30 Days and change: Day 14
DAY FOURTEEN: Describe the very first trip you took away from your hometown.
Word Count: 1,035
My first trip out of my hometown was to Miami, FL, to visit my cousins (who I now know aren't my cousins, LMAO) with my actual cousin and auntie. You might ask, “Why aren’t they your cousins?” Well, my dad’s father wasn’t who we thought he was then, which means those folks aren’t related to me. Lol. But you know how that can sometimes go with Black families, but that’s beside the point.
This trip to Florida was unique because neither my mom nor I had been to Florida. My aunt Deena (my cousin) drove us down to stay with her sister for the week, where we’d all be staying. Upon our arrival, her kids greeted me and my cousin (who we lovingly call Tre or Muffin; at that time, he was still Tre), and the greeting, although a bit rough, was precisely what it was. Brief. A short and stiff “hey,” the kids returned to their rooms. We made it to Miami at night, and if I remember correctly, after eight o’clock-ish, so we more or less interrupted their nightly routines.
Instead of unpacking our things, I noticed our greeting was almost like a social work house visit. My auntie Deena asked her sister (who remember… is not my Auntie. Lol) if she could have something to drink. Her sister signals to my auntie to go ahead and grab whatever she likes from the fridge. This home was not that big in square footage, so the option of where cups, the refrigerator, and its contents would never be elusive. My aunt Deena grabs a cup and signals my mom to come over and grab a cup, too. As Deena opens the freezer to grab ice cubes, she gestures her face away from the freezer. My mom, noticing standing to her right, peeps in and reacts similarly. LOL. Well, what could you have seen in a freezer that could have made one stop their quest to quench their thirst? ROACHES. Roaches in a home should prevent anyone from doing anything BUT attempting to rid themselves of them or blow the whole house up. Before I knew it, we were on the way to another sister’s house. We almost instantly said our goodbyes, hugged each of them (well, not the cousins cause they stayed in the room), and made our way to our next destination.
Me & Tre (Muffin), 2010
Pulling into the driveway of a sprawling Florida home, a garage, manicured lawn, and outdoor lighting to help guide any visit to and from their front door. We land at “Aunt Kim’s” house. Aunt Kim, the typical southern Black auntie, keeps a spotless home and has two kids (who are star children because they are brilliant, but also cause parents can be overbearing). Aunt Kim greets us in the driveway and welcomes us in. I noticed the face Deena and Kim exchange as if to say, “You knew damn well not to stay over there at her house; you should have been called me.” We walk through the threshold to a beautiful (clean) kitchen, a big open living room, and several rooms with two dedicated to my mom and Denna, as well as a downstairs basement and bathroom made for Tre and me! In typical Black fashion, with it being late, they ran us off to bed. Like typical curious middle school kids, sleep was evading us, so it was time to watch TV. A giant big screen TV lined the basement's back wall, while two remotes sat on a small in-between two sofas. Tre grabs the remote to turn on the Direct TV (does Direct TV still have cable services?) to find something for us to watch. As the screen begins to gain color, a lock screen with a 4-digit password emerges, with giant letters…
PARENTAL BLOCK PLEASE INPUT PASSWORD
In that particular household, we quickly learned that every night past 9 PM, all TVs were blocked. The only channel you could use outside of the parental block was TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network). The authentic Christian girls who had grandparents in the home should know exactly what I am talking about—Jesus 24/7 (AND WHITE JESUS AT THAT). In sheer panic, we begin to try all kinds of number combinations.
1234…
4321…
3124…
2413… and the like. Still, it's a denial code. Hanging around the room were anniversary photos and plaques that commemorate their 10 years of marriage. Other plaques hung with other accolades and awards highlight the accomplishments of the home’s mom and dad. After countless failed attempts, my brain clicked. What year did Auntie Kim and Uncle ??? (I can’t remember the man’s name now. smh) get married. What year is it now? Using some quick mental math, we found our two-digit answer. With excitement, we thought we’d be one step closer to being able to watch something on Cartoon Network or Adult Swim. However, we were still missing two additional digits to crack the code. Realizing I might be thinking too hard, we tried the wedding year. DENIED. INCORRECT. On our final attempt, we thought, what if it's the number of years and their initials? With bated breath, I grab the remote and insight the mathematic code we solved moments before, and the initials K and (?, told you I could remember his name), close my eyes, and press enter! The annoying sounds of CNN blasted from the TV. Alas, we’d been broken free of parental shackles. Pressed with excitement, we make our way to check our usuals. Nickelodeon, VH1, MTV, and Cartoon Network. After a few moments of just peering at the screen TV guide, I hear a small amount of heavy breathing. I look over to my right, and Tre is sleeping. Not even able to keep himself awake to celebrate our victory. His body just gave out from all the travel, movement, roaches, and confusion. Leaving me with a full range of the TV. Making an executive decision, MTV was my choice, catching music videos I’d seen 1000 times. The rest of that trip remained a blur, but the next day, the neighborhood kids taught us the ‘No Scrubs’ dance from TLC, another highlight. But, my first trip away from my hometown was quite an adventure.
