blkdragon
grounded
Reception
2/15/099:00am? I didnt go to the rink Saturday night, lack
of funds, I was going to Charles reception; I brought him
my old camera phone and burned 2 cds for Nikki. He called
to tell me that Family would show at 4 and friends would
show after 6, I didnt get there until just before 6,
Nikkis eldest Daughter had arrived with their Grandmother;
she lives with her. Id meet Nikkis Uncle Tony and his
Wife, Id learn that her relatives are educated and well
spoken, I felt sorry for the vision befalling them today;
her home appears to be awaiting demolition. Nikki followed
in her Mothers footsteps, apparently her Mother had been
there earlier with her boyfriend, they were gone by the time
I arrived; Im sure the Grandmother merely tolerated her
presence. I wondered briefly about Nikkis Father, two of
the children in her house are bordering on obesity, the
girls pants were so tight she had difficulty bending down;
Im sure it didnt escape her Grandmothers notice that
Nikki and Charles were dressed in fashion. Id find a reason
to head towards the back, both bedrooms had mattresses on
the floor, you couldnt see the mattresses for the stuff on
top of them; I wondered how or where anyone slept.
They attempted to decorate with a couple of strings of light
across the room, it was a pitiful sight, Id listen to my
Son speak and painfully realize that his learning disability
is seriously manifesting itself; every time he opened his
mouth to speak it was obvious. Nikki would account for her
youngest Daughters hyperactivity by blaming it on the soda
she bought, the obvious solution is to stop buying it, the
Grandmother and Uncle would ask about my profession; Im
sure they were wondering what happened to Charles, until his
Mother arrived.
The Grandmother mentioned having 5 Sons, Nikkis Father
seemed to have been a black sheep, Tony told me that hed
rather teach; he works for State Farm and is about to get
his Pastors license.
Charles had gone to the store with Nikkis Uncle Tony, he
convinced him to pick Kathy up, she came dressed in a snow
suit; I was in jeans and blue plaid deck shoes. There was no
way I would consider dressing to enter Nikkis apartment, no
telling what you may find yourself sitting in, I had just
stepped from the shower; I didnt see Tonys Wife eat
anything and I cant say that I blamed her. I would
eventually eat some fried chicken, it was actually better
than I anticipated, after seeing the kitchen; Id be
skeptical about eating anything else Nikki prepares.
Nikkis relatives would head back to Poughkeepsie as
darkness fell, it was a pleasure meeting them, Nikkis
step-Brother would give her eldest Daughter money; not sure
what that was about. When the friends began arriving, the
alcohol began flowing, Id had a taste of Manischewitz
Creamed Peach; one of Nikkis favorites. Kathy would comment
on my having that drink, as though I might find myself at
risk of something, shed mention my not being much of a
drinker when we were together; I told her that Im not much
of a drinker now either.
Nikki and Charles would mention moving in the next month,
not far from me, Kathy doesnt live far from me now either;
Id eventually drive Kathy home. Kathy had gotten our Son to
ask me to give her a ride, I harbor no animosity towards
her, she had to know that I wouldnt leave her to her own
devices to make her way home; she told me that she wasnt
sure how Id respond and if anyone should know how Id
respond in any given situation, its her. Kathy would also
tell me that she was pleased to see that Charles and I are
getting along, if only I could actually believe whatever
comes out of her mouth, perhaps my trust issues are escalating?
Remo, Anthony and Charles would go to the liquor store, they
returned with a case of beer and 3 bottles of Brandy; each
with one of their own. Apparently these fools dont
understand that sane men dont open bottles of alcohol to
finish them, sane men dont fool themselves into believing
80 proof alcohol wont fuck you up and if youve built a
tolerance for the stuff its because your liver is shot and
youre a borderline alcoholic. They would smoke cigarettes
and someone lit a joint, Kathy is sitting on the other side
of the room watching me, Ive said nothing about whats
happening; they all act as though this behavior is
acceptable. Im noticing that Charles is getting a kick out
of watching everyone getting into what Im saying, seeing
how intently they dote on every word, there were only 4
people involved in the conversations concerning race
relations and music; they didnt include
Charles/Kathy/Nikia/Remo or Nikki.
I motioned for Nikki to give me a hand, I have her prepare
me a plate, I question her about having a drink; she says
that its just wine. I take note of the rationalization, I
plan to return for a serious talk about their unacceptable
habits, Ill be laying down laws; I plan to visit with her
doctor. Im going to be having her blood tested for alcohol,
tell her that she risks being accused of child abuse before
the child is born, I wont let either of these fools
continue to risk the welfare of my Grandchild; Im going to
issue stern warnings.
