In All For Love

Long As I Live

I told my mother and grandmother everything about the dreams I've had with Granny Net and man it's been everything but easy. After I told my grandmother everything she went home to grab her scrap books and came back the next day showing me pictures of Granny Net's house, and the family time that spent there excessively before she passed away.

    From what I learned Granny Net's party was the place to be live and kick it. They had all birthday parties, barbecues, and Christmas parties there every single year leading up to her passing. My Grandmother Ronnie was the one that helped Granny Net plan them all and my mother was just the assistant since she was a young teenager and trying to figure things out within those particular teenage years— her words not mine.

They then continued to tell me about each auntie individually, how Auntie BJ made the best food and how her house was the place to be before Granny Net moved in her last house within the south suburbs. Auntie BJ was known for her pineapple coconut upside down cake, neck bones and greens, jello pie, corn-bread dressing and devil's food cake, and seafood gumbo. Auntie BJ was jazzy with her long nails and the gold jewelry that decorated her neck, fingers, and wrists on a daily basis. She even had her own beauty shop with her best-friend. Auntie BJ was the a model for all the free spirits in the family that had great fashion sense, grit and wisdom. My Grandmother Ronnie even began to share stories about Auntie BJ did some of the wildest things when she was younger. She told me that one day, Auntie BJ went to go pick up some cabbage patch dolls for her and that she had to fight some white woman to get the dolls. Granny Ronnie said that Auntie BJ came back home with her tightly fitted blue jean pants ripped open in the private area, short hair was still intact though with the cabbage patch doll in tow because she didn't play. She then told me a story of how Auntie BJ had to do this ladies eyebrows for a wedding, and how the lady kept touching where Auntie BJ had placed the wax and wax paper which ultimately led the lady to lose both her eyebrows— hours before a wedding after removal. Tears of laughter escaped through my grandmother Ronnie as she sat back in my bed with my mother laying across her lap as they shared stories of their loved ones that seemed to truly come from their heart.

My mother began telling me how she wrote stories— so many stories back when she was a teenager, and how Auntie BJ would want a copy of every story she's written. She then proceeds to tell me how her and my godmother/cousin spent time endlessly together because aside from their grandmothers being sisters— they were also the best of friends. Then they started talking about Auntie Shirley "Pee-Wee" who was known for her graceful demeanor, bomb ass caramel cake, and how every fourth of July— her house was the place to be to socialize with loved ones and have fun. Auntie Shirley "Pee-Wee" was an avid reader, and my mother spent many hours with her to talk about all things reading, writing and tea.

    Over the next few hours, my mother and grandmother shared how Auntie Dew and Auntie Dolorous lived together and that their house was the poker spot, where Auntie BJ would go over to play poker with them on Saturday nights. Auntie Dew and Auntie Dolorous was also the place to be for coffee, cigarettes, music, joyous laughter and stories filled with wisdom and erotica. My mom and grandmother stated how Auntie Dew and Auntie Dolorous were iconically known for sitting outside their house in a soft or plush jogger outfit accompanied with some house shoes, and smoking their cigarettes with a cup of coffee.

    As my mother and grandmother were sharing the countless stories they had about Auntie BJ, Auntie Dew, Auntie Dolorous, and Granny Net— I started to drift back to sleep on my mother, which I assume prompted them to share that they'll continue talking about it later on and that if I had another dream of Granny Net, they wanted me to tell her that they said "Hey"

     But I didn't have a dream about her or the aunties though, instead my dream was pretty much blank and full of subtle ache because I started to remember that yesterday evening, Nathan and I were going to have sex until Derrick called me and now Nathan wants absolutely nothing to do with me. Which then led today at school to feel odd, since just last week— we were becoming all booed up and now I'm walking through the halls to see Nathan pressed against his locker with Daisy rubbing all up against him. Ole dirty dog. I heard Granny Net use that saying one time during my dream and I think that it's more than benefitting right now.