John Jr. kept the wallet in a flat tin can, that he purchased in a department store.
Donald’s twin sister Rachel moved high in the New York mountains, where she and her husband lived a solitary life, in a small two-room cabin that they built. Twice a year during spring and fall, they would come down to the city to purchase sugar, flour, salt, other cooking items, hygiene, and personal things. Rachel nor her husband worked so they relied upon Donald to give them the money to purchase the items. The couple lived off vegetables planted in their garden, and animals her husband hunted and killed. Rachel taught herself how to preserve the meat, from her mother she learned how to can vegetables.
On a cool fall cloudy afternoon, in 1957, a year after her grandmother’s funeral. Rachel was out gathering the last of the blackberries she was going to store up for the cold winter months. It was canning season, she was going to make, wine, juice, and preserve the rest. Sadly, she was picking the berries so fast that she accidentally put in her basket a few deep red berries that were toxic. They had begun to grow among the blackberries. She picked a basketful of the black and just enough of the dark red berries to be lethal. Maybe, had it been a bright sunny day, instead of a cloud-covered sky, she would have seen the red berries.
In the cabin, with only candlelight, Rachel began the process of preserving the berries. She washed a few and put them in a bowl to have as a dessert after dinner. While she prepared dinner, her husband was out back cleaning a bear that he had shot. He cleaned the meat and put it in the smoker, he was happy because they were going to have meat during the harsh winter months. Unfortunately, that night after dessert, they both became very sick. Her husband looked in the bowl and saw the poisoned red berries. He did not tell her the reason they were ill. Rachel became unwell before her husband. As she cleaned the berries, she had eaten one of the red berries, it was bitter, she added sugar and stirred them around. Her husband took her hand and laid her down on the bed. He went back to the other room, using a knife he carved on the table, it was the red berries. He returned to the bedroom, laid next to Rachel, who had died. Not long after her, he was gone.
Near the end of the fall season, Donald panicked, Rachel and her husband always came down a little early, to stay a week or two with him and purchase their needed things for the winter. Something felt wrong, he felt a loss, yet no one was sick or died, he had not heard from his sister or her husband. He took some of his buddies up the mountain to his sister’s cabin. When Donald opened the door, the smell caused him to stumble back. Donald and his friends entered the two-room cabin, they found the couple peacefully lying on the bed. their decaying bodies, clothes, and bed covers had dried vomit stains. Donald was relieved that his grandpa, John Sr., had already passed away, because this would have sent him over the edge, all over again.
Donald requested an autopsy to confirm that the couple had eaten poison berries, as written on the wood table in his sister’s cabin. His father was appalled and said no. Donald put the funeral on hold. He wanted his father to calm down and think with a clear head. John Jr. blamed his son Donald, he said, “you were twins, it was up to you to care for your sister.” He accused his son of not visiting his sister more often. Donald told his wife, “dad accuse me of not seeing Rachel, neither did he.”
John Jr. did not stop at his accusations against his son, he also pointed his finger, at his son-in-law. But then, he was dead as well. He went back to his son and blamed him a second time because Donald did not check on his sister often enough. He tried to sue the State of New York and hold them responsible for allowing people to live in the mountains. John Jr. wanted anyone to be accountable for his daughter’s death, he was so traumatized that he became ill.
Donald walked in his aunt JoAnn Bright disobedient shoes, he ignored his father and had the autopsy done. A few weeks after receiving the report, Donald visited his father’s home, and said to his dad, “think about it dad, Rachel knows nothing about the wilderness, with no training she decided to move in the mountains and live a life she was not familiar.”
John Jr. slapped Donald hard. At which time, Donald said, “I had the autopsy done, they died from eating poison berries.”
John Jr. was going to slap his son again, but Donald blocked the lick and left his dad’s home.
A few weeks later, John Bright Jr. died, he was eighty years old.
