When Everything's Said and Done

Brenda, the brainy oldest of the Robinson girls, longs for a father and tries to win her mother's approval by being good in every way. Fellow college student Michael Dawson becomes her first reason to be bad, as she decides to win him--from her sisters--a

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Nebia's Story..."God couldn't be a woman. If He was, He wouldn't have created old age and menopause." Cynthia ran her hand over her loose belly as she danced. "I can't stand getting old. Every time I come over here to visit Mama, and I see that old woman who lives next door--" she thumbed toward an adjoined apartment "--it reminds me of what I can look forward to. That woman looks like something that belongs in a tomb.""Say what?" Erica laughed."You know I'm not lying." Cynthia stopped dancing. "This Florida sunshine must have been hell on her complexion. So you better watch out, Erica." She nudged her sister, Sheila, jokingly. "Because you're the oldest of the group at thirty-nine, soon to see the big four-o." Cynthia gave Erica the eye. "I'm already on the job at the tender age of thirty-seven, using every cream known to man. And I'm educating Sheila here, because she'll be thirty-seven next year.""Don't worry about my skin," Sheila replied. "And you better not let Mama hear you say that about that woman. You know she likes her.""I know." Cynthia rolled her eyes. "She's been living in this apartment for five years and she's always talking about what Nubia said, or whatever her name may be. Some of that stuff#xf8e7;" Cynthia waved with disbelief. "You know that woman is lying. But Mama eats it all up.""I know," Sheila agreed. "Like that story about the folks who used to live in this building. She told Mama some diabetic woman in a wheelchair who owned this building, she and her pregnant daughter had it out with some gangsters in one of these apartments." Sheila's voice rose with incredulity. "This was a black woman who she claimed owned this building back then. But of course Mama believes every word of it. She was talking about how brave the people were."The women laughed. "And then she had the nerve--" Cynthia shook her head "#xf8e7;to say one of the daughters ended up living with some tribe in the Amazon, or something like that."They started to laugh again but a husky voice interrupted them from the dark porch a few yards away. "You're talkin' about the Robinson family. Laura Robinson did own this building. Her mother willed it to her. A white man that she had a long-term relationship with bought it for her." When the voice stopped even the air seemed still. "And Cora didn't go to the Amazon. She went to Africa. South Africa."The women stopped laughing and tried to see through the darkness. Seconds later the clouds parted overhead, transforming the moon into a giant spotlight that focused on a figure in a rocking chair."I'm sorry, Miss Nubia. We didn't#xf8e7;""It's Nebia," the thin woman replied."I mean Miss Nebia." Sheila put her hand over her heart. "We didn't know you were out here.""So you meant to talk about me behind my back?""Why no, ma'am." Cynthia struggled with the right answer. "We just#xf8e7;""Why did you stop your dancing?" Nebia ignored her answer. "Dancing is a good thing to do on Midsummer's Eve. When I was younger I used to always dance when the summer solstice came. Sometimes Cora would join me. She was the only one of the Robinson girls that would." Nebia paused. "Perhaps it was because she was born on a Midsummer's Eve. Yes. Midsummer's Eve has always been special to me." The sound of the rocking chair against the wooden porch grated with a steady rhythm. "That's one reason I knew Cora would be special. But there were other reasons. One in particular. You know where the Vinoy Hotel sits now?"Cynthia looked at Sheila and Erica out of the corner of her eyes. "Yes, ma'am.""Back then some of downtown St. Petersburg looked a lot like it looks today with The Pier and all.There was water as far as the eye could see, but there was also a wharf.""Really?" Cynthia rolled her eyes."One day when Cora was ten years old she fell off into that water. And Cora couldn't swim, and neither could me or Miss Laura, her mama. So when she went down for the