A Different World

Here is the long promised story of Edie and Kenny. Those of you who have followed my other story, Love Knows No Color, will be familiar with these two, as they are an integral part of that story. In this story, you will see references to events in the original story as seen through Kenny's eyes. Bear in mind, Kenny has spent all his life in rural Appalachia, and unlike Jason in LKNC, he has little contact with people of another race. I will try to reflect that unfamiliarity in the writing, using terms that he would have grown up using. Some of them might be unintentionally offensive, but keep in mind that Kenny does not wish to offend anybody. But he is trying to find his way on unfamiliar territory, and learning how to get along with customs he's never known. It can be a minefield at times, and i'm sure he'll blunder a little bit along the way.

Kenny reflects how I was when I first explored interracial love, Jason is more of who I am now.

I hope y'all enjoy...

*****

It all started back in 2012. My cousin Jason had found a new girlfriend, and had brought her down to meet the family for Grandma Waite's birthday party. He lived in Pittsburgh, a world away from the mountainous area along the Virginia-West Virginia border where the rest of our family lived. Jason had always been the black sheep of the family, and it should have come as no surprise that his new girl was black. I mean, Jason had always marched to the beat of his own drummer.

He'd tipped off Aunt Julia a couple weeks before when he told her the lady's name, Shavonda. Definitely an unusual name. When his ex wife Rose called a few days later, and cussed my aunt out about the new girlfriend, including a few derogatory terms, we were a bit apprehensive about meeting her. We needn't have worried.

The day of the party, I was seated in the living room of Uncle Ed's farmhouse, hanging out with my older brother Calvin, and Jason's sister Sally, when they arrived. Shavonda was absolutely beautiful in an exotic way. For lack of a better way to put it, her features were very African. Leave it to Jason to pick the darkest girl he could find. She wore her hair in its natural curls, accented by a red rose hair clip. She had beautiful almond shaped dark brown eyes that glowed with happiness, a wide nose and full lips. Her curvy figure was contained in a red dress with matching sandals.

Her demeanor was elegant. If you'd talked to her on the phone, you'd be able to tell she was black from the way she drew out the vowels on certain words. But she did it in a way that sounded refined. This woman was obviously totally comfortable with who she was.

Several things quickly became apparent to me. From the way they looked at each other, and the ease with which they touched, it was obvious they were doing each other. It was also obvious that Jason was totally in love with her, and she felt the same way about him. I got the feeling Jason was very protective of her, and he treated her like royalty, even calling her his queen.

Shavonda and Calvin immediately hit it off, talking about music. The rest of us gathered in the back yard where Jason attempted to put us at ease. This was a new situation for all of us, and we weren't sure how to react. "All I ask is that you get to know her," Jason said. "You'll see why I love her."

Later on in the day, after we'd all had a chance to get to know each other, I saw what he meant. She was entertaining. Music was one of her passions, which suited us because Calvin and I had our own folk-bluegrass band on the side. When the time came to cut Grandma's cake, her voice rose loud and clear during the Happy Birthday. The family insisted on lighting the candles again so Shavonda could solo the song. Later, we broke out the instruments, and she sang along with us. Even Jason found an old upright bass and played along with us.

They behaved themselves that first visit. Aunt Julia insisted they stay over instead of going to a motel, as long as they kept the door to the bedroom open. And from what I understand they respected her wishes and kept things platonic.

I mention all of this as a sort of a prelude to what happened to me. It is profound the influence Jason and Von had on our family. In a nutshell, she singlehandedly changed the way we thought about race. And because of her, I met the love of my life. But Grandma was still not convinced. There was still more to the prelude.

We next saw the happy couple in late March for Easter. By this time, they'd gotten engaged, and it was about six weeks before the wedding. Julia had become good friends with Von, and even told Jason that since they were almost married they could sleep with the door shut. By this time, it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. The lady had Jason totally whipped. He'd spontaneously rub her back or massage her feet when she sat.

Calvin's family and I had arrived at the farmhouse the Saturday before Easter, Jason and his fiancé the night before. We were sitting around the kitchen table with Von when Jason dragged Grandma into the room, calling "Family meeting." Evidently, Grandma had said something to Jason about marrying a colored girl, and it set him off. He reamed her a new one in front of the entire family while we all sat there in shock. When he asked, we all agreed that Shavonda was a wonderful woman, and that she'd make a good wife. Even Grandma was forced to admit that if Von were white, he'd be a fool to let her get away. But she insisted race mixing was wrong.