After John Jr, funeral, Donald’s wife asked how he was holding up. Donald said, “this may sound harsh, I am relieved. Dad did not accept Rachel was responsible for her death. At least grandpa finally realize that it was his daughter’s fault.”
“You didn’t know that woman.”
“No, dad told me all about it. He said, grandpa told her not to go to Mississippi, and her husband told her not to go to the store. She did anyway.” He looked at his wife and asked, “whose fault was it.”
“Sounds like hers.”
“And my sister? Even though everyone told her not to live like a recluse.”
“Her choice.” His wife answered.
“I was a little boy when grandpa said to Rachel and me, “God got coloreds out of slavery, if we ain’t careful, He will put us back.” He paused before saying, “I agree with grandpa to a point, maybe not as it was in the past, I do believe slavery can be a form of self-enslavement.”
His wife asked, “is that a word?”
Donald replied angrily, “It is now.” He looked at his wife and said, “I’m not angry with you, I’m just mad at the stupidity of my family.”[RL53]
She smiled and said, “your father told you not to have the autopsy.”
They laughed as Donald said, “disobedience runs in the family.”
His wife said, “be glad you did, it confirmed your suspicion.”
Donald replied, “yes, it explained the carving on the table, that simply read, it was the red berries.” He looked at his wife and said, “did I mention they were holding hands.”
She reached over and took Donald’s hand in hers, he cried and said, “my sis and dad gone, pointlessly.”
She wrapped her arms around Donald and held him tight.
The next day, Donald went to visit his mother, who was doing a whole lot better than what he expected. She was calm and at peace. She said to Donald, “your sister’s death is not your fault.”
“I know mom.”
Donald and his mother talked and laughed for a long while that day. She gave him the wallet that was in the tin, she said, “your grandpa gave this to your father before he passed.” She gave it to him and said, “I don’t know the importance of it, but it’s a part of the Bright family history.”
Donald opened the tin and said, “it’s a wallet. What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Pass it down to your son.”
Donald put the wallet back in the tin, and said, “most families pass down an heirloom, this family an empty wallet.”
His mother laughing said, “and a tin, don’t forget that.” They had a good laugh, Donald’s mom said, “the wallet and tin are expensive items. Take the wallet out the tin and look at it again.”
Donald opened the wallet, while he was inspecting it, his mother said, “your grandma and grandpa were professors at an all-white university, they went from being slaves to being professors.” She took the wallet and tin from Donald and laid them down. She asked, “do you remember going to their home.”
“That great big house? Rachel and I use to run all around the house, inside and out.” He laughed at the memory.
His mom said, “your father never told you, your grandpa left the house to you.”
“Me, why not dad? Didn’t he sell it?”
Donald’s mom said, “your father was mean, your aunt Jo Ann, I am told by your grandmother, that she was kind and caring. She wanted world peace, kind of like what you’re are doing as a lawyer. When you were hired on with the NAACP, your grandpa cried like a baby.”
“Why.”
“He said you have Jo Ann’s spirit.”
“What about Rachel?”
“He loved her, but she was different like something was missing.”
Donald asked, “Is that what you think?”
“Don’t you? Your sister quit school at age sixteen, ran away from home, moved up in the Mountains. Think about it, when she and her husband came to visit your home, you brought the boys over here.” She got the tin with the wallet and held it in her hand then said, “you did think she was a little strange.” Donald’s mother concluded.
Donald laughed and said, “she was wild, like her husband. I didn’t want her around my children. Though I believe she was happy.”
“Yes, she was, twice a month Rachel and her husband would find a way to give us a call, she spoke only to me, her voice was happy. Her husband loved visiting you, he had no family, we were it.”
“He was white.”
“Sometimes race is not a factor, in your sister’s case, it was a blessing.” His mother answered.
