The woman then takes the hand of the young girl and pulls up rather abruptly.
In that instant, a hand grabs Lucia's waist and yanks her out of the street seconds before a car was to hit her. The street was wet and slick with rain and the car was not able to come to a full stop before skidding over the spot where Lucia was standing. She had been yanked out of harm's way and into the arms of beautifully chocolate Cedric Stevens. The rain was pouring over the two of them by the bucketful it seemed. Confused and certainly dazed, Lucia begins looking around to gather her wits and restore her sense of place. She notices a woman berating her daughter for standing out in the rain and holding tight clutch to the child's wrist. The man who saved Lucia is talking, asking if Lucia is ok. She doesn't answer right away, but she whispers, yes, that she was fine. She pulls away and said she was daydreaming she guessed. Had a lot on her mind lately and must have wandered out onto the street. Still standing in the rain, they introduce themselves to one another and while caught instantly by an attraction. Startled by a loud boom of thunder, the two only move from the rain to shelter with a loud boom of thunder.
Cedric explains the Lord is doing his work. That's what his grandma use to say. Hers too. He said his grandmother was country and superstitious and turned everything off in the house doing a storm. Lucia said she could one up his grandma because hers unplugged everything in the house. Everything but the refrigerator, but because the Lord was doing his work, and that you should be somewhere sitting quietly, you ain't have no business being by the refrigerator. She explains that her grandmother would sit on the couch with a pillow over her ear to muffle the sound of the loud booms of thunder which frightens her grandmother. Grumma would say "The Lord is a mighty God and his thunder frightens me. Each boom is his stirring about and I must be still while he works."He offers to buy her some tea to warm her up and to keep shelter until the rain passed. She takes him up on his offer but first needs to go to the ladies' room to freshen up a bit. When she goes to the bathroom and removes her shirt, we see this new tattoo is the sixth block added to her growing collection. A close up of the most recent box reveals a woman holding the hand of a young girl. The flashes are definitely memories now and this visibly shook Lucia. She whispers, "Jesus, it's a memory. They're all memories." There is a knock at the door. It's another woman waiting to get into the restroom.
Lucia rejoins Cedric for the coffee and they converse…getting to know one another. Cedric is a Southern man, raised by his grandmother and he moved to this town to go to school. Lucia explains she too was raised by her grandmother, that her grandmother lives there in this town and that they are very close. They compares "grandma" stories as a means of deepening their immediate connection. Lucia notices a branding on Cedric's arm. He's a member of a black frat and his brand is seductively raised on his arm. Lucia is drawn to touch it with her hands, but because she doesn't know this man, she only touches with her eyes. Following her eye path, Cedric asks if she's like to touch it…as if reading her mind. She refrains and then explains she had to go check on her grandmother and head home before it was too late. Cedric gives Lucia his number and asks her to call sometime.
The rain has lifted some and but the rumbling of the thunder continues as Lucia arrives at Grumma's house. It's early evening…dusk…but a dark dust since the storm clouds are slowly breaking up. The house is dark, quiet, and still since Grumma unplugs everything during a storm. Lucia enters the house calling for Grumma, reassuring her it is ok to talk back, the Lord's work is nearly done. Lucia enters into the living room of the house and sees Grumma sitting on the couch in her normal "storm position": quietly, upright and still with a throw pillow cover the side of her face. Lucia notices the finished quilt next to Grumma. While Lucia is complementing Grumma on her newly finished quilt, Lucia notices Grumma isn't moving…hasn't so much as acknowledged Lucia's presence in the room. Lucia removes Grumma's pillow to discover Grumma has quietly passed away.
End Part 2...
