Photograph [Maya Hart]

24 ~ culture week

Harley sat with his laptop on his lap.

Peter was sitting next to them. Their grandparents had emailed pictures of family members from the past and they were looking through them.

"This is so cool," Peter said.

"Yeah," Harley smiled.

"So, Farkle," Maya said, "what's your big family mystery?"

Harley looked up towards Farkle and Maya.

"So, it turns out I have a relative from Denmark," Farkle said.

"That's cool," Harley said.

"Hey, you're a little Danish," Maya smiled. "Little danish?"

She offered a Danish pastry on her plate to Farkle.

Farkle smiled and accepted.

"I've found lots of Minkuses - " Farkle said.

"'Minki,'" Maya corrected.

"Living in Copenhagen in Denmark," Farkle continued.

"The mystery is that I can't find my great - grandfather's birth records," Farkle said.

"Huh, that's weird," Cassie, who was listening to the conversation, said.

"So?" Maya said.

"So, he was the first one who left Denmark," Farkle said, "came to America and started the American 'Minki" team. I want to find out more about him."

"Hey, I can help if you want," Harley offered. "Mr. Matthews gave me an A on what I presented."

"Oh, no, I'm good, Harley," Farkle smiled. "Thanks."

Harley nodded.

Peter took Harley's laptop and placed it on his own lap to look at more pictures.

"Well, good luck, detective coffee cake," Maya said.

Zay was on the phone with his grandmother.

"My grandmother's telling me a story about my grandfather," Zay informed his friends.

Riley quickly got up and rushed over to Zay.

"I just find that terribly -"

Riley snatched the phone out of Zay's hand and said into it, "I am so sorry that I ate the cookie! I know that you only made one for Zay and I ate it. Please make him another one... what?" she turned to Zay. "This is your other grandmother," she realized. 

"I knew that," Zay nodded.

"She says that she doesn't like the cookie bribe," Riley informed Zay, "and you should love them both the same. You need to calm her down right now."

Riley gave Zay his phone back.

"Stay away from my grandmas, Riley," Zay said before putting his phone up to his ear. "Oh, that's a lot of words. Uh, I gotta go. Yeah, love you, too. Yes, just as much as the other one. No, I don't think that's okay to say, Grandma. Thanks for telling me where I'm from," he said as he stood up. "We're from Africa!" he announced.

"Oh!"

"What?"

"Yeah," Zay nodded as he sat with the group. "Feels good to do the research. No, for real. I'm learning my story. We started out in Ghana. My grandma says we're lucky to know where we're from. Not everyone does. My family was brought from Ghana to Jamaica before we came to America. We lived in Texas and now we live in New York. Now I'm friends with you."