Please excuse ANY errors.

January 4, 1999

~Tia's P.O.V~

"You're trying to give me your cooties at this point," I said pushing him away, laughing.

"Just childish," Donald shook his head with a small chuckle. "You can't be serious."

"Babe, I'm so serious," I replied. "Your nose is leaking," He sucked his snot back up his nostrils and my mouth dropped. "Dude, that's nasty," I said disgustedly.

"Listen-"

"There's nothing more to it. I heard it go into your throat. You're going to make your throat sore doing that, babe. Seriously. Just blow it next time," I then kissed him on his cheek.

"Babe, you really gon' do me like that?" He asked me. "I would kiss you no matter what though," he replied.

"We are similar, but not the same," I finished speaking as my phone rang. "What if it was herpes? Would you still kiss me no matter what?"

"That's different and you know it. You go to the extreme. You know that, right?" He pointed to me, laughing. "Besides, these are mostly your niece, nephew, and baby brother-in-law's germs. Those snotty-nosed kids passed this to me."

"I'm aware of many things," I nodded with a chuckle, then answered my phone without looking at the caller. There aren't too many people that call my personal phone. "Hello?" I answered my cell phone.

"This Tia?" I heard a male voice ask.

"Who's asking?" I squinted at Donald.

"Who's that?" Donald mouthed to me before coming closer to listen.

"Who's this?" The person chuckled, "it's yo dad."

"I'm sorry, but you have the wrong number," I said hanging up the phone.

"Who was it?" Donald asked me aloud this time.

"I don't know. Someone playing on my line. I'm going to need to change my number. I've had it for a while," I replied.

"Please, because your ex called the other day. I've been meaning to tell you that," Donald replied. "It slipped my mind, so I forgot."

"My ex?" I asked him. "Who?"

"Don't act like you got a handful. There are only two and I'm referring to the most recent one. Kung Fu Panda is his name," he replied.

"I don't recall being with someone by that name Don-" I didn't finish and he gave me a look.

"You know who," he squinted at me. "It ain't like you been with a lot of people."

"Says who?" I put all of my weight on my left leg.

"That nigga called your phone talkin' about some, "is it true?" His ass spoke before I could say anything. Maybe it was him?" He hinted.

"Donald, I know that man's voice and that's not it. The voice on the phone today was unfamiliar," I replied.

"Yeah, and I know it too. Immediately knew who it was. Pissed me off to hear his voice," Donald shook his head.

"Is what true?" I asked Donald.

"Oh, the proposal. I guess the magazines said it happened already and you said yes. This was before I even proposed, but yeah. I kindly told his ass off," Donald shook his head.

"Kindly?" I leaned forward as I asked the question.

"Alright, I told his ass off," he chuckled drinking his herbal tea.

"I'm surprised you didn't hang up once you heard his voice?"

"I was, but I wanted to know why the hell he was callin'. Once I found that out, I told him off then hung up on his ass," Donald replied in a cool tone.

"Babe, why don't you like him? I mean, really?" I asked him then my phone rang again. When I looked at it, it was the same number from a few minutes ago.

"Do you want me to answer it?"

I handed Donald the phone, "go right ahead."

"Wassup?" He answered the phone. "Who is this that keep callin' this phone?" Donald stood next to me, but I couldn't hear on the other end. "No, the fuck it ain't. I know Daryl's voice when I hear Daryl's voice. You ain't him. Nigha stop callin' this fuckin' pho-" Donald cut himself off, then pulled the phone down, covering the speaker with his large thumb tip. "I think it's your bio."

"My sperm donor?" I asked him and he nodded.

"That's what he said," Donald shrugged. "Want me to hang up or what?"

"No," I removed Donald's thumb away from the speaker, "just tell him that I'm not here," I smiled to myself because I know he can hear me.

No, I'm not trying to put Donald between this, I'm going to get the phone, but I recall my sperm donor saying the same thing to his girlfriend when we called his phone. He told her to say he wasn't there when his voice was heard clearly. Donald placed his thumb over the speaker, confused.

"What?" Donald said with a look of confusion.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "No, but there may be something wrong with my grandmother or someone else important that doesn't include him. He's definitely one of those unimportant people." I quickly grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Damn..." Donald said laughing.

