Set in the Harlem Streets on a rainy night in 1939...
In the heart of Harlem New York, a lanky black woman runs with a bundle in her hands. It’s raining terribly, there’s a faint yelling behind her. She looks back but continues to run as fast as she can. She's been running for almost 10 minutes with Manhattan in sight. The woman gets to the bar door in Manhattan that she was so desperately looking for, there’s a light on inside. She bangs on the door fiercely. No abrupt answer, the woman lays the bundle down and puts poorly written note on top of the bundle. She bangs one more time, looks back, kissed the bundle probably for the last time, (yelling voices of many men get closer) and takes off into the night. A beautiful white woman comes to the door cursing as if it was an inconvenience for someone to be knocking this late at night. She looks through the window and sees nothing, she turns around but is stopped by a baby crying. It’s very loud so she opens the door and immediately looks down. There’s a fully wrapped up African-American baby with a soaked note pinned to his blanket laying on the stoop. She picks up the child and reads the front of the note, It’s addressed to her husband Theodore Scaletta. It reads:
“Dear Mr. Scaletta, I know you told me to keep this hushed up, but you promised I would be safe. The Rudy family found out about my son, your son. I know the times we are in, and a big time gangster like yourself having a black baby won’t look good for business, but The Rudy’s are going to kill me or worse our son and use his birth against you. The safest place to leave him was with his father and your sweet wife. Mrs. Scaletta, If you are reading this, your husband loves you and he made a mistake I’m sure he regrets, but I loved him. You have always been good to me and giving me the waitress job at the bar helped me bunches. Anyway this is your son, he was born three weeks ago but I hadn’t given him a name because I figured you want a part in that. Please let him know that i loved him and did not want to leave him. Love always, Priscilla Smallwood.”
Marilyn was full of mixed emotions. Tears began to fall from her eyes, she knew that she couldn’t have children and felt betrayed her husband had one with another woman. She looked at the baby then smiled a teary smile, kissed it’s forehead and walked to the back of the bar.
To be continued...