"Grandma," he screamed at her in frustration, "You're a quarter Seneca. If race mixing is wrong, then your whole life is wrong. All of us are mixed. And if Von's not welcome here I don't want to be here. I will leave this god forsaken hell hole and never come back." He grabbed Shavonda by the hand, saying, "Let's go pack our things." We all stared at each other in disbelief. Jason loved these mountains. This was his home. And he was willing to sacrifice it all for her, just so she'd feel comfortable. I had been right. He was protective of her.

We all gathered on the back porch. Sally and her husband, and my parents had walked in just after Jason had stormed off. He was up in his old bedroom, with Shavonda trying to calm him down. We could hear everything through the open window right above where we sat. Pretty soon, they stopped talking and we heard the unmistakable moans of them being intimate. Grandma got up and left in disgust. The bed was banging off the wall like it was going to fall apart. When they were done, Von said, "You owe me big time. Tonight, you're going to lick my chocolate tootsie pop." I couldn't help it and bust out laughing.

A short time later, they wandered out onto the porch, Von saying, "I got him calmed down. We're staying."

Uncle Ed gave her a funny look and said, "So we heard."

I couldn't resist, and laughingly told Jason, "Remember you still gotta lick the chocolate tootsie pop." He turned beet red. Sally and I laughed at his discomfort.

"So he got his chocolate bunny a day early," Von said.

"Guess you showed Grandma a thing or two about race mixing," Sally replied. I was howling. Jason wanted to crawl under the table.

But Von said, without a hint of embarrassment, "Long live the swirl."

No wonder he was in love with her. She was blunt and honest. She confronted things in a gentle way. They complimented each other perfectly.

Six weeks later they were married. And that's where I met Edie.

Shavonda's family had a welcome party for us Waites and MacFarlands the day before the wedding, at her parents' place. The wedding party was there as well. Edie was one of the bridesmaids, a childhood friend of Von's who'd remained close all these years. When introduced, she said, "Von's told me so much about you. I'm glad I finally met you." I arched my eyebrow in surprise. Shavonda was telling her friends about me? I hope it was something good.

Edie was seated across from me at the table where I sat with Sally, Jason, Shavonda and several of Jason and Shavonda's friends. I noticed Edie kept stealing glances at me when she thought I wasn't looking, and engaged me in conversation whenever she could. She was a very good looking petite black woman, maybe 5 foot 2 and a little over 100 pounds. She had big almond shaped eyes that had me mesmerized, and a beautiful medium brown skin tone. She wore her hair straight, with her bangs curled under, and had a cute button nose with full lips. I liked her immediately, with her playful personality. She had worn a beautiful yellow dress that glowed against her skin, cut to show just a hint of cleavage, and a lot of leg.

We swapped stories about the soon to be married couple, who evidently had a reputation in Pittsburgh as a couple of freaks. I couldn't help telling the story about the chocolate tootsie pop. Tamika, the maid of honor, a chubby caramel complected girl in her early 20s, told a story about walking in on Jason and Shavonda doing just that in a hotel room. Evidently, Von was giving as good as she got.

It was at this point Edie spoke up. "It sounds to me like Kenny is jealous he hasn't gotten to lick a chocolate tootsie pop, and mine ain't been licked in a while. Kenny, you wanna lick mine for me?" It was my turn to be embarrassed. Don't get me wrong, I am a musician on the side, and I've had women come on to me before. But something about Edie's boldness turned me on. It had been obvious before this that she was attracted to me, and the feeling was mutual.

We spent the rest of the evening talking and dancing. Towards the end of the night, she said, "Kenny, I was serious about what I said earlier. I really like you. Do you wanna come home with me?" Speechless, I nodded yes. We got out of there quickly.

We took Edie's car back to her small apartment, which was near the church where the wedding was to be held the next day. As she bent over to put the key in the door, she wiggled that ass at me. I was in love, or at least lust. "Boy, don't stare too hard," she laughed as she opened the door. I followed her inside.