"Is this my daughter, Tia?" My sperm donor asked me. Now I know who it is and he does sound similar to my sperm donor the last time we ever spoke which was when I was seventeen.

"This is Tia, but I don't know about the daughter part. Is everyone alright?" I spoke with concern because this man didn't call me. "Not you, but everyone else?" I spoke nicely.

"Everything good over here. I just wanted to speak to my daughter," he replied.

"My sperm donor wants to speak to me after so long? Why? What is it that you want?" I exhaled. "I haven't heard from you in almost ten years. What has changed between then and now?" Irritation clearly showed in my voice as I spoke.

"You're my daughter," he replied in an obvious tone.

"You've never acknowledged me as your daughter before, so what gives?" I asked again.

"Look, I just wanted to see how you was doin' for myself. I read everything in the papers and just wanted to make sure that you good," Anthony replied.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Just dandy. Is that all? I know you didn't just call me to see if I'm good," I mocked him.

"I wa- all of us want to see you. Your sisters. We want to see you and Yasir," Anthony replied.

"Why didn't you call Yasir to tell him yourself?" I asked him, tilting my head to the side.

"I did, I assumed he told you too," he replied.

"How did you get my number?" I finally asked the question that's been running through my mind.

"My mom's gave it to me," he replied.

"Let me get this straight, after all of these years of no contact, you finally decide to ask someone else for my never when you could have done that YEARS ago. All of a sudden, it's you wanting to see me and Yasir? I'm confused and in all honesty, I don't trust you either," I told him truthfully.

"So you don't trust your own father?"

"I don't trust you a BIT," I shrugged. "And a father you were never. You've got to earn every title and you haven't earned anything but children that you abandoned."

"Was that your new man that picked up the phone?" My sperm donor asked another question.

I smiled, "what's it to you?"

"Babe," Donald chuckled in the background. "Be a little more nice just to see... You know?" He whispered from afar.

I rolled my eyes, "what happened to the children of your longtime girlfriend that you took care of? Maybe you should call them to see how they're doing. They've always been more important."

"Don't be like that. What's with you? You used to be quiet and scared to speak, but now you tellin' me off like I'm not your father. Like I'm some stranger off of the streets," my sperm donor replied.

"Um... I can count on one hand for the amount of times I've seen you in my entire existence. Technically, you are a stranger off of the streets, just one that has a name I know," I replied.

"Is it the money and fame that has changed you into THIS person?" My sperm donor asked me. "I wasn't even informed about the first proposal, let alone the second. I want to see if this young man is right."

"No, it's strictly my experiences, knowledge, and realizations that have changed me," I smiled. "Goodbye," I hung up the phone.

"Babe, you could've been just a little nicer," Donald held his fingers apart. "Maybe he genuinely wanted to speak with you."

"Too bad. Donald, my sperm donor is the transactional type. I learned that as a five-year-old. He came around for a little while after he was released from jail. He used to visit us a lot for a very short period of time, but long for him. That summer was the longest I saw him. That is until he asked my mother to move in with her and she kindly told him no. I was there. Didn't see that man again until years later," I replied. "No call or anything, so you have no idea, love," I finished.

Parents can't just do that to a child, especially because before that, I don't EVER remember seeing his face. That's before he even went to jail and I remember things when I was one and two years old. Imagine being five and first being introduced to your father who you were excited to get out of jail just for him to show up a year later because he was on the verge of being kicked out of his mother's house. My sperm donor and Yasir are very similar in the few things I did notice with my sperm donor.

My sperm donor was the first man to break my heart. His presence or lack thereof was the standard that was set for a while. I didn't know how a man was supposed to treat a woman. Not only that, but all I mostly witnessed growing up or heard was the men mistreating the women they were in relationships with or married to. Not only that, but they also are the type of men who when they break up with the woman, they break up with their biological children too. Out of sight, out of mind mentality. All were black but of different backgrounds. Wealthy or not, the mentality stayed the same.

Donald cleared his throat, "that is true, I don't have the slightest idea of the situation. I apologize," he told me.

