In Honor Of Women’s History Month – Sisters When We Cry

In Honor Of Women’s History Month…

Sisters When We Cry

by Dani Stone

She couldn’t forget.  The old woman’s words still rang in Bayley’s ears.  She had burst into tears in the ladies’ room of one of New York’s finest restaurants.  The only other person present had been the elderly black matron who had forced a handful of tissue in her hand.  She had been embarrassed.  She resented the pitying look of the old woman.  Who is she to pity me, she thought.   As she stood to leave, the old woman spoke, as she sensed Bayley’s air of superiority.  “We are sisters when we cry, honey……pain don’t come in colors.”  That had been two weeks ago. 

Bayley and Dana had been sitting quietly next to each other for over an hour.  Neither had spoken a word.  It was the first time Bayley had flown on an airplane and the first time she had sat next to a black person.  She was uncomfortable, to say the least.  Two weeks before, on the eve of her wedding, her fiancé informed her that he was gay and that he couldn’t go through with the wedding. Later, she learned he flew to Las Vegas four days later and married a chorus girl.  She was on her way to Aruba to forget.

 Dana was a seasoned traveler, but this was her first trip alone.  She was also extremely uncomfortable.  It was a long flight to Aruba and she could tell that her seatmate was a racist.  Her demeanor was unmistakable.  Like Bayley, she too was running away from sorrow.  Her sweetheart had been killed in a car accident, one day after giving her an engagement ring.  At the funeral, her best friend fainted, The next day, she learned that she was pregnant by Dana’s fiance.

Two hours had passed and not one word had been spoken between Bayley and Dana.  They stole looks at each other in silence.  The need to cry engulfed them both as their minds became slaves to their pain.  However, Bayley was determined not to expose herself again in public.  She fought hard to concentrate on what lay ahead.  But Dana couldn’t hold back.  The tears suddenly gushed freely as she tried to camouflage them.  Her shoulders shook as she struggled to keep her sobs silent.  She turned to face the window and as Bayley turned her back to give Dana some privacy, her thoughts ran wild.

She felt cold and distant, yet…confused.  Dana’s heartbreak was obvious.  It was more than she could bear. The old woman’s words rang softly in Bayley’s ears, as she found herself reaching silently for Dana’s hand.  We are sisters when we cry.

 For Bayley, it was a step across time, ignorance and tradition.  However, she couldn’t bring herself to look at Dana, for now, her own tears flowed freely.  The old woman was right, she thought to herself.  “Pain don’t come in colors.”  Slowly….without words, she turned to embrace Dana.  It was the first time she had ever touched a black person.  But she knew it wouldn’t be the last.