You are seeing what I saw as a movie..a video as so to speak. I find that writing can be quite tedious and video memories lasting a bit longer...
June 21, Mid 1950's - New York, New York
"Mama! Mama! Look!" Qwilli cried with delight as she saw a small turtle slide into the water just as her peals of delight scared it.
A woman stood by her side, both wearing matching dresses with sun hats upon their heads to protect them from the heat. Qwilli looked up at her mother with smiles and giggles as she clapped her hands together and crouched down to grope at the grass playfully.
"Get up, sweetheart...I don't want your dress getting dirty! We wouldn't want Auntie Bettie seeing her favorite niece looking filthy!" the woman cooed while helping her child up and hugging her close to wipe the dirt from her stockings.
Qwilli gave a yawn and nodded as she suckled on her fat thumb to look around carefully. She was only five, and had already inherited her auntie's looks; raven silken hair, creamy skin, and an alert gaze that seemed downright inviting and full of curiosity. Her mother held her close as they walked away from the small rock pool and made their way towards the small get together of close friends and family members. They were in Central Park, New York and having a simple family reunion, yet it was nothing overly fancy and all was hosted by a well known member of their family; Bettie Page. Although the woman was sin in the eyes of their parents, the lady knew how to throw a great party when she wanted to. Streamers, caterers, and simple entertainment of a cheap singer. Nothing special or flashy and she didn't want to drag attention to herself nor her family due to her..work ethics and whatnot.
"There she is! My darling sister and my child!" the woman cooed while standing up and adjusting her gown.
"Auntie! Auntie!" Qwilli squealed while holding her arms out towards Auntie Betty.
Mother was quite reluctant to give the child away, yet she complied to her daughter's demands and gave the child to her younger sister and glaring somewhat. Betty caught glimpse of it and frowned as she retaliated with her own 'I'm sorry' frowns and shrugged her shoulders while holding her niece.
"Sometimes I wonder if she's really yours..." mother chided softly.
"Oh we are NOT starting this up again! Not here, not now!" Bettie hissed under her breath while letting Qwilli stand on her own two feet on the ground.
"Go play sweetheart. I think Uncle Roy has starting cutting some cake, ask nicely and he might get you a slice.."
Qwilli nodded hopefully, running off towards the throng of people with a few of her family members laughing at her clumsy actions after she stumbled somewhat. Betty turned towards her older sister whom had her arms crossed over her breast, she herself had her hands on her hips as she tapped her toe tip on the ground.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"What is your problem? Every time I try to do something nice for your kid or even when I interact with her, you get quite overprotective and just downright snippy with me!" the pinup star complained.
"I'd rather not have my child around peers whom influence themselves upon the porno industry. It's bad judgment and even worse-"
"Oh don't even start with that tom foolery on me! Not on all days! For once I get Mama and Papa to actually come to a family reunion and here you are...actually going on with their right-wing religious ideals. Of all times!"
"Don't you bring mother and father into this!"
"Don't bring my business into it!"
The two sisters stared each other down, shooting daggers at each other through their eyes as their tension seemed to flow around their family ever so slowly.
"I just don't want Qwilli to become like you-"
"What!? You mean successful, beautiful, everything that you wish you could be? I may not have our parent's respect-"
"That's right..that's something you don't have; their respect, and you never will if you keep up with your debauchery and sins!"
Betty showed no mercy, raising her hand to slap her older sister across her face and remove her sun hat from her head.
"Do not speak of sins and debauchery in front of my very face when you yourself once did the very same thing! She does not even know her own father and neither do you with your one night stands in the past! Hypocrite!" Betty snapped loudly for the others to hear nearby.
A deafening gasp from a few family members caused everyone to fall silent as the two sisters turned to look at their kin with cheeks pink and anger in their eyes. Qwilli sat in her uncle's lap, quite unperturbed such scandalous actions between her mother and aunt for she was too busy enjoying her slice of cake. The sticky icing and cake crumbs smearing over her face. Her mother moved forward, ignoring others as they stared at her with anger and confusion. She picked up her child, holding her close to smear the cake frosting off her face and kiss her cheek.