"Apology accepted."

I don't believe I really talked to Donald about my sperm donor much. I've told him but and pieces, but not the full thing. My sperm donor went to jail for killing one of his many girlfriends with a gun he stole from his mother the same day. He stole it from her safe. It was said that they were playing with a gun at his grown age and the gun went off shooting and killing the woman.

As a child, it was believable, but as an adult, I don't believe it was an accident. Why did he steal the gun in the first place? The whole story is fishy. He didn't get much time at all. In fact, he wasn't convicted. How many men are convicted today for killing their girlfriends? Not many. Yasir can make himself appear as the nice guy but changes fairly quickly when things aren't working in his favor.

Although he wasn't around, I do thank him for not being around. Why? Well, because from what I heard from my grandmother, all his girlfriends and his child with her ever witnessed was the two, he and his longtime girlfriend, fighting. Not only that, but his girlfriend has many male children and some are grown because she's older than him and they fight him. My sperm donor cheats on the woman with people who work at their job because they work together and there's so much more.

If my sperm donor was around, he most likely would've been abusive. However, that's in the beginning. He should have never come back if he wasn't planning on sticking around in the long run. I would've witnessed much more than I witnessed growing up if he stayed around, I'm sure.

I remember being choked up and whatnot by Yasir as a child. I told before, but never again after I wasn't believed. I think our sperm donor is the same way. I mean, he did disappear when my mother told him that he couldn't live with us. I believe some of Yasir's ways come from our sperm donor.

"Is speaking to you all he wanted?" Donald asked me.

"No, he wants to see Yasir and I. He also wants to meet you to see if you're right for me," I took a sip of my water, looking at Donald with raised eyebrows.

"If I'm right for you, huh?" Donald asked me. "How would he know if he doesn't know you and vice versa?"

"Exactly, the nerve of him. He doesn't even know my middle name without asking his mother," I chuckled leaning over the counter, looking directly at Donald. "Very entitled."

Donald took a sip of his tea, then a bite from his apple and disappeared behind me. "You tell me, am I right for you?" He asked with his face in my neck and his lips brushing against my neck. Also, the munching of his apple in my ear.

"I don't know," I moved my head, giving him more access to my neck, "you tell me DeGrate. Are we right for each other?"

"You damn right," he said kissing my neck between chewing his apple.

"You do not have to chew like that," I said turning to him, cracking up. "Ol' juicy mouth behind."

He chuckled and then kissed my cheek. "I'm not even going say anything." He said wrapping my arms around me and his arms around mine.

"You just did," I laughed.

"Damn, I have to start getting dressed in a little for this family dinner," he sighed. "I'm just not in the mood for more drama and bullshit."

"I have faith that you all will have a great time," I looked up at him, smiling. "I know that I'll probably immediately know when you walk through the door."

"I know you'll have a good ass time with your Elijah, Ashari, your niece and nephew," he chuckled. "I wish it was me. It's really just my pops. I'm not trying to be on that with him. Not today."

"Well, he was a little nice to you the last time y'all spoke," I told him.

"True, but it's hard to tell when it will remain that way. One minute he's nice and the next makes me want to do the Van Gogh ear chop on myself, but both."

"Dramatic much?" I asked him laughing hard. "Damn!"

He smiled, eventually laughing. "I probably shouldn't have eaten an apple, but I have no idea what restaurant they chose. Maybe it is a great idea."

~Rev. Donald DeGrate~

Tonight is the entire family's last night in France. To end things on a great note, we all decided to go to a nice family dinner. By family, I do mean my and my wife's family. The Toussaint's aren't in sight. This may be the family's last trip with my father-in-law, and I don't want to be surrounded by drama. That family is pure drama and we don't need that. There's enough of that going on in that house. Junior came trudging in late, but not too late because we didn't even order. We have our own private room.

"Well look who decided to show up," Edna said laughing.

"I apologize for running late," Junior apologized looking around for a place to sit I would assume. "I can't sit near Grandpa because I'm a little sick and his immune system is compromised. I want to sit as far away from him as possible."

"Sit over here," I waved him over to the empty seat near me.