She turned and grabbed my hands. "Kenny," she said. "I don't do this with just anybody. All I ask is that you respect me and my feelings."

We entered her small, well-kept living room, which consisted of a sofa, coffee table, and an entertainment center with a large screen tv. She also had a DVD player, a small stereo, and a rack containing CDs and DVDs. "Have a seat," she gestured toward the couch. "Can I get you something to drink? I have E&J and some Yuengling." I told her I'd have whatever she was having. She disappeared into the tiny kitchen, returning a couple minutes later with a pair of glasses. She'd opted for brandy, which I'd discover was her drink of choice.

Edie sat down next to me on the couch, and took a drink. She reached into a box on the coffee table and pulled out her stash, rolling a joint. "I know you're a musician," she said, "So I hope you don't mind. I need something to calm my nerves. Like I said, I normally don't do this, but there's something about you."

She lit up the weed, took a hit, then passed it to me. She looked at me as I inhaled, wisps of smoke around her nose, as if trying to decide what to do next. Making her decision, she reached for a deck of cards on the table. "Would you like to play a game of cards? Poker maybe?" I nodded my head and she shuffled and dealt the cards. Honestly, at this point I'd have been down for whatever she had in mind. But I could tell she was very nervous about me being there. If a card game would ease her mind, then we'd play.

I won the first hand, so Edie reached down and removed one of her heels. I looked on in a combination of shock and awe. Shock because it dawned on me we were playing for our clothes. Awe because I'd never seen a black woman's naked foot before, and Edie's were beautiful. She had long toes with nails painted red, and delicate looking ankles. Her soles were much lighter than her skin tone, almost my color. When she flexed her toes, I could feel the lust building. A playful slap on the arm brought me back to earth.

"See something you like?" Edie laughed.

The next hand she won, so I removed one of my shoes as well. I won the next two, so Edie removed her other shoe on the first hand, and pulled her dress over her head on the second. She was now down to a white bra and panties. I took a big gulp of E&J, then finished the joint while she refilled my glass. By this point, the alcohol and weed were starting to affect me, and I had a comfortable buzz. I couldn't believe I was sitting here, with this beautiful woman in bra and panties, playing strip poker. The next hand I would get to see something good.

But my concentration was broken, my luck turned, and I lost the next 7 hands, leaving me completely naked with my erection pointing at the ceiling. "Nice package," Edie chuckled. "I guess the line about white men having small ones is a lie." She picked up the cards on the table, shuffled the deck and set it back on the table. "Game over, you lose."

"Come on, one more hand," I begged. "You lose, you get naked."

"And if I win?"

"Then tonight I do anything you ask."

"Anything?" Edie had a mischievous smile on her face.

"Anything. You name it, I do it."

"Okay," she picked up the deck and began to deal the cards. "Just remember, you asked for it."

To make a long story short, I lost that hand too. Edie smiled at me sweetly, still in her underthings. "Poor boy," she cooed. "Thought you could beat me at cards, did you? I play with Von and Tamika every week. How often do YOU play?" She had me there, and I knew I'd been set up. Edie was firmly in control of the evening now. I could see her relax, she called the shots. She set the limits. "First, I want you to lick my tootsie pop," she cooed. I scooted over, preparing to take her panties off.

Edie swatted my hand away, "Down, boy," she laughed, rising. I watched her sashay over to the doorknob where she'd hung her purse, wagging her heart shaped ass at me as she reached into her purse. She turned, walked over to me, and handed me a tootsie pop. Chocolate. "Here you go, Kenny," she laughed. "Want me to unwrap it for you?"

I sat there dumbfounded as she laughed evilly. "Go on, lick it," she said. I unwrapped it and put it in my mouth. "Good boy," she cooed.

"You are evil," I said.

"And you like it," she purred. I sat there, looking into those beautiful brown eyes, licking the pop for a few minutes. Neither of us said a word, but I could tell by the sparkle in her eyes she was enjoying the hell out of this. Finally, she took mercy on me.

"Gimme that, boy," she said, grabbing the tootsie pop out of my hands. "I forgot to season it for you." I watched, jaw on the floor, as she took the pop, slid her panties aside, and inserted it deep within her. "Mmmmmm," she moaned as she pumped it in and out of her glistening pussy, her eyes never leaving mine. "Feels good."

