as I know, my grandmother never came back to Asheville, and you already know that Great-granny was a homebody who rarely veered far from Asheville’s city limits.”
Gayle took Angela’s now trembling hand. I had already perked up when I heard the name Arletha. Arletha is not a common name. Interestingly, I happened to know a woman named Arletha. She lived in the community where I grew up, several houses down the street from our house. Her name was Arletha Brown.
“Do you know if she’s alive, and if so, do you know where she might be? Did Great-granny tell you that much?” Angela began to wipe away a few tears that were now rolling down her face. I could tell this was an emotional discussion for her. I couldn’t imagine not ever having known my grandmother, especially if she was still alive.
“Grandmother didn’t know. She just asked if I ever got a chance, for me to see if I could find out anything. One of the problems I ran into is legal records. All of grandmother’s children were born at home. You know her mother was a midwife, too. And even though Grandmother’s children’s births were recorded, back in those days, birth certificates and records weren’t kept as meticulously as they are these days. Grandmother once told me that a midwife was required to send in the birth records logged in some kind of a small book, but there were times when it might not have been sent in. Those people’s births were not properly recorded. I haven’t been able to find anything on an Arletha Williams, or an Arletha Black for that matter.”
“Why would you look for Arletha Black? Great-granny was a Black but she married a Williams.”
“It’s possible, not that I’m saying it’s the case, but it’s possible Grandmother might have had Arletha before she married,” Gayle said. “If she did, it would have been recorded as Arletha Black. I’ve been searching for Williams, but I’m a realist, too.”
I thought it was interesting that the Arletha I knew had a last name that was a color, Brown, and this Arletha could have been a color, Black.
Gayle continued explaining. “I did what I could, given my other obligations at the time, but I’ve run into nothing but dead ends.”
“So you don’t know any more than any of us. Except Great-granny did at least tell you her name, which is more than she ever told me. And you’ve known all of this since Great-granny died and you never said a word to anybody? The least you could have done was say something to me about it,” Angela said. “I don’t have anybody like the rest of you do. If there’s a chance my grandmother is alive and still out there, I would like to have known that before now.”
“Angel, it’s not like you kept in touch with any of us after you moved down here. Besides, Grandmother asked me not to say anything to you unless and until I was able to locate Arletha.”
Angela leaned forward and pursed her lips. “So you’ve located her?” She held her breath.
“No,” Gayle said. “And I had all but quit looking. Then I was talking with a woman, a relative of Sarah’s actually, after the will was read. She counseled me on how bad secrets, especially a secret like this, can be for everyone involved. She felt I shouldn’t keep this to myself or from you. She felt you at least had a right to know what I knew.”
Gayle stood up and took a few steps away from Angela. “When I was telling this woman about it, I just happened to mention Arletha’s name. She then told me she’d met a woman in Birmingham, Alabama, named Arletha. Since Arletha is not a common name, it was something to follow up on. She had her phone number, and she gave me that number.”
Angela stood up and walked over to Gayle. “Here in Birmingham? That Arletha lives here? So have you called yet?”
Gayle nodded as she sat back down on the couch. “I have.”
“And what did she say?”
“She asked if this was some kind of a sick joke, then she hung up on me. When I tried calling her again to explain myself better, she told me to stop calling and harassing her. She said if I called her house again, she would report me to the proper authorities and let them take care of me.”
“It’s her,” Angela said as she began to pace back and forth in front of the sofa like a caged lion. “I just know the Arletha you called is my mother’s mother.” She turned and faced Gayle. “Well, we’ve got to go see her. We have to find out for certain, once and for all. We owe that much to Great-granny.” Angela began to pace again as she continued, “We need to go see her today. That’s what we need to do. There has got to be a way to find out where she lives.”
As soon as Angela said that, I looked at all the work we had left to do and the little time we had left to do it, and I realized how unwelcome a distraction this was.
“I checked to see if there was an address listed in the phone book for her, and there’s not. Besides, Angel, you’re getting married in a few days,” Gayle said. I slowly began to exhale and thanked God for Gayle’s voice of reason during this volatile time.
“That’s one of the reasons why I was debating whether or not to mention this now,” Gayle said. “The timing is all wrong.”
“Give me her phone number.” Angela held out her hand. “I want to call her myself.”
Gayle got her purse, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Angela. “Chances are this woman isn’t your grandmother, Angel. Now don’t go and let this interfere with the life you’re about to embark upon with Brent. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything to you just yet.” Gayle shook her head. “I knew this would be a mistake.”
“Yes, you should have.” Angela headed for the phone. “And I’m calling her right now.” She picked up the phone and held it. A smile came over her face. “If it turns out this woman really is my grandmother, then what better time for me to find out than right before my wedding. In my spirit, I don’t believe this is happening by some sheer coincidence.” Angela looked at the paper as she pressed the numbers. “I mean, look at the timing of all of this. It’s almost like it’s some sort of setup.”
After a minute, with the phone at her ear, Angela looked up at the ceiling. She clicked the end button and slowly placed the phone back into its base.
“What happened?” Gayle asked.
“The number is no longer in service.” Angela went over to the couch and gingerly eased down onto it. I could see she had just had the wind knocked out of her. I knew all too well what that felt like.
Gayle sat down beside Angela. “I’m so sorry. I knew I shouldn’t have brought it up now. I should have followed my first mind and just kept this information to myself.” She leaned over and hugged Angela. “Okay, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to forget I ever said anything. Okay? You know your grandmother’s name. It was Arletha. We don’t know where she is or even if she’s still alive. You’re getting married on Saturday. So let’s just get back to the happy place we were before I opened my big fat mouth. Let’s finish seating family and friends and concentrate on the glorious day you’re about to embark upon. Angel, please don’t let the devil steal your joy. Not now.”
Angela shook her head repeatedly. “I can’t.” She looked at Gayle. “And I’m not sorry you said anything.” Angela looked down at the paper again. “If this Arletha Brown happens to be my grandmother, I want to know. I know other family members and close friends are going to be attending my wedding. But can you imagine how much it would mean, not having my mother alive to be here for this, not having Great-granny here, but
