Table of Contents
Copyright 2020 by K. Bethany
All rights reserved. This material is the exclusive property of K. Bethany and KBW Holding LLC. Distributions to unauthorized persons or reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written consent of K. Bethany and KBW Holding LLC is strictly prohibited.
ISBN: 978-1-0983410-5-3
Poem excerpt by Robert Frost, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening from The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery Lathem. Copyright 1923, 1969 by Henry Holt and Company, Inc., renewed 1951, by Robert Frost. Reprinted with the permission of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
K. Bethany
Detroit, MI 48235
Knowledge is infinite, my words are my Melody and Wisdom is the lyrics to the keys of my soul!-K.
Bethany
For my mother, Annie Ruth Wade. You were one of the greatest representations of God that blessed this realm with a magnificent zeal of light, Im forever grateful for you.
Contents
PROLOGUE
I ran down the street soaking wet from the sweat of nervousness that I felt. My heart was beating uncontrollably, I was so afraid. I felt as if I was going into cardiac arrest, all of this factored in with the elements. I looked over my shoulder as the sleet struck my face like shards of wet glass. I could hear the sound of my sisters voice getting louder and louder as she gained momentum YOU GOT ON MY JACKET? IM GOING TO KILL YOU WHEN I CATCH YOU! YOURE DEAD KIM! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOUR ASS IS DEAD! shouted Shay. Yes, I could hear her loud and clear, maybe I shouldnt have done it but I did. There was no turning back now. My sister Shay was closer now, a lot closer than she had been moments ago. I continued to run with great speed, trying my damnedest to get away NO!!! Stay away from her and the pain that she would inflict upon my body. This was just another day in my life of Elementary, My Dear!
Before I get into why I was being chased by my sister or running for my life, I have to take you back to how this all began. As far back as I can remember, I have always hated things that didn't have anything to do with me having fun. I loved playing games, watching cartoons, eating Froot Loops, ice cream, candy and cake. I enjoyed anything that would and could make a child feel happy, euphoric even. FUN!!! Fun, more fun and good times was what I was all about. However, there was something that I never wanted to experience, that was the big S word SCHOOL. I hated school so much. I also hated the fact that summer had come to a close and it was now time for me to go back to this place that I dreaded so much. Now dont get me wrong, I would play pretend school with my friends and cousins but that was then and this is now. The tables have turned and I have decided that, I AM NEVER GOING BACK THERE, THATS ALL TO IT! It's just that, all everyone keeps talking about is school this and school that. No ifs, ands or buts about it. We all had to go and to me, this summer vacation shit didnt last long enough.
As I take a look back at my life, I can honestly convey to you that I hated school with a passion. From elementary school to middle school, high school and even college. I loathed any and everything that had to do with it. For me, school was nothing more than a prison sentence. It was just something about being in a classroom where someone could ask you to answer a question that you may not have the answer for, that always seemed to bother me. Why put someone on the spot? When you knew deep down inside, they didnt have the answer. Hell, they didnt even raise their hand nor did they make a gesture for you to call on them, so why pick on them? You really dont know if they were just shy, afraid or if they had even grasped the concept of what was being taught. My theory is that there is never a right or wrong answer, every answer is potentially correct and it just depends on who youre talking too. I have always been a firm believer that everyone does not learn on the same level. So, my question is, How can a teacher who has been taught to teach in a particular style, using the 5 basic methods of teaching, continue to teach thirty plus students thesame exact thing? This seems rather impossible to me. Wouldn't it be sort of mundane to teach them all on the same accord? What the hell is a grade anyway? Just my thoughts.
When I think about the time that I was growing up, I can honestly say that I was a very inquisitive child and was so full of life. Although I was very shy when it came to strangers and people I didn't know, when it came down to my family and friends I could never shut up. I had many questions and I was very eager for knowledge. You couldnt tell me nothing and I thought I knew everything but I didnt. Whatever it was, I had to know about it I needed to know about it! I was never one to pry (so I thought) but never was I ever inappropriate. Although, I would always get caught trying to listen in on conversations that did not concern me, so I guess you could say I pried a bit. I wasnt old enough to have knowledge or wisdom to understand the meaning of what they were always gossiping about. My grandmother, who we called MAMA would often times say, MAKE HASTE AND GET OUT OF HERE! Thisconversation doesnt concern you. While taking a long drag from the cigarette that parted her full lips. You are not grown and if I see your little narrow behind in here again trying to listen to grown up conversation, youre not going to like the outcome. Now get on outta here! Cause if you dont, Im going to get a switch off of that bush out there and beat your little black ass!
CHAPTER 1
LIFE AS I KNEW IT
Smell and sense everything that is around you, its true soul love!
As I close my eyes, I reminisce back on those beautiful hot summer days. I can still smell the lighter fluid being pored over the fire blazed charcoal on the grill. Everyone dancing to Songs in the Key of Soul being played by the local neighborhood band The Montegos, with their Afro-Latin Funk with a hint of Jazz persuasion, all being done in our community backyard. Everyone would gather around talking, laughing, while the children would be playing, these were all good times.
My early childhood life began on the North End of Detroit, Michigan. An area that used to be apart of a prominent dueling black community located in the center of the city called, Paradise Valley and Black Bottom. By the twentieth century, this area was a vibrant business and entertainment district that established a solid foundation of black culture. With its many doctors offices, hospitals, grocery stores and other prominent businesses, success wasn't to far from reach. Not only were there prominent black businesses and owners, there were very successful black nightclubs that frequently supported the rising careers of great Jazz and Blues musicians from all over such as, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Donald Byrd
