Martha spent her high school days in Laurel Hills,NC--a mustard seed town right outside of Laurinburg in Scotland County. Like Laurinburg, Laurel Hill is a stereotypical small town--everybody knows everybody. Since Laurel Hill is half the size of Laurinburg, town gossip travels twice as fast. Martha quickly found out how large the town 'grapevine' was when she did something she knew many people in Laurel Hill and most of Scotland County were against--interracial dating.
Martha was raised in a church-oriented family and her family's feelings were important to her. She was taught the Golden Rule but she was also taught some dividing lines between different races. The most significant line was against whites dating blacks.
Because of her upbringing, Martha was weary of her and Al's relationship. She knew her family would object so she kept the relationship secret. Not only did Martha try to avoid ridicule from her family, but she also worried about public opinion. When Al and Martha went to public places, people constantly stared and whispered. Martha's friends were the only ones who didn't seem bothered by her and Al's relationship.
After Al and Martha had been dating a while, it became harder to keep their relationship secret. Martha's mother, Carol, began to inquire about her 'mysterious' boyfriend. People eventually started to call Carol and inform her about Al. Finally, Martha was forced to acknowledge her relationship. Pressures from her family forced Martha to break up with Al. Even, after the two had broken up, some of Martha' family members were still angry about the situation anddissappointed in her decision. It took a while for all of Martha's family to fully accept her again. Though Al didn't agree with Martha's reasoning in their breakup (she didn't want to lose her family), he understood.
Despite all of the hardship she endured at the end of her and Al's relationship, Martha does not have any regrets. She doesn't think she will ever date interracially in the future, but she feels it was a learning experience because she witnessed some of the prejudices black males face on a daily basis. She also learned to be more open minded about other races. Best of all, she also made a friend for life, which is why if you ask her about Al, a smile will appear on her face.
If you ask Martha Chavis to recall her experiences with Al Ingram, a big smile would instantly appear and she'd go on and on about how great she thinks Al is and how much fun they've shared. Chances are she wouldn't volunteer to tell you she and Al dated, that huge problems arose because he is black and she is white, and everything resulted in a painful breakup. She'd merely talk about the good things between her and Al.
