Good Dirt

Avery

Avery

L ike most people she knows, Avery went into a profession deemed suitable by her family. And like many young corporate lawyers, Avery has other interests. She’s done some reading in psychology, for one. And today, she’s thinking about the implications of Ebony Freeman’s cherry-colored hair. Not dark cherry. Bright, sugary-drink cherry. Not what you would expect of someone like Ebony. Daughter of an elite African American family with a foundation that bears their name. Raised in exclusive New England neighborhoods. Like Avery, Ebony must know there are conventions to be observed, especially when it comes to your looks.

Avery recently read an article called “Survivors of Infamous Crimes: Where Are They Now?” Who comes up with these ideas anyway? There were three side-by-side photos of Ebony. The infamous, award-winning one from the day her brother was killed. Another from Ebony’s engagement party as she stepped out of a Benz wearing a sheath dress, her hair smooth and dark. Then a more recent picture of Ebony at a fundraiser, still a stunner in muted, tailored clothing, only this time with cobalt-colored hair tips.

Avery has read about intentional changes in body appearance following multiple stress events. She has noted that not everyone relies on long-term approaches like cosmetic surgery, tattoos, or radical figure transformation through exercise. Avery is intrigued by the idea that some people constantly change their wardrobes or hair in an effort to process their emotions, and she suspects that Ebony may be one of them.

It’s been easy enough to draw this conclusion. Avery admits it, she’s nosed around the Internet looking at photos of Ebony. When she started dating Henry, she wanted to learn more about the woman who had held his attention for so long. Henry, the handsome and promising son of a powerful banker father and philanthropist mother, had already left a trail of photos on the Internet and in local society columns when he took up with Ebony Freeman.

Together, Henry and Ebony were photogenic, affluent, and unusual enough as a couple to invite attention. He was white, and she was black. He was an outgoing charmer, she was the cool, mysterious type. His life had always gone well, and her life had been marked by her brother’s violent death. After the blowup on their wedding day, Ebony went quickly from her sleek, dark-haired looks to the blue-tipped bob. Then she took on a hybrid look of black roots with an emerald-colored Afro puff at the back of her head. And now this. Her natural curls, loosened and lit up, in this cherry shock version.

From the start of her relationship with Henry, Avery knew that if she wanted to stay with him, she would have to wrest them free of reminders of her boyfriend’s past with Ebony Freeman. Which is why she’d finally muted her digital feed of all things Ebony and suggested that she and Henry take a vacation far away. She thought she’d found the perfect getaway when, while paying for a café crème at her favorite bakery back home, Avery saw a small flyer with photos of this guest cottage in France and a view of fields carpeted with sunflowers. Only, this cottage has brought her face-to-face with Ebony Freeman herself.

Avery was more than a little irritated when Henry once admitted to her that he had been so taken with Ebony at their first meeting that he had failed to make the connection immediately between the intriguing black woman and the ill-fated family from the Windward Road shooting. Avery didn’t show her annoyance, of course, but she kept thinking about what Henry had said. What Avery didn’t understand was, once Henry realized who Ebony was, why in the world did he insist on getting involved?

Ever since Avery’s high school days with Henry’s younger cousin, she’d had a crush on Henry. She’d moved away and had her share of romantic distractions over the years, but she’d never really stopped liking Henry in that way. More recently, when she realized they were back in the same town, she began to see him as a genuine possibility.

Avery had not expected the Ebony situation to last, and she had positioned herself to provide an uplifting and forward-looking alternative once Henry had put himself back in circulation. She did not consider Henry’s relationship with her to be a rebound, since he was the one who had dumped Ebony. There was, in fact, nothing for him to bound back from. Or so she’d thought until today. Seeing Henry and Ebony together, even for a few minutes, makes Avery wonder if she had it all wrong.

Every young person needs to be allowed to make at least one colossal mistake in their life. Thinking that he could marry Ebony must have been the biggie for Henry. If Ebony was genuinely surprised that Henry had backed out of the marriage, then she must have been the only one. No matter how influential or admired Ebony’s family may have been, they were still black, and Henry’s mother was still the kind of mother for whom the Freemans would never have been good enough.

Looking at Ebony today, soaking wet from her fall into the river, droplets of water glinting like fake diamonds on her red pouf of hair, Avery couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. But Avery hasn’t merged onto the partner track at her law firm so quickly by letting sentimentality soften her focus. No, Ebony must not be underestimated.

Avery is busy strategizing. She is wondering how quickly she can move their two-week-long holiday booking—in other words, Henry—to another town.