I'm sitting at the other head of the table and my father-in-law is on the opposite end. My wife is to one side of me and across from her and beside me is another empty seat.

"You sure?" Junior asked me.

"Boy if you don't come and sit down," I chuckled at him.

"Sit your tail down," my wife waved him over.

Junior walked back in my direction. Derek is right beside him. My two sons did this little handshake.

"Hey ma and pops," Junior said standing behind his chair.

"Hey, bro," Derek greeted.

"Wassup," Junior took a seat.

"Nothin' much," Derek replied.

"Why you so late?" Dalvin asked Junior.

"Because I had to drive through Paris the whole way and y'all didn't. There's more traffic my way," Junior replied. "It's always busy here."

"No doubt about that," Dalvin chuckled.

"You came alone," I finally spoke. It was the first thing I noticed when he walked in.

"Yes, I did," Junior nodded pouring himself some water.

"Where's your fiancée, son?" I asked him.

Junior turned to me, "she's... Tia is back at our hotel," he replied.

"She didn't want to come?" Mary asked our son.

"We didn't know she was invited," Junior shrugged.

"Tia's family too, so it goes without saying whether she's invited or not," I told him and my wife grabbed my hand, squeezing it softly under the table while smiling at me.

"Tia and her friends decided that they would do something," Junior replied giving me an odd look, putting the pitcher down.

"Why are you looking at me like that, son?" I asked him.

"Because this isn't you. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to be disrespectful or starting something, but this isn't normal of you to say is all," Junior told me.

"I know, but as you've said before, people change. Right?" I asked Junior with a raised eyebrow.

"People DO change, but not overnight," Junior told me. "It takes time for true and authentic change," he glanced at me. "Y'all didn't order yet?" He asked us.

"Nah," Derek replied. "Do you not see our menus?" Derek chuckled at his brother.

"Drinks too?" Junior asked.

"Nahhh, we ordered that already," Derek closed his menu just as the waiter came with our wine.

"I think we should just go for the night's special for the entire family. How does that sound?" I asked everyone, raising my voice so everyone could hear.

"I guess because I really don't know what to order," Derek replied.

Most of everyone agreed to do just that while a few didn't. In the end, it's what we all did when the waitress came. She began pouring our drinks into the wine glasses. She eventually made it to our end of the table, pouring drinks. Junior quickly put his hand over his wine glass as the waiter began to pour, making it spill onto the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry," the waitress quickly apologized to Junior.

"You're fine. It was my fault. I should've said something," Junior said wiping his hand off. "I don't want anything alcoholic. I didn't get to order anything to drink on account of me being late, but I'll just have some hot herbal tea."

"Okay," she quickly wrote it down on her notepad. "Will that be all?" She asked Junior.

"That's it," Junior responded to the waitress. "Thanks," Junior said getting up.

"Where you goin'?" Dalvin asked Junior.

"Restroom to wash my hands," Junior said walking out of the room.

"I'm surprised y'all ain't going to follow your brother like usual," I said speaking to Dalvin and Derek.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dalvin asked me.

"To the restroom? Y'all usually do to converse about me and your mother behind our backs. I know what yall be doin'," I pointed to him, laughing.

"And fightin'," Dery spoke up.

"Y'all fight?" My wife asked our older children.

"No," Derek replied.

"Sometimes," Julien spoke up.

"How they know?" I asked my older kids.

"They don't," Derek replied to me.

"They fight wherever they go if they can, poppa," Dery told me.

"Y'all still fight?" I asked all of my sons.

"Sometimes, but we ain't did that in a while, especially in front of my kids. I mean, we play like that too and that's the kind of fighting they witness," Derek told me.

"Do I need to make y'all hold hands everywhere y'all go?" I asked them, then started laughing.

"You can't make us now," Dalvin told me.

"Oh, man... I remember y'all used to make us do that mess. It was embarrassing, especially being teenagers," Derek shook his head. "I do the same to my kids though," Derek started laughing.

Junior came back and sat down in his seat, "Remember what?"

"Having to hold hands everywhere we went after fighting," Dalvin replied reminiscing.

