This will be the last excerpt I will post here about my little family who came into my mind and sat for a spell (hey a Beverly Hillbillies reference). Mr. Hawkins! People do not want you to revisit your mid fifties. Who do you even think knows what you're talking about. Anyway hi everybody. It’s Dee. We wanted our story to be told. It’s a small story about an American family and hey who better to tell t than an American with a little bitty mind. Don’t worry I’m not going any where and Mommy will be a part of our next adventure. And you’ll get to meet my little brother Bruce soon.
But all good things must come to an end.
Anyway gentle reader here we go.
The Ballad of Jennifer and Abigail
Chapter 9 Psalm 19: 105 (continued)
Asia Minor
“You are so serious,” Big Cousin says to me. “You didn’t change her mind, did you?”
“No,” I snap. I wasn’t trying to. I was trying to explain how I feel. That’s her hero. I want her to have her hero. Just planting a seed that’s all. I figure give it time and maybe it will grow.”
“Right about now you probably got a good chance of that seed growing into a mighty tree of doubt.”
“Listening to you sounding all biblical.”
“I cannot believe you married an atheist. Yes, I can. Oh, do I sound too much like President Obama.”
“What, he’s your boy too.”
“I didn’t vote for him,” Adrienne jabs me.
I think to myself you got that. I won’t say it out loud because I refuse to give her the satisfaction. “You act like you think I did.”
Adrienne arches her eyes and doesn’t say a word. “Okay. You got me. I stepped right into that voting booth and proudly voted for first Black president once. The second time I voted for Shirley Chisholm. She’s one of my sheroes and since she’s dead I knew she wouldn’t disappoint me.”
Adrienne cracks up. She leans back on her rock and howls. “We’ll leave first Black President alone. Your first vote is your burden to bear. Finish telling me about your trip.”
“It’s not a whole lot to tell.” I look off into the mist thinking about my girls- my grasshopper and my chickadee. I’m too full to talk for a moment. Adrienne reaches over and touches my hand.
I rock back and forth for a moment until I’m sure I can speak. “Somewhere after we crossed the Mason Dixon line, I got my turn with the music. Dee had cut a CD for me. Some old rhythm and blues.”
“Rhythm and blues, you are too old. And they must really love you. I see why Jennifer calls you gramps. I can hear you yelling get off my lawn.”
I look at her and shake my head. “You’re having a good time aren’t you. Yes, they love me. They also happen to love rhythm and blues. And you as much as anybody ought to know how important it is to keep the driver alert.”
“I thought ants didn’t get sleepy.”
“Watch yourself,” I chuckle.
“You watch yourself,” she teases, balls up her fist and touches my jaw.”
“You remember how you punched that boy that time in the country.”
“I sure do. Nobody messes with you but Howard, Jr, James, and me. I started to get him again for getting me in trouble.”
“Yeah slugger, you were something else.”
“Too bad I can’t say the same thing about you.”
“Anyway, we had a sing along. Which made me happy. I didn’t have to dance. We started off with Sly.”
“Wow, I wish I was there for that singalong. Early or late?”
“We started with early-Dance to the Music, Hot Fun in the Summertime. We double dipped later on with some late Sly.”
“Double dip, you sound like that crackhead husband of mine.”
“I though he took the cure. He didn’t go back out, did he?”
“No, he didn’t,” Big Cousin says taking her turn staring into the mist. She bounced back.
“Let me guess. Nobody better talk about him.” Adrienne nods her head. A small smile splits her face. “Because that’s your baby.”
“Then you know how I feel,” she retorts and holds her hand up for a high five. We slap palms and laugh again. It’s good to laugh.
“We stopped to get something to eat in South Jersey.”
“You really do love the south.”
“Are you going to let me finish.”
“Yes sir, go ahead.”
“I asked Dee before we stopped are you hungry Dat Dere? She Looked at me and says yes Daddy.”
“What do you want. Oh, that’s right it doesn’t matter to you. Or have you got the taste back in your mouth yet. Jennifer popped me so hard on my shoulder I thought it was you.”
“I know you didn’t say that to that child.”
“I sure did. You got to toughen them up.”
“Dee squeals Dad Dee. Jennifer gets this sad look in her eyes. I felt bad for a second.”
Dee unbuckles her seat belt, sits up on the seat, wraps her arms around Jennifer and says Ngo ngoi nei. She presses her head against Jennifer’s head and squeezes. Jen grabs her arm and replies I love you too baby. Daddy is being bad. Dee nods her head and smiles at me not letting Jennifer see she got a kick out of my crack.
We pull into a burger joint and grab some food. As we get ready to leave a guy comes over to me and says I don’t know if you realize but your left brake light is out. I told him no I didn’t and thank him for letting me know. I check to see if maybe the bulb fell out of place. No such luck. I figure we’ll check it when we get back home.
We hit the road again. Dee is fascinated by the tolls we must pay and the water we cross. Not too many big bridges in our neck of the woods. The Temptations and The Supremes come on and I look at Jennifer and coo I’m going to use every trick in the book sounding nothing like Eddie Kendricks. Jennifer jumps in on the Diana Ross bit. Dee looks at us and giggles at her love-struck parents.
Like an old woman she sits back arms crossed and says, “What am I going to do with you two?”
Jen and I keep right on singing. Next up Your Precious Love by Marvin and Tammi- our song. We snap our fingers in unison as the song begins. Dee watches us sing the chorus heaven must have sent you from above. She cuts in “Mommy I thought you didn’t believe in God.” Jen shushes her as we sing and look in each other’s eyes.
The song ends. Jen says to her baby I don’t believe in God, but your daddy makes me know heaven is real. I want to say something, but my voice catches in my throat. I think to myself the south got something to say. My Jennifer, I do love her. Sly comes back on singing If You Want Me to Stay. Dee loves this. We ride in silence enjoying each other.
I sigh and say “damn.”
Jennifer looks at me. “What’s wrong?”
“The police.”
“Dad Dee?”
“Don’t worry Dee. Let me pull over. It’s probably about the light.”
“Be careful,” Jennifer says in a low voice.
“Don’t worry Jen. I’m old and I look soft.” I understand her being on edge. It’s been a lot going on. I park and wait on the officer. It’s a woman, white, looks to be maybe thirty years old. I watch her stride purposely to the car. Jen stares at me. I look at her. I see fear in her eyes.
“Baby, don’t worry, its three o’clock in the afternoon. She can see me. And like I said I’m old and soft looking. What do you think? She’s going to shoot me. Why would she do that?”
“You are so naïve,” Jennifer says her voice shaking.
I reach over and pat her hand. Dee is bouncing on the back seat. “Dee it will be all right.”
Aretha Franklin comes on singing one of my favorites. Her interpretation of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water. It feels like we’ve been sitting a long time when the officer arrives at the car. I roll down the window. The officer asks me, “sir do you realize your taillight is broken. Did you know that?”
Aretha’s really singing. I think maybe I should turn the radio down. But it’s not that loud and I figure this is a song everybody should like. Maybe it’ll brighten the officer’s day.
“Where are you headed?”
“We’re on our way to New York for an art exhibit my wife is presenting.”
She looks down in the car at Jennifer. I’m thinking to myself see Jen she looks friendly enough. “Sir, I’m going to need to see your license.”
I say okay and reach around to my back pocket to get it. I’m clumsy. As I pull it out it drops on the driver’s side floor. I reach down for it.
“Sir! Put your hands where I can see them.”
“I’m just getting my wallet. Give me a second.” I reach down on the floor”
“Sir,” she barks.
Dee whimpers Daddy.
I look up and understand why.
Fear leads to all kinds of errors and mistakes!