This month's feature is a short story written in the 90s. I don't believe I ever submitted it for publication. Please enjoy. Request permission for reprint.

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Title: When Ya-Ya Came Home

There was a girl named Ya-Ya who lived in a strange land.  She grew up away from her father and didn't know all he had.  She grew up with women who were jealous and embittered because she didn't have her own family and had been left in their care.

Ya-Ya was just a nickname and short for Yamani but the name Ya-Ya was all she could understand. Initially Ya-Ya wanted to like herself but the jealous women she lived with taught her that it was bad to love oneself. They told her to not look in mirrors and never expect to have what they had. They criticized her features - her dark skin, her flat nose, and teased her about her weight. Ya-Ya felt envious, sad and lost.

One day Ya-Ya received a letter that came from an aunt who was looking for her. She knew Ya-Ya was not happy and she wanted to show her the good in her family. Life wasn't just about the jealous women who wouldn't teach her to comb her hair or buy her nice dresses.

Ya-Ya studied the letter over and over and tried hard to think about what she wanted to say in response. "Hello. My name is Yamani," but in her mind her name did not fit her yet. She was still an insecure girl at heart.

Ya-Ya's aunt promised to show her how to be a lady, but first she had to learn to pray and develop bigger dreams. Well Ya-Ya had no dreams except to get away from her current circumstances. She also often dreamed of her father's hands. Ya-Ya's aunt instructed her to write her father a letter. She began. "Dear Daddy I love you, but I have never seen your face. Please send for me so that I can leave this dreadful place. They make fun of me - these wicked women who took the place of my mother.

Ya-Ya waited patiently for a response to her letter. In the meantime, she began to develop in ways that gave hint to her heritage. She resembled someone of royal heritage. She was pleased with how she looked but not how she felt inside. She practiced saying her name but it didn't ring true because she had never been to the birthplace where the name came from.

 Ya-Ya would learn that life is mysterious. Her aunt came to visit her and brought photos of women from her father's land. They had wide smiles and fattened cheeks. They were happy and care free. "You will be going there when you are fourteen." "But I am twelve now and I cannot wait much longer." Longer she did wait because patience is a virtue that would be needed.  When the day finally arrived for her to visit her father's land, Ya-Ya grasped at her plane ticket as if it were made of gold. She slept on the flight and had dreams of a palace. When she arrived she was not disappointed. The beautiful gardens, white buildings and marble tub for bathing. The animals roamed nearby and the women were as in the pictures - laughing and welcoming. "You are home sister."  Ya-Ya's heart was gladdened. She spent much time with her father and learned of her family's heritage but she came to understand that her place was in the land far away. "I still have much to do but I am a young lady now. I am ready to take flight. I know my true heritage." 

Ya-Ya did not return to the wicked women who had raised her. They were still the same because they could not truly see her. She went home to her aunt and lived in the city that never sleeps. When asked her name, she could finally say Yamani. Names are a gift from God and none of His children are worthless. Its what you fill in a person's head that can make their heart and mind bow low, but eventually the magic of life, if they are willing, will help them flourish.