"We had to hug first, then hold hands all day," Junior said laughing. "I'm using that because that worked. I remember Dalvin and Derek got into it and we were on a family trip-" Junior snapped his fingers, "a fair or something. Y'all were embarrassed and I couldn't stop laughing at y'all."

"I remember that!" Edna said laughing. "I didn't know why though. No wonder y'all used to hold hands. I just thought y'all loved each other that much," Edna said laughing.

"Nahhh, it was because of the fighting we was around all those white folks and couldn't get our behind whipped," Derek told her.

"Where did you get that from?" Junior turned to me. "I always wondered."

"It was me," Mary spoke up. "I got the idea from my dad, your grandfather. It was a type of punishment after the butt whippings we received."

"We got all three too most times," Derek added. "The whippings got old after a while and you get used to them, but that hand-holding stuff worked."

"It did," Junior chimed in again. "Them whipping wore off quick with the welts and all."

"And boy did you have some welts on you," Edna shook her head. "I got tore up, but never to that extent."

"Junior was our problem child. As quiet as he was, he was just as sneaky as he was quiet," Mary told her.

"Very," I added. "You got to remember that our car was stolen twice and he drove across all these states with Junior being the main culprit," I said laughing. "I'm laughing now, but we were pissed."

"That second time, Junior kidnapped me. I didn't willingly go," Dalvin said with a serious expression until he couldn't hold it anymore and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Yeah, a'ight," Junior pointed to his brother, chuckling.

"I tried defending Junior plenty of times, but that was some crazy shit," my father-in-law stated. "I wanted to beat y'all asses myself. We just knew Dalvin was in on it that second time because he was with them and Junior didn't even live with y'all. Dalvin had to get those keys for y'all to leave overnight," my father-in-law said laughing. "Y'all was some badass kids."

"Yes, they were," I agreed. "Derek didn't give too many problems, but when y'all have some kids, y'all gettin' y'all's back. We went through hell," I shook my head. "Y'all gettin' y'all's back ten times harder."

"I hope not," Junior said laughing. "Hopefully they take after my wife in that department. I can't handle raising another me."

"I'm not havin' no kids," Dalvin shrugged. "So I won't be getting ANYTHING back from ANYONE."

"At the rate you're going, you're bound to get yours back," Derek pointed at Dalvin.

"Man, whatever. I'm not gettin' caught up. So far, so good," Dalvin told him.

"Don't talk like that in front of y'all momma now. She's right here," I reminded them.

"As if I don't know. I mean, yes, I don't want to hear about it, but I already did," Mary looked at me. "I know they're engaging in premarital sex, especially with Derek having children and one on the way."

"I ain't though," Junior replied.

"Oh, but you have," my wife pointed at our oldest son.

"In the past," Junior added.

"He always got to remind us, but hate when we bring it up," Dalvin spoke up.

"I don't always remind y'all. Y'all the ones who bring it up pokin' fun. I'm just correctin' momma," Junior cleared his throat again, sounding like a revving engine.

"Your car started yet?" Eden asked Junior.

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "And I'm leaving you behind to eat my dust," he chuckled.

The waitress came back, "herbal tea for you," she sat the teacup and saucer down, before pouring the tea.

"Thanks," Junior replied.

A waiter came holding the large platters of food, sitting them in the middle of the table. She then began sitting some of the platters on the table.

"You can be so mean," Aaron spoke up.

"Who?" I asked him.

"Junior," Aaron replied.

"Nah, I can be, but I mostly play too much," Junior replied. "Did I hurt your feelings?" Junior asked Eden.

"No," Eden shook her head. "Aaron, you've been around long enough to know that this is how we play."

"That's how our family roll. It's no hard feelings most times. It could get to that point, but for the most part, we just be chillin'," Junior shrugged. "Eden, Edna, and I real life get along for the most part. It's just play."

"Many black families are like this, but you only half so you wouldn't know," Dalvin replied. "Did you go around your black side a lot?"

"No, I was raised by my mother," Aaron replied. "Dad wasn't around."

"She's the black one or?" Dalvin asked him.

"My mother is white and my dad is black," Aaron replied. "Sometimes people say things jokingly, but truly mean it deep down."

