Early Lore
A Confessions Supplement
The Tale of Mrs. Toe’mas
I’ve written this tale once before, but with a late season hurricane coursing the oceans; I’ve decided to reweave the story of Mariya Thomas, or Mrs. Toe’mas as I affectionately call her. Let us turn back the years to a time when I had begun documenting the journals on a semi annual basis. It was well within 1988. Deetra was detestful and her occasional phone calls were the closest I had to a relationship at that point in life. I had just received news that I was one of the finalists of the All State Chorus that year. Life was looking up. I was gaining respect among my peers… Ok, that may have been a stretch but one way or another I met a young voluptuous woman with long hair walking towards the music building. She wore these cute glasses but her best feature was her long luxurious hair. I was enthralled, I was consumed with passion, I told a joke and that pretty much was it for a while.
It was her friend Cassandra that alerted me that I could actually talk to her. I think it was her who first gave me her number. But with stipulations, I remember her step-folks were kinda strict. No phone calls after 8 I believe. So, with Cassandra as my medium, we conversed the first night. December never felt warmer. School let out for Christmas break and I remember Mariya discussing some band trip that she would be going on. She’d go of course I’d miss her. But there were a couple of things to happen of note during Mariya’s absence; on December 31st I received a phone call from Keisha Boyington. I still to this day don’t understand why she had called. It was the last time I’d hear from her, so I figure it was a turning point in her life. I know it was for me. Later on that night, at our concert at the skating rink, this unknown girl gave me a New Year’s kiss. Don’t ask me who she was, I’d like to think she was someone who recognized the budding Knight and wanted to lay the ground work for the chaos that ensued for the coming year.
1989 had come in with a bang. But I had guidance, I had a girlfriend. I began to forsake all others. I could not wait to get back to school to see her. I was among the first few weeks of January that me and Mariya shared our first and only kiss. It was between classes right in front of the music building. (Ya’ll can’t begin to understand the connection that me and that ole music building share.) This was fuel for the conversation that we all shared. Cassandra had found her a boyfriend and I teased her mercilessly of course. And every thing was fine or seemed as so.
February had rolled around and then, February was a sinister month for me. It was always a reminder of the fact that the knight went still unloved. But this year was different, me and Mariya was an item. As a matter of fact, let me get her a candy gram or something for Valentines Day. I remember meeting her at her locker for some sugar first (heh! Like that ever happened…) but I asked her did she want any thing for Valentine’s Day. I didn’t have a job or anything, but it shouldn’t be a problem to come up with the five bucks that it took for balloons and candy. Someone would sympathize with young love. Well she told me no. I shouldn’t be bothered with such shenanigans. So I’d done exactly what she said. I didn’t bother. How surprised was I when I saw her with at least 30 bucks of balloons and candy (every year that number increases). I think I broke up with her after the phone call, Wait she broke up with me because I accosted her. Swearing she was with someone else. Of course she didn’t need me. She had somebody. Cassandra called me and told me I was wrong. I was. I called back and wished to be her friend. She allowed it. Since then Mariya became the trusted soul. She even helped me out when I was dealing with her “cousin” Robynetta. She was even a mediator between me and the Beasely-woman when we called it quits.
1991 I hate to tell this part of the story because I was wrong. But here it goes; I called Mariya and conversed, I found out that Mariya needed a date for the prom. I don’t know who suggested I would do it, but I was honored. I never went to my prom. I felt if we went, there would be sparks, and we would restart what had been stopped ages ago. It probably would’ve been wonderful. But the fates had it that I would screw up the transportation. My brother and his car were in Columbia that weekend. What could I do? I hid. Everyone was expecting me to call. My mom’s glared at me knowing I was in the wrong. That’s when the phone calls began. Ugh! It was an ugly night for the budding Knight indeed. I still feel the apprehension and disappointment from that night. I had unwittingly bruised Mrs. Toe’mas’s heart. She didn’t want to talk to me again. Tracee didn’t want to talk to me ever again. My brother called me back and said “Why didn’t you say something earlier?” The world to me was a cruel lover.
I wouldn’t speak to her for eleven months. A hole developed in the middle of my persona. Within that hole; a defensive vengeance seeker emerged. But Mariya wasn’t his target. So when I saw Mariya and Tracee at the local Spring Fling, I prepared to engage in a battle. There was none. I finally talked to Mariya, well, she talked to me. She said she doesn’t really know what happened that night, nor did she want to know. But she felt she had to do something. I asked what it was. She wanted to slap me. She didn’t. But you know she wanted to. Her look in her eye told me all I needed to know. She looked sympathetic and I probably looked pathetic. I left with my dignity intact, but you could tell something was broken. It was the close friendship we had.
1992 A letter went out to Mariya. I never know if she had got it or not. But I requested forgiveness for all that I had done. Mariya taught me that a woman’s heart can hurt. Even at the hands of the most well meaning of hearts. She taught me to be careful.