That evening, after a sweet birthday dinner, Evan and Lucia return to her studio. Evan apologizes for getting so upset about the tattoo issue and, most importantly, for physically harming Lucia. He explains how much he loves Lucia's body: her perfectly sculpted shape and evenly bronzed complexion…not a single blemish to be found. Lucia does not confess to getting the tattoo right away. Evan wraps his arms around Lucia. Lucia winces in pain at the exact time Evan's hands discovers the square bandage on Lucia's lower back. Quickly pulling away from Evan, Lucia lies that she scraped her back and it required a small bandage…no big deal. Evan is concerned and wants to see the wound. He is worried it may need care and wants to make sure it isn't infected. Lucia tries to keep Evan from seeing the tattoo, which causes suspension in Evan. He asks Lucia to show him her back. She balks at first and then reveals the tattoo to him. Evan is not happy at all as he feels he's been disrespected and disregarded. When asked "What's the big deal?", Evan explains that he thinks marking yourself is a devil's act and that she is doing something that is morally wrong. She exclaims his having a sexual relationship with her without being married is also thought to be morally challenged but he doesn't seem to mind being there night after night fucking her every way to Sunday service and Wednesday bible studies. Evan slaps Lucia. He quickly apologizes and tries to make right his wrong, but Lucia wants him out. Reluctantly, Evan leaves.
Lucia goes to bed but is unable to rest. She gets up and begins drawing another image in a box. She is sitting at her draft board in the dark with a single work light. Her pen never leaves the paper. As she completes the image, she turns off the light and heads to bed. We see the image is of a woman cradling a small infant in her arms.
The next morning in class, Lucia tells Constance of her new tattoo. She asks Lucia what her next one will be. This startles Lucia. Constance explains that once you get your first tattoo, you instantly begin thinking about getting your next one. "Like Hemingway, I am a drunk but my drink is my ink my pen to my skin. I am a writer…a true artist. I am a unique soul…gypsy of sorts. I live my art and I live my pain. The sting of its beauty is not a cost at all, but it's a test to see if I am worthy."
Thinking hard about Constance's comment about tattooing becoming an addiction, Lucia pauses before getting this second tattoo. Finally believing the whole idea is ridiculous, Lucia has the second tattoo placed on her back above the first tattoo. Dani accompanies Lucia to the parlor this time. When the women leave the parlor, Lucia spots a woman sitting at an outdoor café, breast feeding her newborn baby. We hear Dani going on about how woman should be more private about that sort of thing. Lucia doesn't hear a word of what Dani is saying. She is having a reoccurrence of what happened the first time she got the tattoo. The only difference this time is the pain isn't so sharp. The pain is accompanied by a flash of an image of a black woman cradling and bouncing a small baby and just as quickly, the image is gone. This time the image feels more like a memory rather than a random flash of an image. Dani notices something is wrong with Lucia and asks if she's ok. Lucia tries to downplay it all at first but then ask Dani if she thinks the ink has side effects she should consider. They go into the coffeehouse and Lucia explains to Dani what happened after getting her two tattoos. Dani first asks if she thinks she might be pregnant. Lucia answers no. She wouldn't get the tattoo if she was pregnant. She also answers that things weren't all that great between she and Evan since she first mentioned the tattoo. Dani then resigns the entire situation to Lucia being tired, stressed, and sexually deprived and that maybe she needed a new somebody to show the tats to. Lucia says no. She loves Evan. Evan will learn to bend a bit and love her despite her tattoos.From the coffee shop, Lucia heads to her grandmother's house. Her grandmother raised her and is her best friend. Grumma, as she is called, is stitching the square patches of a quilt together. She explains that all the women in her family quilted and while she was proud of her granddaughter…this new woman of the new world…she was disappointed her granddaughter wasn't participating in her heritage of quilting. At first Lucia argued it was such an old fashioned thing to do. No one quilts anymore. Grumma then proceeds to take out two quilts: one built by her grand mother and the other by her mother. The quilts were rich with designs , colors and patterns of an earlier time. The images were of people, animals and shapes. The quilts both seems to tell stories as each block belonged to a person, place, or time significant to the quilt's maker. The quilts revealed these women's lives explained Grumma. Without them she would not be able to say she truly knew the women who reared her. She learned of her mothers' loves and pain and lives through those quilt. She didn't want the story telling to die with her. Her grandmother asks if Lucia would consider changing her mind and built a quilt of her own one day. Lucia promised she would.