"This ain't that," Junior replied. "I wouldn't want my cousin to eat my dust," he chuckled.

"We sayin' a lot at this table like we ain't got the feds sitting here takin' note of everything we say," Dalvin replied.

"Dalvin, he's no cop," Mary said laughing.

"Might as well be to us. He's a reporter," Dalvin replied.

"No, he's no reporter," I shook my head. "This man went to school for creative writing or some shit."

"I'm a journalist," Aaron confirmed.

"Reporter," Dalvin corrected.

"What's your focus?" I asked Aaron.

"A little bit of everything. Work finds me," Aaron replied.

"We're his next story," Dalvin pointed angrily at Aaron.

"Don't go off the deep end. Aaron is family, were engaged," Eden replied.

"For how long?" I asked Eden. "Truthfully, how long have you been engaged to this man?"

Edna pursed her lips, drinking her drink. They waited until the waiters and waitresses left before speaking again.

"Too damn long," Her father, Freeman, replied. "The two of you have been engaged for too damn long."

"You could've been married him. It has been so long," Bessie, her mother, replied.

"Freeman, don't start," my wife spoke to her brother.

"No, it has begun. They have been engaged for years," Freeman spoke up. "Why haven't y'all made it official yet?"

"Dad, this I my life," Eden replied.

"I know that this is your life, but it seems to me that this man is stringing you alone," Freeman replied.

"Ever heard of a shut-up ring?" Bessie asked her daughter.

"This is not what this is," Aaron replied.

"Prove us wrong," Bessie replied. "Marry my daughter."

"Yeah, Junior here may be married before you two at this rate," Freeman spoke to Aaron.

"Will you pay for my wedding?" Eden asked her parents. "That's tradition as well."

Her parents looked at each other. "Do we look like we have it like that? I'm sorry if we gave you that impression, but that's not happenin'," Freeman replied. "We're on a fixed income."

"Okay, so please don't school me on tradition when you can't even stick to them," Eden told her parents.

"I hope Junior doesn't think we payin' for his weddin'?" I looked at Junior, joking. "Do you?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Junior sat back playing along. "Get your pockets ready for this year because that's when this is happenin'. We doin' things big on y'all dime." Junior pointed to his mother and me with his thumb and index fingers.

"Y'all got expensive taste," Mary shook her head. "At least Eden ain't like that."

"Momma, we don't, especially my fiancée. Every blue moon we splurge," Junior replied.

"Son, I ain't seen a blue moon since we have been here," Mary said laughing.

"See, we don't want that. We just want something small and we're saving," Eden spoke up.

"Momma, Tia is as cheap as Julius from Everybody Hates Chris. That's twelve cents worth of toenail, we could save all that up and make acrylics for cheaper," Dalvin said laughing.

"That's some nasty sh- stuff," Junior said laughing. "You ain't right in the head. Toenails?"

"Somethings wrong with this fool," Derek said laughing.

"The things that come out of your mouth are ridiculous," Edna said, disgusted.

"Aye, y'all can get up off my lady now. It ain't even like that," Junior shook his head, chuckling.

"Remember what I said the other day?" My father-in-law spoke up. "Your children's life is their life. You can't live it for them."

"Dad, we ain't tryin' to. We're just trying to speak some sense into our daughter," Freeman replied. "There's a difference."

"Dad, he just graduated college not too long ago, so he has debt to pay," Eden spoke up. "I don't want that on me either."

"Facts," Junior agreed. "That ain't fair to the other person."

"Your father had debt when we married," Bessie spoke to her daughter.

"But your dad paid for yours, right?" Eden asked her mother.

"Let me ask you this, if you both knew your parents were unable to pay and he's in debt, WHY would you accept his proposal?" Freeman asked his daughter.

"Because we love each other," Aaron spoke up.

"Listen, my daughter knows not to just marry for love and love alone. It takes more than that," Bessie told Aaron.

"Momma, dad was broke when y'all married," Eden stood up for them both. "We're waiting until we're financially stable to do so."

"That'll take more years. Student debt takes a while for most people. It is what it is, but that's her life," Junior butted in. "Sometimes the more something is pushed onto someone to live a certain way, they end up doing the opposite even in adulthood."