Withdrawing the pop, she handed it to me, "There you go. Now it's seasoned for you." I greedily licked her juices off the tootsie pop while she watched me with a seductive smile on her face. All too soon, I reached the center, and chewed the tootsie roll off the stick, handing it to her.

"Can I have another?" I asked politely.

"Maybe," Edie purred, "But I thought maybe you'd want to remove this." She pulled on her bra straps. "Come here, big boy." I slid over to her and she pulled me into a tight embrace. Her full lips met mine, so soft and welcoming. I'd never felt anything like it before. I welcomed her as she slipped her tongue into my mouth, her hand grabbing the back of my head. My hands ran up and down her back, savoring the feel of her soft skin. With her free hand, she found mine and guided me to the clasp on her bra. It was only two hooks, so I quickly had the clasp undone. Edie broke the kiss, leaning back on the couch cushions as she peeled the cups away from her breasts. They were less than a handful, with large, dark chocolate areolas that came to a point right at her erect nipples. She was even more beautiful than I had imagined.

"Kenny," she said softly, "This is a first for me. I've never been with a white man before." I stammered that it was a first for me too. "Well then, come get you summa this chocolate. Make me feel good." She cupped her breasts invitingly. I didn't have to be told twice, and I gently kissed over and around each breast, avoiding the nipples. She wanted to tease me, I could play that game too. I heard her sighs of pleasure as I licked her skin. Her hands played in my hair. Finally, I swirled my tongue around her nipple before taking it between my lips and pulling hard.

Edie moaned her approval, "Yeah, just like that..." She held my head to her breast as I greedily sucked her distended nipple. My hand worked its way between her legs, massaging her inner thigh but stopping short of her panties. She squirmed against me, seeking more contact, but I wasn't ready to give her what she wanted just yet. I left her tit and kissed my way down her stomach, pausing to lick her belly button. She was going crazy with desire. "Kenny," she panted, "Touch me...there."

I knew what she wanted. Running my hand gently over her panties, I felt her swollen lips through the thin, damp fabric. I reached to her hips and started to tug them down, but she stopped me. "No, Kenny," she purred, "Not your hands. Use your teeth." She gently pushed my head lower, and I gently tugged her panties down with my teeth as she lifted her hips off the couch to assist me.

I tugged the panties all the way down her shapely legs, pulling them over her feet. Tossing them aside, I started kissing my way back to her sweet spot, starting with her feet. I took my time, savoring her reactions. Every little thing I did seemed to set her off. I wondered how long it had been since she'd had any. The poor girl was practically having an orgasm and I hadn't even gotten to her treasure yet.

Slowly I worked my way up her thighs, nipping and licking as I went. Finally, she could take no more. Grabbing a handful of my hair, Edie pulled my head right where she wanted it. I inhaled deeply, enjoying her scent, before gently pulling her labia apart. My tongue touched her clit, and that's all she wrote. That initial contact took her right over the edge, and she screamed out my name as she closed her legs around my head. Her hands held me in place, as she bathed my face in her juices,

Having no choice, I continued to lick her, up and down, between her clit and her drenched opening. She continued to spasm, never coming down. It was like she was having one long, drawn out, rolling orgasm. She smelled heavenly, and tasted divine. I couldn't get enough of the juices that flowed from deep within her, and stuck my tongue deep within her in search of the source.

"Stop, stop!" she cried out. "Kenny! Stop! Please...I can't take it." She pushed my head from between her legs. I kissed my way back to her mouth, and she eagerly returned my kiss, her tongue aggressively seeking my own. I hadn't felt this kind of passion in a long time.

Breaking the kiss, she said, "Wow, that was great. I haven't had it like that before." I grinned at her. I was glad she enjoyed it as much as I had. We lay there for a while, stroking each other's body, catching our breath. Her hand found its way between my legs, and she gently stroked my length. "Mmmmm." She purred, "I'm ready. You do have a condom, right?" My look said it all.

"Don't you have one?" I asked.

"What kind of girl do you think I am?" Edie snapped. "I told you I don't do this with just anybody! Matter of fact it's been over two years."

"Well," I shot back, frustrated, "I came to Pittsburgh to see my cousin get married. I wasn't looking to hook up with anybody." I started to get up but Edie held me back.