SEASON 1 PART 23

ABRAM [DOB 10/21/99]

"Hurry! Get to the car!" Abe exclaimed! " Let’s go! "Let’s go!

"Damn it! Where are my keys? Oh here they are."

"Phone?!"

"Ummm it’s in your hand!" Zach said shaking his head

They headed to the car and had to wait until traffic began to clear up before driving out. After a half hour, they were able to drive and as they were driving, Zach noticed someone being taken away on a stretcher. Abe was rather quite during the ride home.

"I hope whoever that was is okay" He said, taking sometime to compose himself.

Brandi called them and asked if they wanted to stop for ice cream.

"sure"

"Who was that?"

"Brandi, they’re stopping for ice cream"

"I’m really not hungry, but I guess, a sweet treat isn’t bad"

At the ice cream shop, they spent the last hour talking about the incident at the party.

ABRAM-"So, B is normal?"
BRANDI-"Umm no"
ABRAM-"What the hell was that?"
BRANDI"Don’t know. I need to call Tanner."
AMINA-"Who was that in the ambulance?"
BRANDI"Don’t know"
ZACHARIAH-"It started off so well"
ABRAM-"And ended so miserably"
AMINA-"Where are your friends"
ABRAM-"On their way home"
AMINA-"Should’ve invited them"
ABRAM-"I think they’ve had enough for one outing"
BRANDI-"Don’t forget baby sis, mom almost didn’t let you go when she overheard that they were coming"
ZACHARIAH-Do tell
AMINA-Mom overheard us talking about them
ZACHARIAH-damn, she hears everything!
ABRAM-"So your friend, was able to book the beach, get a DJ, have a beach fire, a drink section and refreshments? What do his parents do?"
BRANDI-"Dad’s a surgeon, his mom is a lawyer"
ABRAM-"Shit!"

Brandi’s phone buzzed, it was an alert from Tan asking if they were okay. There was a drunk individual who crashed the party drunk, who then began to pick a fight with a patron. Two of them were arrested. The instigator had his nose broken, and was taken to an ambulance.

ABRAM"Tanner seems like a good dude."
BRANDI-"He is"
ABRAM-"We don’t speak of this night at home"
ZACHARIAH-"My lips are sealed"
ABRAM-"You know, growing up, mom rarely allowed me to go to parties. Shit like this. From Junior High to High School I may have gone to 4 parties"

After leaving the ice cream shop, the boys went home and the girls followed. Deciding to watch some old classic comedies when Yvonne and Clarissa walked in.

ZACHARIAH-"Hey mom"
AMINA-"Mom?"
CLARISSA-"The two of us just went to a movie"
YVONNE-"Glad to see you made it in one piece. Y’all have fun?"
ZACHARIAH-"Yeah"
CLARISSA-"We passed by the pier, I don’t know what happened but it looked bad. Know anything about it?"
BRANDI"I do not."
ZACHARIAH-"Messed around in the mall. Went for ice cream"

Abe falling asleep, decided he’d get ready for bed once his aunt and cousins left. In the meantime, he sat and listed to his aunt and his mother talk about the movie that they had just come from seeing.

ABRAM-"Another chick flick?"
YVONNE-"Actually no. Good family movie. Kind of sad, heartwarming film about a family dealing with the loss of the matriarch."
ZACHARIAH"Would you see it again?"
YVONNE-"Sure I would"
YVONNE-"What did y’all do tonight?"
ZACHARAH-"Mall, passed by the beach,  got some ice cream, then came home a turned on the TV"
YVONNE-"Did Abe’s friends go?"
ZACHARIAH-"Yea, they should be home now"
 Abe eventually went to bed with Clarissa and the  girls leaving shortly afterward.
"Your dad and your brother can go to sleep at the drop of a dime" Yvonne said as she sat on the sofa to watch TV with Zach. "How was the beach gathering?"

"It was nice"

While they were watching TV, Malachi was on a chat with Taylor.

"So I’m using moms Skype"

The following morning  was Abram’s birthday. He was greeted with chocolate pancakes and French toast. "Oh snap!" he exclaimed "got powdered sugar, whipped cream, and all the fixings"

"Happy Birthday, son"

"Thank you. I ‘ve gotta hit the campus gym when I get back"

"Me and your dad are going to pay for lunch today"

"Sweet!"

Zach woke up at the smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen, his eyes were immediately on the French toast. "Grab some" Abe said as he reached for a can of whipped cream.

"I’m about to kill this. Pass me that powdered sugar"

While they were eating breakfast, Clarissa was talking with her daughters.