We see a young girl playing the back yard of an old trailer home and a woman calling for the girl to come inside before the storm get her. The woman exclaimed she could smell the rain coming and that, because it was so hot, that storm was going to be a bad one. The woman then takes the hand of the young girl and pulls up rather abruptly.
In that instant, a hand grabs Lucia's waist and yanks her out of the street seconds before a car was to hit her. The street was wet and slick with rain and the car was not able to come to a full stop before skidding over the spot where Lucia was standing. She had been yanked out of harm's way and into the arms of beautifully chocolate Cedric Stevens. The rain was pouring over the two of them by the bucketful it seemed. Confused and certainly dazed, Lucia begins looking around to gather her wits and restore her sense of place. She notices a woman berating her daughter for standing out in the rain and holding tight clutch to the child's wrist. The man who saved Lucia is talking, asking if Lucia is ok. She doesn't answer right away, but she whispers, yes, that she was fine. She pulls away and said she was daydreaming she guessed. Had a lot on her mind lately and must have wandered out onto the street. Still standing in the rain, they introduce themselves to one another and while caught instantly by an attraction. Startled by a loud boom of thunder, the two only move from the rain to shelter with a loud boom of thunder.
Cedric explains the Lord is doing his work. That's what his grandma use to say. Hers too. He said his grandmother was country and superstitious and turned everything off in the house doing a storm. Lucia said she could one up his grandma because hers unplugged everything in the house. Everything but the refrigerator, but because the Lord was doing his work, and that you should be somewhere sitting quietly, you ain't have no business being by the refrigerator. She explains that her grandmother would sit on the couch with a pillow over her ear to muffle the sound of the loud booms of thunder which frightens her grandmother. Grumma would say "The Lord is a mighty God and his thunder frightens me. Each boom is his stirring about and I must be still while he works."He offers to buy her some tea to warm her up and to keep shelter until the rain passed. She takes him up on his offer but first needs to go to the ladies' room to freshen up a bit. When she goes to the bathroom and removes her shirt, we see this new tattoo is the sixth block added to her growing collection. A close up of the most recent box reveals a woman holding the hand of a young girl. The flashes are definitely memories now and this visibly shook Lucia. She whispers, "Jesus, it's a memory. They're all memories." There is a knock at the door. It's another woman waiting to get into the restroom.
Lucia rejoins Cedric for the coffee and they converse…getting to know one another. Cedric is a Southern man, raised by his grandmother and he moved to this town to go to school. Lucia explains she too was raised by her grandmother, that her grandmother lives there in this town and that they are very close. They compares "grandma" stories as a means of deepening their immediate connection. Lucia notices a branding on Cedric's arm. He's a member of a black frat and his brand is seductively raised on his arm. Lucia is drawn to touch it with her hands, but because she doesn't know this man, she only touches with her eyes. Following her eye path, Cedric asks if she's like to touch it…as if reading her mind. She refrains and then explains she had to go check on her grandmother and head home before it was too late. Cedric gives Lucia his number and asks her to call sometime.
The rain has lifted some and but the rumbling of the thunder continues as Lucia arrives at Grumma's house. It's early evening…dusk…but a dark dust since the storm clouds are slowly breaking up. The house is dark, quiet, and still since Grumma unplugs everything during a storm. Lucia enters the house calling for Grumma, reassuring her it is ok to talk back, the Lord's work is nearly done. Lucia enters into the living room of the house and sees Grumma sitting on the couch in her normal "storm position": quietly, upright and still with a throw pillow cover the side of her face. Lucia notices the finished quilt next to Grumma. While Lucia is complementing Grumma on her newly finished quilt, Lucia notices Grumma isn't moving…hasn't so much as acknowledged Lucia's presence in the room. Lucia removes Grumma's pillow to discover Grumma has quietly passed away.