"Where's y'all, bonehead and big-boned friend?" I asked Junior and Dalvin, changing the subject.

"Pops, you didn't even have to go there," Dalvin looked at me with his jaws puffed up trying to compose his laughter.

"Your description was spot on, pops," Derek nodded at me impressed.

"Pops, they are grown men who don't have to tell us what they're doing. I don't have a clue," Junior shrugged his shoulders. "They aren't my responsibility."

"But you know where Tia is, right?" Dalvin raised his eyebrows at Junior.

"That's my fiancée, so yes Dalvin, I do," Junior gave him a look, fixing his plate. "Your point is?"

"Dalvin doesn't understand," Derek tapped Junior.

"Don't expect him to either," I cosigned Derek.

"I'm tryin' to figure out what that got to do with JoJo and K-Ci?" Junior looked around trying to find the correlation with a squint. "Whatever man," he passed the dish to me, dismissing what his brother said.

"Just nod and smile," I chuckled, putting food on my plate, then my wife's. "Is that enough?"

"Yes," Mary replied, then I passed it to her. "You want some of this?" She asked DJ.

"Nuh- uhn," DJ shook his head. DJ got in trouble earlier, so he's a little stubborn.

"Boy, you gon' eat somethin'. I know that for sure," I told him. "I don't care how mad you are."

"Not hungry," he poked his lips out.

"Can you hand me back that dish?" I asked my wife and she handed it to me. I put some of that food onto his plate. "We not at home. If we were home, I wouldn't give a damn, but you gon' eat this high ass food, boy," I told him, then passed the platter to Dalvin.

"This the first time I saw him get disciplined," Dalvin said laughing.

"Why do you still have on your coat?" I asked Junior.

"Pops it's cold and I got some containers in my coat," he chuckled. "Whatever I don't eat, I'm taking it with me to go."

"That's ghetto as I don't know what," Derek shook his head.

"I'm payin' for it, right?" Junior turned to Derek. "Exactly. These types of restaurants don't believe in to-go bags, so I bring my own. They can't tell me I can't take something I paid for."

"That's true," my wife nodded in agreement. "That sounds better than paying for a large meal, and leaving it just for them to throw away. There are a lot of starving K-Ci's in this country."

"Momma," Derek said laughing.

"K-Ci always hungry and eatin'," Dalvin replied. "You would think it's the other way around and it's JoJo, but nope."

"A lot of hungry K-Ci's?" Junior said laughing. "Now momma, that's mean."

"That man is so small that he got to have some sort of a worm eating his food," I told my kids.

"Tapeworm," Junior told me. "Nah, he just has a fast metabolism is all and JoJo is the opposite."

"Those boys are like Yin and Yang," Derek said laughing. "Completely different from each other."

Junior cleared his ragged throat, "they're more alike than you think," Junior drank some of his tea.

"I was going to say just that. Ain't nothin' but trouble since the day y'all met," Mary shook her head at our children.

"Momma, me and the fellas still tight," Dalvin told her.

"And that says a lot," Mary eyed Dalvin, passing another patter to him.

Junior started coughing which turned into laughter. "I'm sorry," he said coughing again, covering his mouth of course.

"I don't get the joke," Mary gave him a look.

"Me either," Junior replied looking directly at Dalvin.

"Some type of lame inside joke is what it is Mary," I told me wife.

"Has to be because nobody else is laughing," Mary replied to me.

"Since when did lame become part of your vocabulary, pops?" Dalvin frowned. "Not even the Webster definition of it, but the urban way."

I smiled at him with no words. "We passin' food around and didn't even bless this meal," I told everyone.

"I'll say grace," Junior volunteered.

"That's fairly... New..." My wife spoke up. "Go right ahead, Junior."

Besides the little disagreement between my brother-in-law, his wife, their daughter, and her longtime fiance, the dinner ran smoothly. We had a nice time as a family. The entire family isn't here, but everyone can't afford to travel to another country or just doesn't want to. If my son's fiancée's family had come, the experience would have been so close to hell.

Word Count: 5,970

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❤️Thanks for the support that you've been giving me. I'm very appreciative.❤️