Thursday, March 7, 2013

Sneak Peek at Toni Rakestraw's They Call Her Granny


King and Anderson Plantation, ... Digital ID: 1260037. New York Public LibraryGranny reminisces.

“Times were different then in a lot of ways,” she said. “But some things don’t change.”
“Like what?” I asked automatically. She did tend to drone on.
“The way we’re treated. That hasn’t changed much.”
I should stop here and explain that Frances was an old black woman. She’d seen a lot of change in her life, and if she said some things didn’t change, I guess she would be an expert.
“Birthing. I caught my first baby when I was only six years old. My father was gone to fetch the midwife, and I was left with my cousin. I caught her baby before they got back.”
That caught my attention. A six year old catching a baby? “Weren’t you scared?” I asked.
“Naw. Nothing to be scared about. It was just a baby.”

***


Toni Rakestraw is an editor by day and a writer by night. She has written another short story, The Longest Night, for Pagan Writers Press. She also co-authored Titanic Deception, a full-length novel, with her husband John. 

1 comment:

  1. Remind me of some of the women I knew growing up...strong, resourceful and fierce...what a great way to honor them, allowing their voices to be heard!

    ReplyDelete

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