End Part 2...
"Tattoo" by Teresa Dowell-Vest...Part 1
So many of you know I have a screenplay called "Genesis" floating about town. It's the piece that has my greatest amount of focus, but I have other pieces that I've been shaping as well. One of my favorites is "Tattoo"."Tattoo" is the story of a woman whose tattoos predetermine the events of her life...and death. I'm a huge Twlight Zone fan and this is one of two pieces I've written with that ole Rod Serling feel. Below you will find a registered treatment/short story (in the most loose sense) version of Tattoo. I will be posting it in parts (prob. 5) simply because it's 11 pages long and I don't want to post it at 11 PAGES!! LOL... This summer I've been writing the screenplay version of my suspense story. Hope you enjoy part 1 of Tattoo...
Brooklyn, NY
Her friend, Dani Scott, is always late and is not disappointing Lucia today by being anything she isn't. Dani, a lesbian, is a 34 year old college theater professor. When Dani arrives, Lucia's doodle, in a three inch by three inch square, is complete. It is a profile of a pregnant woman caressing her swollen belly. When Dani remarks on the beauty of the image, she inspires Lucia to consider the drawing as a tattoo…Lucia's first tattoo for her 35th birthday, which is only days away. Lucia, expressing a desire for something new and exciting in her life, can not deny the tattoo as a great tone setter.
Ok...I'm going to post more on another post...just cuz!
"Tattoo"
by
Terésa Dowell-Vest
Brooklyn, NY
July 2, 2007
Lucia Adams is an artist and college professor at Brooklyn College. She specializes in calligraphy and Asian, Arabic and West African lettering art. She is a 34 year old, African American woman of a sweet honey hue. Her voluptuous figure is tastefully garmented by form fitting yet eclectic clothing.
The story begins with Lucia doodling on a small piece of paper while waiting for a friend for tea. Lucia waits for her friend at home which is an artist studio. Papers and artist tools are everywhere. The loft may look a mess to anyone else, but to Lucia, there is a method to her madness.
Her friend, Dani Scott, is always late and is not disappointing Lucia today by being anything she isn't. Dani, a lesbian, is a 34 year old college theater professor. When Dani arrives, Lucia's doodle, in a three inch by three inch square, is complete. It is a profile of a pregnant woman caressing her swollen belly. When Dani remarks on the beauty of the image, she inspires Lucia to consider the drawing as a tattoo…Lucia's first tattoo for her 35th birthday, which is only days away. Lucia, expressing a desire for something new and exciting in her life, can not deny the tattoo as a great tone setter.
Later in the evening, Lucia asks her boyfriend, Evan Jacobs, about his feelings about her getting a tattoo. He is adamantly against his girlfriend "marking up her body". When Lucia rebuts that it's her body to "mark up", Evan responds by grabbing Lucia forcibly by her arms. Evan releases his grip on Lucia's arms but does not release the intensity of his message. Lucia is NOT to get a tattoo. This display of aggression is surprising to Lucia who has never known Evan to be physically violent.
July 3:
Lucia's birthday.Lucia teaches various art classes at Brooklyn College. One of her students, Constance Matherson, is a tattoo enthusiast. Her body is half dressed in tattoos. Figuring Constance would be a reliable resource tattooing, Lucia inquires about the process of getting a tattoo with her student. The conversation is filled with the art, the history, the addiction, the beauty, the intrigue, the rebel-nature and the mystery of being a bearer of a tattoo. Constance explains, "My body is my canvas. My body is my quilt. My body is my book…my tablet upon which I paint my life and I write my poetry…I bear the story I choose to tell." This is poetic enough for Lucia. Lucia decides to visit a nearby parlor and have her drawing placed on her body…the small of her back.