CLARISSA-The two of you were at the beach
BRANDI-Yes ma’am
AMINA-We went to the mall first
CLARISSA-My sister told me that the guys had gone down there, there was a bon fire, right?
AMINA-There was
CLARISSA-Any alcohol?
BRANDI-No ma’am. Tanner’s not that kind of kid.
CLARISSA-Okay, but why did Abe’s friends need to go? Amina, you know, you can’t go on a date until you’re 16.
AMINA-It’s not a date! It was just us hanging out.
CLARISSA-Be that as it may.Abe probably didn’t need to go to a party with a bunch of high school kids either. It only takes one person to say that something happened that didn’t and his life could be destroyed. Anyway...….was it nice?
BRANDI-It was nice until, towards the end
AMINA-Fight broke out.
CLARISSA-I’m glad that y’all were smart enough to get the hell out of there.

Noticing a website with Colorado homes on Clarissa’s laptop, Amina inquired as to what was going on. "Planning a trip" Clarissa responded. "For the Christmas break."

"You mean, it’ll actually feel like Christmas?" Brandi responded
"Yes. We are going to spend the Christmas break in Colorado. Have a  white Christmas! Snow, the parks. Hot cocoa. The whole nine yards! If I book now, I get a discount."

She took a short break to call to wish Abe a happy birthday.
"Hey sis"
"The girls say happy birthday"
"Abe says thank you. Right now, he’s eating breakfast. Then he said he’s gonna go for a run. He said he’ll be by later"
"Y’all doing something today?"
"I’m gonna take him to lunch"
"Aww that’s nice. Where y’all going?"
"I’m going to see where he wants to go today. What you got going on on your end?"
"Looking at vacation homes"
"Winter trip?"
"Yea, you know about it?"
"Some, Denise told me about it. About how they usually go away for the winter."

"It’d be nice for the kids to meet them"

"I grew up with Denise, we used to play together as kids"

"Dee was a bit younger so I doubt she’d remember her."

"So what part of Colorado?"

"Somewhere not far from Colorado Springs."

"Beautiful out there."

They end the conversation so that Yvonne could was some clothes. 

While washing, the phone rang. Abe answered "Hello?"

It was his aunt Deja wishing him a happy birthday before asking if his mom was home. "She’s right here". He went for a mid morning run while his mother and his aunt begin their phone conversation. 

He drove out to the board walk, and took a 40 minute jog. He used jogging to clear his head, see sights, greet others passing by, etc. On the way home, he stopped for a smoothie. On his way in, he checked his Facebook page and saw birthday wishes from his Azalea and Anita along with friends. 

He arrived home to see his mom still on the phone. "I’ve been gone for at least an hour, what y’all in here runnin y’all mouths about"?

"I’ll tell you later"

He took a shower and put on a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. 

"Cousin Faye says happy birthday" 

"Tell her I said thank you"

"I’ll text her right now. I’ve been on the phone all morning. Your aunts and I are planning a trip to Colorado this Christmas. Our cousins in Sacramento normally go somewhere colder for the Holidays and they want us to meet them there. You don’t know them but your grandmother's cousin Paulette lives out there. Her kids had been out for years. I grew up with her daughter Denise, we’re around the same age. Paulette grew up in Kinder, LA. Left for California with her husband Dexter in the early 60s. She raised her kids in Sacramento. 

While trying to process this in his head, he grabbed a bottle of water and headed upstairs to study for a quiz that he'd be taking once he returned to school. Being away from home, and this being first semester, he was determined to keep his grades up. He studied for about an hour and a half when Yvonne advised him to get ready as they'd be leaving to go to lunch around 1:00. "We're gonna eat Mexican"

"That's what's up!" Abe exclaimed as he slipped on a shirt and a pair of Sperry shoes.

Gradually they were all ready to go, while they were dining out, Deja was taking a breathers. She had finally completed her cookbook and it was ready to be published at the end of the month. She knew of the venue that she wished to hold her signing at as well as the price she wished to sell for. It was the first weekend in a while that she didn't have papers to grade. She decided that she'd catch the sofa and the TV before one of the kids beat her to it. Malachi walked in the den where she was.

MALACHI-"Hey mom"
DEJA-"Hey, sweetheart"
MALACHI-"This might be the first time, you've relaxed since school started"
DEJA-"It's the first weekend that I don't have any papers to grade and my cookbook is FINITO!"
MALACHI-"We still doing our Halloween thing?"
DEJA-"As far as I know. I'm planning my book signing around 5:30 that night and our event will be from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm"
MALACHI-"Nice...what chu watchin"
DEJA-"I am about to begin a binge on 'The Crown'"
MALACHI-"Mind if I join you?"
DEJJA-"Not at all"

Malachi had no plans. He chatted with Taylor, he had finished his English homework, aced a test and he has free. "I get a free weekend and don't know what to do with it" He expressed.

"That makes two of us" Deja said.
DEJA"Your father has his first day of work next week, so I'm looking forward to hearing about that tonight. He's gotta go sign some paperwork today"
MALACHI-"Me too. What are we having?"
DEJA-"Don't know yet, the show is about to start"

Deja thought this would be good to have her students watch and do an essay on but she thought about the risk of an upset parent.