"Come on Qwilli, obviously we're not wanted here..." she hummed softly.
Her mother began walking away from the party, almost marching as she removed her daughter and herself from a tense situation.
"Oh come now! Don't be like this! Come back here and enjoy the party! Please!?" Betty cried.
Yet Mother ignored her attempts in apology as she left the park to return home.
May 19, Mid 1960's - New York, New York
"And may she be eternally upon the grace of Our Lord, may he take her with open arms into Heaven so she may be granted with peace and love..."
Qwilli stared as if she were daydreaming, dark eyes not really focused upon the situation at hand. Sixteen and her mother had passed away due to sickness. The woman was a bitter and bitchy woman, but a mother nevertheless and she had cared for her only child for years on end, enforcing the righteous ways of Christianity and the Lord into her body and mind, but had mostly failed obviously. A few family members, mostly church going friends, had showed up and had given their condolences. Mother had left her everything, which wasn't much as is, but enough to get her by.
Now, she had no one. Literally. She never knew her father, nor even spoke his name and her mother never spoke of him. She rarely saw her grandparents, only on Christmas, maybe Birthdays if she were lucky and her mother could afford a train tip so far out in the countrysides. Maybe there was Auntie Betty, she remembered the woman fondly, but memories from so far back were scant and hard to gather. The only known information she had on Betty was slim to nothing. Something that her mother always talked about; how much she hated her younger sister and how much she wished she was dead.
Oh the irony...
Qwilli gave a sigh, adjusting her black blouse before being the last to walk away from such sadness and perk up as she saw a limo pull up just as she was making her way towards her uncle's car. She was expecting to be placed into a foster home, or at least get lucked out to go live with her uncle until she could handle things on her own, yet this overstretched car looked promising. A woman, somewhat old and wearing a black veil over her face stepped out of the car with tears being dabbed over with a bit of cloth. Her gaze befell upon her niece and the resemblance of them both was disturbingly close, as if looking in the time machine of a mirror, yet they were used to such things and simply smiled at each other.
"She went peacefully?" Betty asked.
"No....she suffered...but I think the last few moments were of mercy..." Qwilli commented softly.
Betty sighed, stifling a few tears before nodding her head and looking around. Cars were already pulling away, even Uncle Roy had sped away as if giving an obvious signs that the rest of the family wanted nothing to do with spawn of sin. Qwilli frowned deeply, arching a brow and giving a deep sigh as she rubbed her arm.
"There goes my chances of a home..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well I'm too young to look after myself, obviously...Uncle Roy thought about taking me in..but..."
"Uncle Roy's a pervert..." Betty snapped while spitting on the ground and stamping her foot on the ground.
Qwilli's eyes widened as she frowned deeply at such words before letting out a giggle. Qwilli shook her head as Betty joined in with the joke as well by laughing.
"Come on.." Betty said while holding her hand out to her niece.
"What?"
"I'm not letting my favorite....only...niece go on living homeless in this world. Wouldn't be right.." she said with a grin.
Qwilli frowned, tapping her fingers together and then looking down at her feet. She wasn't a stupid girl, and she had heard the sinful acts, nay, even seen them in old photos and never understood, how or why her auntie could do such things. But how things were looking, it was either go with the sinful woman whom would take her in, feed her, clothe her, and raise her until she could take care of herself...or...live out on the streets and possibly die before the year was over with. She simply heaved a sigh and placed her own hand in her aunt's and nodded.
"Good! First thing we'll do is get you out of those depressing clothes, feed you, and then we'll go shopping!"
Qwilli frowned, following her aunt into the car and removing her hat from her head before placing it in her lap as she sat down.
"Auntie Betty...who was my papa?"
Betty frowned slightly, looking out the window as she avoided the topic completely with a yawn and leaned back in her seat.
"Let's save such conversations for when you're older alright?"