Donald asked, “was dad mean to you? he was hateful to me and Rachel, I felt we were in his way. That’s why sis and I liked going to grandpa’s, it was peaceful at their home. “
Donald’s mom handed her son the tin, and said, “your dad paid sixty dollars for the tin and the wallet is very expensive, purchased in the 1800s by your aunt Jo Ann.” She looked at the shock on Donald’s face, then said, “I guess, you do have an heirloom. What are you going to do about your grandpa’s house?”
“Keep it, maybe one of the boys will want to live there, I like New York City better than Rochester.”
His mom smiled and said, “your father and I felt the same. Although, every other month we would drive up there and stay for a few weeks. He hired a company to clean, paint, varnish the wood, we bought new furniture and kept some of the older pieces that were beautiful. It’s a big house and cost a lot of money to redo.”
“It was fourteen rooms, I think,” Donald said.
“Seventeen rooms, I had to pick out the furniture for every room.” She smiled and said, “in answer to your question, yes, your father was mean and hateful, he never hit me. He put his value inexpensive things and not his family or character.” She looked at Donald and asked, “does that make sense?”
“Yes ma’am, I’m not sure what dad was so mad about, but he always had a chip of some kind on his shoulder, he drove Rachel insane.”
His mother responded, “yes, he called her a wild child. He used to tell me that Jo Ann was just like her.”
Donald said, “I don’t believe dad, grandpa said, aunt Jo Ann had a purpose in life. Rachel, on the other hand, was animal wild.”
His mother said, “don’t say that about your sister.”
Donald and his wife had two sons, Donald John Bright born 1947, and James Dan Bright 1948. When Donald’s dad died, the family of four visited Donald’s mom once a week. They got closer with John Jr. gone, his mom had an aura of contentment that surrounded her. Sadly, Donald’s mom died peacefully in 1957, two years after John Jr.
Standing by his mother’s bedside before she took her last breath, she said to Donald, “thank you, son, for making my last year’s pleasant. I love you and my grandboys.” She passed away peacefully, unlike his dad who had died angry at the world.
Straight out of high school Donald John Bright attended college, James Dan Bright, unfortunately, moved to Harlem, New York where he became lead singer for a jazz band. His dad thought, at least he finished high school, unlike his aunt Rachel.
One of the band members introduced James to a pretty girl that was a prostitute and addicted to drugs. The band played in nightclubs from ten o’clock at night to sunrise, they could play for long hours without getting tired because they were taking drugs. James' voice got worn-out and he grew tired. James girlfriend introduced him to uppers, at first, he was vehement with her for suggesting that he take a substance that would alter his life.
Regrettably, he continued to travel and sing with the band, eventually, he began taking drugs, to wake up, sing, and sleep. Taking uppers, James would perform beyond quitting time. One year later, nineteen-year-old James became a father, he was addicted to drugs that were destroying his heart. James was born with a heart valve disease that he was aware of, he had spent most of his childhood in doctors’ offices or the hospital. Though he was mindful of his heart problem, he continued to sing and take drugs to keep up.
One evening, James was performing, during his routine, he was barefoot, his feet had swollen too big for his shoes to fit. He was confused and dizzy, he got out of breath while singing, he stumbled through the lyrics, during his last song James fainted on stage.
He was rushed to the hospital and received treatment; the doctors told him there was nothing they could do. They advised him to stop taking drugs, stop smoking, stay away from liquor, and slow down. He did not listen. James girlfriend had a boy in a hospital that was across town. His buddy picked him up from the hospital and took him to get his girlfriend and baby. James knew that he nor his girlfriend were fit to be parents. he gave her money, Donald’s address, and phone number then told her to take the child to his brother in upstate New York. He told her in the car, “I cannot go to my brothers with you, my family is very successful.”
The Driver said, “he’s right, I’ve heard a lot about the Bright family.”
When they arrived home in their hotel room, his girlfriend took the baby to their room while James used the office telephone to call his brother. James told Donald about the baby and his girlfriend, he asked, “would you please raise my son for me, the baby is three days old. My girlfriend will be there soon.” He did not give his brother time to reply, James quickly ended the call by saying, “thank you, Donald, I love you brother.”
