This picks up with Bobby and I sleeping after staying up all night at the hospital. Unc gently shakes me awake and holds his finger to his lips for me to be quiet. I tip toe out to the living room and sit down to have a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal. If you've never eaten this cereal there are two aspects that are of interest. #1-It removes all the skin from the roof of your mouth.#2 You can't hear a damn thing when your chewing because its so loud. I see uncs' lips moving but can't make out the sound. I decide to fake it and just keep nodding. The problem with this solution is at some point you will be required to answer. That time had arrived just as I swallowed my last bite of cereal. Starting to pick up the bowl and finish the milk unc interjects "You ain't been listening to a damn thing I said have you?" gulping down the last bit of sweetened milk I put the bowl down and answer" I agree, that sounds like a great idea. So what do you want me to do?" Unc motions for me to come closer and as the sugar hits my blood, I realize unc knows I 've been stringing him along. Already trying to pull my head back, unc unleashes one of his famous skull crushing finger flicks. The interesting thing about this is you don't feel the pain right away. It comes in an delayed wave, unfurling absolute agony. " Ouch!! What did you do that for?" Reloading for another round I leap from the table with my hand to my head and say" You know, I've had just about enough of that! You better stop flogging me with those lead filled sausages you call fingers or else..." For self preservation purposes I play it off as a joke. "Or else, I won't be able to be a head model. Or else, I'll run away and join the circus. Or else..." Unc cuts me off and motions me back to the able. I cautiously return and sit down ready at a moments notice to leap away again. His face has that warm all embracing look that makes everyone feel so safe around him. I put my hands up in surrender and say " Sorry, I'm sure that can be very annoying. I don't like it when it's done to me. Tell me again I promise I'll listen this time." Leaning back I here the aluminum chair creak as unc folds his arms across his chest and says very slowly "Unhh hunnh, ummmm." Clearing his throat he says " Well if that's the way you want it , go ahead and start cleaning up in here." He gets up, picks up the phone and makes a call. He turns his back so I can't hear. Paying for my earlier stunt, I start cleaning up when unc comes over putting his arm around me saying " Enough fun and games for a while, Leon's on his way down from Newburgh, so take a shower , brush your teeth and pack up we're leaving. I start to say something , but unc cuts me " Yes, get Bobby ready too. I obviously don't see what you see in that hard headed nephew of mine." Smiling I say " I guess it just takes one hard head to understand another." Showered , packed and ready we go down stairs to wait for Leon. Whoever that is. Before the front door swings closed a brown 1972 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon pulls up with 2 boys hanging our the window yelling "Uncle Gilbert , Cousin Bobby and who's the white kid?" It stops and a thin athletic good looking young black guy gets out and opens the back saying " Vernon, Leon come out here and help with these bags." Two boys 9 and 10 leap out and grab the bags and put them in the back. Then jump back in and shut the gate and say " All done daddy what else?" He smiles and leans his head in the window saying " Good job boys , that was great. You doing your daddy proud. "Then the most radiant woman steps out of the car and goes over to unc and says" Why Gilbert you never told us Jody was this handsome. If I'd have known.. well never mind" She squats down and hugs me then grabs my shoulders and says Woooowee you're a cutie why don't you sit up front with me, so we can get to known one another. Go on get in." O.k. I had seen beautiful women before , but nothing like Cynthia. Before I got in Leon reaches over and shakes my hand, winks and says " Don't go stealing my woman now. You hear Jody? Those boys ned their mama" Cynthia puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head looking Leon up and down saying " And what? all of a sudden your skinny ass don't. Wait till we get home Leon Vernon Jones." Putting his arm around unc they walk around to the back of the car and talk privately for a few minutes. It looks pretty serious. I bet it's about what happened to Little Carlton last night. We all got to know one another on the trip up the Hudson. River. We stop at Bear Mountain State Park for a picnic. once again there is great food and lots of it. We had fried chicken, potato salad, macaroni salad, something called 3 bean salad, peach cobbler and sweetened sun tea with fesh lemon. Everyone has fun and no one argues or fights. Even unc seems to be having a great time. He is laughing and playing with the kids. Then we go swimming in our underwear in the lake. After our clothes dry we pack up and drive to there house in Newburgh. After all that beauty , I'm not prepared to find a slum no different than Harlem. Once again I start to get scared. Sensing this Cynthia put her arms around me and said " Now child you listen here. Ain't nothing bad gonna happen to you here. So just relax and make yourself at home. " She kisses me on my cheek and I feel dizzy. The week flies by. I think I am having more fun this week than I ever had before. We didn't do anything fancy, but we did it together. The only other incident is one day when I go to the store to buy some blue soda and take a detour, exploring on the way home. There is a basketball court with a bunch of guys playing. They see me and stop. Someone yells " Yo milkman, why don't you just toss us that bag and put your shoes and money in it.?" I have no idea what posessed me , but I walk around to where you could get in and crawl through. I stand there saying " You want them so bad why don't you come take em off my feet?" I feel tough until they start coming toward me and then they stop and slowly back away. They put up their hands and say " That's cool kid, we were just joking. You can go."I stood there and stare at them then say " Bunch of pussies, you's not even worth my time." They do nothing so I turn around thinking "Cool I really am bad ass." Crawling back through the fence, I stand up and guess who's standing there shaking his head? That's right unc, and he is nott happy. He grabs me and drags me back to the house lecturing me on the dangers of the street and what?Had I lost my mind? I say " Unc there was no problem. Those kids weren't all that tough. I was testing out what I see you do. Now granted they may not have been scared of me, but at least I didn't show them I was scared. That's what you taught me right?" Unc puts his arms around me picks me up and puts me on the back of his neck piggy back style saying." Take a good look around, we're going home tomorrow." I say " Ahh unc do we have to ?" He looks up at me and says " You know how lucky you got it?" I say " Sure I do! why do you think I challenged those kids?" Now in my best Clint Eastwood immitation I say" You know punk, in all the excitement I plum forgot got how many kids there were 5 or 6. Being backed up by one of the most powerful hands known to man. Hands that would tear your head clean off. I believe I was feeling lucky. Well punk ?" Unc laughs and we say our goodbyes because Leon is leaving on a job. He drives an 18wheeler, one of the most powerful trucks known to man. That night he takes us to a drive-in showing not 1, but 2 Clint Eastwood movies. So that was my trip to the ghetto. My taste for the bad life disappears and I really feel gratitude for what I do have in my life . 2 weeks later my parents take me to Europe for the first time. I can't get into trouble over there can I? Well that's all for tonight. Thanks and goodnight. Jody
No comments:
Post a Comment