SEASON 1 PART 21

[ROUGH DRAFT FROM BOOK]
["Mid August to Early September, I met a first cousin that I had no idea existed. She’s my aunt’s daughter. I met her by facebook, via my sister’s knowledge of our family history. This summer, we went down to Southwest Louisiana for the first time in a few years. The surpise came to us [via Jameson]nwhen our aunt left us a few things of hers. She left me her old recipes. As a little girl, I took to making dessert. By 10, I was baking cakes and pies. There was a time, when I would sale pies and pastries for extra money for college. It was through Jameson that my sister was informed of relatives in Long Beach. Yvonne and I had a conversation over coffee and that is when I reached out to her. She has three children who are around my childrens age. Her eldest is about three years older then my oldest son. Her youngest and my youngest are like wonder twins! Those two are so much alike that they could’ve been separated at birth. They all get along well but those two are two peas in a pod but I digress. Faye’s story is that she and my aunt moved out here early on and stayed with our relatives in Sacramento. They eventually settled in Long Beach. She’s been in California since she was 10 and was pretty candid about the move. Her and my aunt had been struggling in the Bayou State. In poverty, they kept contact with our cousins in Sacramento. That came in handy with the transition when aunt Clarisse decided it was time for a change. She lived with my mothers cousin in Sacramento while she studied to become a therapist. They eventually settled in Long Beach and have been there sense. It was through Faye that I got a bit of insight as to the dismantling of the family relationships…………….."]


It was an overcast morning as Abram’s last class for the day ended. "Long weekend begins now!" he said as he headed back to his dorm room. As he arrived to his dorm, he noticed that his roommate was already packed and ready to go. "You don’t waste any time do you?"
"nope" Ricardo said. "You need to do the same"
After Abram packed, the two of them decided to go to get a bite to eat.
"Let’s go to that taco joint down the road"
"Good idea"
At lunch time, Ricardo has loaded his taco salad with shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and pinto beans.

Ricky wasn’t naive to Louisiana culture. His dads people were from the St. Charles Parish and his great grandmother arrived in LA during the 50s. His complexion could be described as light tan color with fine hair. As there food arrived, they figured they had about an hour to eat and gather their bags.

After a response confirming the message he called the Uber. After eating, the pair waited outside for 15 minutes before Uber arrived. After returning to the dorm, Abram grabbed his MP3 player, his suitcase, and his phone charger and the two headed out. Once their ride arrived, they wasted no time. Stopping for gas only once. Their trip ended in LA a quarter after 6:00. They arrived at Abe’s house around 7:00pm. Yvonne was looking out of the kitchen window at the time. Surprised, she happily walked out and hugged her son.

They sat for a bit with Yvonne at the kitchen counter making small talk. Wanting to know Ricardo a bit better she asked him his major

As they were carrying on their conversation, Zach and Phil returned with the food. Phil being caught off guard blinked momentarily before realizing that his son was in from college.

After they ate, Ricardo decided that he needed to let his parents know that he was in town. "I’m gonna head out" he said shook Phil and Zach’s hands. I’ll see you all tomorrow, if that’s okay". "Sure" Yvonne said as Abram walked him out. After watching him exit the driveway, Abe decided to put his bag in his room before talking with his parents.

Later that night after everyone had showered and Abram got comfortable in his room, Phil knocked on the door. "Come on in" Abe said as he closed his laptop. "Hey son, you settled in?" "Sure did"-Abram responded. Abram hadn’t seem his bed since June, not to mention he missed the Privacy that this bedroom allowed him versus the dorm room where his bedroom was the size of a shoe box and the walls were paper thin. He couldn’t have a phone conversation w/o someone banging through the doors. Masturbation or sex was out of the question.

Abe is kind of a homebody, just the fact that he went away for college is a surprise. Granted it’s about six hours away. He spent the rest of his night watching movies on his laptop before dozing off. Yvonne went to his room and cut the light off, leaving the door slightly open when she left. He got up around 1:00 am to get a cup of water before going to back to bed. Around 9:00 am, he woke up and met Yvonne on the porch. "What’s on your agenda today?" she asked.
"I’m gonna get in my car and ride! Haven’t had my car in months! I’m having lunch with a buddy and then going to get home in time to help you get ready for company tonight."
"Be careful out there, traffic’s been nuts and police are everywhere"
"Duly noted"
He ate breakfast before taking a short run. Upon his return, he took a shower and got dressed. His outfit consisted of a pair of dark khaki shorts, an orange polo and a pair of Sperry shoes. He sat at the house for a couple of hours and talked with his mom about school and what he’d like to do when he got out. He expressed concerns about the job market when he got out and the worth of his bachelor’s degree. He got in his car for the first time in months and turned the engine on, letting the car warm up for about five minutes before taking off.  He plugged his iPod in, turned the air on savoring the ride anticipating the freedom once he would be able to bring his car on campus. He met Ricardo and Vincent downtown where they’d eat lunch.
"I’m in the mood for a burger" Vincent said
"How about that grill over there?" Abe said, reminding them that he didn’t want to overdo it as he would be eating with family tonight. They walked to the grill, being relatively early, they had no trouble getting a table. Abe ordered the smoked turkey sandwich before breaking the ice for table talk.

