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In Their Hands

By Lora Harrington-Pride
Posted: 08/23/2026
Tags: lora harrington pride

Marian had never said, “What if I don’t even like white men?”

Ruth had said that about Black men.  Aside from that, Ruth and Marian’s lives were very similar.  They had even taken the same measures to change their plight.

Ruth made herself available to Black men by moving into a Black neighborhood alone, while Marian made herself available to German men by vacationing every summer in Germany, alone.

German men saw her black skin as beautiful and exotic – a marvelous contrast to their pale Nordic skin.  Remember Grace Jones?

White men rejected Ruth because she was morbidly obese.  Black men rejected Marian because her skin was too dark for them.  So, it didn’t matter to these women why they were wanted – they were wanted where they chose to go.  No more “aloneness.”

German men openly pursued Marian and Black men couldn’t care less that Ruth’s white body was “excessive.”

When Marian took early retirement she moved to Germany, and Ruth found a husband where she lived.

When you look at the 2 women, you come to realize that Ruth’s problem had a solution.  She need only lose the weight, (easy today with Ozempic) and her story would be quite different.

Unfortunately for Marian, only snakes can shed their skin – but even so, the color does not change.  Anyway, all once again, ends well.  Ruth and Marian proved that ultimately, our happiness does not lie in the hands of others.

 

Lora Harrington Pride  8/9/26

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