The tattoo parlor is a storefront, "hole in the wall" shop. The owner is a quiet, mysterious Native American man, Sequoix. Sequoix escorts Lucia down a long, dark, corridor. When she gets to the actual area where the tattooing is to take place, the room is dark except for a reclining examination table that looks as though it has been taken from a hospital. Next to the bed is a work station filled with needles, ink, a single adjustable work light, and all the needed tools of the tattoo artist's trade.
When asked why she is getting a tattoo, Lucia offers up a great many answers, none of which seems to be totally truthful or even her own. She borrows everyone else's reasoning for doing this to herself instead of knowing her own reasons. This prompts Sequoix to ask Lucia if she owns her body? "Does it belong to you? Do you wish to take your body back? Make your body your own? Your body wants to be home with you…do you want it?" Lucia says yes. Sequoix begins.
Ok...I'm going to post more on another post...just cuz!
Hiking in Solstice Canyons
Originally posted on MySpace: Wed. July 4, 2007
I've made several hikes since this post...including one where Amber walked up on a California Mountain Kingsnake! Goodness...
Solstice Canyons – July 3, 2007
I went on a morning hike with Amber and it was a lot of fun…until we spooked ourselves out! We went to the canyons in Malibu with the hopes of making it to the waterfalls that entice people to visit this particular trail. Well, there were probably 5 cars in the parking lot. We began our hike and quickly realized we were alone…or so it felt. Eventually we encountered two other hikers, who were running…in the OPPOSITE direction! We figured they were runners exploring the trails. We journeyed on.
Ok…so the runners were still on our minds. We were getting higher and higher up the mountain…away from civilization. The mind tricks began. Every single crack of dry branch…every little rustle of leaves in the breeze…the smallest lizard running back into the grass from the giants walking the trail…every noise innocently resonating along the way scared the shit out of us! We stopped…abruptly stopped every 30 seconds at SOMETHING. Our various stops began to frighten each other, "What you stop for?!" "Why you lookin' in the bushes like that?!" "What you see?!"
By this point, I'm winded. I'm bent over like an out of shape basketball player trying to catch their breath at the sides of the free throw line…gripping the bottom of my shorts at the knees. All I could think, "If something jumped out to get us, would I have the energy to run…to save my own damn life?!" I get my breath…we press on.
The paranoia simply grows. Every time I needed to pause, Amber would yell at me, "You got to let a sistah know when you are going to stop!! I keep going, I look back, you ain't even there! I freak out and here you come bopping around the trail like everything is cool! If something get you, I'm going to think she's just back there tired!! Let me know when you stop!!!" It became funny after a while…for just a little while.
The trail led us to this beautiful opening. On one side you see the ocean…on the other side mountains…no signs of greater Los Angeles. Beautiful seems so wrong to say…it was so much more. But here rest the problem: NO signs of greater Los Angeles! No people!! We could not shut the voices in our minds at all! We laughed at each other at first. We realized we were both thinking the same thing: "If something jumped out to get us, there are only two of us and the car is too far away!!!" We wanted to go further but just could not put to rest the visions from the movie "Prey" where the family wanting to experience the wilds of Africa became the PREY of the wilds of Africa! We turned and headed back towards the car…quickly. Our quick walk turned into an aggressive skip which progressed to a light jog which graduated to a 'we are REALLY trying to get the hell out of here' run! We laughed hysterically once we made it to the car, but there was a feeling of failure lingering over us. Why were we so easily spooked? What was it about the quiet or the subtle sounds of the outdoors that ignited our imaginations and inspired us to run out of our amazing surroundings? It evoked every comedy routine I've ever heard about black folks being too afraid to hang around when danger is remotely possible. Hell, we got up EARLY for this! All I could think was there were mountain cats and I ain't no fool!! Still not wanting to be so easily defeated we vowed we would try again…try again soon. We want to round up the troops first.
So, be on standby, we want to see the waterfalls! You have to go with us!
I've made several hikes since this post...including one where Amber walked up on a California Mountain Kingsnake! Goodness...
