The Smarts God Gave Me

By Sharon Y. Humes

This book shows my values, my mischievous ways, my discernment, my trust and distrust, how I listened to my mom, how I wanted to be like my mom and dad, how I looked like my mom and acted like my dad, how I am not jealous of anyone, how I love traveling and adventures, and how women can get caught up in men’s messes. 

Some of the names were changed to protect the individuals.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hawes & Jenkins Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9781637842485

Book preview

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The Smarts God Gave Me

Sharon Y. Humes

ISBN 978-1-63784-247-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63784-248-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Sharon Y. Humes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Hawes & Jenkins Publishing

16427 N Scottsdale Road Suite 410

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

www.hawesjenkins.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

My Family Roots

Chapter 2

My Father's Family Beliefs

Chapter 3

My Childhood

Chapter 4

My Parents' Houses

Chapter 5

My Marriage Went up in Flames

Chapter 6

My Trips to Nassau, Bahamas, and London, England

Chapter 7

House Intruder

Chapter 8

Second House Intruders

Chapter 9

A New Start in Los Angeles

Chapter 10

Our Life in Downey, California

Chapter 11

Our Time in Lynwood and Long Beach, California

Chapter 12

My Transformation with God

Chapter 13

My Perfect Job with Moses B.

Chapter 14

My Time in College

Chapter 15

The Move Back to Detroit

Chapter 16

The Smarts God Gave Me

About the Author

Introduction

My book is about the struggles of my family and how three generations were. I talk about the development of my character, why I look at life the way I do, and what kept me positive. It's my guardian angel throughout my life. This book may be offensive to some and enlightening to others. But it is my story. I was moved to tell it my way on my terms. You will read about my loving ways and my selfish ways and what the universe had in store. I don't mean to be arrogant or too self-confident, but some of the stories in this book show just how people, white and black, think and how, in our society, people have hidden the truth of how we treat one another regardless of race, religion, and identity.

I have added scriptures to this book. I was told to explain what I meant by quoting them. If you read the Bible yourself, you'll know their meaning. This is my very first book, and I might be a little off in explaining myself. I hope you enjoy it.

I dedicate this book to all my relatives: Williams, Browns, Humes, and La'Fleurs.

Chapter 1

My Family Roots

I like to tell you about my family starting with my mother's family, the Williamses. They were from Kentucky. The Williams were sharecroppers. A sharecropper is a family that farms and gives half their crops to pay rent. My grandmother's mother was Irish and Cherokee, and her name was Sarah Christian.

My grandmother's name was Elizabeth Lee Williams. She had six brothers, Charles, Willie, Harry, James, Eddie, and Tom; and she had four sisters, Jean, Ethel, Sarah, and Mary. My grandmother, Elizabeth Lee Williams, married Frank James Brown and had four kids: my mother, Betty Reid Brown; her sister, Mary Lee Brown; and her other sister, Hattie Fern Brown.

My grandmother, Elizabeth, had a son who died at birth. My grandmother, Elizabeth Lee Brown, died from TB, and my grandmother's mother thought Frank James Brown was cheap. He did not keep heat in the house.

My grandmother's sister, Sarah May Williams, raised my mother and her sisters. Sarah was a loving caregiver for them. Sarah was called Aunt May. She was a small woman with chocolate skin. She loved kids. Aunt May wanted babies of her own, but she couldn't have any children. She fell in love with a man named Walter Hinton. He was married but separated from his wife; he was a nice man. My aunt May and Walter lived in common law together for many years. I lovingly called him Uncle Walt. He took care of my aunt May and provided for all of us kids. Some nights, when we were in bed, Uncle Walt would come in the room and give us girls candy. The next morning, Aunt May would find candy wrappers in our beds. This is what I and my cousins experienced when we stayed with my aunt May. I assume that he did the same with my mother and her sisters when they were little girls. I inherited a big dollhouse that Uncle Walt made for my mother when she was a little girl. Aunt May never worked, but she cared for us girls and kept our hair straightened, our clothes starched and ironed, and the house cleaned. After Uncle Walt died and my aunt May was older, my parents at that time were grown and married and bought Aunt May a two-family flat off Broad Street. Aunt May stayed upstairs and rented out the downstairs to a very nice family. Aunt May raised one of my cousins as her own at this location until my cousin grew up. Aunt May was Methodist; she listened to her radio every night to church services.

My mother's father, Frank James Brown, remarried. I lovingly called him Mr. Brown. My mother and her sisters were estranged from him for years. Aunt Mary Lee was stricken with polio and hard of hearing. She was carrying one of my cousins while she was married. One night, my uncle James, one of my aunt May's brothers, took my mom and her sisters to a religious tent gathering where my aunt Mary Lee was healed by a prophetess. The prophetess was a well-known white woman in the early 1940s. My aunt Mary Lee was married to Artie Courtney at the time; she had seven children by him during this marriage.

My cousins were very dear to me. We spent our childhood time together. Aunt May was the one who raised us until we were eight years old. Aunt Mary Lee's second marriage was to Mr. Hayes, and they had one child, Shelia.

Then Aunt Mary Lee married a third time to Mr. Douglas, and they stayed married for many years until they both died. Aunt Hattie Fern had four kids of her own by her husband, Mr. Jenkins. He was mean; he would fight Aunt Hattie Fern. One day, she accidentally killed him. What I mean by that is he came at her while she was holding a knife. He was drunk; he fell into her.

My mom, Betty Reid, married my dad, Livingston Humes Jr., in 1945; they had me in 1946. My parents met when they were nine years old. My dad was the only son; he was spoiled by his sisters. His sisters made a big fuss over him. He took to my mother right away. He used to give my mother a quarter all the time so she could buy whatever she wanted. They made a pact when they were young, and no one could break them up. I know from what I heard my father's mother say that they wanted to marry. They did, and my mom's father gave her away to my dad. My father was twenty-one years old, and my mother was nineteen years old when they married. I am sure there was some prejudice between the families because my