Back home, Phil and Quincy were preparing supper. They decided to put steak and chicken on the pit with mashed potatoes a garden salad. Deja made a confetti cake and as well as a chocolate cake.
"So how you cooking those steaks" Quincy asked.
"Medium well" Phil said.
Phil managed to get a good deal from the newspaper. Abram was rather simply to please. A good steak or Mexican food was always a preference of his.
"So Abe liking college so far?"
"Yeah, so far so good. He says he gets along with his roommate"
"Has he picked a major?"
"Not yet, but he was talking about Business"
"Good deal"
"Man what about you? What’s the job search like now?"
"I do a little merchandising, picked up some work mystery shopping now."
"Any bites?"
"Talking to someone in the hospital about possibly clerking"
Quincy decided to go in the house and get a beer as Phil flipped the steaks. As he came back outside to resume the conversation, Phil asked how that connection came to be about.
"Well going to the VA office to fill out some paperwork initially I spoke with a woman who works as a janitor in the evenings. She put in a word at the hospital she cleans at. Call was unexpected".
He got a text as he was talking "gotta take this"
He called and it was the woman from the hospital. "Uh huh, yes. Okay. Thank you"
He called Deja, "I got a job"
"I’ll start In a week, lady told me that if I want it it’s mine. So there you have it"
"That’s great babe"
"Well it’ll be something until I can get a better paying one. Anyway I’m gonna go pick up the kids. You heard from your sister?"
"Yep she’s in San Francisco, they’ll be here in a couple of hours"
Quincy left the house to get the kids from school. He dreaded the long line that he’d encounter due to the time he left. After picking up the children, he returned to Phil’s house around 4:00 PM. Zach had managed to hitchhike a ride from a friend in P.E.
"Hey pop"
"Good evening son, how was have a good day at school?"
"It was okay I guess, got a current event assignment in Geography. Due Tuesday"
While Phil was making small talk with Zach,Quincy made the revelation that he just secured employment.
"Good deal"
"Well I’m gonna go to my room for a bit."
"Company’s coming at 5"
"I know, I remember"
In his room, Zach decided to put together a playlist and crank out the music for a bit before Faye arrived. He returned outdoors later on to help Faye with some items in her car. Quincy said. Ian and Malachi caught up over the last couple weeks with Zach, while Junior and Darius went inside for a bit. Abram, Ricardo, and Vince were sitting on the sofa as the company while company begin to arrive. Walking outside, Abram noticed some unfamiliar faces. 
"Hey Abe, this is your mother’s cousin"
"Hi, cousin Faye"
"Abram"
"You doing okay?"
"Yes ma’am"
"It’s nice to finally put a face. Your mama has been talking about you for the last two weeks"
"Good right?"
The boys were on the porch where Ian asked "is that our cousin?"
"Yea that’s Abe" Zach said
"Howdy Howdy!" Abe said to Malachi as he walked up. After greeting Malachi with a handshake and a hug, Ian introduced himself.
"How’s it going man?"
"Good" 
"So how are y’all  related to us?"
"Our mom and your mom are first cousins"
"This is going to be an interesting conversation later, but nice to meet you"
"I have two sisters and a brother, they’re inside"
"QJ’s inside too" Malachi interjected. Abram went inside, to get a soda and say hello.
"Junior! Whats up?"
"Hey Aundrea" he said followed by a hug, before introducing himself to the other three "I’m Abram"

"Nice to meet you three. Ricky and Vincent"
"Hi"
He then washed his hands and decided to grab a Dr. Pepper. "We’ll probably be eating in a little bit"
"Good!" QJ exclaimed "I’m starving"
After the rest of the company arrived and welcomed Abram home, there was a prayer, and then the meal was served. Steak, chicken, potatoes, salad and two desserts to choose from.
"Y’all remember that ice cream machine that uncle Pete used to have?" Faye asked.
"Yeah, he normally used that around summer time. He’d use a little ice, milk, almond oil. The texture was kind of funny. Almost like a sorbet" Yvonne laughed.
The evening was filled with laughs and eats. Abe was pretty simple to please. Food, snacks, kids hanging out. After the kids ate, they decided to take a walk.
"I’ll go with them" Abe said. "Come on yall"
After the kids and teens left, Deja asked about  the relatives in Sacramento. "We’re trying to get around to meeting them in the next few months". Clarissa said.
15 minutes later, the kids were in the front yard with two cop cars following closely behind them. "Is everything okay?" A concerned Quincy asked. "We received a complaint about a suspicious group of black kids roaming the streets" the officer said. "No, this is my son and his friends. These are my nieces and nephews".  He then instructed them to go back to the backyard. Quincy stood out there with the officers and explained that his nephew was in town for the weekend. "I’m glad that you allowed them to prove themselves instead of taking matters into your own hands. Thank you officer"
Inside the Malachi and Aundrea were sitting down Yvonne and Abe cane in. "I’m glad that you all made it home. This situation could have ended completely different. I dream of a time when this won’t be an problem. Maybe in the year 3000 when we are all the color of a brown paper bag, that will be so. In the meantime, we have to continue to h e these talks with you. We’d be doing a disservice otherwise. I wouldn’t instruct you to behave any differently. Don’t make any sudden movements. You should be almost motionless. Abe, I’m telling this to you too when you’re out there in San Francisco. Y’all can go back outsid now, go get a piece of cake."
Ricardo and Vincent decided to eat a piece of cake and head home. 
"I’m gonna drop them home and I’ll be back" Abe said.
The ride was relatively quiet, "y’all okay?"
"Yeah, I’m Good" Vincent affirmed
"How about your cousins?" Ricardo added. Abram assured them that all was well, but he did say that his mom informed him of the possibility of this happening. She even gave me a lecture before I went on my run this morning. After dropping Ricardo off, he brought Vincent home. He greeted his parents as he haven’t seen them in a while and wanted to touch bases. He stayed for about ½ hour before ending his night back home.
He returned home where everyone had come inside for the evening. "Did you have a good time?" Deja asked
"Yes I did, thank you". He enjoyed tonight despite the incident. He then joined them on a watching television show
"Is everyone else alright?"
"Yes son, all’s good"
Miriam drove up and as she went to the kitchen to fix a plate, Abe told her "You missed some crazy stuff today"

TO BE CONTINUED WITH EPISODE 22