Solstice Canyons – July 3, 2007
I went on a morning hike with Amber and it was a lot of fun…until we spooked ourselves out! We went to the canyons in Malibu with the hopes of making it to the waterfalls that entice people to visit this particular trail. Well, there were probably 5 cars in the parking lot. We began our hike and quickly realized we were alone…or so it felt. Eventually we encountered two other hikers, who were running…in the OPPOSITE direction! We figured they were runners exploring the trails. We journeyed on.
Ok…so the runners were still on our minds. We were getting higher and higher up the mountain…away from civilization. The mind tricks began. Every single crack of dry branch…every little rustle of leaves in the breeze…the smallest lizard running back into the grass from the giants walking the trail…every noise innocently resonating along the way scared the shit out of us! We stopped…abruptly stopped every 30 seconds at SOMETHING. Our various stops began to frighten each other, "What you stop for?!" "Why you lookin' in the bushes like that?!" "What you see?!"
By this point, I'm winded. I'm bent over like an out of shape basketball player trying to catch their breath at the sides of the free throw line…gripping the bottom of my shorts at the knees. All I could think, "If something jumped out to get us, would I have the energy to run…to save my own damn life?!" I get my breath…we press on.
The paranoia simply grows. Every time I needed to pause, Amber would yell at me, "You got to let a sistah know when you are going to stop!! I keep going, I look back, you ain't even there! I freak out and here you come bopping around the trail like everything is cool! If something get you, I'm going to think she's just back there tired!! Let me know when you stop!!!" It became funny after a while…for just a little while.
The trail led us to this beautiful opening. On one side you see the ocean…on the other side mountains…no signs of greater Los Angeles. Beautiful seems so wrong to say…it was so much more. But here rest the problem: NO signs of greater Los Angeles! No people!! We could not shut the voices in our minds at all! We laughed at each other at first. We realized we were both thinking the same thing: "If something jumped out to get us, there are only two of us and the car is too far away!!!" We wanted to go further but just could not put to rest the visions from the movie "Prey" where the family wanting to experience the wilds of Africa became the PREY of the wilds of Africa! We turned and headed back towards the car…quickly. Our quick walk turned into an aggressive skip which progressed to a light jog which graduated to a 'we are REALLY trying to get the hell out of here' run! We laughed hysterically once we made it to the car, but there was a feeling of failure lingering over us. Why were we so easily spooked? What was it about the quiet or the subtle sounds of the outdoors that ignited our imaginations and inspired us to run out of our amazing surroundings? It evoked every comedy routine I've ever heard about black folks being too afraid to hang around when danger is remotely possible. Hell, we got up EARLY for this! All I could think was there were mountain cats and I ain't no fool!! Still not wanting to be so easily defeated we vowed we would try again…try again soon. We want to round up the troops first.
So, be on standby, we want to see the waterfalls! You have to go with us!
The Official Jump Off...I Think...
Hey ya'll...
I decided to create another space to post my thoughts, stories, and whatnot...in addition to MySpace. Yes, I've become something of a MySpace junkie, but all for good reason...and when I truly realize it, I'll share it here.
In the meantime in between time, I'm going to begin by posting the blogs I created there here. I've heard from so many people about wanting to go hiking and such as a result of my blogs on MySpace. I then realized...and not to offend anyone on MySpace...but most of the people I'm closest rarely, if ever, use MySpace! SO...I've created this blog to reach those I don't normally through MySpace.
Done.
I'll hollah...
TDV
I decided to create another space to post my thoughts, stories, and whatnot...in addition to MySpace. Yes, I've become something of a MySpace junkie, but all for good reason...and when I truly realize it, I'll share it here.
In the meantime in between time, I'm going to begin by posting the blogs I created there here. I've heard from so many people about wanting to go hiking and such as a result of my blogs on MySpace. I then realized...and not to offend anyone on MySpace...but most of the people I'm closest rarely, if ever, use MySpace! SO...I've created this blog to reach those I don't normally through MySpace.
Done.
I'll hollah...
TDV
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