James and his girlfriend lived in a hotel that was two doors down from where Paula stayed in the red-light district, and across the bridge from where Baerbel’s mother was raised. Separating the white and black American slum, was the bridge.
James went to the hotel room, his girlfriend was gone, the baby was lying on the bed crying. A colored nurse at the hospital could see that the couple had nothing. She purchased two bottles, powdered milk, three diapers, safety pins, two blankets, baby lotion, Vaseline, and three gowns. When they were leaving the hospital, James said to the nurse. “truly, you’re my son’s angel. Thank you, ma’am.”
James made two half bottles of milk out of the powdered milk, and then fed the baby. He sat the other bottle in a bucket of ice. After the baby ate, James patted the baby’s back and sang a lullaby, until it let a loud three-day-old belch. James laughed and said, “you’re excused.” He bathed the baby and dressed him in his new clothes. When the baby was dressed James said, “you are my handsome baby boy. You will love your uncle; he will love you. He is a kind gentleman.” James hugged his son before laying him down. James took his regular dose of the drug, laid next to his son, kissed his little forehead and said, “daddy loves you.” James fell asleep and never woke up. [RL54]
The money that James had given to his child's mother, was spent on maintaining her drug habit. The baby cried all the time, he was skinny, dirty, had a bad diaper rash, and constant cold. She was a cheap hooker strung out seven days a week. Three days after James death, the babies luck changed when his mom’s pimp offered a solution. He said, “I will drive you to James brother’s house if you make two hundred and fifty dollars tonight.
That prostitute left at six o’clock that evening. While she was out working the streets, her pimp looked around the room to see if they had anything for the baby. The two bottles were filled with water, he found the powdered milk, read the directions and made the child milk and fed it. When he began to undress the baby, the baby belched and threw up some of the milk. The pimp said laughing, “you are excused.”
The Pimp removed the gown and diaper that James had dressed his son in. The pimp almost cried at the site of the little boy, it ribs protruded where fat should have, he had a diaper rash, his skin was dirty like he had been outside playing. He ra
n warm water in the sink and using the hotel soap, washcloth, and towel, he gently washed the baby. He wrapped the baby in a towel and looked around for something other than the dirty diaper and clothes to put on the baby. On a stand was the bag of thing from the nurse. The pimp rubbed Vaseline all over the baby, extra on his backside. He dressed the baby and wrapped the six-day-old in one of the new baby blankets. He laid the baby on the bed and pulled the covers over the tiny little shoulder. Using the hotel soap, he washed the little boys’ gown and diaper then hung them up to dry.
The pimp said, “your daddy loved you very much,” watching the baby suck his tongue as he slept made the pimp smile. He began seriously thinking about settling down and start a family, he wanted a normal life. The pimp had never seen anybody black or white, living a regular lifestyle. The people he knew including his family were thugs, gangsters, pimps, drug addicts or dealers. He laid down next to the little boy and fell asleep. Unlike the child’s father, he woke up the next morning.
When the maid entered, he asked for a clean towel and washcloth. He got the baby up and said, “good morning little Tyke. The pimp washed the baby, rubbed him down with Vaseline, changed its diaper, dressed the child in a clean gown, wrapped him in his blanket, and fed him.
The tiny baby’s mother returned at eight thirty that morning, she entered the room beaming, she had made four hundred and seventy-five dollars. She showed it to the pimp, his response was not what she expected. He said, “you’re nothing but a filthy whore that care only for drugs.”
She said, “but I made a lot of money.”
He took the money and said, “we leave tomorrow morning, be ready.”
That night at ten o'clock, she called James brother and ask if she could bring the baby in the morning, she told Donald the truth about everything. Donald was devastated, he had no idea that his brother was dead, cremated, and ashes were thrown in a park without his knowledge. He slammed the receiver down so hard, it made his wife, who was in the other room jump. She asked, “Don, everything alright?”
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