Characters A Love Song for Ricki Wilde Tia Williams

Ms. Della Bennett: The Quiet Heart of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

Overview

Ms. Della Bennett is the ninety-six-year-old widow who rents Ricki the ground floor of her Harlem brownstone, setting the entire story in motion. On the surface, she is a sharp, fashionable, fiercely independent elder who becomes Ricki’s de facto grandmother. Beneath that, she carries a hidden burden: she is the daughter of Felice Fabienne, the woman who cursed Ezra one hundred years ago. Della’s arc moves from unknowing host to active sacrifice, making her the character who finally breaks the curse by choosing love over a lifelong grudge.

Plot Role

Della appears in three critical phases:

  • Chapters 1–6 – She meets Ricki at her husband’s funeral, offers the brownstone, and becomes Ricki’s confidante. She provides emotional and practical support for Ricki’s flower shop.
  • Chapter 22 – After learning the truth about Ezra, Felice, and the curse, she initially distances herself but eventually believes. She symbolically buries a letter of forgiveness to her mother.
  • Chapter 23 – She takes a lethal dose of morphine, sacrificing herself on the same night Ricki and Ezra attempt suicide. Her death occurs just before midnight, and her note confirms she died intentionally to save them.

She also narrates the Epilogue as a spirit, watching over Ricki and Ezra for twelve years.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Trait Evidence from Actions
Loyalty She defends Felice’s honor as a child, fighting schoolmates who called her “witch spawn.”
Wisdom She immediately identifies Ricki’s need to prove herself to her father (Chapter 5).
Self‑sacrifice She takes morphine to die on the same night as Ricki and Ezra’s planned death, believing her life can save theirs.
Forgiveness She buries a note that says “I understand. And I love you” to Felice, ending a grudge that lasted decades.
Independence At ninety‑six, she swims, attends Zumba Gold, dates Suyin, and insists on managing her own death.

Chronological Arc

  1. 1920s–2023 – Della grows up in the Deep South, raised by her grandmother Nana after Felice abandons her and later commits suicide. She carries a lifetime of anger toward her mother.
  2. 2016–2023 – Diagnosed with lung cancer, she moves to Harlem after Dr. Bennett’s death, hoping to feel close to Felice’s ghost. She buys the brownstone at 225½ West 137th Street.
  3. September 2023–February 2024 – She rents to Ricki, bonds with her, and begins a late‑life romance with Suyin.
  4. Late February 2024 – Ricki and Ezra reveal the curse. Della initially recoils (“pure delirium”) but later accepts the truth after reflecting on Felice’s reputation.
  5. February 29, 2024 – She writes a forgiveness note, buries it in Ricki’s garden, and intentionally overdoses on morphine.
  6. 2036 (Epilogue) – As a spirit, she narrates Ricki and Ezra’s wedding, proud of their family and her own legacy.

Relationships

Ricki Wilde

Della calls Ricki her “granddaughter” even though they are not blood‑related. She provides the space for Wilde Things and becomes Ricki’s emotional anchor. Ricki, in turn, gives Della a sense of purpose: “Being your grandmother has been one of my greatest joys.”

Dr. Bennett

Her late husband, a pioneering Black neurologist. Della talks to him nightly, cherishes his memory, and credits him with arranging her comfortable Harlem life. She distinguishes “Big Love” for him from the “wonderful time” with Suyin.

Suyin

A seventy‑seven‑year‑old retired civil rights lawyer and Della’s romantic partner. Della is “besotted” and checks off bucket‑list items like visiting Russian bathhouses. Their relationship is lighthearted but meaningful.

Felice Fabienne (mother)

The central wound of Della’s life. She spent decades resenting Felice for abandoning her and for the “witch” rumors. Learning the truth about the curse allows Della to forgive and bury her grudge.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  • Decision: To rent Ricki the ground‑floor space. Consequence: Launches Ricki’s flower shop and sets the love story in motion.
  • Decision: To believe Ricki’s story about the curse. Consequence: She accepts that her mother’s magic was real and that she is connected to Ezra’s fate.
  • Decision: To take morphine and end her own life before midnight on February 29. Consequence: Breaks the curse, allowing Ricki and Ezra to become mortal and survive. Della dies on her own terms.
  • Decision: To bury the forgiveness note to Felice. Consequence: Achieves emotional peace and leaves a “permanent flowering” as her legacy.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Family Expectations and Black Sheep Identity – Della understands Ricki’s need to break free because she herself was raised by a strict grandmother who valued silence. She tells Ricki, “You’re not a woman who lets things happen to her.”

Fate and Destiny – Della’s purchase of 225½ West 137th Street was an unconscious attempt to connect with Felice. Her decision to die at the same moment as the planned suicide aligns with the novel’s idea that love can redirect fate.

Grief and Healing – Della models how to live with grief. She talks to Dr. Bennett nightly, dates again, and eventually learns to forgive her mother. Her bucket‑list item “Bury a grudge” becomes literal.

Sacrificial Love – Della gives her life so Ricki and Ezra can live. Her note says, “I couldn’t stand by and watch you hurt, when I could sacrifice myself to save you.”

Harlem Renaissance Legacy – Della moves to Harlem to “taste Mandy’s freedom” from the 1930s film Swing! She embodies the spirit of reinvention that defined the Harlem Renaissance.

For deeper exploration, see the themes page on sacrificial love or the ending explained.

Book‑Specific Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Ms. Della initially reject Ricki’s story about the curse?
    Answer: The story sounds “ludicrous” and triggers Della’s lifelong shame about her mother. She has spent decades believing Felice was simply a “fast” woman who abandoned her, and accepting the truth would mean rethinking her entire childhood.

  2. How does Della break the curse?
    Answer: She takes a lethal dose of morphine on the same night Ricki and Ezra attempt suicide. The curse required a non‑Felice sacrifice, and Della—Felice’s daughter—chooses to give her life willingly. She dies just before midnight, and the curse breaks, making Ezra mortal again.

  3. What does Della’s bucket‑list item “Bury a grudge” mean in the story?
    Answer: She writes a note to Felice saying “I understand. And I love you” and buries it in Ricki’s wildflower garden. This symbolic act represents her forgiveness and frees her to sacrifice herself without resentment.

  4. Does Della know about the curse before Ricki and Ezra tell her?
    Answer: No. She only knows the rumors that Felice was a “conjure woman.” She bought the brownstone hoping to feel closer to her mother, but she is genuinely shocked when Ricki reveals the full story. Once she reflects on the schoolyard whispers, she realizes the rumors were true.

  5. What is Della’s final legacy in the epilogue?
    Answer: She becomes a spirit who watches over Ricki and Ezra. She sees their daughters (the youngest named Della), their thriving shop, and their leap‑day wedding in 2036. She proudly notes that her sacrifice allowed their “wonderful banality of everyday lives.”

For more character‑driven discussion, visit the questions and answers page.