Im going to ask why I should care about this child if they
continue to show how little they care for it, Ill also
inform them that if they continue as they are they will get
nothing from me, at the rate theyre going the child is
already fighting for its life; if they think I have nothing
to say about this theyre dumber than they appear.
Anthonys girlfriend would mention that Kathy and I reminded
her of her Parents, she kept calling Kathy my Wife, Kathy
would correct her and mention that we were never married;
shed then mention that we didnt marry because we were
trying in the wrong place. She said that wed attempted to
get married in Georgia, that I could have married Melody (my
Fathers girlfriend) because she was black, that they
wouldnt allow Kathy and I to do so; I commented that I must
have been doing serious drugs not to have remembered that.
Once the drinking got underway it was time for me to leave,
Anthony would begin a racism rant, his girlfriend would
mention how difficult it was for her to grow up as a
Mulatto; I would understand because Joshua seemed to have an
equally difficult time.
Anthony would ask me to make him a copy of the cds I made
for his Sister, the conversation would turn to music, Id
learn that Maria suffered an aneurysm recently and is still
in the hospital; her Daughter Nikia came with her girlfriend.
Id never have noticed if the woman didnt make it her
business to serve Nikia, I remember her being at the party I
brought Charlotte to, Nikia is getting so big the fat is
swallowing her face; all of the women (except Kathy) present
were overweight. When Anthony heard that Im a member of the
Y, he asked if I could come for him in the morning, why
doesnt anyone ever mention paying for my gas; Ive realized
that not even Nicole/Cathy and Larry bother to put gas in my
car.
Anthony gave me his phone number, there is no logical reason
for me to drive uptown to get him, he mentioned getting up
every morning to run 2 miles; it doesnt seem to be doing
very much for him and how does he know its 2 miles? He was
hoping to use the machinery at the Y, I told him that a
membership would probably cost him $40 a month, Im sure
hes not prepared to pay that; including him in my plan is
an inconvenience that Im not thinking of entertaining.
Id get calls from Italy, while at the reception, Jay was
having problems with some girl not responding to him; hed
tell me that it was midnight where he was and I couldnt
allow him to continue interrupting the event. Id also get a
text from Pretty, shes now pregnant, I didnt get a call
from Charlotte and I think it bothered the hell out of me;
Devon would text me late last night and that pissed me off
as well.
Id get up today and shampoo my carpet, Anthony was
expecting a call and Devon was attempting to contact me,
neither of them got what they wanted; I didnt want to be
bothered. Id turn my phone off, Id left water running in
the sink in the hall, it would overflow and begin flooding
Pauls apartment; Joe would knock on my door to tell me. I
went to clean up the water, Paul was wheezing on his oxygen,
had I gone to get my things from Devons I could have taken
care of Pauls place in no time; Paul has never mopped his
floor and it was filthy. Id get a call from Paula
concerning the mishap, I let her know that it was an
isolated incident, merely an overflowing; I rarely use the
sink. I told her that there was too much going on in my
life, I got distracted and the water overflowed for about 7
minutes; no pipes had broken! Even though I took care of the
mess, Paul called Paula, I cant be angry with the guy; it
was my fault!
Paula is too happy not to have to come here often, once or
twice a month suits her just fine, nothing is going to
change her newfound freedom. Ive learned that its alright
to multi-task as long as it doesnt involve fire or water.
In thinking about Charlotte, I think she may have taken
exception to my asking her why she was calling, she doesnt
seem to understand that I want to hear such things; a woman
wants a man to tell her that hes thinking of her/that he
loves the sound of her voice/that he misses the feel of her
skin. Of course I know that she was thinking of me, I enjoy
specifics, what thoughts did she have, did she just miss the
sound of my voice; was she enjoying a sensation Id caused;
I want to be assured of my successes, however minuscule. I
was going to call to wish her Daughter a Happy Birthday, I
decided that may not be a good idea, Im not really in her
life and she hasnt proven to be appreciative of the gifts
Id bestowed upon her in the past. Charlotte lost the
dolphin necklace I bought, even though shes crazy about
dolphins and never bothered to enjoy the Animusic DVDs I
sent, perhaps Im rationalizing, its a very disturbing time
for me right now.
Ad: