After speaking to mommy, I returned to the kitchen. I stood in the doorway and I just stared at my grandmother as she prepared her infamous Kejafa and orange juice(aka.Booty Juice). she motioned me to sample her concoction. I took a sip, winked at her and smile my fabulous smile. Grandma Lula Ethel is an eccentric woman at times. She isn't always direct when speaking. she would sometime speak in codes. You would havew to "read between the line" as she would say. I do a lot of "reading between the lines" when talking to her. If I must say so myself, I'm pretty good at it. My mommy and her never really got along. It was never clear what caused the rift between them. Neither one would ever talk about it. Their relationship wasn't unusual. Grandma Lula Ethel had issues with all fourteen of her children and all of her grandchildren except a few of us. Kevyn(aka Sean) and I are among the grandchildren she gets along with.
As the story goes, she calls him Sean because that is what she wanted him to be named at birth. As a form of protest, she continues to call him Sean to this very day. If you referred to him as Kevyn instead op Sean when talking to her, she acts as if she doesn't know whop you are referring to. I go along with her without a fuss. You hae to know how to handle a person like her.
I learned early on that she was very persuadable and moody. If you wnated to get out of trouble with her, all you had to do is focus her attentin on someone she distasted more than you. I remember one time when I was about seven or nine. Actually, I was seven because she moved from Plumeria Gardens when I turned eight. She caught me in the bathroom smoking one of grandfather's Marlboro cigarettes. she didn't actually see me with the evidence, but she could smell the distinctive odor that tobacco leaves behind. It was obvious. when she came into the bathroom, she asked me what was that she smelled. I told her that I wasn't sure, but I thought it was Ms. Odessa burning something in her apartment. That's all it took. She forgot all about me and focused all of her attention and energy on the Jamaican lady that lived below her. She would always say, "That hussy leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. I'll fix her ass."
Ms Odessa was Jamaican and she practiced the art of witchcraft or roots(that is what Grandma Lulla Ethel calls it). she lived just below Grandma Lula Ethel on the third floor. Grandma Lula Ethel hated that woman with a passion. Not one dad would go by that she wouldn't accuse her of sprinkling roots(white powder) on the floor of the hallway, burning stuff or feeding round glass to her husband. In retailiation, she would sprinkly baking powder or flour on the hallway floor.
On the surface, Grandma Lulla Ethel's shell appears to be strong and unbreakable. But underneath the deception lies a a frightened lonley little girl who wants and need your attention and approval. she doesn't get along with my daddy either. She sees him as someone who thinks that she is beneath him. for the record my daddy never though that about her. He has always been polite and pleasant to her. I think she feels inferior to him. Very few people's comp[any did she enjoyed.
Grandma Lula Ethel finished preparing her Booty Juice and turned towards me.
"Would you like a glass?"
Sure, I said, I'll take a glass.
I walked over and leaned against the counter. she poured me a glass of her Booty Juice. While sipping on my drink, she peered over the rim of her eyeglasses and began to interrogate me.
"Whitney, you got something to keep you warm at night?"
No, I said. Not really. It's hard to explain.
"What you mean not really? What the H-E-L-L that supposes to mean? Either you do or you don't. Which one is it?"
I tried to remain calm as I explained to her. Grandma Lula Ethel things have change drasticallyh since you were young. Now days, we have friends with benefits.
"What the H-E-L-L are friends with benefits?"
I had to remind myself to remain patient. That's is a person that you hangout with and you occasionally hae sex with. there are no strings attached."
"No strings attached! child, things haven't change as much as you may want to believe. What the H-E-L-L is that? There were those that practiced that S-H-I-T back then too. They only thing was they called it something different.