 For the next six hours the two watched "The Crown" before Dee realized that afternoon was around the corner. "Do y’all even get up to go to the bathroom?" QJ asked? 

"Yep, pause it. Go pee, grab a snack" Malachi responded

DEJA-"Now I see how people do this. My sister does this all the time" 

MALACHI-"We gotta resume this later tonight!"

DEJA-"We will"

She decided to cook Alfredo. "I’m going to make a quick run to the grocery store to get a couple of rotisserie chickens"

Back in Baton Rouge, central time, Kyla and her mom had just returned from the mall to see Jameson looking at a photo album.

KYLA-"Hey dad."

JAMESON-"Hey baby."

KYLA-"What you checking out"

JAMESON-"Photo album"

KYLA-"Of what?"

JAMESON"Me and my mom"

Leaving him to his book she helped her mom unbag some of the bags.

He briefly glanced at his wife when she said 

"There was a sale"

"Apparently." He responded, "get anything good?"

KIMA-"Hey Kyla, take these to your room"

"Where’s Taylor and Crystal?"

JAMESON-"Crystal is next door. Taylor probably talking to her cousin"

KIMA-"We gotta get your family out here sometime. They’ve gotta meet."

JAMESON-"One of them will be here in the spring until the end of summer next year. My cousin Faye that I told you about? Her oldest. He’s high school aged. I think he’s staying with my Uncle." 

He got up to fix a bowl of gumbo, temporarily putting the photo album away.  He had fond times with his California cousins and was looking forward to the day that the kids got to meet one another. In the meantime, he kept contact via social media. 

JAMESON-"What stores did y’all go to?"

KIMA-"Dillard’s, Penny’s, Nordstrom Rack, Marshall’s, a few other places."

Crystal, being a tomboy, generally didn’t like shopping with her mother and did not regret missing this trip. It’s not that she wanted to be a boy, but she was never a big fan of dolls. Sports as well as horseplay were her preferences. 

Kima continued, "got some cute stuff for Crystal and Taylor. Got some winter wear for North Carolina this Christmas break."

She gradually changes the subject to ask James if he felt like riding down to Lake Charles next weekend to gamble. 

"Yeah I’m down. We could go to the buffet at Lauberge. Better yet, we could go to Kinder if it’s cheaper"

KIMA-"We have some points that we need to use"

JAMESON-"True, I wonder if the pool is open?"

KIMA-"I was thinking more along the lines of my sister watching the girls for the weekend. Make this an adult affair"

James pondered it for a moment. He and his wife try to have a date night once a month. It’s easier now that the kids were a little older. "We could walk from Lauberge to Golden Nugget, maybe go to Delta Downs. I’ll start packing"

"I’ll call my sister tomorrow" Kima said. "I wish our casinos were as nice as LCs. How the hell did they pull that off?"

"I have no idea" she responded before eating a spoonful of gumbo. 

KIMA-"Speaking of where are the kids?"

JAMESON-"Taylor is probably on a chat with her cousin. Those other two probably have headphones on. I’ll go get ‘em."

Once the girls were at the table, Kima gave the news. "Your father and I will be going to Lake Charles next weekend."

"To do what" Crystal asked

"We are having a grownup weekend getaway" James responded. 

Dinner lasted about an hour or so before all were done. Dinner talk included Kyla acing a test, Crystal ranting about her math homework, and Taylor asking about their relatives in California. 

After dinner Taylor resumed her conversation with Malachi who was waiting on supper at the time.

TAYLOR-Are you still there? What time is it over there?

MALACHI-I’m here, ummmm it’s 6:40 PM out here. Were two hours behind you guys.

TAYLOR-Is the sun still shinning? 

MALACHI-it is!

TAYLOR-Nice, do anything special today?

MALACHI-not really, ran this morning. Was a couch potato most of the day. Started a series with my mom on Netflix. 

TAYLOR-Which series?

MALACHI-"The Crown", you heard of it?

TAYLOR-Yes! How is it so far?

MALACHI-So far it’s really good! We’re still on season one.

MALACHI-What about you? Anything special?

TAYLOR-Nope, other than dad and mom telling us that they’ll be in Lake Charles next weekend. Dad’s probably going to gamble"

MALACHI-lol, so y’all doing down too?

TAYLOR-no, we were not invited. It’s "adults only"

MALACHI-oh one of those trips.

TAYLOR-right. I’ll probably be staying with my aunt. My mom’s sister.

MALACHI-enjoy

TAYLOR-I detect sarcasm lol

MALACHI-possibly, hey I gotta head out. Supper’s ready. TTYL

He ate supper and after showering he resumed watching "The Crown" with his mother. They finished season 1 at approximately 1:30 AM before retiring to bed. Their plan was to begin the second season and hopefully finish it by the end of the week.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH PART 24